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 KULTURA
W
Mila Polinar
ith palm trees and an oasis for its en-
trance, the Triangle North of Manila
or TriNoma paints a picture of tran-
quility, of the good life found only
in malls. Visited by thousands of shoppers, the mall
features gourmet restaurants and rooftop gardens.
Located at the corner of North Avenue and
EDSA, TriNoma was built in 2007 as part of the
Quezon City Central Business District (QCCBD)
project. Spearheaded by Gloria Arroyo and outgo-
ing Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, the
QCCBD will accommodate condominiums, high-
rise business buildings, malls, gardens and leisure
parks. To make it more accessible, three metro rail
stations will be built in the district. It is to become
the center of commerce and business, a whole 340
hectare zone of urban development.
Behind every building constructed, however,
is the story of a displaced community. Where Tri-
Noma now stands, a community once resided. To
make way for the completion of the QCCBD proj-
ect, about 20,000 families will be evicted from their
homes.
Blueprint for displacement
One of the communities to be displaced for the
QCCBD project in the North Triangle is located
directly behind TriNoma, Sitio San Roque, where
around 16,000 families reside. They have lived in
the area for almost 30 years and have found their
means of livelihood as minimum wage earners, such
as janitors or security guards.
The government plans to relocate the displaced
families to a site in Montalban, Rizal, which is 30 km
away from Metro Manila. Thus, workers who choose
to be relocated would have to commute daily from
Montalban to Metro Manila, spending at least P80
to P140 for fare.
“Halos wala nang natitira sa sahod,” says Janette
Arellano, a mother of three who moved from Sitio
San Roque to Montalban. Janette’s husband is a
minimum wage earner and, with transportation ex-
penses, only takes home P200 for other needs.
Jennilyn Peroy’s husband, meanwhile, opted to
stay in Metro Manila despite his family’s relocation
to Montalban. ”Wala na [kaming] kakainin pag uwi-
an [siya] araw-araw kaya isang beses sa isang linggo
na lang siya umuuwi dito,” says Jennilyn.
Aside from being far from the residents’ work-
place, water and electricity supply in the relocation
site are also problematic. “Wala pang linya ng tubig,
igib-igib pa,” says Jennilyn. When Jennilyn’s family
arrived at the site last April 27, there was no direct
electrical line and some houses lacked roofs and
flooring.
According to the Urban Land and Housing Re-
form Act, “a continuing program of urban land re-
form and housing [must] make available at afford-
able cost decent housing and basic services.” The
state of the relocation site shows that the National
Housing Authority (NHA) violates these provi-
sions, says Alberto Evangelista of the Nagkakaisang
Naninirahan sa North Triangle Alliance. Evangelista
adds that there is a lack of job opportunities and
health facilities near the relocation site.
The house awarded to residents is about 4 by 5
square meters, too small for a family of five. Even
then, Janette and her family chose to relocate be-
cause they had long dreamed of owning a house.
However, such promises are meant to entice people
to leave the area and pave way for demolition, says
12
Philippine Collegian
huwebes, 24 Hunyo 2010
Evangelista.
On April 14, NHA sent out notices of eviction
DECONSTRUCTION
in Sitio San Roque, giving the residents 30 days to
vacate the area. By May 13, only 900 families have
relocated to Montalban. The residents held a dia-
logue with the National Housing Authority on the
same date and the deadline was extended until June
30(see sidebar 2).
The QCCBD project and the price of development
Faulty construction
Displaced priorities The QCCBD project, furthermore, also threat-
ens to displace government agencies. For one, the
Total Number of Hectares to national office of the Department of Agriculture will
be used for QCCBD project
be transferred to Ilagan City in Isabela to pave way
Sitio San Roque, Brgy. Central, for the construction of commercial buildings.
Affected communities Sitio San Isidro, Brgy. Pinyahan, 195.6 hectares Government offices were to be moved not only
Sitio Palanas to accommodate the QCCBD project but also to
DA, DENR, Off ice of the decongest Metro Manila, according to the QCCBD
Ombudsman, SRA NFA, MGB, proposal. Central business districts, however, have
PAWB, NAPW, NPC, BIR, NIA,
Affected government agencies 103.3 hectares only caused more traffic congestion in an area, as in
NPC, NPO, NSO, BSP, LTO the case of the Makati Central Business district.
andLTFRB
“Bulok ang planong [ito] dahil kahit saang bansa,
Reference: KADAMAY AND COURAGE primer [nasa] kapitolyo ang lahat ng central offices,” says
Ferdinand Gaite, national president of Confedera-
Beating deadlines: The QCCBD project timeline tion for the Unity, Advancement and Recognition of
Year Event Government Employees (COURAGE). He added
The QCCBD project was f irst proposed in 2002 through Executive Order (EO) 106. that transferring such agencies would only make
2002 Belmonte issued a moratorium on demolition to the residents of North Triangle, coordination between the agencies less efficient and
commanding that no demolition should occur in the area during his stay in off ice. might lead to the massive lay-offs of government em-
ployees in these agencies.
By virtue of EO 620, the QCCBD project implementing body, North Triangle Moreover, government medical institutions like
2007
Development committee was changed to the Tri-Dev Commission
the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, the
A public bidding was held for the North Triangle area in which the Ayala Land Inc. Philippine Heart Center and the Philippine Lung
2008 (ALI) became the winning bidder. The project in the 29.5 hectare North Triangle Center (see sidebar 1) will be combined to form a
costs P22 billion.
block of medical centers to be called the Philippine
2010 Relocation of families begins in Sitio San Roque. Center for Specialized Health Care. The thrust of
this center is geared towards medical tourism, ca-
2012 The development of the North Triangle area is set to begin. tering to foreign stakeholders and not to Filipinos,
according to Kalipunan ng Damayang Pilipino (KA-
DAMAY) and COURAGE.
Urban decay
Ironically, the implementation of the QCCBD
project is also in the hands of government institu-
tions. The North Triangle Development Commis-
sion which leads the project is composed of Bel-
monte, Noli de Castro and the NHA.
The mission of the NHA should be to “provide
responsive housing programs primarily to homeless
low-income families with access to social services
and economic opportunities.” As such, the develop-
ment of the North Triangle area, which is owned by
NHA, should be toward socialized housing projects
and not to business enterprises, says Gaite.
The source of funding for the QCCBD project
shows the priority of the government. In light of the
Philippine Country Assistance Strategy, World Bank
(WB) provided P3 billion to fund the study of the
development framework of the QCCBD project. In
exchange of funding, WB can intervene in affairs like
“policy advice, technical assistance and investment
support,” according to KADAMAY and COURAGE.
“Kaming mahihirap ay hindi kasama sa kabuhayang
pag-unlad [na dala ng QCCBD],” says Evangelista.
The QCCBD project reveals the skewed meaning
of progress in the country: commerce centers above
the right to shelter, basic needs and decent liveli-
hood. While TriNoma depicts a scene of affluence,
the outside world serves as a glaring picture of gov-
ernment negligence. q
Litrato ni Chris Imperial
Disenyo ni Patricia Basmayor