QC gov’t has ‘very legitimate concerns’ about Quezon Memorial Circle station design —DOTr

The partial stoppage of the construction of the MRT7's Quezon Memorial Circle Station stemmed from "very legitimate concerns" of the local government of Quezon City regarding the design approved in the previous administration, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Wednesday.

During the House Committee on Transportation's hearing, Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan explained that the design submitted by concessionaire San Miguel Corporation was approved and given permission for construction.

However, Mayor Joy Belmonte's new administration conducted a review of all ongoing projects and "valid concerns" were raised about the station's design.

"Base dito sa review ng ating local government sa Quezon City, merong valid concerns, very legitimate concerns na ni-raise si Quezon City based on the designs that were previously permitted by the local government," Batan said.

According to a statement earlier released by the local government, the review shows that the project has exceeded the agreed-upon area for construction.

The current proposed floor area is more than five times the indicated 4,997 square meters in the projects' permit and clearance.

Joseph Juico, assistant secretary to Belmonte, told the house panel that the local government's sentiments towards the construction of the station mainly comes from its desire to preserve the Quezon Memorial Circle as the "heart" of the city.

"It is the emblem, the symbol of the city and a superstructure or an above-ground structure would totally destroy the heart of the city," he said.

In an interview with reporter Eduard Faraon for Stand For Truth last week, Belmonte said that the station, if constructed using the current design, would obscure the Quezon Memorial Shrine.

"This is an entirely different structure. it is much, much bigger, and when you compare it against the [Quezon Memorial] pylon which is the most sacred landmark in our city, matatakpan po ang pylon kung payagan ko po itong ipagawa," she said.

Juico said that a meeting between the Quezon City government, SMC, and the DOTr will be held on Friday to present the new proposed design of the station considering the concerns of the local government.

City official Mark Dale Perral added that the partial stoppage of the station's construction will not affect the functionality and operationality of the MRT7.

"In that area, the railways and instrumentation for the operations are underground. Our question here is the aboveground structure only," he said.

The P69.30-billion MRT7 project covers the development of a 23-kilometer railway system with 14 stations linking North Avenue, Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan in about 34 minutes.

As a public-private partnership project, the 25-year concession agreement also entails the development of an integrated system including a 22-kilometer highway from the North Luzon Expressway Bocaue Interchange and an intermodal transport terminal next to the San Jose del Monte Station.

Once operational, the line is expected to ferry between 300,000 to 850,000 passengers per day, with room for capacity expansion to accommodate future increases in ridership. It will be connected to LRT1, the MRT3, and the Metro Manila Subway at the Common Station in North Avenue.

As of January 15, the MRT7 project is 50.69% complete, the DOTr said. The train line is scheduled to begin partial operations in 2021. — BM, GMA News