Makati village residents oppose resetting of boundaries

MANILA, Philippines РResidents of San Lorenzo Village in Makati City are now up in arms against a ordinance that will allow the transfer portions of the village to two other barangays of the city. The ordinance is "highly unusual" because the council has no legal authority to change political boundaries, Mauricio Martelino, the president of Barangay San Lorenzo Ecology 1 Village, said in an interview. "Only Congress can do that," Martelino said. "They can change the name of streets but that authority is limited only to local streets and not on national roadways." He added that the village residents were not even consulted nor did the council a public hearing on the issue. "How can they adopt and make a resolution without even asking us?" Martelino said. The ordinance would have a grave impact on the security and traffic conditions in the village, according to a resident who refused to give his name. The village association is thus seeking the intercessdion of national government agencies, specifically the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Commission on Elections, and the Department of Trade and Industry. "We are considering filing the appropriate cases against the Barangay Councilors who signed Resolution 89," Martelino said. Under Ordinance 2008-001, the Makati City Council will transfer several communities of San Lorenzo to the jurisdiction of the Barangays Pio Del Pilar and Bangkal. The affected area include the Botanical Gardens in front of Makati Medical Center, Ecology Village on Chino Roces Avenue (formerly Pasong Tamo), Don Bosco School , the Cinema Square and all the establishments and buildings between Amorsolo Street and Roces Avenue. San Lorenzo is among the affluent neighborhoods in Makati, which has 33 barangays, including other posh villages such as Forbes Park, Dasmari̱as, and Bel-Air. San Lorenzo has an area of 269.35 hectares and a population of 6,487. Based on records, Resolution 89 was signed and approved by Councilors Ernesto Moya, Brigido Sibug, Norman Golez, Guia Flaminiano, and Jocelyn Hernandez. The resolution was not signed by the Barangay Chairman Joshua Santiago because there was no public consultation on the matter. "I will not be pressured into signing something that I do not believe is beneficial to the constituents of Barangay San Lorenzo," Santiago said. "In fact, I already replied officially to their baseless and malicious complaints on purported ghost projects that they themselves signed and proposed. I will let the people have their voices heard on the matter." - GMANews.TV