As a parishioner of St. James the Great in Ayala Alabang, I would like to make some clarifications and observations regarding the feature story “Some Ayala Alabang residents protest building of center” (Lifestyle, 2/17/19).
It is not entirely correct to say that there was no consultation. After some residents protested the construction of the formation center of St. James, consultations were held with concerned homeowners—a meeting in District 7, a general meeting conducted by the Ayala Alabang Village Association (AAVA) board, and a barangay “pulong-pulong,” resulting in a modification of the plans to include only conference rooms and additional parking spaces.
Second, bringing up the St. James Bazaar is flogging a dead horse. The last bazaar was held two years ago and will not resume. What the opponents of the formation center have conveniently neglected to mention is that any commercial activity, even a simple garage sale, needs a permit from AAVA. When they insinuate that the church will resume the bazaars in the future, they are already accusing future AAVA governors of bad faith.
What the opponents of the formation center have also neglected to mention is that they are demanding that the foundation provide at least 3,900 parking spaces. At 12 square meters per space, that is equal to 46,800 sqm, or 4.68 hectares, of parking space. To my knowledge, they have not withdrawn this demand.
Finally, it is impertinent of Patrick Carague, one of those quoted in the article, to demand that the foundation give the funds that it has worked for to another church. How would Carague feel if the foundation were to dictate to him how he should spend his money, considering that it did not contribute a centavo to his income?
ARACELI Z. LORAYES, Tillic2@gmail.com