QC is most oppressive city gov’t

Yes, I agree with Neal Cruz: Quezon City has become oppressive especially to us, homeowners, who live in gated villages and subdivisions. Take this 93-year-old resident of the city since 1957. I have been paying taxes faithfully and used to serve in the city’s public schools. Being a World War II Usaffe veteran, I have an income of only P5,000, which is my pension from the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office. My 13 children support my needs and pay my house bills, but they have families of their own to support.

I am lucky that my house in Alpha Village in Capitol Hills is situated near the city’s few remaining “lungs,” the Capitol Golf Club and the UP Campus. And the developer was very generous in relocating the 200 South Zuzuarregui squatters to Barangay Isidro in Rizal, giving them 45 square meters for free. Luckily, I was able to get Habitat for Humanity to lend them materials payable in 25 years, and with help from volunteers. Former mayor Sonny Belmonte built the roads and four deep wells, and gave each relocatee P10,000 for transfer expenses.

But since then I have not heard or seen squatters being given housing by the city government in spite of the additional taxes imposed on us.

And as for environmental improvement? The Quezon Memorial Circle is no longer a park. It has been degraded and the trees which we, teachers and pupils, planted during Arbor Days have been replaced with stores!

Did you notice? Instead of trees, we now have more and more giant billboards on buildings and along roads and highways. There are zoning laws regulating these structures, this according to DPWH and MMDA officials. But why are Quezon City’s Department of Engineering and Department of Public Health and Safety not imposing these laws strictly?

While we are on the topic of the provision of services to its constituents, do you know that there is one precedent-setting ordinance that was approved by the city council and signed by Belmonte way back in 2009, but this has yet to be implemented? This is City Ordinance 1915 s. 2009 which established a program and appropriation for the early detection of and intervention for children with special needs. This ordinance mandates the creation of one special education center in each of the four Quezon City districts. But until now, only that of District 3 has been organized way back in 2011 at the building of Dr. Fe Del Mundo on Capitol Hills Drive.

Homeowners, hear this: Several requests have been made for the allocation of funds so special education teachers could be hired. But none has been granted or approved. So, what now? How can it begin operating? Autism is now endemic and pervasive among children in our barangay.

—CONSUELO D. SISON,

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