Joy Belmonte suspends above-ground construction of Quezon Memorial MRT-7 station

By Chito Chavez

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has issued a temporary cease-and-desist order on the above-ground construction of the MRT-7 Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC) station, pending talks with developer San Miguel Corporation (SMC), contractor EEI, and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

She issued the call after environmentalists and historians complained that the station has encroached on “the park’s integrity.”

The QMC is the city’s most famous landmark and a heritage site.

Belmonte said her administration “is in full support of the national government’s Build, Build, Build program, but has grave reservations about the desecration of the famous heritage site, especially as construction was affecting the surface of the park.”

“We put a temporary stop to the construction of the QMC station because it would affect the landmark’s identity as a national heritage park,” Belmonte explained.

“We want to look for a win-win solution that would protect our open spaces while advancing the welfare of thousands of commuters who will benefit from the mass transport project.”

Belmonte also immediately ordered a review of the project, and discovered that it has greatly exceeded the agreed area for construction.

Based on the project’s permit and clearance, the contractor indicated 4,997 square meters as its floor area. This proposed floor area is more than five times the approved figure.

“We have initiated talks with the Department of Transportation, contractor EEI, the San Miguel Corporation, and the National Housing Authority, and other stakeholders for clarification and guidance,” Belmonte said.

Because of QMC’s status as a historical landmark, Belmonte wants the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the Quezon-Avanceña Family, the descendants of the late Manuel L. Quezon, to have a say in the matter.

The MRT 7 is one of seven mass transit infrastructure projects of the Duterte administration currently being undertaken in Quezon City.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/02/18/joy-belmonte-suspends-above-ground-construction-of-quezon-memorial-mrt-7-station/