BAGUIO CITY – The City Council is scheduling an ocular inspection to a subdivision in Bakakeng Central to check the validity of the complaints of residents living around the subdivision that they are granted limited access by the homeowners of the subdivision.
During the regular session of the local legislative body Monday, concerned residents of Dominican-Mirador appeared to lodge their complaint on the decision of the Crystal Dale Homeowners Association to restrict the entry of motor vehicles inside the subdivision that limit their access to their residences that are located outside the subdivision.
However, the affected residents admitted their motor vehicles are only allowed entry to the subdivision during emergency situations while water delivery trucks are allowed to enter and pass through the subdivision to provide them adequate water supply.
Gordon Star, president of the Crystal Dale Homeowners Association, pointed out that the decision to limit the access of residents living outside the subdivision and passing through the subdivision roads was agreed upon by the officers and members to prevent the unauthorized entry of construction materials that are used to build the houses of informal settlers that have allegedly been erected in the subdivision.
He added considering that the subdivision roads are private in nature, the decision to restrict the entry of vehicles in their private properties is left to the discretion of homeowners and limiting the access of people living outside their subdivision was seen as one of the ultimate solutions in curbing the further increase of informal settlers in their private properties.
According to the homeowner, the illegal structures erected by alleged informal settlers are still within the limits of the subdivision and have not yet been demolished because of the repeated appeal of the informal settlers to city officials to defer the scheduled demolition for still invalid reasons.
The affected residents want their motor vehicles to be allowed entry to the subdivision because there is no other road to where their houses are located.
Members of the councilors agreed to the ocular inspection to study possible recommendations the predicament of the affected residents while protecting the interest of the homeowners over their private properties.
One of the possible solutions being suggested by some local legislators is for the affected residents to pay the corresponding regulatory fees to the homeowners for them to use the subdivision roads to go to their houses located outside the subdivision with the commitment that the vehicles will not bring in construction materials.
Initially, the payment of regulatory fees by the affected residents to allow the entry of their motor vehicles in the subdivision was rejected by the homeowners considering the non-compliance of the concerned residents to their commitment not to bring in construction materials through their subdivision.
By Dexter A. See