QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Tuesday ordered the inspection of all student dormitories and boarding houses in the city to determine whether they are properly complying with existing regulatory requirements governing business operations and building safety standards.
He instructed Garry Domingo, Business Permits and Licensing Office head, to oversee the inspection, together with representatives of the City Building Official and Bureau of Fire Protection.
“While the city acknowledges the universities’ need for dormitories, it is also imperative that owners of such establishments comply with existing laws to ensure public safety,” Bautista said.
Up for inspection are dorms operating without business and building permits and necessary safety and security features, including fire alarms, emergency lights and fire exits.
Based on the database of the QC Information and Technology Development Office, headed by Reynald Paul Imjada, there are 61 registered dormitories in Quezon City as of May 2, with 16 located in Fairview and 15 in Loyola Heights.
Bautista ordered the dormitory inspection in time for the forthcoming school opening in June to ensure the health and public safety of the students.
Meanwhile, the Quezon City Council has passed a resolution authorizing Bautista to grant the use, supervision, upkeep and security of road lots and an open space to Capitol Homes 1 in Barangay Matandang Balara.
The grant came after the approval of City Resolution 7073-2017 introduced by Councilors Alexis R. Herrera and Franz Pumaren, authorizing the mayor to sign a memorandum of agreement with Capitol Homeowners Association, Inc., represented by its president Ricardo B. Hernandez Jr.
The Quezon City government owns 18 road lots and one open space in Capitol Home I Subdivision, which were donated by the Manila Remnant Corp. Inc. on Nov. 17, 1970.
The resolution states that Capitol Homeowners Association, Inc. “shall secure written clearance and approval from the Quezon City government” if it decides to undertake any construction, improvement, changes or build any structure on the properties from the City General Services Department, in cases of road lots, and the Parks Development and Administration Department, if it concerns the open space.
The association will submit a report on the status of the properties to the QC government through the City General Services Department and/or the Parks Development and Administration Department at the end of every year, including the facilities, improvements, and changes thereon.
In another development, the QC Council has passed a resolution exempting mall owner SM Development Corp. from the city’s comprehensive zoning ordinance, paving the way for the construction of Time Residences Building, a residential complex in Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon.
City Resolution 7056-2017, introduced by Councilor Marvin C. Rillo, declared that SMDC has complied with all the necessary requirements prescribed by law and after determining that the project “will not affect public health and safety, and welfare, and in keeping up with the general pattern of development in the community.”
Time Residences is located inside a Medium Intensity Industrial Zone along Reliance Street in Sitio Kapre, Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon. The residential complex is composed of seven six-storey and four five-storey buildings.
The resolution also authorized the city government to issue a Certificate of Exception to the SMDC, allowing deviation from the parking requirements provided under Ordinance No. SP-918, S-2000, otherwise known as the Quezon City Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, as amended.