Homeowners are opposing the construction of a cell site at St. Therese Avenue in Doña Juliana Heights Subdivision, Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City, which they said is ongoing despite a notice of illegal construction.
The homeowners in a letter to Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonadia are requesting for his immediate action against the cell site of DITO Telecommunity Corporation.
The cell site tower is being constructed in the center of residential houses in a residential area, they said.
DITO, the third telecommunications company in the Philippines, is a consortium headed by Davao businessman Dennis Uy.
“This project will be a health hazard to us when we are now fighting the coronavirus,” the homeowners said in their letter to the mayor.
They asked the mayor to have city zoning personnel conduct an inspection of the area so proper evaluation of the project can be made.
The homeowners pointed out that according to the Assessor’s Office the present classification of the area where the tower is being built is residential, not industrial.
Taculing Barangay Captain Lady Gles Gonzales said the homeowners sought her help and she sent a letter to DITO Telecommunity Corp. reminding it that it had no building permit, a copy of which she sent the Office of Building Official.
The OBO has sent DITO a notice of illegal construction for lack of permit, she said. However, the homeowners are complaining that the construction is still ongoing.
Gonzales said a joint memorandum circular of several national government agencies prevents the barangay and the Sanggunian from issuing Resolutions for No Objection that would allow a public hearing on the construction of the cell sites.
Earlier, the OBO also ordered DITO Telecommunity Corp. to stop constructing its cell site in Purok Himaya, Barangay Alijis for lack of permit.*