Lazatin: ‘New building height limit railroaded’

ANGELES CITY — Councilor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. has claimed that the amendment of the height restriction for buildings, which is stipulated in the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), has been railroaded.

Lazatin said majority of the Sangguniang Panlungsod recently approved the amendment of the city’s CLUP but the changing of the ordinance’s provisions relative to the building’s height limit from eight to 15 floors did not pass through a process.

“Naamendahan nga po yung height restriction sa CLUP ng City of Angeles, so from eight storey to 15. Ang problema naman po doon at kinwestiyon ko po yon sa city council dahil ito po ay ni-railroad,” Lazatin said.

No committee at the city council was conducted, on the part of the majority bloc, to support the changing of the CLUP provisions, according to the oppositionist counci l l or.

“Ang masama po nagexecutive session po kami at doon po naming pinagusapan na wala man ni isang expert during that time. Napag isipan lang nila yung ordinansa at pinaaprove,” Lazatin said.

He described the new height limit as a “tailor fit”for aparticular hotel building which is under const r uct i on

in Barangay Balibago, the city’s entertainment and commercial area.

“Naka-tailor fit lang po ito sa isang structure na itinatayo po kasalukuyan sa siyudad ng Angeles, which is Paladium,” Lazatin said.

On the other hand, members of the city council’s majority bloc belied Lazatin’s allegations.

Councilor Alex Indiongco, one of the council’s majority members, said the proponent in the amendment of the ordinance is Councilor Jericho Aguas.

During the discussions, it was manifested that all previous committee hearings and public hearings with regards to height restrictions were adopted as part of the report and the body was body was constituted as committee on one, according to Indiongco.

He said the amendments were approved during a regular session at the legislative building of the city council.

Indiongco denied Lazatin’s claim that they approved the new building height limit to accommodate Paladium Hotel.

He said several streets in barangays Malabanias and Balibago will be given exemptions in the extension of height limit.

The two villages endorsed to the city council their respective resolutions asking for building height exemptions, Indiongco said.

These served as the SP’s bases to prioritize Barangay Balibago and Malabanias, he added.

“It was not railroaded because the ordinance passed the usual process. It was approved in first, second, and third reading,” Indiongco said.

He added that only the height limit was amended and the content of the CLUP and other ordinance like the traffic plan are still in effect.

Building or establishments which failed to pass assessment, plans and requirements will not be issued permits, Indiongco said.

‘The bottom line here is that we should be prodevelopment otherwise we will be left by nearby local government units,” he added.