• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Hundreds of residents of Barangay Mansilingan in Bacolod City are opposing the operation of a cell site reportedly constructed in a thickly-populated area, and are asking the city government for help.
Rev. Fr. Farley Ray Santillan, parish priest of the Immaculate Conception Parish, in his letter to Mayor Alfredo Benitez and the Sangguniang Panlungsod dated Sept. 12 but received by the sanggunian Nov. 6, said that, in behalf of the residents of puroks Laurel, JJ Gonzaga, and Encarnacion in Bakyas in the barangay, he is appealing for help and the attention of the city officials regarding the cell site “constructed by the STJB Network Solutions, an authorized sub-contractor of Unity Digital Infrastructure Inc., in the midst of a thickly-populated area of this barangay”.
Santillan said they were “not informed” about the project. “We call upon the moral conscience of government leaders and agencies to act more than just fulfilling legalities in the name of profit and progress, yet sacrificing the well-being of all, and the total human development that is of utmost importance.”
Another letter, signed by Parish Pastoral Council president Miriam Tagamolila and vice president Ma. Leonor Validor, claimed that residents of Laurel, J.J. Gonzaga, UNO-R Ville and the nearby Bakyas “express great disappointment over the approval of the Resolution of No Objection (RONO) on the building of a cell site within our community.”
The Sangguniang Barangay of Mansilingan passed on June 20 this year the RONO on the installation of the cell site tower in Bakyas Highway, as per request of STJB Network Solutions, adding it aims to enhance communication infrastructure and provide better connectivity for residents and businesses in the area.
The pastoral council, however, said that “the community directly impacted by the project was not sufficiently consulted before this RONO was quickly approved and signed.”
It raised several concerns, especially on the health and safety of residents, as well as environmental impact of a cell tower operation.
“When decisions that affect the community’s environment, safety, and health are made, the people in the community must be informed and involved. We ask for a thorough breakdown of the steps taken in order to issue the RONO. Effective governance is based on accountability and response to community issues,” the pastoral council stressed in the letter signed by residents of concerned puroks, and endorsed to the SP Nov. 6.
Councilor Claudio Jesus “Kalaw” Puentevella, chairperson of the SP Committee on Environment and Ecology, accepted the correspondence and has referred it to the City Legal Office for appropriate action. | CGC
