Militant party-list groups filed on November 28 a resolution asking Congress to investigate the Circumferential Road-5 North Extension (C5NE) project, which will allegedly displace about 40,000 families in Quezon City (QC).

Filed by Representatives Liza Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan of Gabriela, Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna, and Crispin Beltran of Anakpawis, the resolution also called for a halt in the construction pending the completion of the inquiry.

The proposed C5NE, a 34.85-kilometer road stretching from Katipunan Ave. and C.P. Garcia Ave to LetreRoad in Malabon, seeks to connect the north and south Luzon expressways.

The construction is projected to pass through Barangays UP Campus, Pansol, Old Balara, Culiat, Tandang Sora, Pasong Tamo, Holy Spirit, Sauyo, Bagbag, and Talipapa in QC, and Ugong in Valenzuela City.

According to the resolution, there are allegations that funds for the project will partly come from the Philippine Lopez Group of Companies, which owns the First Philippine Infrastructure Development Corp., in exchange for the construction of the road and tollway systems and a 25-year operation of the tollway.

Alyansa ng mga Komunidad Laban sa Proyektong C-5 at Access Roads (AKLAS C-5), an alliance of affected communities and concerned sectors, also said the Metro Manila Development Authority has yet to conduct an assessment of the project’s socio-economic impact on affected residents.

No sufficient information dissemination and socio-economic programs for residents has been prepared, AKLAS C-5 added.

The legislators also questioned the project’s budgetary allocation, which is alleged to be higher than the budget allowed for road constructions by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The resolution further states that while Gloria Arroyo declared that P12.77 billion will be used for the project, projections by the party-list groups show that the construction will go beyond its allocation by almost 1.4 billion.

Funds for the C5NE project, which is one of the seven priority road projects under the government’s Medium Term Development Plan 2005-2010, will be sourced from loans from international commercial banks like the Asian Development Bank, International Finance Corp.-World Bank Group, Insurance Corp. of Australia, and Export Credit of France.

Construction is expected to start in January 2008, and will end on 2009.

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# Philippine Collegian