Protests force suspension of motel construction in Bacolod
10/07/2009 | 02:31 PM
Protests by women's groups succeeded in temporarily halting the construction of a motel in Bacolod City, a Visayas-based paper reported Wednesday.
The city government ordered the owner and builder of the Bacolod Imperial Court Inc., an 81-room motel on Gatuslao Extension St., to suspend construction work after a local women's group complained that the motel was near a school.
The building permit was issued Aug. 11, but the city government issued a notice of violation and ordered the suspension of the construction of the building, said a Areport on Visayan Daily Star.
Objecting to the motel were the groups Advocating Women as Representatives Thru Election (AWARE), a senior citizens group, Gabriela, Bantay Bata, DAWN Foundation, Negros Occidental Girl Scout and the Visayan Forum.
AWARE convenor Annie Diamante said the establishment only consulted Barangay 6, site of the motel.
Nenita Cherniguin, Gabriela Women’s Party vice president for Visayas, said the builders also deceived residents by asking them to sign a petition for a high-rise building, not a motel.
Diamante said the establishment owners did not also consult the Parents-Teachers Community Association of Andres Bonifacio Elementary School.
Rina Amacio, Gabriela Alliance-Negros secretary-general, said their research showed there is an increase in cases of prostitution because of poverty.
They have also monitored abuses and sexual harassment against women in these motels, she said. They want to prevent any possible abuses against children, she added.
Amacio also noted that families whose residences in the area were demolished have no place to go and now live in the sidewalk.
The motel is located in a thickly populated residential area and is several meters from the Provincial Capitol of Negros Occidental. - GMANews.TV
The city government ordered the owner and builder of the Bacolod Imperial Court Inc., an 81-room motel on Gatuslao Extension St., to suspend construction work after a local women's group complained that the motel was near a school.
The building permit was issued Aug. 11, but the city government issued a notice of violation and ordered the suspension of the construction of the building, said a Areport on Visayan Daily Star.
Objecting to the motel were the groups Advocating Women as Representatives Thru Election (AWARE), a senior citizens group, Gabriela, Bantay Bata, DAWN Foundation, Negros Occidental Girl Scout and the Visayan Forum.
AWARE convenor Annie Diamante said the establishment only consulted Barangay 6, site of the motel.
Nenita Cherniguin, Gabriela Women’s Party vice president for Visayas, said the builders also deceived residents by asking them to sign a petition for a high-rise building, not a motel.
Diamante said the establishment owners did not also consult the Parents-Teachers Community Association of Andres Bonifacio Elementary School.
Rina Amacio, Gabriela Alliance-Negros secretary-general, said their research showed there is an increase in cases of prostitution because of poverty.
They have also monitored abuses and sexual harassment against women in these motels, she said. They want to prevent any possible abuses against children, she added.
Amacio also noted that families whose residences in the area were demolished have no place to go and now live in the sidewalk.
The motel is located in a thickly populated residential area and is several meters from the Provincial Capitol of Negros Occidental. - GMANews.TV
