Clash of the Dasmariñas Village titans

Businessman Edgardo “Ed” Puyat Reyes and retired advertising executive Antonio “Tony” Cumagun (both friends of mine) are now on opposite sides of the fence regarding the clash between the Dasmariñas Village Association (DVA) and the Colegio San Agustin (CSA), a primary and secondary school located within the upscale subdivision. Apparently, the main issues of contention revolve around traffic, sticker fees, and the rules and regulations imposed by the village association regarding access of guests and visitors, with conflicting views and versions presented by the opposing parties. 

In the “Timeline of Events” presented by CSA to students and parents (also posted on the school’s official Facebook account) which Tony sent us via email, it would seem that CSA’s main contention appears to be the increase in the car sticker fees from P500 before 2012 to P3,000 implemented last June 2016. CSA says the increase was imposed without prior consultation, which is in violation of the memorandum of agreement between the school and the village association.

The school also objects to the restrictions reportedly imposed by DVA to guests and persons who have business with CSA. According to the school, students with no car stickers are barred entry at the Pasay Road, Palm Avenue and Amorsolo gates and are instead diverted to the “non-sticker” Lumbang Gate which is always congested due to the traffic from Pasong Tamo Extension. 

DVA’s implementation of the “No Sticker, No Entry” policy also resulted in students and parents being left with no option but to walk to the school. CSA said it also received reports and complaints about students being prevented from entering the village despite showing school IDs, with the same thing also happening to parents and guests even if they show IDs and state the purpose of their visit to the school. 

In August 2016, CSA filed a complaint before the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board to stop DVA from imposing the increase in car sticker fees, at the same time asking for the issuance of a cease and desist order against the association. CSA said both parties tried to negotiate, but did not reach a settlement, adding DVA instead proposed a new Memorandum of Agreement which the school finds “grossly disadvantageous” to its stakeholders.

Among the provisions objected to by the CSA include the imposition of the “No Sticker, No Entry” rule for those who do not have the 2017 stickers, restriction of entry for public transport at Lumbang Gate, the special assessment of association dues amounting to P11 million in exchange for 3,700 car stickers, the staggered dismissal of classes with 30-45 minute intervals, and the increase of car sticker fees after two years even without prior consultation.

But according to Ed, who is also the president of DVA, the “Timeline of Events” presented by CSA is an attempt to obfuscate the issues — many of which have been resolved and are therefore moot, like the 2016 car sticker fees (which was the subject of CSA’s complaint before HLURB) which students have already paid.

Ed says the association requested for a face-to-face meeting with the school representatives last Aug. 23 because the “convoluted thinking” of CSA is one reason why the two parties have failed to come to an agreement. One of the “unreasonable demands” of CSA, according to Ed, is a “35 percent share of the sticker fees” – which the DVA did not grant.

“CSA payment of association dues represents a mere five percent of the total collected, yet they create 50 percent of the vehicular traffic which obviously increases our road maintenance and traffic management costs,” Ed argues, adding that all the road maintenance and traffic management costs, including real property taxes, are paid for by the association since the roads are private.

Ed also points out that since the school has a student population of more than 5,000, dismissal time causes tremendous vehicular traffic in the village — which is the reason why the DVA requested for a staggered dismissal with 30-45 minute intervals to also help determine if this will be effective in helping prevent traffic build up. During schooldays, DVA also spends for an additional 12 security personnel to manage traffic.

As for the claims that the P3,000 car sticker fee is exorbitant, this is only half of the P6,000 that DVA residents pay for additional stickers in excess of their allocation. In 2016, 3,700 CSA vehicles availed of the stickers. Considering the annual tuition fee charged by CSA in excess of P135,000 per student, the P3,000 is a reasonable amount to facilitate the identification of students entering the village, DVA says. Divided by 205 school days, the P3,000 amounts to only P14.63 per day, which is less than the parking fee charged in establishments in Makati, the association said.

Regarding the restrictions on entry, DVA says it has a standard access policy regarding the admission of all guests — with everyone subjected to the same rules and regulations. “Exemptions cannot be made, otherwise, the security of our residents would be compromised,” Ed stresses.

Obviously, the clash between DVA and CSA will continue to greatly inconvenience homeowners and students. An extremely frustrated retiree, a resident of Dasmariñas Village, strongly warned that unless the infighting stops and the opposing parties settle their differences regarding the issues soon, residents of Dasmariñas Village shouldn’t be surprised if one day, the government will just step in and declare all the gates open to the public — which would literally open the floodgates to horrendous traffic and create a security nightmare.

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Email: [email protected].