QC dad confident PAREF deal will be voided

Quezon City Councilor Antonio Inton Jr. is confident his proposal to call off the controversial deal the Mathay administration forged with an Opus Dei-run school would muster the majority vote.

He said the crucial votes would come from six councilors of District III, where the 3.1 hectare local government-owned lot inside Green Meadows I Subdivision is located.

"Right now it’s seven councilors for, seven against," said Inton, who filed a resolution calling for an investigation on the deal, which granted the exclusive boys’ school, Paref Northfield, the right to use the lot, rent-free for 50 years.

He said the rest of the 26-member local council are still undecided on the issue but the votes of the six councilors, who have yet to make public their stand on the matter, would prove to be crucial.

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. earlier, asked the City Council to look carefully into the provisions of the deal, saying he would not want the city to be put on the losing end. He said he would rather take a hands-off position on the issue, letting the City Council resolve the controversy at its own level.

Meanwhile, PAREF-Northfield yesterday emphasized that its proposal to build a school in Green Meadows III is "for the common good of all residents of Quezon City because enrollment in the school will be open to the public and scholarships will be provided to poor but deserving youth."

PAREF-Northfield is a non-stock, non-profit entity currently operating a school in the Tomas Morato area.

PAREF-Northfield executive director Pierangelo Alejo clarified that they had already obtained the consent of Green Meadows III. In addition, he stated that the use of an open space as a school was allowed by Presidential Decree 1216.

Ortigas and Co. had donated the 3.1 hectare parcel of land to the Quezon City government 20 years ago with the intention that it benefit the public primarily.

According to Alejo, "we believe that this project will benefit the families of Quezon City who wish to have affordable and accessible education for their children. We believe it will immensely benefit the poor who will now have a chance at the scholarship that PAREF-Northfield will provide."

Alejo emphasized that one-half of the school’s high school population will be composed of scholars from Quezon City’s poor families, and that they would be receiving not only full tuition benefits but also provisions for uniforms and school supplies. — Romel Bagares