Abalos orders restoration of center islands demolished by MMDA

Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin Abalos Jr. has ordered the restoration of the center islands demolished by the Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) at the Ortigas Center area as part of their clearing operations.

Abalos said MMDA’s demolition of the center islands along San Miguel Avenue and Julia Vargas Avenue last week was unauthorized and unnecessary as trees planted there should be protected.

He said he learned about the demolition only from Pasig City Mayor Soledad Eusebio who saw the breaking up of the concrete base of the center islands.

Abalos immediately called the attention of the MMDA and ordered its restoration.

MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno quickly responded to the mayor’s concern and heeded his call to restore the center island]s’s concrete base.

As a compromise, Abalos agreed to allow the removal of a small portion of the center islands after it was established that the merging traffic at the intersection would be aided.

Abalos noted that no trees were affected by the operation as only 20 percent of the center islands were removed.

"This way we were able to harmonize traffic while preserving ecology," Abalos said.

Abalos stressed that he is not blaming MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando for the incident but stressed it was the second time MMDA operatives failed to coordinate their activities with his office as part of protocol.

The first time was last year during the first few months of Fernando’s term when MMDA operatives removed the steel railings along EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard as part of their sidewalk clearing operations.

Abalos went ballistic over the incident as the city government spent a lot of money to purchase the railings which were meant to keep pedestrians off the roads.

Abalos said that he already discussed both incidents with Fernando and they agreed that any planned program of the MMDA must first be discussed with concerned local government units.