- Advertisement -

Egay Uy .

I WOULD have wanted to keep my finger off the Barangay Nazareth-Nazareth Lawn Tennis Club dispute with respect to the use and intended use of the lot where three tennis courts are currently located.

- Advertisement -

I understand, the barangay wants to construct a multi-story building on at least two of the three tennis courts. The building is projected to house offices that will reportedly serve more constituents of the barangay.

On the other hand, the lawn tennis group is opposing the move, not because its members do not welcome the delivery of basic public services, but because the move of the barangay will effectively “kill” the tennis club and the hopes of the youth to become world-class tennis players. The tennis club has already claimed it has trained world-class players.

The tennis club has reportedly trained young hopefuls and in fact some have become champions in the national arena; some have become coaches in places outside of the country. That’s one for Pinoy pride.

But there is a stand-off. The city government has shown several documents that it owns the open space where the tennis courts are located, hence has dipped its fingers into the controversy, saying that there ought to be no demolition, no construction, no introduction of improvements, etc., on the lot without the consent of the city government, the lot owner.

With the intervention of the city government, the barangay officials have said that the issue has been politicized.  That is one way of looking at it, but I don’t think so.

Barangay Nazareth has been my home since 1965. I grew up there along with my siblings in our ancestral home near the corner of 29th and 12th streets.  We were in fact neighbors with the Rodriguezes (Rufus, Maxie, Bebot, et. al.). Our informal group “Anak Baryo” also frequented the place of Congressman Rufus where we belted out musical arrangements of our mentors, Ating Pangan and Mike de la Serna. Mind you, Congressman Rufus himself is also a classy singer.

Barangay Nazareth is where I started to raise my own family until I relocated to another barangay. But before this, I learned my first volleys in the very tennis courts that is now the subject of the controversy. My mentors then were Bebot and Jun Talatala who are also members of the “Anak Baryo.”

Back to the tennis courts. I don’t think the controversy has been politicized. The city government is merely exercising its rights of ownership.  I am sure the matter will be resolved with cooler heads intervening. While we understand the enthusiasm of the barangay government to deliver more basic services to the people, we cannot also disregard the points raised by the tennis club, and of course, the supposed lot owner, the city government.

From an objective point of view, the barangay government and the city government are one in wanting to deliver basic services to the people of Barangay Nazareth and to the constituents in Cagayan de Oro City. That is a given.  After all, for what are local governments in existence for.

I can only hope the controversy surrounding the use of the space where the tennis courts now sit will be settled with the general welfare in mind, and fair to everyone concered. Everyone can always be part of the solution.

(Egay Uy is a lawyer. He chairs the City’s Regulatory and Complaint Board, co-chairs with the city mayor the City Price Coordinating Council, and chairs the city’s Joint Inspection Team.  He retired as a vice president of Cepalco.)

Disclaimer

Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.

- Advertisement -