The Area Development Plan
Development Theme: The Historical Banlat Area shall be Quezon City’s Gateway to Growth, Quality of Life, and Heritage.
The theme draws from the following major characteristics of HBA:
– The area is located at the city’s northwestern boundaries, including in its territory a number of major entry points.
– The area derives significant economic activity from being a distribution point for food.
– The area provides access to heritage sites that link citizens to the role of Quezon City in the nation’s history.
Development Strategies
The theme breaks down into three key development strategies:
“Gateway to Growth”
Build on the identity of Balintawak as a distribution point for agricultural produce and provide opportunities for more modern market operations to serve as anchor for higher land uses in the area.
“Gateway to Quality of Life”
Demonstrate approaches for the city to build up and maintain affordable housing stock towards having a more productive, secure and mobile working class population.
“Gateway to Heritage”
Provide opportunities for barangays to involve communities and the private sector in protecting and promoting heritage sites
Priority Interventions
Social Development Sector
The social development sector addresses the Gateway to Quality of Life Strategy.
Social Development Sector: Housing
The location of HBA at the boundaries of the city, making it a natural location for intensified infrastructure development (resulting in displacement of communities) and in-migration, as well as the current characterization of a big portion of HBA as a Type III non-growth or transitional area with a big number of ISFs, point to Housing as the key sub-sector that needs intervention now and in the coming years. In addition, the amount of idle and under-utilized land presents opportunities for in-district rationalization of settlement and production areas through mixed-use development. These factors provide the rationale for the primary Quality of Life Strategy in 3.2.2.
To demonstrate city shelter policy, projects in the following program areas are recommended:
– Public rental housing
– Community-led new neighbourhood development
– Land banking
The proposed demonstration projects in housing are:
– Regularisation of informal settlement in the Vargas property on Visayas Avenue, into a mid-rise mixed-use public rental development
– Alternatibong Pabahay Project of ALMANOVA in Sauyo, a low-rise mixed-use condominium development
– Phased development of Pasong Tamo resettlement site for in-barangay and in-city relocatees
For all of the above proposed housing interventions, key considerations for project design are cost recovery and long-term ownership and control of affordable housing stock by the city, consistent with the strategies in the City Shelter Plan. Other recommended interventions for housing are:
– Build stronger partnership between the LGU and Pag-IBIG Fund
– Identify land for housing from lands acquired by the city through public auction
– Improve access to right of way for communities bounded by private subdivisions
– Improve social services (e.g. health center, day care, primary school) in regularised settlements
Other interventions proposed are as follows:
– For Apolonio Samson: Housing project for 4,000 families in Kaingin Bukid where the owners are willing to sell the property
– For Sangandaan: Community Mortgage Program for a) Sitio San Roque, b) Loans, c)Insurance, d) Llano Interior
– For Pasong Tamo: Assistance to families to be affected by Visayas Avenue Extension project
For the other sub-sectors of social development, the priority interventions are presented in the following:
Social Development Sector: Housing (Health); Priorities and Opportunities
High Priority: Health Centers in Balonbato, Unang Sigaw and New Era
Opportunities: Priority given by CHO to ensuring the quality and adding to the number of lying-in clinics
Other proposed interventions: Building of a district hospital and upgrading of existing barangay health centers.
Opportunities: Priority given by CHO to extension of Teen Health Quarters in T Sora HC in Talipapa (also identified as a priority by Talipapa) / Priority given by CHO to community-based dengue prevention and control program (also identified as a priority by Baesa)
Social Development Sector: Housing (Education, Culture, Recreation); Priorities and Opportunities
High priority: (a)Public high schools in Apolonio Samson, Baesa, Balonbato, Pasong Tamo, Talipapa, Unang Sigaw (b)Additional public elementary school classrooms in Sauyo, Pasong Tamo, Culiat, New Era, Tandang Sora (c)Additional public high school classrooms in Tandang Sora, Sauyo and New Era
Opportunities: (a)Excess number of public elementary school classrooms in Apolonio Samson, Unang Sigaw, Talipapa, Baesa, Balonbato, Sangandaan (b)Excess number of public high school classrooms in Sangandaan and Culiat
Other proposed interventions: (a)Establishment of an Alternative Learning System (b)Training center for out-of-school youth (c)Technical/vocational center; Barangay TESDA center (d)Computer learning center (e)Sports facilities/activities (identified by Tandang Sora, New Era, Talipapa, Baesa)
Social Development Sector: Housing (Welfare); Priorities and Opportunities
High priority: Day care center in New Era
Opportunities: (a)Priority given by SSDD to additional day care centers in Talipapa and Sangandaan (b)Priority given by SSDD to programs for children and youth in difficult circumstances (also identified as a priority by A Samson) (c)Priority given by SSDD to women welfare program
Other proposed interventions: Upgrading/renovation/addition of day care centers
Opportunities: Priority given by SSDD to programs for the elderly (also identified as a priority by Balonbato), malnourished mothers, and persons with disabilities
Social Development Sector: Housing (Protected Services); Priorities and Opportunities
High priority: (a)Police facilities in Baesa, Balonbato, Unang Sigaw (b)Construction of new Police Stn 3 building along Mindanao Avenue (c)CCTV cameras for crime prevention – Equipment for rescue and disaster response (d)Fire-fighting facilities/equipment/ personnel for Apolonio Samson, Balonbato, New Era, Pasong Tamo, Sangandaan, Sauyo, Tandang Sora, Unang Sigaw
Opportunities: Priority given by QCPD to establishment of police outposts at 1) Talipapa circle/T Sora, 2) Quirino Hway Sangandaan, 3) Congressional Ave. cor. Visayas Ave., 4) Luzon Ave., 5) Congressional Ave.
Other proposed interventions: Mobile patrol cars and hand-held radios
Economic Development Sector
The economic development sector addresses the Gateway to Growth Strategy.
Wholesale and Retail Trade
The economic activity in HBA is more than 90% tertiary sector, and less than 10% secondary sector (manufacturing). And more than half of the tertiary sector activity is in the Wholesale and Retail Trade sub-sector.
This context, along with the high priority given to development of public markets by several barangays, gives rise to the key intervention of creating a bigger Balintawak market complex with food distribution as a node, but also providing for other future economic activities.
The Historical Banlat Area through the Balintawak node is the North’s gateway to the metropolis and the central commercial and residential districts. Provided with suitable and sufficient infrastructure, HBA can firm up its role as a key player in the efficient distribution of goods from the agricultural and industrial production areas of Northern and Central Luzon, especially with the growing importance of Clark and Subic as international transport and travel hubs.
The following core market activities are proposed for addition, upgrading and/or modernization in the Balintawak complex: cold storage, abbatoir, receiving/cleaning/sorting/packaging chambers, weighing, sanitation, disposal and waste treatment, parking for client and delivery vehicles, protective services, banking, restaurants, cooking schools, and catering.
Other potential uses proposed by various studies for the area are:
– Light manufacturing such as food processing
– Business process outsourcing (BPO) community (mid-rise BPO facilities, high-rise affordable housing, youth-oriented entertainment and retail facilities, 3-4 star hotel, BPO training facilities
– Green transit oriented community – high-rise affordable housing serviced by electric jeepneys connecting directly to MRT station
Because of its scale and the challenges involved, this type of development will necessarily be multi-phase and involving the partnership of the public and private sectors.
Other proposed market development interventions are:
– Development of a public market along Luzon Avenue
– Elimination of illegal vendors
For the other sub-sectors of economic development, the following interventions are proposed:
Tourism: Establish the Trail of the Katipunan to promote cultural heritage
Informal Sector: Promote income generating activities
Finance, Insurance and Related Activities: Expand micro-finance for livelihood activities
Other Economic Growth Areas
The following areas are proposed for development into economic growth nodes:
– Mindanao Avenue (Sauyo, Pasong Tamo, Tandang Sora, Talipapa areas)
– Tandang Sora Avenue corner Quirino Highway
Environment and Natural Resources Sector
The environment and natural resources sector addresses the Gateway to Heritage Strategy.
Parks, Wildlife and Other Reservations
The presence of heritage sites in HBA is recognized as having social and economic significance for the area. HBA is an important source of civic pride, being a big part of the history of the nation. The character of HBA as the site of several important events in Philippine history is agift to the area’s constituents that should be shared with the city and the rest of themetropolitan area. Redevelopment of HBA along this theme could awaken interest and cooperation among broader sectors of the locality.
On the other hand, the priority given by the Parks Department to identifying and developing historical landmarks and open spaces, as well as formulating policies regarding management and maintenance of historical landmarks and open spaces, presents an opportunity for HBA’simplementation of a program to promote local collaboration and ownership of initiatives to protect and promote heritage sites. These initiatives should be aligned with Goal 4 of the Local Tourism Development Plan.
Waste Management
The Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD), as well as several barangays, focused on solid waste management (SWM) as a priority for the waste management sub-sector. The proposed interventions include:
– Elimination of dumping-prone areas (tambakan)
– Establishment of barangay SWM committees to sustain SWM projects and programs
– Preparation and implementation of barangay solid waste management plans and programs, including garbage segregation and establishment of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs)
– Standardization of schedules for garbage collection
Infrastructure Development Sector
For the sub-sectors of infrastructure development, the following interventions are proposed:
Public Administrative Support (Priorities)
High Priority:(a)Program to educate homeowners on the use of open spaces, including the role of the barangay and the city in their management (b) Installation of radio system for inter-connectivity of communication within HBA.
Other Proposed Interventions:(a)Identification of open spaces in subdivisions for turn-over to the city government (b)Development of open spaces in subdivisions, with the provision that these will be managed by the barangay/city government.
Economic Support (Priorities)
High priority:
(a) Drainage improvement and road concreting of Tandang Sora Extension as an entry point from Caloocan and Valenzuela cities (also identified as a priority by the Engineering Department)
(b) Widening of Tandang Sora Avenue (also identified as a priority by the Engineering Department)
(c) Widening of Banlat Road (also identified as a priority by the Engineering Department)
(d) Protective infrastructure along Dario Creek
(e) Protective infrastructure along Tullahan River
(f) Revocation/rescission of SP-946 S-2000 on regulated use of subdivision roads; Ordinance requiring subdivisions to obtain approval of City Council prior to closure of subdivision roads; City Council to decide on cost of stickers
(g) Development of road right-of-way (RROW) for ISF communities bounded by private subdivisions
Other Proposed Interventions
– Road and drainage improvement: 1) Mendez St. in Baesa, 2) Janet Ext. in Tandang Sora, 3) Llano Interior and Tandang Sora Interior in Sangandaan, 4) Various areas, including Jojo St. in Baesa, 5) Balonbato, 6) Sauyo access road, 7) Howmart Road (identified as a priority by Engineeering Department), 8) Kaingin Road in Apolonio Samson, 9) Old Samson Extension, Parkway Village in Apolonio Samson, 10) Torres Subd., Villa Rebecca Subd. And Ramos Compound Carmet 3 in Tandang Sora
– Drainage system in all sitios of Balonbato
– Traffic management: 1) GSIS Village in Sangandaan, 2) Quirino Highway in front of Francisco School in Baesa
– Footbridge on Quirino Highway in front of Mercury Drug
– Establishment of an office to handle RROW problems
– Additional street sweepers
– Additional traffic enforcers
Social Support
– Underpass to Bonifacio Memorial Elementary School to ensure safety of students
– Maynilad water connection in Baesa
Institutional Development Sector
For the sub-sectors of institutional development, the following interventions are proposed:
Organization and Management:
– Information drive on the functions of HBA
– Settle boundaries of barangays
Fiscal Management
– Updating of land classification to increase the base value of real property taxes in the district
– Initiate/fund/plan projects based on the CDP and complementing the vision/masterplan of the city or district
LGU-NGO-PO linkages
– Creation of HBA Business Club to include the business sector in development
– Accreditation, compliance, education of homeowners associations (HOAs), non-government organizations (NGOs), people’sorganizations (POs)