GREENHILLS
EAST ASSOCIATION, G.R. No. 169741
INC., represented by its President
JOSEFINA J. CASTILLO,
Petitioner, Present:
Carpio, J., Chairperson,
- versus - Brion,
Del Castillo,
Abad, and
Perez, JJ.
E.
GANZON, INC., represented by its
President
EULALIO GANZON, Promulgated:
Respondent.
January 20,
2010
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ABAD, J.:
This case is about a residential subdivision’s
resistance to the construction of a high-rise building beside it and a failure
to promptly file a memorandum appeal with the Office of the President (OP),
resulting in the dismissal of the case for failure to perfect the appeal.
The Facts and the Case
Petitioner Greenhills East
Association, Inc. (GEA) is the homeowners association of Greenhills East
Subdivision, a residential subdivision in Barangay Wack-Wack, Greenhills
East,
For a time now, respondent E. Ganzon,
Inc. (EGI) has sought to develop a 4,109-square meter lot (the land site) at
the corner of EDSA and
Petitioner GEA’s subdivision has been classified
under Section 4, Article IV of the Metropolitan Manila Commission Ordinance
81-01 (MMZO 81-01) as an “R-1 low density residential zone.” The subdivision consists of about 380 lots. It has a church (the Sanctuario de
As it happened, the land site on which
the project will rise is adjacent to Greenhills East Subdivision although MMZO
81-01 had classified that site as “C-2” or a Major Commercial Zone. It is bounded by EDSA on the east,
Sometime in April or May 1997, respondent
EGI fenced its land site, demolished the structures on it, and began excavation
works without first getting a clearance from the Barangay. On July 10, 1997
the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) issued to EGI a Certificate
of Locational Viability and on August 11, 1997 the City of
In January 1998 petitioner GEA wrote
the HLURB National Capital Region, Regional Director, opposing respondent EGI’s
project. Not content with its HLURB
opposition, GEA filed a separate one addressed to the Department of Public
Works and Highways (DPWH). On June 4,
1998 the DPWH advised the Building Official of Mandaluyong to require EGI to
secure a Development Permit and a valid Locational Clearance for its project
from the HLURB. In a separate
development, EGI applied with the Barangay
for clearance covering its project. On July 15, 1998, however, the Barangay
denied the application.
On November 24, 1999 the HLURB Arbiter
rendered a decision, dismissing petitioner GEA’s opposition to respondent EGI’s
project. On March 20, 2001 acting on GEA’s
petition for review of the Arbiter’s decision, the HLURB Board of Commissioners
issued a resolution, denying the petition.
It also denied GEA’s motion for reconsideration on October 30,
2001.
On November 20, 2001 petitioner GEA
filed its Notice of Appeal with the OP, simultaneously paying the required
appeal and legal fees. On December 12,
2001 GEA received a copy of the OP’s order dated November 27, 2001, requiring
GEA to file its memorandum on appeal within 15 days from notice. But before the period was up or on December
27, 2001, GEA filed a motion for extension of 15 days within which to submit its
memorandum on appeal. On January 11,
2002 GEA filed another motion for extension, this time for five days or until
January 16, 2002, within which to file the required memorandum.
Petitioner GEA filed the required
Memorandum on Appeal with the OP on January 16, 2002 but asked that office for
an extension of two days within which to file the required draft decision. On January 18, 2002 GEA filed still another motion
for extension, this time for one day, within which to file the required draft. GEA claims that it intended to file the same on
January 21, 2002 but, due to a nationwide brownout on that day, it had to ask
for five more days within which to do so.
Finally, GEA filed its draft decision with the OP on January 28, 2002.
On February 10, 2003 petitioner GEA
received a copy of an order from the OP dated January 28, 2003, denying its
appeal on the ground of GEA’s failure to perfect it on time. GEA moved for a reconsideration of the Order,
but the OP denied the same.
On August 13, 2003 petitioner GEA
filed with the Court of Appeals (CA) a petition for review of the OP’s orders. On December 21, 2004, the CA rendered
judgment, denying GEA’s petition. GEA
filed a motion for reconsideration but this, too, was denied, hence, the present
recourse to this Court.
The Issues Presented
Petitioner GEA basically presents the
following issues for resolution:
1. Whether or not the CA correctly
upheld the ruling of the OP that petitioner GEA failed to perfect on time its
appeal to that office from the decision of the HLURB; and
2. Whatever be the answer, if
the substantial matter need to be addressed, whether or not the HLURB erred in
finding no valid ground to restrict respondent EGI’s use of the subject land
site, which lies beside a residential subdivision, for constructing a high-rise
building.
The Rulings of the Court
One. Petitioner GEA contends that it had already perfected its appeal when it filed on
November 20, 2001 a notice of appeal with the OP from the decision of the HLURB.
The Rules and Regulations Governing
Appeals to the Office of the President of the Philippines[1] requires the appellant to file, not only a
notice of appeal, but also a memorandum on appeal that must, among other
things, state the grounds relied on for the appeal, the issues involved, and the
reliefs sought.[2] The appellant must, to perfect his appeal,
comply with these requirements within 15 days from receipt of a copy of the
HLURB decision. Petitioner GEA, however,
failed to submit an appeal memorandum.
Still, the OP actually gave petitioner GEA a
chance to comply with the omitted requirement by directing it in the Order of November
27, 2001 to submit its appeal memorandum and draft decision within 15 days from
notice; otherwise, it would dismiss the case.
Since GEA received the above order on December 12, 2001, it had until
December 27, 2001 within which to comply with it.
Petitioner GEA points out that it filed two
successive motions for extension of time within which to file the required memorandum
appeal and draft decision. Since GEA had
already filed its memorandum appeal before the OP could deny those motions, it
cannot be said that GEA filed the memorandum appeal out of time.
But petitioner GEA gambled when it did not file
the memorandum appeal and draft decision within the extra 15 days that the OP
gave it. It asked first for an extension
of 15 days and then an additional extension of five days. GEA had no right to assume, however, that the
OP would grant these extensions. The
governing rules did not provide for them.
Consequently, GEA has only itself to blame when its appeal was dismissed.[3]
Notably, the OP also
required petitioner GEA to file, along with its memorandum appeal, a draft decision. GEA did not.
It instead filed two more motions for extension of time within which to
do so. Section 5 of the Rules of that
office provides that failure to comply with its orders may warrant a dismissal
of the appeal. Consequently, the OP
acted within its authority in dismissing GEA’s appeal for this additional
reason.
Two. With the above ruling, this decision should
end here. But petitioner GEA asks the
Court to dispense with the technicalities involved and rule instead on the
merits of the case, given that GEA and its members had gone through a lot of
trouble to get the HLURB to stop the project from rising on the contested land
site. To avert the likelihood that this
case would shift to another forum under the guise of some other issue or
issues, the Court deems it wise to resolve the substantial issue that
petitioner GEA presents considering that both sides have amply argued the same.
Petitioner GEA invokes Section 10, Article V of MMZO 81-01. This section provides height restrictions on
a C-2 property that adjoins an R-1 property without an intervening street or
permanent open space that is over six meters wide and that the
properties have adjacent front yards, or even when there are none, the intervening
street or permanent open space does not exceed three meters in width.
But MMZO 81-01 applies to
a situation where an R-1 property adjoins a C-2 property. This has ceased to be the case between the
land site and the subdivision after the
Petitioner GEA of course claims that the lots that
Ordinance 128 converted into C-2 zones were only the lots between
But, as HLURB pointed out, if the
purpose of the ordinance was to limit the land classification conversion only to
the side of Ortigas Avenue where the Wack-Wack Subdivision lay, it would have simply
stated, using the technical language applied to the other converted areas,[4]
“a lot deep along the Wack-Wack side of Ortigas Avenue from EDSA to Notre Dame
Street,” instead of saying, “a lot deep along Ortigas Avenue.” It could only mean, therefore, that the
ordinance intended to convert all the lots, on both sides and margins of
The Court finds either conclusion
unclear, given the essentially vague way by which Ordinance 128 describes the
affected areas. What really clears up
the issue for the Court is the HLURB’s recourse to the Revised Zoning Map of Mandaluyong
City. The color-coded map shows
identical color and captions for the lots stretching at some depth from EDSA,
but running parallel to it, on both sides of
In relying on the Mandaluyong zoning map, the
HLURB took note of the standard procedure observed in fixing the boundaries of
lands, where the preparation and drafting of the illustrative maps precede the
drafting of the text that describes those boundaries. Although the text of the ordinance is
controlling, any doubt or vagueness in the meaning of its provisions may be
cleared up by a reference to the official map.
As a quasi-judicial body, which enjoys an expertise in land zoning
classifications, the HLURB can take judicial notice of such official maps as
are generated and used in government zoning activities. The Court has no reason to disturb its
findings in this case.
Petitioner GEA argues,
however, that even on the assumption that Ordinance 128 converted the lots on
the Greenhills East Subdivision side of
But, as the HLURB Board of Commissioners noted,
using the sketch map submitted to it, although the land site indeed adjoins
No matter how hard it
tries to learn the technical intricacies of certain highly regulated human
activities, the Supreme Court will always be inadequately equipped to identify
the facts that matter when resolving issues involving such activities. Invariably, the Court must respect the factual
findings of administrative agencies which have expertise on matters that fall
within their jurisdiction.[5] Here, since the HLURB has the expertise in
applying zonal classifications on specific properties and since petitioner GEA
fails to make out a clear case that it has erred, the Court must rely on its
finding that respondent EGI’s land site does not, for the purpose of applying
height restrictions, adjoin an R-1 zone.[6]
Petitioner GEA nonetheless
contends that the proposed 77-storey building would have mixed uses, part
residential, part office, and part commercial, which would not be accord with
the patterns of land uses suitable to C-2 zones. The buildings in C-2 zones, it suggests,
should rise no higher than 40 or 50 storeys from the ground. GEA invokes Article IV, Section 4, paragraph
5 of MMZO 81-01, which states that establishments in a C-2 zone should be
sufficient to provide the needs of the district level. GEA infers from this that a C-2 establishment
must be such that it will provide the needs of the district level only and that, beyond those needs, the
establishment should be in High Intensity or C-3 Zone.
But such contention has no basis. MMZO 81-01 contains no provision that allows the
construction of not more than 40 or 50-storey buildings in a C-1 or C-2 zone and
restricts higher buildings to a C-3 zone.
There are just no height restrictions under the law for buildings
located in C-2 zones, save probably for
height clearances prescribed by the Air Transportation Office.
The Court cannot find
fault in HLURB’s assertion that the real test of whether a land use serves the
need of a district is not in the size or height of the buildings but in the
sufficiency or surplus of the business or human activities in a given district
to which they cater. Land use is affected
by the intensity of such activities. Extraordinary
population density or overcrowding, brought about by competition for space in
the scarce area of the district, is to be avoided. Using this test, the HLURB, which is the
clearing house for efficient land use, found no clear showing that respondent
EGI’s project if finished would cause havoc in the population level of the land
district where the project lies.
What is more, the houses of petitioner GEA’s
members are separated by fence and guarded gates from the adjacent areas
outside their subdivision. Their
exclusiveness amply protects their yen for greater space than the rest of the
people of the metropolis outside their enclave can hope for. Respondent EGI’s project offers no threat to
the subdivision’s privacy. It is on the
other side of the fence, wholly unconnected to the workings within the
subdivision. The new building would be
in the stream of human traffic that passes EDSA and
Finally, petitioner GEA
contends that the lack of approval of the project by the homeowners’
association or the Barangay precludes it from proceeding. GEA invokes Section 14, Article V of MMZO
81-01 which provides that, where a proposed land use will necessarily affect
the character of the residential zone, the proponent needs to get such approval. It is a prerequisite for the issuance of a locational
clearance and a building permit.
But, although Section 152 (c) of the
Local Government Code requires a barangay clearance for any activity
within its jurisdiction, such clearance cannot be denied when the activity is
in a permissible zone. The denial would
otherwise be illegal. Here, as discussed
above, the applicable ordinance of
The Court will not dwell on the other matters raised
concerning environmental requirements respecting light, ventilation, drainage,
sewerage, waste disposal, and pollution relating to the project. These matters very well fall under the
competence of other government agencies.
Surely, the HLURB decision does not and cannot in any way confer a blanket
passport for constructing a building that does not meet the requirements of
other laws.
ACCORDINGLY,
the Court DENIES the petition for
lack of merit and affirms the decision of the Court of Appeals dated December
21, 2004 and its Resolution dated September 14, 2005.
SO
ORDERED.
ROBERTO A. ABAD
Associate Justice
WE CONCUR:
ANTONIO T. CARPIO
Associate Justice
ARTURO D. BRION MARIANO C.
DEL CASTILLO
Associate
Justice Associate Justice
JOSE P. PEREZ
Associate Justice
ATTESTATION
I
attest that the conclusions in the above Decision had been reached in
consultation before the case was assigned to the writer of the opinion of the
Court’s Division.
ANTONIO T. CARPIO
Associate Justice
Chairperson, Second Division
CERTIFICATION
Pursuant
to Section 13, Article VIII of the Constitution and the Division Chairperson’s
Attestation, I certify that the conclusions in the above Decision had been reached
in consultation before the case was assigned to the writer of the opinion of
the Court’s Division.
REYNATO
S. PUNO
Chief Justice
[1] Administrative Order 18, series of 1987.
[2] Section 1, Administrative Order No. 18, in relation to Section 2, Rule XVIII of the 1996 HLURB Rules.
[3] Roxas v. Court of Appeals, 240 Phil. 254, 258 (1987).
[4] C-2 Medium Intensity Commercial Zone
“The lot deep both sides of
“The block deep on the western
side of EDSA from
“The lot deep on the eastern
side of
“The areas bounded by
“A lot deep along
[5] Villaflor v. Court of Appeals, 345 Phil. 524, 559 (1997).
[6]
[7] Section 152 (c), Local Government Code:
Barangay Clearance - No city or municipality may issue any license or permit for any business or activity unless a clearance is first obtained from the Barangay where such business or activity is located or conducted. For such clearance, the Sangguniang Barangay may impose a reasonable fee. The application for clearance shall be acted upon within seven (7) working days from the filing thereof. In the event that the clearance is not issued within the said period, the city or municipality may issue the said license or permit.