Tension mounts between Makati condo builders

WORKSITE STANDOFF Shotguns rather than shovels reportedly went to work Friday as tensions flared between security guards and laborers of Century City and Picar Development, builders of two neighboring condominiums on Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Tensions rose Friday between the workers and security guards of two companies currently building condominium projects next to each other on Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City.

Guns were reportedly drawn and shots fired in a dispute over who should control the “common road” between the Century City project of Century City Development Corp. and the rising Picar Place of Picar Development Inc. Both properties are in Barangay Poblacion.

In a report to the Makati police, Century City engineers and security guards claimed that security guards from Picar pointed their shotguns at them and pulled the trigger on two separate occasions on Friday.

Engineer Jeff Mark Hidalgo reported that around 4:15 p.m., “the Picar guards started to cause trouble because they wanted to stop Century City’s installation of lamp posts on the common road area.”

A jostling match broke out between the workers of the two companies, some of them ending up bruised, and a Picar security guard later pointed his shotgun at the opposing group, threatening to shoot, the report added.

According to Hidalgo, the Picar guard was “concealed” by his colleagues when a safety officer from Century tried to get his name.  It was at this point that the Picar guards started putting put up a barricade on the road, he recalled.

2nd incident

Tensions again escalated around 8:15 p.m., when Picar guards reportedly from Underwatch security agency put a boom barrier on the road “to prevent the workers of Century properties from entering the premises,” according to another report to the police, this time from Century guard Reynaldo Cabrera of Escabon security agency.

Cabrera said the Picar guards “fired their shotguns several times,” then left the area when Cabrera’s team called the police.

In a phone interview, Picar spokesperson and lawyer Cherry Julian said she heard gunshots herself when she was on the site Friday night, but denied that it was the Picar guards who fired.

“We don’t know who fired,” she said. “But as far as I know, it’s not our guards. We are avoiding violence and bloodshed.”

She said she was aware of the tense situation that started earlier that day, when Picar personnel were “surprised” by the new construction on the common road, referring to the lamp posts.

“We are the coowners of that road. According to the law, all alterations must have the concurrence of both parties.  We were only defending our property rights. We tried to resist because we have rights and we have to protect our interests,” the lawyer said.

Julian recalled that Century earlier installed traffic lights and signs on the road on Dec. 9. “We were outnumbered. We had only seven guards. They had 60 to 100 armed guards just to put up the installations. We don’t know why,” the lawyer said.

Open to negotiations

“We are open to negotiations, but we don’t know why they implement actions without our approval,” she said, adding that the company was studying the legal actions it could take since “we are the aggrieved party here.”

On Saturday, Makati City Hall spokesperson Joey Salgado disclosed that a representative from Century had reported the incident to Mayor Jejomar Binay Jr. through a text message, complaining that Picar blocked the road “even if Century is the 72-percent owner.”

The representative, whom Salgado did not name, reiterated that Picar guards fired at Century guards.

But the representative also assured the city government Century officials were trying to settle the matter “amicably” with Picar, he added.