The Supreme Court stopped the government from transferring the proposed P1.4-billion common station that will link the three railway systems in Metro Manila to the TriNoma shopping mall of Ayala Land Inc.

SM Prime Holdings Inc. said in a statement the high tribunal on July 30 issued a temporary restraining order against Transportation Department and Light Rail Transit Authority halting the planned transfer of the LRT 1-MRT3-MRT 7 common station from its original location in front of the SM City North Edsa mall.

“The Supreme Court’s TRO reinforces SM Prime’s position in the case for Specific Performance of SM Prime and LRTA’s Memorandum of Agreement dated 29 September 2009  now pending before the Regional Trial Court of Pasay City,” SM Prime said.

SM Prime raised its case to the SC after the Pasay City regional trial court last month denied the company’s  bid to stop the government from building the common station in front of TriNoma in Quezon City.

SM Prime clarified it was not seeking to delay the P65-billion LRT 1-Cavite Extension project and that it was merely asking the government to honor the agreement it signed with the company.

“SM Prime now hopes that the DoTC and LRTA will respect, honor and abide in good faith with the terms of the MoA and continue the construction  of the Common Station on its original location across the SM City North Edsa Annex building, which was started as early as the beginning of the Aquino administration in 2010,” it added.

Under the agreement, LRTA agreed to build the LRT 1-MRT 3-MRT 7 common station in front of SM City North EDSA, naming the station after the mall, in exchange for a grant of P200 million from SM Prime.

The move to locate the proposed common station in front of SM North Edsa was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority-Inter-agency Coordinating Council and by the Neda board on July 7, 2009.

 

By Jenniffer B. Austria