DPWH eyeing transfer of 13 monuments along Roxas Boulevard to new locations

Roxas Boulevard (Wikipedia)

MANILA — A total of 13 monuments along Roxas Boulevard in Manila may be relocated in connection with the redevelopment project along the national road, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Monday.

According to Engineer Joy Bacual, officer-in-charge of the Construction division of the DPWH-National Capital Region (NCR), the plan is to move the monuments of former presidents and well-known personalities in the country, from its current location to more strategic areas along the baywalk.

These statues are presently situated at T.M. Kalaw Street to P. Ocampo Street along Roxas Boulevard.

Among the famous people are: former presidents Jose P. Laurel, Ramon Magsaysay, and Elpidio Quirino, former vice president Salvador Laurel, former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr.

, former statesman Carlos P. Romulo; the late king of Philippine movies Fernando Poe Jr.

; Philippine Star founding publisher and journalist Maximo Soliven, and sculptures of a family.

Aside from strategic areas, it was also proposed to transfer some of them in designated plazas along the service road of the Roxas Boulevard.

“These monuments have to be moved because there would be constructions done along the service road such as carriage ways, drainage works, sidewalk, gutter, and plant boxes. If we do not move them, these monuments would be hit by the construction works,” she said.

The DPWH official added, “The Department of Tourism and the private sector wants to put the statues in the plazas so it would be more appealing to the eyes and we would also have a more organized roadway.”

On the other hand, Bacual noted that they cannot just transfer the statues without permission of the families of those being honored in the monument.

She reported that since October 2014, they started sending letters to the relatives, but has yet to get any response.