MANILA – The House inquiry into the construction of the controversial Torre de Manila high-rise condominium across Rizal Park in Manila has drawn support from Senator Pia Cayetano.
“It is encouraging to know that members in both chambers of Congress are supporting efforts to safeguard our historical sites which form an integral part of our national identity,” Cayetano said.
The lady senator is the chairperson of the Senate committee on education, arts and culture which also investigated the 46-storey condominium that stands to alter and destroy the iconic sightline of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal Monument.
“I am pleased that the House of Representatives has started its own hearings on the matter of Torre de Manila,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano also welcomed the call of the House committee on Metro Manila Development for the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to issue a cease-and-desist order against the developers of Torre de Manila (DMCI Homes Inc.).
”The cease-and-desist order is very timely,” Cayetano said.
“Issues involving heritage conservation continue to come up. New cases of endangered sites are being brought to our attention almost weekly,” she noted.
She said the media reported last week about the issue of 33 ancestral homes threatened with demolition in Palo, Leyte due to a road widening project of the Department of of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
”After learning of that, I wrote the DPWH to urge them to coordinate with our cultural agencies to find ways to preserve these century-old structures,” she said.
“The support coming from both chambers should encourage and send a clear signal to our cultural agencies to assert their authority in preserving our heritage sites as the law mandates them,” she added.