Rama inspects M.J. Cuenco houses

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama inspected yesterday the stretch of MJ Cuenco Avenue that will undergo road widening and verified the 16 residents’ claims that their houses are worth saving because they have been there for 50 years or more.

The mayor brought with him the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) and Engineer Nonato Paylado, Assistant DPWH-7 Chief of Planning and Design Division.

The mayor and his company walked the stretch of MJ Cuenco and had stops at houses claiming that their properties must be declared historical landmarks.

Glenda Gabuya, CHAC Acting Officer, said they were surprised that there are 16 owners claiming that their houses are over 50 years old when at first, only two ancestral homeowners applied to them for endorsement to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

She said that upon the Mayor’s instructions, CHAC will inspect and take pictures of these 16 structures which they will present to Architect Melva Java who is a CHAC Commissioner and an expert on different architectures.

“We will present the pictures to Archt. Java. She cannot come today so I am sure she will make a personal visit to these houses one of these days before she makes any endorsement,” Gabuya said.

CHAC has already inspected two century-old ancestral homes owned by Dominga Querubin and Nasersas Macasero and both passed as candidates for Important Cultural Properties (ICP) under Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.

The Cebu City Council has also passed resolutions recognizing these two century-old structures as historical landmarks.

Under RA 10066, ICPs are protected against exploitation, modification or demolition. Owners Querubin and Macasero are pushing for their homes to be declared historical landmarks so the DPWH will not be able to touch them during the implementation of the widening.

Gabuya said that they have sent their findings and recommendation for the two century-old houses to the NHCP and is awaiting reply. She said she expects the response from NHCP whether to declare these two houses as ICPs or not next week.

As to the other 16 structures, she said the CHAC shall determine whether they are over 50 years old and whether their original architecture or heritage value is still there.

Gabuya said that structures over 50 years old and 70 percent preserved may be considered heritage structures.

Rama said that with the right design and engineering, the houses may be preserved without necessarily causing big damage to the heritage houses.

“When the widening is finished, this place will be very precious. It will become a heritage place,” Rama said.     - THE FREEMAN