Manila post office rehab study OK’d

MANILA, Philippines — The rehabilitation of Manila’s historic post office, which was razed by a massive fire in May 2023, will start soon following the approval of a study for the repair of the national landmark.

Plans for pre-restoration work on the Manila Central Post Office will be formed in the first phase of detailed architectural and engineering study, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

A rehabilitation and conservation plan will be created in the second phase.

In January, the DOT allocated P15 million for the study to restore the over 100-year-old building.

Of the amount, P6 million will be used for the design of the shoring, scaffoldings as well as temporary roof and methodology; P6 million for condition assessment plans, and P3 million for cost analysis of the state of damage.

The rehabilitation study was approved by an inter-agency technical working group composed of the DOT, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Philippine Postal Corp., Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Museum of the Philippines, Manila city government and Petro Jikken Inc.

In May 2023, a fire that lasted more than seven hours razed the Manila Central Post Office. The five-story building is insured for P604 million with the Government Service Insurance System.

Seven people, mostly firefighters, suffered minor injuries during the incident.

The post office building, recognized as a national landmark, was built in 1926.