Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon yesterday strongly opposed moves to transfer the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City to another spot in the city.
"When you mention a place called Monumento, the first thing that will come to mind is Caloocan and not any place else," said Gordon, who was the guest speaker at the rites commemorating the 139th birth anniversary of the Great Plebeian.
He also noted that the 45-foot high Bonifacio obelisk is the most beautiful landmark in the country and even taller and more imposing than Dr. Jose Rizal’s monument at Luneta Park in Manila.
"This landmark should stay where it stands because it has become part of the Filipino heritage, a commemoration of his unflinching courage and patriotism," Gordon said.
Caloocan City Mayor Reynaldo Malonzo, who led the rites yesterday, is espousing the transfer of the 73-year-old historical landmark to another place in the city, Tala in particular, "to give way to progress." He is being opposed strongly by conservative advocates of heritage conservation, including the National Historical Institute (NHI), which has the mandate over historical landmarks in the country.
The marble-wrapped monument was built in 1929 and designed by noted architect Guillermo Tolentino, who also designed the UP Oblation. It is being threatened by the proposed construction of the third phase of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT). The monument stands in the middle of the route extending from the Bonifacio Monument to Malabon City and Navotas. The project is scheduled to start in three years, MRT authorities announced early this year.
The mayor had earlier supported the railway project, stating that the monument’s transfer to remote Tala could spark development in that isolated part of the city. He added that the obelisk could no longer serve its purpose as a tourism spot because the site had become congested.
Gordon, in his speech, promised to give his full support to the city government’s program to develop instead the Monument Circle into a progressive and competitive area for businesses.