Pia cautions vs sloppy restoration of sites

CEBU, Philippines - Senator Pia Cayetano reminded local government units to be cautious in their effort to reconstruct heritage sites, especially those damaged by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that jolted Bohol and Cebu last year.

Cayetano, who heads the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, suggested that guidance from experts should be sought in reconstruction projects so that the cultural value of the structures would not be compromised.

“I definitely support restoration. It must be restoration, as much as possible. Kung di talaga kailangan, then preservation. Definitely I agree if di na kayang buuin ‘yan, at least as ruins, as heritage sites, so we can still understand our past and use it to prepare ourselves for the future,” she told reporters at the launching of a new Museo Sugbo exhibit Thursday.

“Let us all be vigilant in our attempt to recreate our history, that it is still the correct history. Because if we don’t know how to restore properly, if we allow private developers to restore, even though their intentions may be good, it may not be restoration,” she added.

Cayetano earlier launched a Senate inquiry into the controversial “Torre de Manila”, a 46-storey condominium that is being built by a private developer across the historic monument of Dr. Jose Rizal at Luneta Park in Manila.

The highrise structure has been tagged as “Pambansang Photobomb” since it reportedly mars the iconic line of sight of the national shrine.

Cayetano believed that construction of the said condominium violated the National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ “Guidelines on Monuments Honoring National Heroes, Illustrious Filipinos and Other Personages,” which provides that vista points and visual corridors to monuments must be kept clear for unobstructed viewing, appreciation and photographic opportunities.

The project also received opposition from concerned citizens and heritage conservationists.

The Order of the Knights of Rizal, a public corporation mandated to propagate Rizal’s teachings, life and works, had filed a 26-page petition for injunction, asking the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order against the Torre de Manila condominium project.

Cayetano also urged LGUs to craft their own ordinance protecting cultural sites in their respective jurisdictions.

She mentioned the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, which mandates that national and local governments and the private sector protect and conserve historical sites.

“When the locals themselves organize and create their own organization to identify their own heritage site, then it (law) becomes strong,” she said.  (FREEMAN)