OSG no longer NHCP counsel in Torre de Manila case

MANILA, Philippines - The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has dropped the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) as its counsel in the case involving the controversial Torre de Manila condominium, which allegedly ruins the iconic sight line of the monument of national hero Jose Rizal in Rizal Park.

NHCP head Maria Serena Diokno yesterday appeared at the Supreme Court (SC) for the continuation of oral arguments on the petition of the Knights of Rizal seeking demolition of the 49-story building with a new counsel, her brother and De La Salle University College of Law dean Jose Manuel Diokno.

Diokno made the decision after Solicitor General Florin Hilbay submitted a position to the high court different from the stand of her office.

In a two-page letter to Hilbay last July 29, the NHCP head questioned Hilbay’s decision to change its earlier position that there was no legal basis for the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to issue a cease and desist order (CDO) on the construction.