MANILA, Philippines - Without necessarily conceding defeat, House Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano said the petition against the construction of the 49-story Torre de Manila, dubbed the “photo bomber” at the monument of national hero Jose Rizal in Manila’s Rizal Park, was a battle worth fighting for.
“It’s not consumatum est yet for this advocacy,” said Cayetano, who was a senator and head of the Senate committee on education, arts and culture when it launched an investigation on the controversial building in 2014.
Voting 9-6, the Supreme Court dismissed last Tuesday the petition to stop the Torre de Manila construction that was filed in September 2014 by the Order of the Knights of Rizal, a civic group established in 1911 to uphold the ideals of Rizal.
The petitioners argued that the placement of the building ruins the sight line behind the Rizal monument, thus devaluing the historic site, and that it violated Manila zoning laws.
“I’d like to read the full text of the decision before I make any comments,” she said.
“But for now, I will work on finalizing a draft bill that ensures full protection of our national heritage sites to include not just their physical integrity but also their visual corridors, so that this does not happen again,” Cayetano added.
But administration lawmaker Rep. Gus Tambunting of Parañaque lauded the SC decision.
“We have to abide by what our laws say. We cannot hold DMCI liable if they didn’t violate any laws at the time they procured the permits and started construction,” the chairman of the House committee on games and amusement said.
Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas was glad that the high court finally set the record straight on the controversy. “This issue sent mixed signals to both our local and foreign investors who have always been wary of our flip-flopping policies. And such scares them away.”
Cayetano still lamented that the country’s so-called “national photobomber” Torre de Manila will forever cast a long and dark shadow over Rizal monument.
“This brings much sadness to me and heritage advocates because it degrades the sacredness of the Rizal Monument,” she said.
“I do not regret fighting for this, though. It is a fight that has brought to the consciousness of our people the importance of protecting and preserving our cultural heritage and historical landmarks,” she said.