Lawmaker questions Army-Navy Club demolition

MANILA, Philippines - Rep. Terry Ridon of party-list group Kabataan questioned yesterday the demolition and planned conversion of the historic Army-Navy Club (ANC) in Manila into a casino-spa complex.

“It is yet another instance of big money trumping national historical interest in violation of Republic Act 10066 or the National Heritage Act of 2009,” he said.

“No less than the Constitution mandates government to protect all of the country’s artistic and historic wealth, including historical infrastructure. We cannot simply allow this recent spate of demolitions to proliferate and continue,” he said.

Ridon has asked the House committee on Metro Manila development to inquire into the casino-spa project.

He noted that the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has issued a cease and desist order against the developer-project proponent Oceanville Hotel and Spa Corp. for allegedly tampering with the club’s main building without the agency’s permission.

He said the order was issued last Sept. 5 and remains in effect until the NHCP approves the final development plan.

He said he has information that the project was allowed on condition that the club would be restored and then operated as a boutique hotel and not a casino-spa complex.

He said the NHCP should clarify with the developer its real intention for the historic building.

The decision on what should the club be after it is rebuilt and restored should rest with NHCP, not by the developer, he added.