It’s been a while since the Urban Roamer touched upon the landmark that was the Manila Seedling Bank. Since that last update, the Quezon City government shut the facility down for good with the former plant dealers relocated elsewhere, notably at a spot in the Quezon Memorial Circle called the “Hardin ng mga Bulaklak” or garden of flowers. And what a coincidence that the initials of Hardin ng mga Bulaklak and that of the Quezon City mayor at this time of writing is eerily the same. Wow, amazing.
So what does the Quezon City government planning to do with this prime piece of property in the corner of EDSA and Quezon Avenue, right smack of the planned Quezon City business district they’re trying to build? Well, news has come that a supertall structure is being planned to rise at the site. To be specific it will be a tower that will not only become the tallest structure and tower in the Philippines, but also become possibly second tallest tower in the world.
Apparently this tower will be known as the Philippine Diamond Tower, so named because it is planned to have it completed by 2016, the diamond anniversary of the founding of Quezon City. If that is so, then the city government seems to be keen on rushing this project given the timeframe being projected.
It is projected to reach the height of 612 meters, a number that bears so much symbolism if you realize that it is a figure taken from the date of Philippine independence (from Spain) which is June 12. (I’m going to give them credit for coming up with that)
As mentioned earlier, once completed it is poised to become the second tallest tower in the world after the Tokyo Skytree, the current tallest tower at 634 meters in height. Currently, the second tallest tower in the world is the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China which is at 600 meters in height.
The tower will primarily serve as a communications tower but will have facilities for a convention center, hotel, mall, restaurants, garden park, and a “disaster risk management center.”
As to who will be building this tower, the city government tapped on the services of Mitsubishi Electric and will begin the work on the city’s coming foundation day on October 12. Reports say that the country’s 3 main broadcasting networks are also keen on helping out with this project, so we may see ABS-CBN, GMA Network, and TV5 send their transmissions from the Diamond Tower in the future.
On the other hand, the National Housing Authority (NHA) which claims ownership to the property has questioned the deal which has left them out. A legal remedy is not out of the question, something that may endanger the city government’s grand plan for the complex.
As broadcasters would say, stay tuned.
Acknowledgements to Manila Standard Today and Coconuts Manila
