Today happens to be the birthday of the Philippines’ National Hero, Jose Rizal. It feels so apt to talk about the development that happened a few days ago which seemed to be intentionally done as a birthday gift of sorts to Rizal.
I’m talking about the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court against our favorite developer DMCI to stop the construction activity going on at the “national photobomber,” the 46-storey Terror, este Torre de Manila.
The order comes in before the oral arguments that are to be scheduled later this month on the case filed before the Supreme Court against DMCI for the developer’s violation of the view of the Rizal Monument, which is itself a National Cultural Treasure that deems protection under the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.
DMCI had earlier rejected the calls of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, (NCCA) Sen. Pia Cayetano, and other concerned groups and individuals that they stop the construction of the building, saying only the Supreme Court can stop them. So I guess that SC decision took care of that one, albeit temporarily.
For the meantime until the oral arguments in the court commence, finger-pointing and blaming is in full swing again as to whose fault this mess was made in the first place. As far as the Urban Roamer is concerned, the blame goes to the former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim for greenlighting the project in the first place, current Mayor Joseph Estrada for still giving the project a go despite the issues raised early on, and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines for not giving some added voice of disapproval of the project, considering the site of the monument is historically significant in the first place.
In any case, the TRO is something to be positive about in this occasion being Rizal’s birthday. We can only hope moving forward that this would lead to a fruitful resolution.
Preferrably with the whole darned building be taken down as it was done in Istanbul.
