Cultural activists cry foul over ‘redevelopment’ of Manila heritage buildings

(Updated 8:49 p.m.) Cultural activists have expressed outrage in a bid to stop a number of construction efforts at “iconic heritage buildings” in Manila, including the Admiral Hotel along Roxas Boulevard, which is currently undergoing “redevelopment” efforts.

In a Facebook post on Friday, travel and tourism enthusiast Ivan Henares called this month the “September Massacre of Manila heritage,” with the demolition of the Admiral Hotel, as well as the prewar Michel Apartments, an Art Deco building designed in the late 1930s.

Henares, president of the Heritage Conservation Society, wrote that per the law, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) should protect structures that are at least 50 years old not only for their historical significance, but also their cultural importance.

Citing Republic Act No. 10066, Henares said, “the NHCP must take into consideration both historical and cultural significance. That a historical event should have transpired before it merits protection from the NHCP is an abandonment of the responsibility the agency claimed was theirs when RA No. 10066 was being drafted—the protection of structures dating at least 50 years old.”

'No historical events'

In a letter to Anchor Land Holdings, Inc.—which was conducting the demolition of the Admiral Hotel—the NHCP on Wednesday said it found “no historical events that transpired” at the landmark structure when the former requested a certification of its cultural significance “to remove the presumption that the Admiral Hotel is an important cultural property.”

“However, while the NHCP did not find the Admiral Hotel to possess historical significance, the Old World-charm of its architecture might be found worth of conservation or protection by pertinent cultural agencies, particularly the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). That was why our Chair, Dr. Maria Serena I. Diokno, also recommended … that Anchor Land Holdings apply 'adaptive reuse' in its approach to the redevelopment of the property,” it wrote.

The NHCP also asked Anchor Land if it has consulted with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) or the National Museum about the Admiral Hotel.

Demolition ongoing

In a Facebook post, tourist guide Carlos Celdran said the demolition began last September 20.

In a statement last September 22, Anchor Land Holdings, Inc. said the decision to rebuild the structure “was made with the interest of all its future guests, staff, and the general public in mind.”

“Engineering investigations done determined that the original building was no longer structurally sound following years of slow deterioration,” it said.

GMA News Online reached out to the NHCP for comment, but it has yet to respond.

Demolition is underway to transform the landmark structure into a five-star, 53-storey boutique hotel.

Earlier, redevelopment work was also undertaken at the Manila Army and Navy Club, a neocolonial revival edifice that served as an exclusive club for American military officers and later on, a bomb shelter and evacuation shelter during the Second World War.

However, after inspections by Sen. Pia Cayetano and the NHCP, a Cease and Desist order was issued to suspend the work being done there after it was discovered that parts of the main building were being dismantled.

Cease and Desist order

The group called on the NHCP to do the same for the Admiral Hotel. On Monday, Celdran said that a Cease and Desist order has apparently already been issued against the ongoing demolition.

On his Facebook account, Celdran posted a copy of the order, issued last Friday by NHCP Executive Director Ludovico Badoy, and addressed to Anchor Land Holdings, Inc. chairman Stephen Lee.

In its order, the NHCP also stressed that Anchor Land had merely asked for "information on the historical significance" of the hotel "rather than permission for its demolition."

Anchor Land also failed to secure permission from other agencies such as the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the National Museum, it added.

"This Commission thus has nothing to do with the Demolition Permit issued by the Office of the Building Official of the City of Manila to the Admiral Realty Co., Inc., dated 4 September 2014," the Order read. "Moreover, the Commission notes that Anchor Land failed to obtain permission for the demolition from other cultural agencies that may have an interest in the Admiral Hotel as a cultural property."

In its letter, NHCP asked Anchor Land to submit its "final development plan for the property, preparatory to a hearing on the propriety of the lifting" of the order.

Anchor Land has not posted a statement on the matter on its Facebook account.

In March, Anchor Land announced it was spending more than P1 billion to rebuild and rehabilitate the historic landmark along Roxas Boulevard that once catered to prominent figures such as Gen. Douglas MacArthur and British military general Lord Mountbatten.

The redevelopment into a 150-room hotel was expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2016.

Admiral Hotel was designed by eminent architect Fernando H. Ocampo, whose works included the Manila Cathedral. — BM, GMA News