NHCP halts removal of grillwork from heritage building El Hogar Filipino

The rain did not stop workers on Monday from taking out the grillwork of pre-war office building El Hogar Filipino in Manila's Binondo district. But the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) came to the rescue and issued a cease and desist order (CDO) against the activity the following day.

Heritage Conservation Society (HCS) president Ivan Henares confirmed this to GMA News Online on Wednesday.

He said that a monitoring group composed of members of the HCS youth group discovered that a truck was preparing the pieces for "transfer."

"Those grillworks are treasures. They should be protected," Henares said.

The monitoring group then alerted the NHCP. The agency immediately sent its personnel to confirm the report.

The NHCP then confirmed that the workers from the New Golden City Builders and Development Corp. indeed took one of the grillworks from the building. On Tuesday, they drafted a CDO against the company.

In November, culture and heritage supporters and concerned citizens were alarmed after barricades went up around El Hogar—a possible sign that demolition activity was going to begin.

Henares said that the owners of the building did not have a fencing permit last year.

The El Hogar, situated on the corner of Juan Luna and Muelle dela Industría streets and facing the Pasig River, was built in 1914. Its Beaux-Arts architecture was designed by Ramon Irureta-Goyena and Francisco Perez-Muñoz. It has been the office address of various companies from teh American era onward.

On March 11, 2014, the NHCP said it encourages the adaptive reuse of the building instead of its demolition. The post stated, "The façade and all the important architectural elements of the building, including the mirador (balcony or belvedere), must be retained." — BM, GMA News