The architect for the redevelopment of the Army-Navy Club in Manila has said the building would be restored and rehabilitated even if much of its interiors has been emptied and all but the shell of the once-proud edifice remains after City Hall gave the go-signal for its demolition.
The demolition has riled heritage advocates and prompted the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to stop the developer, Oceanville Hotel and Spa Corporation.
It also ordered Oceanville to submit the redevelopment plan.
In a talk hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines last week, Felino Palafox of Palafox Associates said, the building would be restored and rehabilitated as much as practicable.
Aside from his architectural firm, Palafox said the project to develop the historic building into a boutique hotel had a separate heritage architect, interior designer; structural, mechanical, electrical, sanitary, fire-protection, and site engineers; as well as a project manager.
Palafox admitted his firm would not be able to retrofit and rehabilitate the building “exactly what it was” because the old building, he said, would not withstand a 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
He added he was hoping the cease-and-desist order would be lifted.
“Let the violator pay the fine,” he said. “Whoever violated the law, they should pay the penalty and get the cease-and-desist order lifted.”
Four conditions
Palafox explained he accepted the job on four conditions—arts, heritage and culture; social equity; environmental considerations; and economic goals and profit.
“If it’s profit only, I will not take the project,” he said.
The NHCP did not reply to SMS messages about Palafox’s redevelopment plan. But Ma. Victoria D. Bravo, communications manager of the Palafox firm, said: “We’re still waiting for final approval.”
Gemma Cruz Araneta, chair of the Heritage Conservation Society (HCS), revealed that during the term of former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, the HCS came across a contract between the mayor and Oceanville Hotel and Spa to demolish the building for new development.
The agreement was rescinded by Mayor Alfredo Lim when he took over in 2007, she added.
It was also Atienza who had the Manila Jai-Alai building, said to be the finest Art Deco structure in Asia, demolished in 2000 purportedly to make way for a Hall of Justice to house the Manila courts.
The new building was never constructed; instead, the old was given to a private developer, which is now building the controversial Torre de Manila.
HCS and other critics say Torre de Manila mars the skyline of the Rizal Monument on Rizal Park.
Neoclassical buildings
Further riling the HCS and heritage advocates were the demolition job on the Army-Navy Club, Admiral Hotel and Michel Apartments.
Heritage advocates criticized the NHCP, National Museum, and National Commission for Culture and the Arts for poor implementation of the National Heritage Law of 2009.
As a result of protests, the NHCP ordered a stop to the demolition of Admiral Hotel on Roxas Boulevard, pending submission of a redevelopment plan.
But now it seems cultural agencies are coming together to implement the law more forcefully.
To further protect the vista of Manila’s heritage buildings, the National Museum will soon declare the Neoclassic buildings of Ermita from Herran Street (now Pedro Gil Street) to Pasig River a Heritage Zone.
The declaration will include the University of the Philippines-Manila complex; Supreme Court building; National Museum (NM) complex; City Hall; Post Office; and the Art Deco Metropolitan Theater.
Angel Bautista of the National Museum said, the zone would be a joint declaration of the NM, NHCP, NCCA, Land Use Regulatory Board, and the local government of Manila.
Without lineage
“I should really thank the community in Manila for voicing their protest about the destruction of heritage buildings because, really, when you destroy these heritage buildings, it’s like tearing pages off your history,’’ said Araneta.
“Kasi pag wala kang kasaysayan, para kang isang pamilya na hindi mo alam kung san ka nanggaling [If you do not have history, you’re like a family that does now know its lineage],” she added.
She pointed out the historical importance of the structures and said there was really no need for them to be demolished.
“There can be, like, a dialogue between the old structure and the modern structure,” she said.
Heartbreaking
Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Minorities, called on local government units to protect and preserve the country’s cultural heritage.
“It is heartbreaking to hear news about a historical building or bridge being demolished to also build a new building or bridge in its stead,” she said in a statement. “I am aghast at the disrespect for our heritage and the apparent indifference to public opinion.
“Why don’t we preserve what we have and just retrofit and renovate? The concept of adaptive reuse should be adopted so that instead of destroying our heritage structures, we can restore them and use them for a new purpose.”
As a way to protect heritage and history sites, Legarda said she would add a provision under the proposed 2015 General Appropriations Act that would bar the use of state funds in the demolition of both public and private heritage structures.
“The State should be the first to protect our heritage, thus, we will make sure that no public funds can be used for infrastructure projects that would result in the destruction of our historically and culturally significant structures,” she said.