Senator Pia S. Cayetano pushed for more clarity in the law governing the preservation of historical and cultural heritage sites in the country.
The senator made this assertion in her interpellation of Senator JV Ejercito, who delivered a privilege speech concerning the recent transfer of historical monuments in the city of San Juan.
Cayetano first recalled the controversy over the construction of a high-rise building that ruined the sightline of the Rizal Monument in Manila, an issue that she took up during the 16th Congress.
“Unfortunately, this [issue] was not included in the final version of the [proposed cultural mapping] bill. But I mention this because time and again, these issues come up,” the senator pointed out.
She also noted the authority of national cultural agencies, particularly the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), and their relations with local government units, particularly in deciding the lifespan of historical monuments within their first 50 years.
“What we need to ask ourselves is: what is the authority of the local government versus the national agencies in determining the lifetime of these monuments? I think it’s a valid question for us to ask because obviously, the LGUs or whoever initiated it, it could actually be private property, hindi ho ba?” the senator asked.
She continued: “So I am generalizing my question that, whether it was an LGU that initiated it, a private citizen, maraming private organizations who would initiate similar things. How do you protect them within the first 50 years, right? I think that’s a valid question for us to ask.”
“And then, let’s assume, in good faith, there is clear intention to honor the memory of respected persons, if not nationally, locally, di ba, pwede rin naman local hero yun, ano nga ba ang guidelines nun? Baka talagang there is not enough clarity,” added Cayetano.
“And we do know, as a developing country, there really will be a lot of construction and redesigning, so we will keep having these kinds of discussions. So, my point simply is that I commend the gentleman for bringing this to our attention because this is just an example of many similar incidents that are yet to come.”
In concluding, the senator said establishing clear grounds and accountability in decisions governing historical monuments could be undertaken by revisiting Republic Act 10066, the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.#
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