Kent Limmuel B.

Tan

March 3, 2015

2010-44012
Opinion Essay: Pambansang Photobomb (by Conrado de Quiros)

Pambansang Photobomb, Indeed!

Conrado de Quiros article on DMCI Torre de Manila as the pambansang photobomb or

something that grabs the attention in the background or destroys the picture, to one of the
Philippines iconic and historic monuments, the Rizal Shrine, presents the issues of cultural
preservation, compliance to laws and regulations, economic growth and on how the Filipinos of
today give value and appreciation to their history. After reading the article, I asked myself, It is
really proper to give up or worst, destroy a part of a nations heritage to pave way for economic
growth or development, as they would say?, Are there no laws or regulations that would
pertain to the construction of buildings and structures near historical monuments?, and Do
Filipinos of the present even care if Rizal (Rizal Shrine) be photobombed by this high-rise
building?.
In answering these personal questions, I took some time reading about the history the Rizal
Shrine and the Rizal Park. National Parks Development Committee highlighted the history of the
park starting from the Spanish period, to the American and on President Magsaysay regime, to the
development initiated by First Lady Eva Macapagal followed by the period of Teodoro F.
Valencia, then by the First Lady Imelda Marcos and on what it is now on the present. The park in
the Spanish period has been a venue of social gatherings and a witness to flirtations among the
Manila elite as well as the execution ground used by Spaniards for what they labeled the rebels
and mutineers including the three martyr priests, Gomez, Burgos and Zamora and the Trece
Martires or Thirteen Martyrs. Between 1823 and 1897, 158 patriots and martyrs were felled on the
square by Spanish infantrymen and the morning of December 30, 1896 was considered a most
memorable day. It was the time when Dr. Jose P. Rizal was executed by the Spanish friars. It is
said that the blood they shed served as a spiritual fertilizer which invigorated the Filipino peoples
yearning for liberty. In the American period, the Bagumbayan field was chosen to be the site of
the proposed American Government center. It was also the Americans who set about building a

memorial to honor Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the national hero. The monument was built with money raised
by popular subscription and with the cooperation of Governor-General William Howard Taft. The
memorial is the work of Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling who cast the bronze figure in Switzerland.
It was completed in 1913, fully 17 years after the hero's execution. Today, it remains the most
revered of the numerous monuments honoring Rizal. Through the years, the park had been bare
and unkept and worst, had been a seatbed of crime and immorality until it was developed to be a
national park and that major improvements had been done both for the park and the monument.
The approach to the monument was cemented, lights were installed and a few trees were planted.
Valencia got the Philippine Armys approval to put an honor guard and until the National Parks
Development Committee was organized to officially head the development projects.
Both the Rizal Park and the monument were backed up by a rich history that we Filipinos
could be proud of but on my opinion, this present development made by DMCI is not
development at all. Its a major disgraced not just for Dr. Jose Rizal but also for our heroes who
shed their lives in the area and also for all others who took great time and effort to help develop
the park and the monument. The construction of the Torre de Manila, I would agree, was obviously
to capitalize on Luneta being a premier tourist spot. This destruction to the face and landscape of
Rizal Shrine could in return have its negative drawbacks than the positive one in terms of tourism,
especially that one of the top contributors to the countrys economic growth is the sector of
tourism.
On her privilege speech at Senate Plenary Session last November 18, 2014, Senator Pia S.
Cayetano reiterated Rizal Monument as one of the presents threatened world heritage sites. I agree
with her argument about the wrong notion on heritage preservation as an obstacle for economic
progress. Economic development and heritage preservation can, and indeed, must coexist side by
side.
The Huangzhou Declaration released by UNESCO in 2013 reaffirms the role of culture
and its preservation as an integral part of sustainability and development. On the declaration, it
further noted that, culture should be considered to be a fundamental enabler of sustainability,
being a source of meaning and energy, a wellspring of creativity and innovation, and a resource to
address challenges and find appropriate solutions. The extraordinary power of culture to foster and
enable truly sustainable development is especially evident when a people-centred and place-based

approach is integrated into development programmes and peace-building initiatives. It futher

reaffirmed that the potential of culture as a driver for sustainable development, through the
specific contributions that it can make as knowledge capital and a sector of activity to inclusive
social, cultural and economic development, harmony, environmental sustainability, peace and
security. This has been confirmed by a wealth of studies and demonstrated by numerous concrete
initiatives. These provisions, on my opinion, only proves the negligence and fault on the side of
the local government and the national government. It is not proper that the minds of our leaders
and legislators are enclosed only on economic growth and progress and disregarding cultural and
heritage preservation.
In 2011, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) have its
Guidelines on Monuments Honoring National Heroes, Illustrious Filipinos and Other Personages,
it was stated that, Monuments are landmarks of our cities, towns and provinces. They must be
honored, preserved and protected. Monuments should be given due prominence since they
symbolize national significance. Certain provisions were also stated to achieve and protect the
dominance of the monuments including, the retrofitting of a uniform design for the faade of the
buildings around the monuments as well as the regulation of the heights, volume and design of the
buildings that would be constructed around the area, keeping the vista points and visual corridors
to monuments clear for unobstructed viewing appreciation and photographic opportunities and
using strong contrast between the monument and its background. This will enhance the monument
as a focal point of the site. Having the authority given to NHCP, the commission has the right to
implement these rules and regulations.
Unfortunately, despite the rules and regulations that protect the national monuments as our
national heritage, DMCI had able to acquire permission form the local government of Manila for
the construction of the said building. It is a clear violation of the regulation set by the NHCP. An
argument presented by DMCI stated that Torre de Manila is not ruining the view of the Rizal
Shrine and that the pictures were allegedly photoshopped. Looking into the pictures and
assessing the height and structure of the building, it is clear that it can be seen on the background,
and with the building having 19 floors already constructed, it is somewhat impossible on my
opinion to say that the pictures online were just photoshopped or edited. Still, the questions are
on how the builder had acquired the permit? Was there negligence or ignorance on the part of the

City of Manila? Was the builder on bad faith and what could be the remedies? Hoping that this
issue would be given immediate judicial and legislative actions especially knowing how long could
government cases and trials be solved in the Philippines.
Lastly, on my question, Do Filipinos even care if Rizal will be photobombed?, I asked
myself, Why did I asked so?. In this issue, it is inevitable that we must care and it is our
responsibility as Filipinos to take part on preserving our culture and heritage. I cannot deny the
fact, that more and more Filipinos are becoming ignorant on issues pertaining to culture and the
Filipino identity (even I myself sometimes is an inclusion) but this aspect, cultural preservation, is
and must a collective effort, not just by our leaders and legislators but of all.

References:
National Parks Development Committee (n.d.). History of Rizal Park. Retrieved from
http://rizalpark.nationalparks.ph/history.htm on February 28, 2015.
Cayetano, Pia S. (2014). Rizal Shrine one of worlds threatened sites. Retrieved from
http://senatorpiacayetano.com/?p=2531 on February 28, 2015.
Requejo, Rey E., Damaso, Jerrylyn B., Araneta, Macon R. (2014). Stop Torre de Manila
building, SC asked. Manila Standard Today. Retrieved from
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/09/13/stop-torre-de-manila-building-sc-asked/ on
February 28, 2015.
National Historical Commission of the Philippines (2011). Guidelines On Monuments Honoring
National Heroes, Illustrious Filipinos And Other Personages. pp 1-3. Retrieved from
http://nhcp.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/GLmonuments2011.pdf on February 28,
2015.
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (2013). The Hangzhou
Declaration: Placing Culture at the Heart of Sustainable Development Policies.
Retrieved from

http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CLT/images/FinalHangzhou
Declaration20130517.pdf on February 28. 2015.