To protect the country’s historical shrines, monuments and landmarks, a lawmaker has a filed a bill prohibiting developers from constructing edifices that could possibly ruin the view and sight line of historical areas.
House Bill 102, or the proposed Cultural Property Sightline Act, filed by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman refers to cultural property as all product of humans by which the people and a nation reveal their identity including, but not limited to, national historical shrines, monuments and landmarks, as declared by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
The bill refers to a national historical landmark as a site or structure that is associated with an event or achievement significant to Philippine history as declared by the commission.
It mandates the local government units (LGU), where any of cultural properties are located, to pass an ordinance that would provide for the exact measurements of the size, height and other relevant physical attributes of subject cultural properties in order to protect their designated views and sight lines.
The measure said the appropriate LGU is also authorized to condemn, demolish and abate at the expense of the violator the offensive building or structure.
In his explanatory note, Lagman said the construction of the condominium building Torre de Manila, which stands 870 meters to the rear of the monument of the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, stirred a hornet’s nest in 2014.
He said the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Park Development Committee and the Knights of Rizal, among other groups expressed grave concern over the condominium construction.
“Protesting netizens labeled the building as a photobomber. It obstructs the skyline even as it distracts the viewers from remembering Rizal’s heroism and martyrdom at Luneta, and the dire effect of Spain’s colonial rule,” Lagman said.
The imperative of a national legislation that will obviate the recurrence of Torre de Manila issue, he added.
In this regard, the lawmaker said the bill seeks to expressly prohibit any construction of real-estate development that could ruin the view and sight line of any national shrine, monument, landmark and other historic edifices and structures by amending the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2008.