NHCP and NCCA to Restore Manila Central Post Office
As Senate and the local government of Manila pick up the pieces in the aftermath of the Manila Central Post Office fire, other agencies are stepping up to address the building's reconstruction. Among them are the National Commission for Culture (NCCA) and the Arts and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), with the latter releasing a statement on the unfortunate incident.
"The renowned structure has been part of the life of not only Manileños, but of many Filipinos from different parts of the archipelago," NHCP Chairman Dr. Emmanuel Franco explained. "The post office building, which bears a historical marker installed in 1994 and declared as a National Historical Landmark alongside the Plaza Lawton in 2012 by the Commission, is protected by the Heritage Law."
Franco said that the NCCA will be working closely with various stakeholders to ensure that the Post Office Building rises again. Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan said in a brief statement yesterday, May 22, 203, that the estimated cost of the damages is worth up to P300 million. The Bureau of Fire Protection will continue its assessment after the eight-hour-long fire.
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Sen. Robinhood Padilla, likewise, said that a Senate investigation is in order. He also hopes that the agencies concerned revisit and check to see the effectiveness of preservation and protection measures for existing heritage structures. “The Manila Central Post Office is a tangible representation of the nation’s culture and history, and its damage is a blow to the country’s cultural heritage,” Padilla said in Senate Resolution 627, which was also filed yesterday.
The Manila mayor also added the employees of the Manila Central Post Office will be relocated to an office at the Foreign Mail Distribution Center near Del Pan while the restoration ensues. PHLPost will continue its retrieval operations, as well.
Officials say that the 97-year-old building caught fire at around midnight of the previous day. The situation was declared under control only at 7:00 a.m. on Monday. It had only been declared out after 31 hours. The Post Office Building is totally damaged.
Constructed in 1926, the Manila Central Post Office was designed by Juan Arellano. It had been damaged during World War II amidst the Battle of Manila and reconstructed again in 1946. The structure has already been declared an "important cultural property."
