by Jenny F. Manongdo November 27, 2013 Manila, Philippines – Manila officials have ordered the temporary suspension of the building permit of the controversial Torre de Manila condominium project on Taft Avenue amid continued protests from concerned groups. The suspension was backed by a City Council resolution passed last Tuesday instructing the city building official, Engr. Juancho Capuchino, to release the suspension order on DMCI Homes, which was granted permit to undertake the project on July 5, 2012 by the previous Manila city administration. The resolution, authored by Councilor Don Juan “DJ” Bagatsing, emphasized the protection of the visual dominance of national monuments such as the Rizal shrine, according to guidelines set by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NCHP) and the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009. “The same guiding patriotic principles further underscore the best way to conserve the symbolically scenic dominance and aesthetically illustrative prominence is to keep vista points and visual corridors to monuments clear for unobstructed viewing appreciation and photographic opportunities,” the resolution said. “The local oversight Ad Hoc Committee finding zonal law violations under ordinance 8119, pertaining to floor area and height restrictions within a University/institution cluster zone, and in spite of enacted measures of the City Council, such as Resolution 121, to curtail its construction, it is evident that DMCI had brazenly continued to build their proposed 41-story Torre de Manila Condominium and even had the audacity to pre-sell some units,” the City Council document added. The local lawmakers maintained that the height of the one-tower condominium will “dwarf and overshadow” the Rizal shrine and “will cheapen the most sacred sightline and valuable vista of our national monument resulting in blatant disgrace.” Read more at http://www.mb.com.ph/manila-suspends-condo-project-that-would-dwarf-rizal-shrine/#gDYF0743FJgG59Ax.99