.Posted on June 21, 2015 by Marcus V http://kickerdaily.com/erap-prepared-to-take-down-torre-de-manila-with-sc-order/ Erap ready to demolish Torre by Jose Rodel Clapano, The Philippine Star Posted at 06/21/2015 11:48 AM | Updated as of 06/21/2015 12:05 PM MANILA - Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada is ready to facilitate the demolition of Torre de Manila if the Supreme Court (SC) so orders. “Yes, if the Supreme Court says so,” Estrada’s chief of media affairs Diego Cagahastian told The STAR in a text message yesterday. In an interview with GMA News’ State of the Nation, Estrada said the National Historical Commission of the Philippines is also to blame for declaring that the project would not affect the view of the Rizal monument. Former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim allegedly approved the construction of a 19-story building. However, Estrada presented documents showing Lim that signed a building permit to DMCI Holdings Inc. indicating the approval of a 49-story condominium building. Estrada said he is considering filing charges against Lim for saying he received money from DMCI to add more floors to the building. ‘Solomonic solution’ Amid the controversy, Nueva Ecija provincial board member Joseph Ortiz proposed the painting of the façade of the building with the Philippine flag as a “Solomonic solution.” “I think it’s a win-win solution...If heritage advocates are claiming that the Torre de Manila is spoiling the view in Rizal Park, then a giant image of the Philippine flag serving as a backdrop to the Rizal monument would surely not spoil the view of people. That’s the only solution I could think of,” he said. Ortiz said he came up with the idea shortly after Independence Day. He said the Philippine flag would complement the iconic Rizal monument. “I don’t see any reason why heritage advocates would oppose my proposal if only in keeping with their argument that national heritage should be protected. No national heritage is more symbolic than the flag itself,” he added. He said he is confident his proposal would be acceptable even to foreigners who are fond of taking pictures of shrines and heritage sites. He said demolishing the building and leaving only seven stories would not solve the problem. Ortiz said the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the SC on the construction of the building, with a vote of eight in favor and five against, is not conclusive. “If it’s 13-0, then we can say the order was overwhelming but it is not. The fact is, there may even be a chance it would be reversed,” he said. Pleased with TRO In a statement, the Department of Tourism said it was pleased with the TRO on the construction of Torre de Manila. “The DOT is one of the government agencies which raised concerns… it threatens the sanctity of Rizal monument… an important site in Philippine history and a major tourist attraction in the city of Manila. We support the advocacy of preserving the country’s historical and cultural sites, which serve as visual icons of our country’s proud heritage and rich culture,” the statement read. In their petition, the Knights of Rizal alleged that by defacing the visual corridors of the monument, DMCI violated laws on the protection and preservation of the Rizal monument. These laws include Republic Act 4846 or the Cultural Properties Preservation and Protection Act, RA 7356 (creating the National Commission for Culture and the Arts) and RA 10066 (National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 or the Act Providing for the Protection and Conservation of the National Cultural Heritage). The petitioners said the project could also be considered a nuisance under the Civil Code of the Philippines. They cited Article 694 of the code, which defines a nuisance as “any act, omission, establishment, condition of property or anything else which annoys or offends the senses; or shocks, defies or disregards decency or morality.” The project violated the zoning ordinance of the city of Manila, they added. They said Torre de Manila is within the city’s “institutional university cluster,” an area reserved for schools and government buildings under the ordinance. – With Jess Diaz, Mike Frialde, Manny Galvezv http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/06/21/15/erap-ready-demolish-torre