The construction of the proposed 18-storey masonic obelisk at the historic public plaza or the Manuel L. Quezon Memorial Park where the monument of our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal and local hero, Don Diego de la Vina are located, violates certain laws and the Philippine Constitution.

Cultural heritage is significant ofto protecting our sense of who we are as a people. It gives us an irrefutable connection to the past - our values, beliefs, customs and traditions that shaped our nation.  It gives us our identity as a community which deepens our sense of unity, belonging and pride.

Furthermore, public plazas are open spaces and it is an essential component or requirement of a city.  Open spaces supports a broad spectrum of activities and interaction between people and nature, and sustains critical environmental functions for the health of the community. A supposed lung of the city where greeneries are encouraged.

We, the concerned citizens of Dumaguete and this country who values our cultural heritage with so much pride and honor, stand against the construction of this obelisk right at The Quezon Park because of the following legal, cultural, and environmental reasons:

1.  It violates Art. 344 of the Civil Code which states that properties of public use include public squares. A public plaza is a public domain and is beyond the commerce of man and cannot be a subject to commercial use and any contractual undertaking, thus, in this instance a contract of donation from a private individual.

2.  It violates Republic Act No. 10066 and Republic Act No. 10086 as it is a declared National Historical Site by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

3.  It violates Article XIV, Section 16 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states that all the country's artistic and historic wealth constitutes the cultural treasure of the nation and shall be under the protection of the State.

4.  Public plazas are public open spaces designated for the main purpose of the community to freely congregate and use.

We call on the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the Local Government of Dumaguete to disallow the construction of the obelisk at The Quezon Park.  We believe that the rise of this structure alongside the monument of our national and local heroes inside a public plaza will destroy not only our local cultural heritage but also the honor and pride of our recognized heritage monument of national importance. It will be a clear and outright disregard of our laws and our supreme law of the land, the Constitution.

May we recommend to build or construct the obelisk at a more suitable area or space where it cannot subordinate or discriminate heritage monuments.