Senate mulls committee to monitor restoration of Manila Central Post Office

A drone shot taken on Monday afternoon shows smoke billowing from the Manila Central Post Office as firefighters continue to put out the blaze that started on Sunday night. (Inquirer/Grig C. Montegrande)

MANILA, Philippines—A special Senate committee may soon be established to oversee the restoration and rehabilitation of the nearly century-old Manila Central Post Office, which was destroyed by a fire earlier this week.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday bared his plan to file a bill for the creation of the panel, with hopes of securing its approval by the chamber within the coming week.

“We are thinking of coming up with a special committee. To create a special committee to look after the rehabilitation of the Central Post Office building – restoration and rehabilitation,” he said during the Senate session.

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda also lodged a resolution before the chamber, urging the national government to extend support for the restoration of the structure, emphasizing the importance of preserving it as a significant cultural property (ICP).

In 2018, the National Museum designated the Manila Central Post Office as an ICP.

According to the National Cultural Heritage Act, ICPs are eligible for government funding aimed at their protection, conservation, and restoration.

Senators Robin Padilla and Alan Cayetano had previously called for a comprehensive investigation into the fire that engulfed the country’s primary post office.

Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, 42 lawmakers signed a resolution urging the chamber to investigate the “disastrous” blaze that gutted the neo-classical building.

The massive fire, which was put out more than a day after it broke out, destroyed the culturally significant structure from the basement up to the fifth floor, damaging an estimated P300 million.

READ: Calls for rebuilding Central Post Office ring out after fire