National monuments like Bonifacio’s should be left alone, says NCCA exec

An official of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has said that as much as possible, national monuments should be left untouched in reaction to the unveiling last week of an ambitious plan by a Caloocan official to revamp the Bonifacio Monument Circle.

Lawyer Trixie Angeles said that existing culture and heritage laws forbid the modification of recognized national landmarks such as the Bonifacio Monument.

“Usually, if the monument is of a very high stature, we don’t allow or we don’t suggest that it be modified,” Angeles said. “The reason is that, if we really value and [have] such a high regard [for] a monument, we don’t want to change it but instead, we change its surroundings.”

Angeles, along with other stakeholders, was among those invited on Friday to a consultation as Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice unveiled a plan to revitalize the Caloocan monument.

At the same time, she called Erice’s attention to one glaring omission about Bonifacio that should be addressed in the more immediate time.

“Bonifacio is not yet declared a hero. There is no legislation appointing him as such. So we need to formally recognize him as a hero first. Maybe the good congressman here can lead that cause,” Angeles said.

Erice’s plan called for raising the elevation of the entire Bonifacio Monument by about 7 meters so that it would be visible from afar. The monument will also be accessible to pedestrians through an underpass lined with shops and a museum. It will be surrounded by a manicured garden and water fountain.

According to the lawmaker, the plan was still being drafted and would require more consultation with stakeholders although he estimated that the project could cost P400 million.

Angeles noted that to carry out such a project, the local government would have to seek permits from four different agencies: the National Historical Institute (NHI) which has declared it a national monument; the NCCA which oversees it because it was made by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino; the National Museum which has declared it a national cultural treasure; and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources which has declared it an environmentally critical area because it is a cultural site.

But despite this, Angeles said the NCCA was keeping an open mind as she thanked city officials for inviting them to the consultation.

“We have concerns with the structural integrity of the monument if it will be raised up, but we [can] examine the project. We, along with NHI and the National Museum, can look at it and give expert advice on what you want to do so that it would be easier for you to get the necessary approval,” she said.

Angeles noted that NCCA was being careful with such projects, saying that many “interventions” at Rizal Park supposedly diminished the value of the national park.

“The building of fast-food chains, letting roads pass through the park, putting up the National Library and the NHI offices there and the erection of Lapu-Lapu’s statue were belatedly recognized as wrong interventions because if we really hold Rizal in such a high esteem as our national hero, then we wouldn’t have built such structures or buildings that would diminish the regard we have for a park named after our national hero,” she said.

The Bonifacio Monument, which sits at the center of the junction of Edsa, Rizal Avenue, Samson Road and MacArthur Highway, was unveiled in 1933.