Condo site part of Santa Ana protected area

MANILA, Philippines–Residents of Santa Ana in Manila have refuted the claims of the developer of two 30-story condominium units about to rise in the heart of the Santa Ana Heritage Zone, ahead of Monday’s hearing to determine whether the project should be allowed to proceed.

Earlier this month, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) issued a cease and desist order to CDC Holdings Inc., directing it to stop construction of the Manila River Green Residences on Pedro Gil Street, saying the project’s long-term effects on the archaeological, historical and cultural treasures in the area must undergo a deeper study.

For its part, CDC Holdings said in a statement that the NCCA had no authority to issue such an order. It maintained that the condominium project was outside the buffer zone for the Santa Ana Heritage Zone and that the project site was neither a national cultural treasure nor an important cultural property.

However, the Santa Ana Heritage Tourism Association led by its president, Sylvia Lichauco-de Leon, believed that the developer’s arguments were wrong.

She explained the layers of protection offered by national laws, decrees and local ordinances over the heritage zone, which begins with the core area of the Santa Ana Church and its grounds.

“From the church, several zones of protection have been agreed upon by us and the national cultural agencies which would include the vicinity of the church and many other heritage houses in the area,” Lichauco-de Leon told the Inquirer.

The ultimate area of Santa Ana protected by national laws extend a few blocks away from the church, delineated by an 18-point line drawn through a series of roads and landmarks as written in the National Historical Commission of the Philippines resolution that declared the area a heritage zone.

In addition, Manila City Ordinance 8244 which named the area the Santa Ana Histo-Cultural Heritage Overlay Zone defined a much wider scope for the protected district, particularly the area bounded by the San Juan River in the north, M. L. Carreon and Tejeron Streets in the west, Del Pan Street in the south, and the Pasig River in the east.

Within this area, the ordinance prohibits any construction, demolition and any other earth-moving or building without permission from city hall. Several resolutions also require builders to strictly abide by floor area ratios and other construction controls for the district as set in the city of Manila’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Zoning ordinances.

Aside from this, Lichauco-de Leon said that the area was recognized by the National Museum, in a letter dated Oct. 6 and signed by Acting Assistant Director Angel Bautista, as effectively part of the heritage zone protected by national laws.