Furor swells over parking area planned under Rizal monument

The monument of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal under which the local government of Tayabas town in Quezon province wants to build a parking area. The park which hosts the monument has come to be known as “Parke Rizal” for obvious reasons. DELFIN T. MALLARI JR/INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON

TAYABAS CITY—Heritage protection advocates are opposing a plan of the local government to build an underground parking area beneath the 300-year-old public plaza here that also hosts a century-old concrete monument of the country’s national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

Councilor Wenda Saberola disclosed that Tayabas Mayor Faustino Silang planned to build an underground parking area below the public plaza, known here as “Parke Rizal,” in front of the city hall building.

She said the project, which has an initial budget of P22 million, was approved in October 2013. The 1,100-square meter parking area would cost P20,000 per square meter.

“They can alter the plaza but only to beautify it. If they will turn the place into a parking lot, it’s not good,” said Ben Sacopla, a member of the local Freemason, one of the civic groups that took part in Rizal Day commemoration here on Tuesday.

Built in 1914

John Ysrael Valdeavilla, head of Kalatas Historical Organization in Tayabas, said the concrete monument of Rizal was built at the park in 1914 by the Club De Los 33, a group of prominent Tayabas natives.

He said the Rizal monument could be the first concrete memorial for the national hero in Quezon province that was built in front of a town hall. But he said more research is needed to prove the claim.

Resel Pasupil, a Tayabas native and member of Kapatiran ang Likas na Kaliwanagan (KALK), a religious group spreading the teachings of Philippine heroes, said the park could be at least 300 years old.

Pasupil, in an interview on the sidelines of Rizal Day celebration here, said KALK was also surprised upon learning of the parking area project and would circulate a petition letter opposing the project.

The project has yet to pass the bidding process, according to Saberola.

Mayor’s record

Mayor Silang had been suspended by the Ombudsman for six months since August this year for violating Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The case stemmed from charges filed by four Tayabas councilors against Silang for hiring a practicing private lawyer as city legal officer, a violation of the Local Government Code.

Vice Mayor Luzviminda Cuadra had been designated as acting mayor.

Silang, however, could still pursue the project upon his return to office in February because the funds for the project had been approved, Saberola said.

She said five opposition councilors had tried to oppose the project for being a threat to the park’s historical value and for being too costly. They were overruled by the council’s majority bloc.

“The project proponent had insisted that the plaza will not be destroyed because the construction will use modern techniques and equipment,” Saberola said.

Expert opinion

But a construction expert in Lucena City said the project would surely destroy the park.

“Once they start digging, there’s no way that the park will not be destroyed,” said the expert, an architect and engineer, who requested anonymity.

The expert said building an underground parking area in Tayabas is not feasible due to the town’s low elevation.

Saberola said it would be more economical for the local government to buy a lot for use as a parking area.

Edna Lopez, whose husband is a descendant of the late Domingo Lopez, former Tayabas governor and a member of Club De Los 33, said she was not aware of the parking project.

“We have no idea. There was no public hearing,” she told the Inquirer after receiving a plaque of recognition for the members of Club De Los 33.

The Inquirer tried to contact Silang but to no avail.

Sacred ground

Sacopla, former vice president for administration of Southern Luzon State University in nearby Lucban town, said the plaza is historical and a “sacred ground.” He cited the Rizal monument erected at the center of the park as a “guiding light.”

Pasupil expressed lament about the lackluster celebration of Rizal Day by the local government, saying no local official was present during the ceremony.

She also assailed the practice of the local government of turning Parke Rizal into a venue for marathon drinking sessions during local government-sponsored social events three times a year.

“One of Rizal’s teachings is don’t be a drunkard but the government itself is sponsoring the event for drinking sessions in front of Rizal’s monument,” Pasupil said.

Tayabas, former capital of Tayabas province (now Quezon), was founded in 1578 by two Franciscan missionaries, Fray Juan de Plasencia and Fray Diego de Oropesa.