In a move reflective of the controversy over the Torre de Manila “photo bombing” the Rizal Monument, the spokesperson of President Benigno Aquino III defended Malacanang’s plans to turn a “national cultural treasure” into a flood catchment basin.
In an interview on ANC’s “Beyond Politics” Tuesday night, Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the University of Santo Tomas (UST) should prioritize the safety of millions of Filipinos facing threats to their lives in the Manila due to flooding over its “prized soccer field.”
The “prized soccer field” of UST that Lacierda was referring to has been declared by national historical agencies as a “national cultural treasure” for hosting numerous historical events.
“Doesn’t it make sense that we need to attend to the welfare of so many, not just adults, but school children, kids, who traverse those roads in times of storm where the inundation is still knee-deep or waist-deep? Would you forgo safety over a prized soccer field?” Lacierda asked.
“Is that being unreasonable if we dig it (open grounds) up and make sure that the millions within that area would be safe from inundation, would be safe from danger, would put them out of harm’s way, and would put them out of a danger zone in times of storms and floods?” he added.
During his last State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, President Benigno Aquino III took a swipe at a “big university” in the nation’s capital for refusing to cooperate with the government in building a flood control project.
“Para matugunan ang madalas na pagbaha sa Maynila, isinulong natin ang pagpapagawa ng catchment area, pero tumutol po dito ang isang malaking unibersidad. May lumang mga gusali daw kasi silang baka maapektuhan ng gagawing proyekto,” Aquino said.
(For example: to address flooding in Manila, we pushed for the construction of a catchment area, which was protested by a particular university. They said that some of their old buildings could be affected by the project.)
In a 2013 article published by UST official student publication The Varsitarian, the Department of Public Works and Highways plans to dig out a “retarding tank” beneath the university open grounds which will “serve as storage for water during heavy rains, to be pumped out to waterways after a downpour.”
The UST administration opposed the project due to safety concerns and disturbance of normal operations in the university.
In 2010, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the National Museum of the Philippines have declared the university’s open field, the UST Main Building, Central Seminary and Arch of the Centuries as National Cultural Treasures.
Under Section 3 of the National Cultural Heritage Act, a National Cultural Treasure is “a unique cultural property found locally, possessing outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and/or scientific value which is highly significant and important to the country and nation and officially declared as such by pertinent cultural agency.”
The UST open field has been graced by visits from three Popes: Blessed Paul VI in 1970, Pope St. John Paul II in 1981 and 1995 and Pope Francis last January.
DPWH National Capital Region director Reynaldo Tagudando allayed fears that the construction of the project would damage historic structures in the university.
Whatever they see now, it will still be the same. The only difference is there will be a structure underneath,” he told The Varsitarian in 2013.
The UST is situated in a 21.5 hectare property and was established in 1611, making it the oldest university in Asia.
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