NHCP stops construction of Taal seniors center

HERITAGE preservation advocates in Taal town in Batangas province protest the construction of this single-story building inside the Escuela Pia compound. CONCERNED TAALENYOS FOR HERITAGE PRESERVATION AND PATRIMONY

Saying it was misinformed about the project, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has suspended the construction of a government building inside the compound of Escuela Pia, a national historical landmark, in Taal town in Batangas province.

NHCP Chair Maria Serena Diokno, in a letter on March 15, asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to suspend the construction of a building that will serve as the Taal government’s office for senior citizens’ affairs in Barangay Zone 2.

Taal heritage advocates earlier decried the project, which is rising near the fence of the centuries-old Escuela Pia.

Built in 1839 by the Augustinian friars, Escuela Pia used to house  Colegio de la Sagrada Familia, a school for poor students in Taal. It was declared a national historical landmark by then President Ferdinand Marcos in 1973.

The construction of the 42-square-meter, single-story building was facilitated by the party-list group Alliance of Volunteer Educators and is being implemented by the DPWH.

In an earlier interview, municipal engineer Amando Matanguihan said the construction was 90 percent complete. He said the NHCP had issued the project a permit in December last year, covering the “improvement of the multipurpose building.”

But in her letter addressed to Samson Hebra, DPWH director in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), Diokno said the NHCP only approved improvements on an existing building and not the construction of a new structure.

“Prior to approving your request, we verified with the DPWH Batangas district engineering office that your proposal was to improve an existing building and not to construct a new one. Had we known of your intent to build a new structure close to Escuela Pia, we would not have approved your request,” she said.

“We therefore enjoin you to immediately suspend all construction work until we inspect the site and formulate the necessary corrective measures for you to implement that will protect the integrity of Escuela Pia,” she added.

Norma Atienza, a leader of the Concerned Taalenyos for Heritage Preservation and Patrimony,  said that before the NHCP letter came out, residents had also started a signature campaign opposing the project. The petition and signatures were submitted to the NHCP and to the municipal government.