SC to tackle plea vs Torre TRO

THE SUPREME Court is set to tackle today a plea by DMCI Homes Inc. to lift the stay order that has suspended the construction of Torre de Manila condo building since June last year.

The plea will be discussed in the regular Tuesday en banc session, according to court sources.

DMCI Homes filed its fourth motion to lift the indefinite temporary restraining order on Aug. 25, asking that it be allowed to resume work on the 49-story tower, pending the tribunal’s ruling on whether it had ruined the skyline and visual integrity of the nearby Rizal Monument.

The developer cited letters coming from buyers who expressed “extreme frustration and disappointment” because of the continued suspension of the residential tower’s construction.

DMCI Homes also said it incurred additional costs due to the stoppage of the project.

The TRO was issued on June 16, 2015, in response to a petition by the Knights of Rizal, which argued that the “photobombing” tower desecrates the shrine and burial grounds of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

Issues of procedural infirmities involving the Manila city government also emerged during the earlier oral arguments.