Residents seek halt to condo construction in Manila's heritage zone

Several residents of Sta. Ana in Manila have filed a petition before the court to order a stop to the construction of a condominium project inside a "heritage zone."

According to a report by Emil Sumangil on "24 Oras," the structure is being built by Suntrust inside an area declared as heritage zone by the Manila City government and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

"Sa batas po, protected ang heritage zone together with the buffer zone which is 200 meters. Ang Suntrust po ay nagtatayo… kung hindi ako nagkakamali, 170 meters away from the Sta. Ana Church, so pasok na pasok ito sa buffer zone ng heritage zone," Floricar Manalo, a petitioner of the University of the Philippines Office of Legal Aid.

The chairman of Barangay 885, said, "Halos dikit po yung paggawa nila kaya rinig na rinig ang pagbubutas nila ng lupa, nagva -vibrate po."

The Manila Regional Trial Court's Sheriff's Office on Monday furnished the respondents a copy of the petition, including the Manila local government, NHC and the office of Suntrust.

The petition said Manila building officials should be held liable for issuing the building permit.  It said Suntrust should also answer for allegedly violating the cease and desist order of the NHCP and the show cause and suspension order by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The NHCP, according to the petition, should explain as well why it lifted the cease and desist order without hearing.

The Manila local government should have also formed a committee that will outline the guidelines on constructions inside heritage zones, the petition also said.

The NHCP has yet to issue a comment on the matter, while GMA Integrated News continues to reach out to the other concerned parties involved in the petition.—LDF, GMA Integrated News