Senate inquiry into Manila Central Post Office fire sought

The fire incident at the Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) prompts Senator Robin Padilla to file a resolution seeking a Senate inquiry on possible measures to preserve and protect "cultural properties."

“The Manila Central Post Office is a tangible representation of the nation’s culture and history, and its damage is a blow to the country’s cultural heritage,” Padilla wrote in the proposed Senate Resolution 627.

“The recent incident underscores the vulnerability of our national cultural heritage to fire and other hazards and highlights the urgent need to revisit and assess the effectiveness of existing preservation and protection measures,” he added.

The lawmaker stressed that it is in the public interest to provide policies that will prevent or mitigate the effect of fire and other hazards to protect and preserve the country’s national cultural heritage.

The fire at the Manila Central Post Office was believed to have started in the basement and immediately reached the top floors.

It reached first alarm at 11:41 p.m. on Sunday and general alarm, or its highest fire alarm level, at 5:54 a.m. on Monday.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the fire was declared under control at 7:22 a.m.

In an update, the BFP said at least two structures were burned and their damage cost more or less P300 million.

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, who chairs the Senate culture and the arts panel, also called on the authorities to investigate the cause of the fire to prevent this from happening again.

“It is indeed a tragic and heartbreaking incident… We must protect our historical sites such as this significant architectural heritage,” she said.

In a tweet, Senate finance committee chairman Sonny Angara said he was told by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to work with the Department of Budget and Management to look for funds to help restore the Manila Central Postal Office.

“SP Zubiri messaged that we have to work [with] the [B]udget [Department] towards finding funds to help restore the Post [O]ffice (which had a fire),” Angara said.

Earlier, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuña said they will restore the MCPO with the help of the national government. —VAL, GMA Integrated News