PhilPost open to using fire-hit Manila Post Office as 'cultural corridor' -DOT chief

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost) is open to using the fire-hit Manila Central Post Office as a “cultural corridor” and not purely for mail services only, Tourism Secretary Cristina Frasco said Tuesday.

The Tourism chief disclosed this when Senator Nancy Binay asked if there are plans to use the Manila Post Office for other purposes.

“According to the PhilPost, they are open to the utilization of the property not purely anymore as a post office but as a mixed-use facility that would result in the creation of a cultural corridor within the city of Manila, especially considering its proximity to other heritage sites such as Intramuros,”  Frasco said during the Senate finance committee’s hearing on the Department of Tourism’s proposed P2.99-billion 2024 budget.

“So the talks are now ongoing for the immediate interventions necessary as well as for the future of the property,” she added.

According to Frasco, a convergence meeting among the DOT, National Museum, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts was held after the fire.

The secretary said the DOT as well as the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) offered assistance for the safeguarding of the Manila Post Office being a heritage site.

Frasco said TIEZA is now funding the detailed engineering design of the Manila Post Office for the “the immediate interventions needed to ensure that there is no further damage that will ensue from the fire.”

According to TIEZA chief Mark Lapid, the agency has allocated P80 million for the detailed engineering design.

On May 21, a fire hit the 100-year-old neoclassical Manila Central Post Office, which lasted for more than 30 hours

At least two structures inside the building were burned and the estimated cost of damage was P300 million, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection.—AOL, GMA Integrated News