Sen. Pia brings
Rizal shrine desecration case to int'l body
By Office of Sen. Pia S.
Cayetano
November 11, 2014
PASAY CITY – Senator
Pia S. Cayetano has elevated the issue of the desecration of the Rizal
Monument before an international body tasked to identify and protect
heritage sites around the world.
The senator is attending the
18th general assembly of the International Council on Monuments and
Sites (ICOMOS) being held this week in Florence, Italy, together with
ICOMOS Philippines president Architect Augusto Villalon to raise the
issue of the ‘photo bombing’ of the sightline of the 101-year-old
Rizal shrine by Torre de Manila, a 49-story commercial building being
constructed across Rizal Park behind the historic monument.
Cayetano has been working
with ICOMOS Philippines to protect the Rizal Monument. This led to the
filing of a resolution against Torre de Manila which will be heard at
the ICOMOS assembly.
“We hope to gather
international support for our campaign to stop the Torre de Manila
project and its developer, DM Consunji, Inc. (DMCI), from desecrating
the sightline and integrity of the Rizal Monument,” said Cayetano, the
chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.
An advisory body to the
United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture
(UNESCO) World Heritage Committee, ICOMOS is composed of 9,500
heritage conservation experts from 100 national committees throughout
the world. Part of the agency’s mandate is to nominate cultural and
historical sites for inclusion in the World Heritage List. ICOMOS also
provides expertise and support for threatened heritage sites brought
to its attention.
"After my initial visits to
UNESCO and the ICOMOS headquarters in Paris, I learned how around the
world, governments, NGOs, businesses and communities have united to
protect their heritage sites. And there are many examples of
structures and buildings found to be obstructing these sites that were
struck down."
“As we continue to fight for
the Rizal Monument using different avenues within our country, we will
leave no stone unturned and exert parallel efforts outside the country
to ensure that our national monument is respected and safeguarded,”
she stressed.
“The shrine built in honor
of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, symbolizes not only the
Filipinos’ historic struggle for independence from colonial rule at
the turn of the century, but also the universal ideals of education,
democracy, freedom, equality and nationalism that Rizal fought for.”
“I am also looking forward
to the lectures that will showcase best practices in heritage
preservation based on the experiences of other countries. In fact, I
am excited about the presentation by our very own ICOMOS Philippines
president who will present the case of Vigan as the best showcase of
heritage site management practice in our country," she concluded.