ILOILO CITY – Skepticism looms over the approval of the city government of the demolition of the Iloilo Central Market, a presumed Important Cultural Property (ICP) under the National Heritage Act of 2009.
THE Central Market in Iloilo City is an Important Cultural Property (ICP) that was totally demolished last March. (Tara Yap)
“We need clear answers. Whether the Iloilo City government was able to get a go signal to demolish it after they found out that it was structurally unsound,” said Ivan Anthony Henares, commissioner for cultural heritage of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), during a May 18, 2024 public forum hosted by the National Museum of the Philippines as part of the National Heritage Month celebration.
Henares reiterated the need to find out if the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) allowed the Iloilo City government to demolish the market.
“Because LGU Iloilo (City) can’t unilaterally decide on demolition. Or else (it) will be liable,” Henares said.
The Central Market is one of the two markets being redeveloped by SM Prime Holdings Inc. which was granted a 25-year lease agreement by the administration of Mayor Jerry Treñas.
During the August 2022 signing of the lease agreement, it was announced that the façade of Central Market would not be touched as it was a heritage structure.
But the people were shocked when the tower of the art deco market was suddenly demolished by the contractor of SM without public consultation.
It was only after a public clamor on Old Iloilo Facebook page that the Treñas administration justified the approval for demolition as “several structural elements have been found to be unsafe” while claiming it could not be retrofitted.
While no technical report was shown to the public, the Treñas administration doubled down on the claim there was approval from the NHCP.
But the 2023 letter signed by then NHCP chairperson Rene Escalante does not mention any demolition. The NHCP only approves the development plan of SM.
“I believe when the NHCP approved the development plan, there was no mention there of the demolition of the tower,” Henares said.
During the forum, Henares echoed sentiments that retrofitting could be possible, especially with all the latest technology.
Henares added that the Central Market is a hot topic among national government cultural agencies and is being probed.
He said that statements made during the weekend public forum are his own as he clarified news reports of Iloilo-based media.
Henares said that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which he serves as the Philippine Secretary-General, is not the body probing the demolition of the Central Market.