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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DOT: Manila Post Office restoration to ensure cultural integrity is uncompromised

DOT: Manila Post Office restoration to ensure cultural integrity is uncompromised

Published Aug 20, 2024 11:09 am

At A Glance

  • The Department of Tourism (DOT) said the cultural integrity of the Manila Central Post Office will not be compromised amid plans to turn the historic landmark--tragically razed by fire last year--into a tourist destination.

IMG-fe8ae1cbf2b35b0fad4533a40e3a0a30-V.jpgManila Central Post Office during the fire last year (Noel Pabalate/MANILA BULLETIN)

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said the cultural integrity of the Manila Central Post Office will not be compromised amid plans to turn the historic landmark--tragically razed by fire last year--into a tourist destination.

“What we can expect is the rehabilitation of the Manila Post Office as well as its repurposing to the standards that are set forth by our culture and heritage agencies to ensure that it’s cultural integrity is not compromised, even as it serves the community as a tourism destination,” DOT Secretary Christina Frasco said during the agency's budget deliberations on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Following the blaze that destroyed the city landmark, the DOT has vowed to assist in rehabilitation efforts through its infrastructure arm—the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

“And we were told by the PhilPost (Philippine Postal Corporation) as well as the other cultural agencies that prior to any reconstruction or rehabilitation efforts is the necessity of coming up with a detailed engineering and architectural studies that will set forth the minimum parameters for the rehabilitation,” added Frasco.

The DOT chief said these studies have “since been procured”, specifically for the conservation assessment and pre-restoration work, which was allocated P15 million.

As announced January of this year, the conduct of these studies were split into two phases. The first phase covers the pre-restoration work, including the design of shoring, construction scaffoldings, temporary roof, and related methodologies. The second phase, meanwhile, includes the creation of rehabilitation and conservation plans, condition assessment plans, and a cost analysis of the damage done to the building.

When asked what is the proposed budget for the entire rehabilitation, Frasco replied that this will be known following the approval of the said studies.

She said the main intention is to repurpose the Manila Central Post Office as a project under a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) setup.

Located along the banks of the Pasig River at Liwasang Bonifacio, the neoclassical building stands as an architectural icon in the heart of the Philippine capital.

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Department of Tourism christina frasco Manila Central Post Office
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