A cultural activist seeks to stop the construction of a condominium building which would allegedly ruin the view of the Rizal Monument in Luneta Park.
In a petition posted on Change.org, Manila tour guide Carlos Cedran is enlisting public support to urge DMCI Homes to abandon its plan to build the high-rise Torre de Manila Condominium right behind Jose Rizal’s shrine.
“If DMCI Holdings has their way, […] everytime you take a photo or look at our National Hero and think of him - you will also take in the sight of this Terror of Manila,” Celdran said, noting that the project is “offensive” to Rizal.
He also said the condominium building is a “ridiculous investment” since its location on Taft Avenue, the lot behind the former Manila Jai Alai building, is prone to traffic congestion and has no scenic view.
“For Filipino-Chinese investors, why buy there when it faces west directly towards a grave (Rizal Monument) and the massacre grounds of the Hongkong hostage crisis of 2010? It’s a feng shui disaster,” he added.
As of this writing, the online petition has gained 679 signatures out of the targeted 1,000.
“I implore fellow Filipinos to speak up about this and have DMCI rethink this project. Not only are we on to them but we refuse to have anything that they build ruin the sanctity of the Rizal sightline forever,” Celdran said.
When asked by Yahoo! Southeast Asia to comment on the issue, DMCI Homes’ Marketing Department said the company has no formal statement yet and is still currently deliberating on the matter.
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