MANILA (UCAN): A petition on change.org called for the halt of the construction of a 31-storey condominium which threatens the architectural and structural integrity of the Minor Basilica of San Sebastian (San Sebastian Basilica) in the Quiapo district of Manila, the Philippines. It also violates Manila’s zoning and national heritage protection laws the San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation said.
The petition, launched on January 11, garnered 400,000 signatures in only two days.
“Four hundred thousand signatures in time for the 400th year anniversary of the very first San Sebastian church. Join us and our partners to raise awareness about San Sebastian and why it must be protected, ” the foundation said on social media on January 13.
San Sebastian Basilica is considered the last standing neo-Gothic structure and the only all-metal church in the Philippines.
It was completed in 1891 and was designated a national historical landmark in 1973 and a national cultural treasure in 2011.
The foundation said online support was necessary to make its voice bigger for government authorities to listen to their advocacy to stop the construction of the condominium.
The foundation’s initiative has been backed by other groups, including a residents’ organisation called Neighbourhood Along Bautista Street, which has conducted a door-to-door campaign to gather grassroots support from people living in the area.
“There is a need to highlight a bigger, alarming concern behind the construction of a condominium which will mar the sightline of San Sebastian Basilica and that these unregulated constructions … violate heritage and zoning laws,” the group told reporters.
A Philippine historic preservation society likewise expressed support on social media calling for the public to fight for the basilica, which has been recommended for listing as a UNESCO world heritage site.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
“San Sebastian Basilica and its surrounding neighbourhood are worthy of protection and preservation. The revitalisation of the area should be based on the conservation of its tangible and intangible heritage,” the Bakas Pilipinas preservation society said in a statement.
Students of Augustinian-run San Sebastian College also wrote to the country’s historical commission calling on it to ask the condominium developers to produce building permits and requirements.
“In case of non-compliance of the realty corporation, may we request that the conditional clearance (or permit) given … be withdrawn,” they wrote.
