THE National Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned in Santa Ana, Manila is opposing the construction of three 36-story buildings near it.
Fr Virgilio del Mundo, rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned, also known as Santa Ana Church, said the construction site is within the “buffer zone” of Santa Ana, the sixth district of Manila.
“The 11 unique frescoes in the camarin of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned are seriously in danger of irreparable damage due to the heavy pounding and pile driving of a major developer that is illegally constructing three high-rises of 36 stories each,” Del Mundo said.
“Hence, we strongly object to the construction given the threat mentioned above, to the neighborhood and to the long history of Santa Ana Church housing a National Cultural Treasure,” he added.
It is not the first time the Santa Ana Church opposed a construction near the area. It has opposed a similar project of Ayala Land Inc.’s Amaia Land.
“Ayala Land’s Amaia, which previously secured the site, dropped their proposed project after the strenuous objections from the parish, neighborhood, LGU, and cultural agencies,” Del Mundo said.
The current construction, being undertaken by Suntrust Properties Inc., will endanger paintings that have been declared as National Cultural Treasure, Del Mundo said.
Del Mundo said frescoes of the life of Christ are the oldest known paintings of oil on wood in the Philippines. He said this has prompted the National Museum to declare the camarin, or a shrine or chapel above and behind the altar in a church, and the paintings as a National Cultural Treasure in November 2008.
Del Mundo said the national importance of Santa Ana was declared through Presidential Decree 260 s. 1973, issued on August 1, 1973, because of significant archaeological discoveries of the National Museum of the Philippines in the mid-1960’s. This, he said, resulted in Santa Ana being declared a heritage zone by the National Historical Commission.
Del Mundo said Suntrust Properties Inc. took the parish and the neighborhood “by complete surprise” by announcing the start of construction in November 2022.
“Since last November to the present, the developer seems hell bent on having its way to monetize the site, despite causing damage to nearby homes, havoc on the residents peace of mind, and most importantly, causing damage to the National Cultural Treasure,” said del Mundo.
This, he said, is despite the parish and the local community being actively against any massive project so close to the church.
“Barangay 885-97 has a blotter full of complaints, photos and videos from irate seniors, PWD, workers, students and others suffering from incessant heavy pounding and frightening earth shaking night and day,” Del Mundo said.
He also questioned documents being presented by the company in pushing through with the construction project.
“These barangay documents were in fact not signed by the officials and neighbors, whose signatures appear in them. In addition, the three documents obtained from Manila City Hall (zoning clearance, city council resolution, and building permit) based on these questionable documents have long expired,” he said.
