National photo-bomber Torre de Manila

While surfing the Net last Friday, I chanced upon a very interesting and quite timely news item

and photos at ABS-CBNnews.com posted by my good friend Isagani de Castro. From his post – dateline Quanzhou, China – Isagani was obviously on an official trip in that city in the province of Fujian.

While on a visit in this part of China, Isagani was apparently shown on a tour that our very own national hero, Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal has a look-alike monument as that one in Luneta. Posted along with his story, entitled “Look: Why Rizal has a shrine in China,” were several photographs of Rizal’s monument at the site.

One of the photos showed a close-up of the monument’s marker showing a brief narrative about Rizal, one written in Chinese characters and below it the English translation. It read: (verbatim) Dr. Jose Rizal (1861-1896) Philippine National Hero with Roots in FuJian

“Jose Rizal was a versatile writer, doctor, artist and scientist. He criticized the corruption of the Spanish colonial government for which he was executed in Manila on December 30,1896. His death had awakened the Filipino people’s cause of revolution.

Rizal’s roots are in Shang guo Village. His paternal great-great grandfather was Domingo Lamco, ‘Ke Yi Nan’ in chinese, an immigrant to the Philippines. For his noble character and heroic sacrifice in the name of freedom for the Filipino people. Jose Rizal is highly esteemed by many Chinese worldwide who take grate pride in the fact, that his roots can be traced to china.” (sic)

Isagani did not say in his story if he was invited on an official trip or he is on vacation in China. But a veteran journalist like him could not ignore, of course, to write about it. Isagani’s discovery of Rizal’s monument in China is something newsworthy and timely to share back home. He wrote:

“A visitor to the Rizal Shrine here in Jinjiang, Fujian province, southern China can’t help but compare it to the Rizal Monument in Luneta amid the ‘photobomber’ controversy.

Regardless of one’s stand on DMCI’s Torre de Manila project, Dr. Jose Rizal’s statue in Jinjiang county looks more dignified without any structure in the background.

The shrine is described in the memorial wall as ‘surrounded with blooming flowers and greenery, grand and impressive monument.’

The Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and 7 other organizations proposed to build a Rizal Shrine here to commemorate Rizal’s Chinese roots.

Rizal was the 22nd generation descendant of the first generation Ke family whose roots are in Shang Guo village in Jinjiang. Rizal’s great-great grandfather was Domingo Lameo, or Ke Yi Nan in Chinese, who immigrated to the Philippines.

The Rizal Shrine stands as a symbol of friendship between China and the Philippines. According to the Knights of Rizal, it is the biggest Rizal Shrine outside of the Philippines.

In 1999, then-President Joseph Estrada and then-Chinese Ambassador Fu Ying laid the foundation for the memorial.

Construction of the Rizal Shrine here started in 2003 and was completed that same year.

1861, the year Rizal was born, was used as basis for the height of the monument – 18.61 meters.”

The “photo-bomber” controversy refers to the Torre de Manila, a 49-storey condominium building now in the center of legal battle. Last June 16, our Supreme Court (SC) ordered DMCI Project Developers, Inc. to stop further construction and development activities at the Torre de Manila project along Taft Avenue, Manila.

The word “photo-bomber” is the latest term coined to denote someone or something that gets into the way and distracts the view from the subject or object of the photograph.

Torre de Manila thus earned this moniker after the public first noted its towering presence overnight and getting into the background of the Rizal monument in Luneta located just a kilometer away.

Voting 8-5, the High Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of petitioner, Order of the Knights of Rizal. The Rizalistas filed their petition in September, 2014 to oppose the continuing erection of the condominium. In their petition, they alleged the Torre de Manila project violates the 1987 Constitution on the conservation and promotion of the country’s historical and cultural heritage.

Moreover, the petitioners invoked Republic Act No. 4846, also known as the Cultural Properties Preservation and Protection Act; and RA No. 10066, also known as the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009. The petition likewise argued that the project violated the Manila zoning ordinance and is nothing but an eyesore on the Rizal monument. Other groups led by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and concerned citizens have denounced the building as something that will devalue the Rizal monument as a national historical landmark.

The DMCI, however, defended the development of the controversial project, citing the company’s having obtained all the required legal permits and approval of concerned agencies, including the Manila City Hall during the term of former Mayor Alfredo Lim. The DMCI earlier decried the “photo-bomb” claim against Torre de Manila as something that was “photo-shopped” to deliberately enrage the public.

Last Friday, DMCI got allies from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) that issued an official statement prodding the government to allow the Torre de Manila project to continue. The PCCI noted the DMCI has spent P1 billion on the project and stopping it – and other projects that complied with the National Building Code – could discourage investments.

Further, the DMCI admitted they have pre-sold more than 800 condo units when the SC issued the TRO. In their recent paid ad, the DMCI claimed the Office of the Solicitor General, representing the government, supports their legal stand on the case.

The High Court set on July 21 the oral arguments of the petitioners and the DMCI to help them settle the fate of the so-called “national photo-bomber,” Torre de Manila.

Torre de Manila thus earned this moniker after the public first noted its towering presence overnight and getting into the background of the Rizal monument in Luneta located just a kilometer away.