Senators file measure to probe cause of Manila Post Office fire

SENATORS Alan Peter Cayetano and Loren Legarda filed similar resolutions for an inquiry on the cause of the fire that gutted the Manila Central Post Office.

The resolutions also call for the need to restore the building and protect other historic sites.

Cayetano noted that the said fire was “a wake-up call” on the need to protect national heritage buildings and artifacts.

“The state should make use of this unfortunate event as a learning opportunity on how buildings of cultural, artistic, and historical significance to the Philippines should be better taken care of as future tragedies of this scale must be prevented,” Cayetano said in his Senate Resolution No. 635.

With the fire happening during the celebration of National Heritage Month, Cayetano said it is “incumbent upon the government to provide safeguards to protect our national treasures with modern equipment, surveillance, and strategies, and to ensure that the relevant agencies receive proper funding.”

During the plenary session, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said he filed a measure to create a special Senate committee “to look after the restoration and rehabilitation” of the iconic landmark in Manila.

Sen. Sonny Angara, who chairs the Senate finance committee, said Zubiri had instructed him to work with the Department of Budget and Management to find sources of funds for the building’s rehabilitation.

Rebuilt after the war, the heritage building beside the Pasig River is known for its Greco-Roman pillars and neoclassical style designed by Juan Arellano, Tomas Mapua and Ralph Doane.

Sen. Chiz Escudero guranteed the building is covered by the state insurer Government Service Insurance System.

GSIS president Wick Veloso confirmed that the building is insured for P604 million.

“That should be the financial cornerstone of its reconstruction,” Escudero said.

The iconic post office caught fire on Sunday night, May 21, and was engulfed in flames for a total of eight hours before the fire was brought under control by the Bureau of Fire Protection on Monday morning. Damage was estimated at around P300 million.