On the Desecration of Intramuros

Photo taken from: http://ivanhenares.blogspot.com/

It pains me to read about the desecration being inflicted on Intramuros, one of the last symbols of our Spanish past. A sports complex is being built by Philippine Tourism Authority just several feet away from the famed walls (Costing P25 million, the project touches the outside walls of the Fort Santiago Shrine which has the Rizal Shrine within it), thus defacing a historical monument and possibly endangering the shrine’s structure…- excerpts from news report from manilatimes.net). It is a sad addition to the numerous desecrations that has been done in the past wherein old buildings worthy of being preserved were demolished to give way to malls and high-rise buildings. When will our officials ever learn?

Here in Rome, subway routes were diverted from the original plan so as to avoid some ancient ruins or artifacts that were discovered hundreds of feet below the ground from being destroyed in the course of excavation work to construct tunnels. In our school, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (ANGELICUM), a building's underground electrical wiring system has to be diverted several meters away so as not to destroy an old structure which the diggers have discovered. The Italian government prohibits the building of any structure that would affect such artifacts. Hence, in Italy (and I am sure that the same is done in other countries), even the things that are underground and are not visible are protected from being desecrated. In the Philippines, the Intramuros is very much visible, yet our government does not seem to take care and protect it.