Heritage Groups Condemn Plans to Demolish Sta. Mesa Fire Station
They claim the site is being cleared to make way for a road widening project.
(SPOT.ph) The Santa Mesa Fire Station is slated for demolition under what is called a “reconstruction” project, but heritage groups claim it's really being cleared for road widening efforts.
Manileños for Heritage and Renacimiento Manila are sounding the alarm over the Bureau of Fire Protection's (BFP) proposed project, which they say is moving forward without proper public consultation.
“The failure to engage the local community and consider our clamor to save the structure constitutes a grave oversight and a clear disregard for public participation in matters of cultural heritage preservation,” Manileños for Heritage said in a statement.
Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act presumes that any structure over 50 years old with cultural, historical, or architectural value is an Important Cultural Property. Under this definition, the Santa Mesa Fire Station qualifies as one, having been built in 1919. The station is believed to be the last fire station constructed during the American period in the Philippines.
However, the project’s location at the corner of Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard and Hipodromo Street puts it in the path of several major infrastructure developments, including the widening of Magsaysay Boulevard and possible integration with elevated expressway links. Renacimiento Manila described the situation as “the most destructive and urban blighting project in Manila to date.”
SPOT.ph has reached out to the BFP for comments but has yet to receive a response.
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What will happen to the Sta. Mesa Fire Station?
Documents from the BFP-National Capital Region confirm that the agency is moving forward with a total demolition of the Sta. Mesa Fire Station. With a budget of P17.9 million, the project is set to be completed in 300 calendar days upon issuance of a notice to proceed.
Renacimiento Manila argues that replacing it with a new building—regardless of the label "reconstruction"—would amount to cultural erasure. Based on the bidding documents, the project will involve demolition and hauling, followed by excavation and full structural works—from foundations and columns to tilework, roofing, electrical systems, and plumbing.
“While Renacimiento supports the upgrading of Manila's fire protection, it must not come at the cost of wiping out the very history and heritage of the said fire fighting institutions. A planned replacement of the fire station, which the Bureau of Fire Protection dubs a 'Reconstruction', does not even resemble the old station by a mile,” Renacimiento Manila said in a statement.
Manileños for Heritage also said the National Historical Commission of the Philippines should have intervened and made an effort to prevent the "reconstruction" from happening.
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