By Allison Lopez
Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines -- City Mayor Alfredo Lim revived on Thursday the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission (MHHC) and the Museo ng Maynila that were in “hibernation” for several years.
Wanting to train the spotlight on Manila’s rich culture once again, Lim signed Executive Order No. 10, “Constituting the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission,” upon his return to office on July 7.
Writer Carmen Guerrero Nakpil was reinstalled as MHHC chair.
The commission that organized art exhibits and historical lectures at the former Army-Navy Club building on South Boulevard, Ermita, became inactive during the previous administration. The club building served as Museo ng Maynila and the office of the commission established by Lim in 1997.
Said the mayor, who said he wanted to raise interest in preserving the city’s lost heritage: “What we are now, what we are seeing, we owe to our ancestors. Unfortunately these values are now distorted. What seems to be precious before is no longer considered as such.”
At Thursday’s launch of the commission and the museum, the mayor directed the MHHC, which was in charge of Museo ng Maynila, to document the heritage resources of Manila. He also asked city district councils to identify and protect heritage areas.
The mayor revealed that during his term from 1992 1998 he declined an offer from persons he did not identify to build a high-rise condominium in place of the classic edifice, a city landmark.
The four-story building designed by the team of American architect Daniel Burnham deteriorated when it was turned into a “warehouse for lanterns and lampposts.”
Lim vowed on Thursday to restore the building to its former glory like the Metropolitan Theater, which is undergoing a major overhaul.
But MHHC Secretariat member Gemma Cruz Araneta said they were still sourcing funds for the numerous repairs needed.
At the moment, only the ground floor of the club is open to visitors.
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