PROGRESS or heritage? This is one issue that has divided suburban planners, investors, local and national officials, historians and cultural conservators for years. The issue at present is whether or not to dismantle and relocate the historic national landmark — the Caloocan "Monumento" — to give way to the proposal to link Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 and Metro Rail Transit (MRT).
The Caloocan "Monument" is no ordinary structure. It was declared by the National Historical Institute as national shrine. It was constructed during the 1920s through public subscription — not government money but people’s money and named "Monumento de la Revolucion de 1896 (Monument to the 1896 Philippine Revolution)" to honor and perpetuate the memory of the countless Filipinos — men, women, and children — who sacrificed their lives to attain Philippine freedom from colonial rule. There have been several instances where historical sites were sacrificed for the sake of progress. When the LRT was built three decades ago, the Insular Ice Plant Building, the first ice plant in Asia, located beside the Quezon Bridge was demolished to give way to the LRT line. Recently, the Mehan Botanical Garden gave way to a bus terminal. Adjacent is the Manila Metropolitan Theatre which, to some, is a useless structure.
But these landmarks are part of our history. The "Monumento," in particular, reminds us of the sacrifices made by our forefathers who fought for the freedom we now enjoy.
While the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), through its "World Heritage Sites Preservation Program," has been active in helping nations preserve historic sites, we here in the Philippines have demolished some of our landmarks in the name of progress. Let us draw the line and take a stand in the case of the historic Monumento of Caloocan. Let us preserve this great symbol of our nation where it stands today.
