Like other cultural heritage sites in Manila, the old Army and Navy Club in Roxas Boulevard needs to be restored, the city’s tourism chief said.
Manila Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau head Solfia “Sol” Arboladura said the restoration of the Army and Navy Club is a big shot in the arm for the city government in its efforts to preserve historical and cultural properties in the city.
“Like the Metropolitan Theatre, I do agree that it has to be restored. All buildings have to be restored into its former glory,” Arboladura said of the Club’s ongoing renovation as a five-star boutique hotel.
“It’s been neglected. Unused. It’s a waste, isn’t it? It’s a prime property, beautiful, why not make use of it?” Arboladura added.
Her statement came in the heels of Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada’s earlier reaffirmation of support to the restoration project.
During a recent news forum, Estrada said the restoration and rehabilitation of such important cultural and historical properties is part of his administration’s urban renewal program.
“Well, of course, we are in favor of it to be restored,” Estrada said pointing out that the Army and Navy Club project is a matter of extreme urgency since the historical landmark is already in a decaying state.
Estrada was instrumental in the Army Navy Club restoration. While the project was still being conceptualized in 2014, he had said the Club, as an important heritage site, should be restored to its former appearance.
Completed in April 17, 1911, the Army and Navy Club is the first American social club to be established in the Philippines and is presently being restored as a boutique hotel by Oceanville Hotel and Spa Corp.
Underscoring the importance of such important heritage sites, Arboladura, whose office is tasked with the preservation of cultural and historical properties in the city, pointed out the restored Army Navy Club would surely attract local and foreign tourists, especially history enthusiasts and heritage advocates.
“Manila, basically, we are known for our culture, we have a rich historical value because we have the Intramuros, Fort Santiago, Luneta,” she said.
“So, if we have the Army Navy Club, and it’s been preserved, I think it will be visited still,” Arboladura said.
With the addition of the restored Army Navy Club as a new tourist attraction in Manila, Arboladura said it will further boost the tourism industry in the city.
Tourism, she stressed, creates opportunities, jobs, and funds the city, citing as an example the island of Boracay in Aklan, which earns millions in tourism revenues.
In Prague, Czech Republic, Arboladura said centuries-old buildings, or at least it facades, have been beautifully preserved; the capital city is the historical capital of Bohemia, the largest historical region of the Czech lands in the present-day Czech Republic.
“In other cities, abroad like Prague, they managed to maintain the façade of the old buildings, they were able to preserve it. It’s beautiful.,” the MTCAB chief, recounting her previous trip to European city.
“If they managed to preserve their cultural properties, why can’t we?” Arboladura said. “Let’s make an identity. We cater to progress without losing our identity, a historically- and culturally-rich city,” she also said.