What happened to the Post Office Building should prompt the authorities to inspect other historic buildings in Manila and to make sure that no fire destroys them in the predictable future
I am saddened to learn that the iconic Manila Central Post Office Building at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila was destroyed by fire last May 21.
Irreplaceable cultural treasure pieces like its collection of rare and vintage postage stamps, and postal souvenirs went up in smoke.
The Post Office Building is an architectural marvel. One writer refers to it as “an enduring legacy of the obiquitous Beaux Arts Movement of the American colonial period.”
Built in 1926 by the American colonial government in the Philippine Islands, the Post Office Building was destroyed in part in 1945 during the Battle for the Liberation of Manila during World War II. Fortunately, it was rebuilt thereafter.
According to the master plan American architect Daniel Burnham designed for early 20th century Manila, the Post Office Building was constructed right beside the south bank of the Pasig River so that mail destined for the provinces could be easily brought to the port area through riverboats.
In the years before commercial aviation, that was the fastest way to deliver the mail.
Estimates peg the damage caused by the fire to around P300-million.
By way of consolation, however, the Government Service Insurance System said the building is insured for P604-million. That ought to cover the reconstruction cost.
From available indications, the structural shell of the burnt Post Office Building remains intact.
However, some experts say it was too weakened by the nearly day-long fire, and may not be strong enough anymore to accommodate another reconstruction.
The ensuing investigation of the fire indicates that the Post Office Building did not have a sprinkler system.
Had a sprinkler system been installed, the fire could have been controlled, and the damage could have been minimal.
At the very least, a sprinkler system would have been given postal personnel enough time to evacuate the priceless cultural treasure inside the building.
Why wasn’t a sprinkler system installed in the Post Office Building? Postmaster General Luis Carlos has some explaining to do. So does Manila Mayor Maria Sheilah “Honey” Lacuna.
As the Postmaster General and the visible boss in the Post Office Building itself, Carlos must have been aware of the irreplaceable cultural heritage inside the building, and their sheer vulnerability to fire.
Thus, the least Carlos should have done was to install a sprinkler system inside the building. He did not do so.
A possible excuse is that the water that will be released by the sprinkler system would have destroyed whatever valuable cultural materials are inside the building anyway.
That excuse is untenable. The valuable cultural materials are kept inside protective transparent containers, so any damage from water would have been superficial.
What is important is that had a sprinkler system been in place, its operation would have bought postal personnel valuable time to evacuate the priceless artifacts.
At the very least, Carlos should have installed an alternative safety system. There are modern fire safety and protection systems that use chemicals, not water. Why wasn’t one installed by Carlos?
Were there sufficient fire extinguishers all over the building? If there were, when were they purchased and installed, and what is the expiration date of the fire extinguishers?
Was there an adequate fire warning system installed at the building to forewarn postal personnel to evacuate the precious cultural heritage materials?
Based on news reports covering the investigation of the fire, there was none.
That said, Carlos may be liable for criminal and administrative raps for gross inexcusable negligence.
As for Mayor Lacuna, she must explain why Manila City Hall allowed the Post Office Building to operate without the installation of a sufficient fire safety and protection system, including a sprinkler system.
The law requires such installation, and it appears that Lacuna has been negligent in seeing to it that the Post Office Building is regularly inspected by her city hall personnel to find out if the building is compliant with fire safety and protection standards mandated by law.
It seems that Lacuna is so occupied with her advance campaign to get herself re-elected to city hall in the May 2025 midterm elections such that she has not been doing her duty to ensure that buildings in her city are compliant with the law.
For that, and like Carlos before her, Lacuna may also face criminal and administrative raps for gross inexcusable negligence.
What happened to the Post Office Building should prompt the authorities to inspect other historic buildings in Manila and to make sure that no fire destroys them in the predictable future.
The inspection should start with the buildings of the University of the Philippines in Ermita, Manila, the Philippine Normal University, and the Far Eastern University; the old MWSS building along Arroceros Street near Manila City Hall; and the buildings at the Agrifina Circle in Rizal Park, among others.
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