The author of the Quiapo Heritage Zone bill in the House of Representatives is hopeful the declaration of the Quiapo Church as a national shrine on January 29 will add impetus for Congress to move the bill forward.
“The support of Senators Lapid and Legarda gives the Quiapo Heritage Zone bill a strong foothold in their chamber,” Manila Representative Joel Chua said.
House Bill 8664, being “substantially similar” to Senate Bill 1471 of Senator Lito Lapid and Senate Bill 2324 of Senator Loren Legarda, bodes well for the Quiapo Heritage Zone measures as they move along in the other chamber of Congress, Chua added.
“Both Senate bills have a provision specifically enumerating the built structures, including ancestral houses, locations, and the Manila Golden Mosque and Cultural Center.”
“Both Senate bills have a provision specifically enumerating the built structures, including ancestral houses, locations, and the Manila Golden Mosque and Cultural Center. I welcome this detail. It would refine the Quiapo Heritage Zone bill,” the legislator noted.
“Enhancements are the added paragraphs on including the traditional route of the Feast of the Black Nazarene procession.”
“I am proud of HB 8664. The amendments to my HB 3750 were really improvements. Enhancements are the added paragraphs on including the traditional route of the Feast of the Black Nazarene procession, the Conservation Management Plan, international standards of conservation, special roles of the city government of Manila, conditional exemption on real property tax, consultations with stakeholders, and the mandate to the Department of Tourism to ‘accord priority development’ to the Quiapo Heritage Zone,” the lawmaker explained.
“HB 3750 transformed into the much better HB 8664 because of the inputs of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the City of Manila, the Department of Tourism, principal sponsors Rep. Roman Romulo and Rep. Elizaldy Co, and my other colleagues who moved for specific amendments,” he concluded.
