UNESCO seeks complete studies on impact of China-funded 'Friendship' bridge

MANILA, Philippines — The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Center is urging the Philippines to complete its studies on the potential impact of the planned construction of the Binondo-Intramuros “Friendship” bridge on heritage sites in the Walled City.

In a draft decision released in early June, the World Heritage Center said it received information from civil society groups as well as media reports on the planned construction of the China-funded Binondo-Intramuros bridge.

It said that the project, which would pass over the Pasig River and connect Binondo with Intramuros is “expressly opposed”, by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Philippines.

The draft decision was penned June 7 in Paris, France.

To recall, the bridge project made it to the headlines in 2018 over concerns it might endanger the world heritage status of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines—the official designation for San Agustin Church, San Agustin in Paoay, Ilocos Norte; Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur; and Santo Tomas de Villanueva in Miag-ao, Iloilo—because it may overstep Intramuros.

READ: Bridge burning bridges: Why the China-funded Binondo-Intramuros structure is controversial

Intramuros is the buffer zone of San Agustin Church, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Intramuros.

The project is financed through an agreement between the Philippine and China. This was also reported by the Philippines to the World Heritage Center on December 14 and 27, 2018.

In February this year, the World Heritage Center told the Philippines that its committee would examine the state of conservation of the property.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts, one of the cultural agencies tasked to ensure the conservation of the world heritage sites, last February submitted a state of conservation report to UNESCO.

The conservation report expressed concern that the project “might affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the church.”

UNESCO commends temporary stoppage of construction

The Philippines also reported that “the construction of a bridge has been temporarily stopped while the Department of Public Works and Highways is undertaking the Archaeological and Heritage Impact Assessment (AHIA) along with major design changes, in response to coordinated efforts by the NCCA, the Intramuros Administration, and the National Museum with the DPWH.”

The World Heritage Committee said the impact assessment will be provided once completed.

The WHC commended the temporary suspension of the construction of the bridge until the completion of the AHIA and acknowledged that major design changes are being made by the DPWH.

In April this year, however, Philstar.com obtained a document indicating that the construction of the bridge had already resumed.

The letter from the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority dated March 12, 2019 indicated that there is ongoing construction in the “vicinity of Binondo-Intramuros, Manila along Pasig River from March 2019 to December 2019.”

It also noted that the Philippines has been taking steps to address the potential cultural impact of the project, including making sure only light vehicles are allowed to pass through Intramuros as well as planning to "pedestrianize the road adjacent to the church to mitigate the negative impact of additional traffic."

"While the efforts of the State Party to undertake various plans in order to address the impact of the project are encouraging, the completion of both CMP and the AHIA are now urgent in order to understand fully the impact of the project and to define and elaborate mitigation measures," it said.

The heritage committee added that the AHIA is “should be undertaken in accordance with the ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties and be submitted to the World Heritage Center for review by the Advisory Bodies.”

Conclude the AHIA for bridge plan, Philippines told

Amid the question on whether the construction is still underway, UNESCO asked the NCAA, Intramuros Administration and other cultural agencies to continue coordinating with the DPWH to ensure the conclusion of the AHIA.

The World Heritage Committee said the AHIA of the bridge project must be prepared in accordance with the ICOMOS Guidance on Heritage Impact Assesments for Cultural World Heritage Properties.

It asked the Philippines to submit the draft Conservation Management Plan for Intramuros prior to its finalization and implementation.

The heritage committee also said that all the potentially affected heritage structures and all possible impacts on the San Agustin Church of Intramuros must be taken into consideration when making design changes.

“The World Heritage Committee also encourages the State Party to regularly monitor all the component parts of the property, and also requests that it inform the World Heritage Centre of any new development project or major intervention that may have an impact on the OUV of the property before any decision is taken that would be difficult to reverse,” the committee said in its draft decision.

The committee finally requested the Philippines to submit to the World Heritage Committee an updated report on the state of conservation of the property as well as the implementation of its requests by December 2020. This report will be examined by the World Heritage Center at its 45th session in 2021.

Representatives of UNESCO member nations are currently holding the 43rd World Heritage Committee Session in Baku, Azerbaijan. The session, which began last June 30 will run until July 10.

Philippine Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO Teresa Lazaro and her deputy, Hendrik Garcia, are attending to represent the Philippines, UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines Secretary General Lila Shahani told Philstar.com.