Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Oral arguments on a petition to demolish the 49-storey Torre de Manila condominium on Taft Avenue are set for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday (July 21) before the Supreme Court.
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The petitioner in the case is the Knights of Rizal, while respondents are DMCI, the City of Manila, and the solicitor general, on behalf of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the National Historical Commission (NHC).
Parties in the case will have 10 minutes each to make their opening statements.
Related: Cayetano to DMCI: ‘See you in court’
Amici curiae – a group of nonparty experts invited by the court to offer guidance in the case – will also be given the opportunity to speak.
Among the issues that will be tackled is whether or not the state can validly restrict DMCI’s right to exploit its property in the interest of preserving national cultural property.
The effects of permits and opinions issued by public respondents on the legali validity of Torre de Manila’s construction will also be taken up, as well as the total damages that DMCI might incur if the building were to be demolished.
But on Tuesday, the court will hear only the petitioner’s arguments. The respondents will have their turn on August 4.
The high court had previously ordered the DMCI to temporarily stop development, as petitioned by the Knights of Rizal.
