The National Historical Commission of the Philippines has issued a Cease-and-Desist Order (CDO) to halt the demolition of Talave Bridge that connects Calatrava town to San Carlos City in Negros Occidental.
However, the CDO dated July 16 came too late as the 91-year-old bridge has already been totally demolished, heritage advocate Andoni Llantada, who has been calling for its preservation, said on Tuesday, July 30.
The demolition began in July 2023 and was completed this year, he said.
The 100-meter Talave steel bridge, which crosses the Talave River, was built in 1933 by the United States Steel Products Co., based on the marker installed by the builder at the foot of the bridge.
Llantada said the Talave Bridge had to be preserved as it played a vital role in the economic development of Calatrava and San Carlos, including the transport of sugarcane from plantations to sugar mills.
NHCP chairman Regalado Trota Jose Jr. informed San Carlos Mayor Renato Gustilo and Nerie Bueno of the Department of Public Works (DPWH) of the CDO in a letter dated July 16.
The demolition of the property without any clearance from the NHCP is a violation of Article Ill, Section 5 of Republic Act No. 10066 as amended by Republic Act No 11961, he said.
“In view of this, the NHCP is issuing a Cease-and-Desist Order (CDO) and hereby enjoins the petitioner to refrain from any work or changes in the area until such time that the NHCP board has convened concerning your petition to remove its presumption”, the NHCP chairman said in his letter .
He reminded the mayor and the DPWH regional director that the petition to remove the presumption of the Talave Bridge as an Important Cultural Property (ICP) has not yet been decided upon so no activities within the property should be undertaken.
The NHCP issuance of a CDO against the “perpetrators of the illegal demolition of the Talave Bridge sends a very strong message that no one is above the law. This reinforces as well our calls since 2023 that what they did was illegal considering there was no NHCP approval”, Llantada, who is chairman of the Juan Calatrava Movement, said.
Now the question is, considering that a CDO has been issued and the Talave Bridge has been totally demolished, what happens now? he asked
“Should DPWH rebuild the bridge back to its original location? Should cases be filed against DPWH and the LGU leaders who failed in their duty to protect the presumed Important Cultural Property from destruction?” he further asked
Juan Calatrava Movement is determined more than ever to pursue the fight for Talave Bridge as there is clearly a violation of law committed by DPWH and the LGUs, Llantada said.
“We need to show them the importance of cultural and historical preservation and to avoid from events such as these to happen again in the near future,” he said.
Juan Calatrava Movement is studying its legal options now that the NHCP has responded and issued a CDO, Llantada said.
The NHCP’s letter is a confirmation of the legitimacy of the fight of Juan Calatrava to preserve the bridge and we call on all Calatravanhons to join us in this crusade for Talave Bridge and all the historical and cultural structures of Calatrava, he said.
Joe Recalex Alingasa Jr., head of the San Carlos City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said it was not the San Carlos or Calatrava local governments who dismantled the bridge, it was the DPWH.
In fact San Carlos Mayor Renato Gustilo offered to provide a site for the bridge to be relocated so it could be preserved as a cultural property, he added.
Alingasa said the demolition is a matter for the DPWH to answer.*