Torre de Manila.
/Inquirer file photo
The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the green light to resume the construction of the controversial Torre de Manila condominium, which mars the view of the Rizal Monument in Luneta.
Voting 9-6, the high tribunal in a session in Baguio City junked the petition by the Order of the Knights of Rizal in September 2014 to stop the construction of the 49-storey condominium by DMCI Project Developer Inc., dubbed as the “national photobomber.”
In a media briefer, the SC Public Information Office said the petition was dismissed because “the Court has no jurisdiction over the subject matter,” “the petitioners have no standing to sue,” and “they stand to suffer no injury.”
“Furthermore, the Court also found that there is now law that prohibits the construction of the challenged Torre de Manila. As a consequence of the judgment rendered today, the TRO (temporary restraining order) issued by the Court is lifted,” it added.
Those who voted to allow the construction were Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Justices Antonio Carpio, Marvic Leonen, Presbitero Velasco Jr., Bienvenido Reyes, Noel Tijam, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Mariano Del Castillo and Lucas Bersamin. Carpio wrote the majority decision.
Those who voted against the construction were Associate Justices Francis Jardeleza, Samuel Martires, Teresita De Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Jose Mendoza and Alfredo Caguioa.
The SC issued a TRO on June 16, 2015, stopping the construction of the high-rise structure on Taft Avenue.
DMCI Project Developer Inc. on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court decision allowing the resumption of the construction of its controversial Torre de Manila condominium along Taft Avenue, which has been dubbed as the “national photobomber” for marring the view of the Rizal Monument in Luneta.
In a statement, DMCI Homes described the high court’s ruling as “fair and just,” as it assured its customers and future residents of an updated timeline of construction.
“DMCI Homes welcomes the fair and just decision of the Supreme Court. Moving on, we will immediately resume construction to finally end the undue suffering of our stakeholders, most especially our workers and future residents who depended on our commitment to complete the project,” DMCI Homes said in a statement.