A lawyer acting for the much criticized developer behind the controversial Torre De Manila skyscraper has been accused online of belittling national hero Dr José Rizal during oral arguments in front of the Supreme Court of the Philippines this week.
The skyscraper has attracted widespread protests
The legal battle about the controversial Torre De Manila skyscraper is raging on and this week saw another round of heated oral arguments take place in front of the supreme court. When challenged about the building and its location during arguments in court, Attorney Victor Lazatin, counsel for embattled developer DMCI-PDI, was quoted as saying “I believe in Jose Rizal for what he has accomplished but he is not a demigod. His statue does not possess a super constitutional power that acts like a laser sword that any building exceeds the line of sight should be torned. I do not believe that,”
His remarks prompted a flurry of comments on social media, with local artist and political activist Carlos Celdran accusing the lawyer of belittling Jose Rizal with his remarks, and other netizens saying the company behind the project showed disrespect towards the nation’s heritage and national hero.
The same lawyer also admitted to the justices of the Supreme Court that DMCI was entitled to build only an 18-storey building without a variance from the City of Manila, which he stated the company was able to get and hence proceed with the construction of the 49 floor building which has since been dubbed the Pambansang Photobomber.
The court of public opinion has already delivered a clear verdict on what should happen with the building, but proceedings in the Supreme Court are not yet finished and oral arguments will continue on August 11.
