The country’s highest court, the Supreme Court of the Philippines issued a restraining order (TRO) against the construction of “Pambansang Photo-bomber,” the 46-story Torre de Manila. The Supreme Court voted 8-5 in favor of the TRO, against the controversial project of DMCI’s Torre de Manila.
The Supreme Court noted that “the Court resolved to issue a temporary restraining order effective immediately and until further orders from the Court enjoining respondent DMCI Project Developers Inc. from continuing with the construction and development of the Torre de Manila condominium project.”
According to the Supreme Court decision’s, the Justices who voted to issue a restraining order without oral arguments are Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco, Arturo Brion, Teresita Leonardo de Castro, Lucas Bersamin, Martin Villarama, Jose Mendoza, Estela Perlas Bernabe and Francis Jardeleza.
The Justices who insisted that no TRO should be issued before oral arguments are Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Associate Justices Mariano Del Castillo, Jose Perez and Bienvenido Reyes. Two justices are on leave, Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta and Marvic Leonen are on leave.
The Supreme Court set an oral argument on June 30, 2015. According to the petitioner, the Knights of Rizal, they stated that the construction mars the view of the Rizal Monument in Luneta. When Torre de Manila reaches the full height of 46 floors by the target date of 2016, it would completely dominate the vista and, consequently, substantially diminish in scale and importance the cherished monument of the national hero, Jose Rizal.
