Torre de Manila controversy

The ongoing controversy surrounding Torre de Manila, a residential condominium under construction in Manila, Philippines, is related to alleged violations of zoning ordinances by DMCI Homes, the owner of the building, and the condominium's negative impact on the country's heritage due to its supposed visual pollution to the backdrop of the Rizal Monument.

Opponents of the building charge that DMCI Homes violated Manila's zoning laws by seeking to build a 49-story high-rise residential building in an area where only school and government buildings of up to seven floors may be constructed. Furthermore, the local zoning ordinance covering the condominium's lot specifies a maximum floor-to-area ratio (FAR) of 4—that is, the total floor area must not be more than four times the lot area. As designed, Torre de Manila's FAR was 7.79, almost twice the allowed limit.

Before starting the condominium's construction, DMCI was able to obtain a zoning permit from Manila's city planning and development office in June 2012 allowing it to build on a lot in Ermita, Manila and exempting the project from zoning laws. DMCI then proceeded to obtain a building permit the next month upon successful submission of requirements. Manila was then under the administration of former Mayor Alfredo Lim.

On November 26, 2013, several months after Joseph Estrada took over as city mayor, the city's council issued a unanimous resolution suspending the project's building permit and halting construction. During the Supreme Court hearings in 2015, the city's legal officer admitted that when the zoning permit was issued, DMCI did not actually apply for an exemption. A formal zoning exemption was issued by the Manila Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals to DMCI, and construction subsequently resumed in January 2014.

Much of the opposition to Torre de Manila centered on its intrusion on the visual backdrop of the Rizal Monument—the main monument honoring José Rizal, the country's national hero.

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Wikipedia