‘BROKEN PROMISE’: Historic Iloilo market art deco facade demolished

The historic facade of Iloilo Central Market in downtown Iloilo City Proper was demolished as part of the market’s ongoing rehabilitation under a Public-Private Partnership agreement, despite assurances from the partner to preserve the heritage structure.

Heritage advocates were buzzing on social media this week after photos surfaced showing the art deco entrance of the market, widely regarded as a city heritage structure, was gone.

City Architect Regina Gregorio told Daily Guardian the demolition was not in the original plans of SM Prime Holdings Inc., the property’s private lessee.

However, the city government’s Office of the Building Official and the Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Conservation Council endorsed the complete demolition after a structural assessment and joint inspection.

The demolition aimed to raise the building’s height by 3 to 4 meters above the original 10 meters to accommodate future improvements and provide flood protection, given its location near the Iloilo Strait.

The revised three-floor design includes markets and extra parking, necessitating the increase in structure height.

“Initially, the fire only affected the wings. SMPHI sought to preserve the monument area. But further inspection revealed exposed rebars,” Gregorio said.

SMPHI’s engineers also deemed the structure’s stability compromised, leading to a consensus for demolition to allow a stronger, faithful reconstruction, Gregorio added.

“They also have their own engineering department to assess it. […] Its structural integrity [and] stability has been taken into consideration. They have agreed that we demolish this to give way to a better and stronger structure. They will observe the footprint of the monument and physical attributes of the architectural design,” she added.

SMPHI committed to replicate the original design, with the city monitoring adherence to this pledge. Both had previously agreed not to alter the art deco structure, acknowledging its historical value.

In a statement, Mayor Jerry Treñas said retrofitting would “distort” the original design, hence the joint decision with the ICCHCC for demolition.

He also cited a February 20, 2023 letter from National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) chairperson Rene Escalante saying that the commission was amenable to the project “since it will restore the original architectural character of the old Iloilo Central Market”.

Despite the absence of public consultation, the mayor affirmed the procedure was lawful based on the NHCP’s consent.

“During the initial phase of the project, it was planned to preserve the facade, but during the course of the evaluation of the structure, it was confirmed to be unsafe and has poor structural integrity. The first option was to retrofit. However, it will result to thicker wall that will distort the original design,” the mayor’s statement read.

“The option was to reconstruct following the architectural features and existing building footprint. This will ensure a safe structure. Adjustments will also be done on the height of the building because of current road elevation and to mitigate flooding,” he said.

Daily Guardian has reached out to ICCHCC and SMPHI, but both have yet to comment as of this writing.

The Central Market in downtown Iloilo was built in the 1920s and is considered one of the oldest in the country.