Department of Tourism Secretary (DoT) and TIEZA chairperson Christina Garcia Frasco said that the earmarking of government funds for the conservation assessment and pre-restoration work on the country’s Central Post Office is a timely and necessary move since the national government has already laid the groundwork for the Pasig River Urban Development project, dubbed the Pasig Bigyan Buhay Muli, done under the guidance of the Office of the First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos.

The third phase of Pasig Esplanade is set to be unveiled by First Lady Liza and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. today, 17 February.

TIEZA and DoT are helping in the restoration as Frasco proposed to assist in the rehabilitation of the Manila Post Office during the Inter-Agency Task Force for Cultural Heritage meeting composed of cultural authorities, National Commission on Culture and the Arts, the National Museum of the Philippines, and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Philippine Postal Corporation, and the City of Manila.

The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the infrastructure arm of the DoT, said the rebuilding process of the iconic Post Office, which was engulfed by fire last 2023, will commence this year.

In a Viber interview on Sunday, TIEZA chief operating officer Mark Lapid said the refurbishing of the Philpost, which was initially budgeted with a P15 million allocation, will take place this year and they are still waiting for the final plan to be released by the post office master.

Last year, Frasco said the budget was for the Detailed Architectural and Engineering Studies for the state of conservation assessment and pre-restoration work of the Post Office building, an architectural icon and one of the oldest landmarks of the Philippine capital, which was destroyed by a massive fire on 22 May 2023.

The neo-classical building sits as an iconic backdrop of the beautified Pasig River Esplanade at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila.

“Apart from the promotion of our tourism gems, the DoT views it imperative to support the preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration of our country’s cultural and heritage sites, very much our tourism assets. The Post Office has witnessed the life and times of our nation, forging friendships, familial ties, commerce and trade, and etching history through its postal services. Rehabilitation gives opportunities for transformation to benefit the promotion of our culture, arts, and history, and of course, tourism, which can create added opportunities for livelihood for our fellow Filipinos,” Frasco added.