TACLOBAN CITY — A local conservationist is asking the Catbalogan City Council to defer its plan to reclassify Pieta Park into a commercial area while the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has yet to complete a comprehensive review of its historical significance.

In a letter to Catbalogan City Vice Mayor Coefredo Uy, conservationist and human rights lawyer Alma said on Friday that she is urging the city council to stop the reclassification effort.

Pieta Park, which served as a memorial for the victims of the 1987 MV Doña Paz tragedy, was demolished in early April 2025 to make way for the construction of a branch of a popular fast-food chain.

The park featured a marble replica of Michelangelo’s La Pietà, inaugurated in 1995, and served as a sacred space to honor more than 4,000 casualties of the Doña Paz ferry collision, considered the world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.

The clearing operation resulted in damage to the replica, with the head of the Virgin Mary cut off and the statue of Jesus shattered.

Local residents, officials, and relatives of the victims expressed outrage over the destruction of the monument, describing it as a “disrespectful act” and a loss of cultural heritage.

Catbalogan City officials noted that the demolition was carried out without the necessary permits and in violation of an immediate stop-work order issued on April 3, 2025.

The demolition drew widespread media attention and public condemnation in Catbalogan, highlighting the conflict between economic development and the preservation of historical memorials.

On March 4 this year, Uy sent a letter to the NHCP asking it to intervene after the Diocese of Calbayog, which owns the land, issued clearance for the proposed development of the plaza.

In its response, the NHCP, through its chair Regalado Jose Jr., said the commission is currently conducting further research and review on the matter, considering additional information and perspectives brought to its attention.

The NHCP said it is coordinating with the Diocese of Calbayog and other concerned stakeholders to ensure that all relevant historical, legal, and cultural considerations are carefully examined.

“Pending this comprehensive review, the implementation of the previously issued clearance is being reconsidered to allow for a more thorough evaluation consistent with heritage conservation principles and applicable laws,” the NHCP told Uy in its letter.