Baroque Churches of the Philippines

• Proposed plan for building an ossuary to replace the original 159 crypt burials (issue resolved)
• Need for long-term solution to control the flow of heavy rainwater (issue resolved)
• Ground Transport Infrastructure (Proposed project to build the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge)

N/A

On 17 March 2023, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report along with the Revised Conservation Management Plan (CMP) of Intramuros, Archaeological and Heritage Impact Assessments (AIA/HIA) and Comprehensive Site Development Plan of the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge (BIB) project. The report is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/677/documents/. Progress with conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented as follows:

• Construction of the BIB project commenced in 2019 and the bridge was inaugurated on 5 April 2022. It is located on the north edge of Intramuros, in the buffer zone of the property, approximately 550 m away from the San Agustin Church component of the property;
• The revised HIA concluded that throughout the construction period and now that the project is completed, no immediate and direct physical impact has been observed, and the project has not caused any damage to San Agustin Church. However, the HIA highlights concerns that the larger volume of vehicular traffic will result in increased vibration and air pollution, which will have serious effects on the property.
• Therefore, the HIA concluded that mitigation measures should be implemented to minimise adverse impacts and protect the attributes of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), including its authenticity and integrity;
• The CMP has not been revised, but additional information is provided, including a Traffic Management Plan (TMP), a Heritage Risk Assessment Plan for Intramuros, and Interpretation and Visitor Management Plans;
• The revised Archaeological Impact Assessment (AIA) was conducted only through literature review, without additional archaeological excavation;
• Regarding the proposed reconstruction of the Baluarte de Santo Domingo, the HIA indicates that there is no immediate plan to proceed in view of the impacts, including demolition of two historical buildings: Plaza Mexico and the Bureau of Immigration. However, the AIA indicates that the Baluarte de Santo Domingo is to be reconstructed;
• Communication activities have been conducted with stakeholders and general public, and their engagement opportunities have been secured.

The State Party’s report also notes the findings of technical assessments, including the effects of earthquakes, particularly the 27 July 2022 north-western Luzon earthquake, and the associated recommendations.

as requested by the Committee in Decision 43 COM 7B.74. Project documents, including the updated AIA, HIA and CMP, were submitted to the World Heritage Centre for further review by ICOMOS only after the completion of the project.

Despite the recommendations of the ICOMOS Technical Review, the AIA was only updated in a limited way, without archaeological excavation. Therefore, the BIB project may have impacted remains of the Baluarte de Santo Domingo and the Maestranza Wall.

Although the updated HIA concluded that no immediate and direct physical impact has been observed on San Agustin Church, including during the construction period, significant potential indirect and long-term impacts caused by growth in traffic volume are identified. Therefore, as recommended in the HIA, it is necessary to implement mitigation measures such as traffic rerouting, imposing vehicle load limits, removing the carpark in front of the church, closing the surrounding streets and roads of the property to vehicles, creating pedestrian areas, conducting structural assessments, and organizing regular monitoring and maintenance work to San Agustin Church and on its surrounding heritage assets that support the OUV of the property. The Committee may wish to request the State Party to submit the monitoring results to enable assessment of the effectiveness in mitigating adverse impacts on the OUV of the property.

The BIB stands on the perimeter of the buffer zone – Intramuros, and therefore, several surrounding assets have been visually affected. However, no mitigation measures for this effect presented, nor considered necessary in the HIA. Given that the BIB project is complete, the Committee may request the State Party to consider mitigation measures and submit a plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies. The Committee may also request the State Party to provide further information regarding a proposed larger heritage development plan for the Intendencia. The submitted documents provide inconsistent information regarding the reconstruction of the Baluarte de Santo Domingo. While the updated HIA sees difficulties considering its effect on Plaza Mexico and the Bureau of Immigration Building, the updated AIA indicates the possibility of reconstruction. The State Party might be invited to offer a clarification and should be reminded to inform the World Heritage Centre of proposals that may impact the OUV of the property, and to submit project documentation including an HIA, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies before making any decision that would be difficult to reverse.