The discourse about the Torre de Manila condominium being an unsightly backdrop to the Rizal Monument has gone off track and on to laughable levels. Recently at a House committee hearing, Rep. Amado Bagatsing of Manila suggested that the issue may be resolved by turning around Dr. Rizal’s statue.
Not only would this remove the supposed photobomber from the background, it would also – according to Rep. Bagatsing, one of those likely candidates for mayor of Manila in 2016 – rectify historical records that branded Dr. Rizal as a traitor. Really? The congressman pointed out that Dr. Rizal opted to face his executioners, who planned on shooting him in the back. Apparently, Rep. Bagatsing would prefer as backdrop the grandstand that obstructs the world-famous sunset over Manila Bay, and a humongous flagpole that people have criticized for costing P7.8 million.
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