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The famous house of Senator Ninoy Aquino and former President Cory Aquino on 25 Times Street, West Triangle, Quezon City is being demolished for “renovations”, according to a source from the local government of Quezon City.
Already some parts of the house have been dismantled — although the façade of the bungalow or one-story building has been left untouched so the demolition is not evident to the public.
The house has been inherited by President Noynoy Aquino after the death of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, in 2009.
According to the source, demolition started after the Aquino family consulted the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), who said the house had no historical value despite it being more than 50 years old.
The house on 25 Times Street is famous for being the residence of two Philippine presidents and a national martyr, Benigno Aquino Jr, whose assassination in 1983 set off the pro-democracy wave around the world that toppled dictatorships such as that of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
When Corazon Aquino died on August 1, 2009, hundreds of mourners laid flowers at the gate of her Times Street residence (see photo above).
Heritage Conservation Society chair Gemma Cruz Araneta says that while she is unfamiliar with the structure, “the place should be preserved for its historical value. Two presidents have lived there, Senator Ninoy Aquino lived there. This is why it shouldn’t be torn down.”
