Friday, December 14, 2007

Mayor Maming Denies Bandstand Demolition

Bandstand



Banga Mayor Antonio T. Maming has strongly denied, he is demolishing the bandstand (marked X) situated in the Banga Town Plaza. The news about the planned demolition of the said town plaza was published on the December 1, 2007 issue of the Madyaas Pen.
For those who disagreed with the report, Mayor Maming has furnished a sketch plan of the proposed improvement he will do in the Banga Town Plaza. As shown in the sketch plan, only the roofing of the said bandstand will be replaced. After the reconstruction, the town plaza will look similar to the sketch plan shown above. /MP

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello,

Thanks for the update and scetch/perspective of the Banga Town Plaza.

My comment is the drawings do not provide enough info about the bandstand. In fact it is obscured by the new roofing covering not just the bandstand but also the sorrounding circular area (used to be a skating rink before).

I also noticed that the pedestal of the Rizal monument in the drawings are different from the current one. Is this also part of the changes?

While the improvement plan of the mayor is commendable, it would be good to balance it with the urgent need of the town considering budget are limited (even Bill Gates does not have unlimited funds).

Our town is very fortunate for having a chief executive who in just six months in office is able to generate enough funds to give municipal employees 150% more bonuses vis-a-vis the national government. I hope other citizens of Banga have similarly benefited from the 6 months administration to justify the unusually high bonuses.

Regards,
Elmar M. Gomez

Anonymous said...

The plan of the Mayor, if proven to be true is appalling and deplorable. The Town Plaza is a big part of our heritage. It is the centrepiece of Banga, and the main reason it won many awards for being the most “beautiful” in the country. It was not because of the roads, private houses, government buildings, market place or the Manduyog hill. The overall design of the town plaza is ideal for a small town, and typical of the many beautiful old towns in the country. It is also similar to many old towns in South America that every country wants to preserve. In addition to the aesthetic and historical importance, it also has a sentimental value to many of us who have shared many cherished moments in that place during our youth. To most of us, it may be the only sacred link to our past, the only place that can bring back good memories of our childhood. It may be the only place that will look familiar to most of us who have been away for a long time. In many parts of the world, there are agencies assigned to preserve or keep the original designs of the historic sites or buildings, if repairs are needed. Our country badly needs such an agency, if there is none in existence.
Mr. Maming should be remembered as the legendary figure that brought progress and significant improvement to Banga, not the infamous mayor who broke the heart and soul of our beloved town.

Anonymous said...

The key points are as follows:



Improve it to make it more beautiful? Not quite. If it is just to fix a leaking roof, so be it, but only to bring it back to its original state. To put a canteen there is to destroy the real essence or purpose of the bandstand, not to mention the kind of operation or maintenance that will be put into it. I agree with Elmar. Experience has shown that LGUs, and Banga is no exception, are not good at this. Historical structures need to be preserved at their original state because this is what makes it unique and beautiful. What the good Mayor should do, to preserve and probably enhance the value of this historical bandstand, is to have a band play there during Christmas and other occasions just like in the past. That will make the Banganhons proud.


To wait the end result will be too late. What could be more pitiful is for us to see one day that the very symbol of our cultural heritage is gone and nothing can then be done to replace it.


Best regards.



Boy Tino Mabasa.

Anonymous said...

Hello Elmar,


Thank you for taking the time on e-mailing the blueprint/sketch of the proposed "beautification" project of Mayor Maming in regards to the Banga Bandstand.

The sketch showed me a Modern construction of a bandstand.

The sketch displayed a humongous disregards to the historic beauty of the present Bandstand.

I gather, Mayor Maming wants to improve the Bandstand, to make it more beautiful?????? Huh!

The Banga bandstand at present is beautiful.

Major alteration of the Bandstand will mean....., goodbye to the historic beauty that the bandstand possess at this present time. If the bandstand's roof is leaking and needs to be fix then, by all means just do that!

FIX the roof. Problem solve! It is simple.

The idea of constructing a cantina? For what reason? I see mini stores on wheels lurking around the Teodosio's Park. There are many stores just around the bend, not mentioning the public market within steps. Leave it alone!

Mayor Maming would like the Banganhons to wait till after "his" demolishing project finish? Will there be any point to critique after the demolition? In this matter, it will be too late. Would it not?

Do we really want to see the end result of Mayor Maming's disregard to the historic beauty of the Bandstand? It is by all means, correct to stop him right now.

Waiting to see the finale of Mayor Maming's disregards to preserve history will be a crucially huge mistake. Huge!

That is my take on the Banga Bandstand Elmar.


Regards,

Madelyn Martin Foronda, AKA Mads

Anonymous said...

People in Banga and other places should understand that Mayor Maming, as other mayors before him, spent a fortune to win his seat. They need to have a project, just any kind of project to get their money back. Unfortunately, this is beyond our control since it has become part of our culture. All we need to do is make our voices heard about our opposition to the plaza project. Leave the plaza alone and make another project somewhere! How about fixing the market or the road in the Manduyog hill? Or anything, as long as it will not destroy the historical value of our town.