Liza Marcos condemns substandard Film Heritage building: 'Mahiya naman kayo'
First Lady Liza Marcos expressed her dismay upon checking the construction of the Philippine Film Heritage building, which cost nearly P200 million.
Marcos took to Instagram to criticize the poorly constructed building. According to the first lady, the film heritage building located in Intramuros, Manila, was built aiming to "honor our filmmakers, writers, and artists, and serve as the permanent home for Philippine cinema."
"Instead, what did we get? Leaking roofs, cracked walls, unfinished theaters, ceilings already stained with water—all in a building that hasn’t even opened," she wrote.
In the carousel post, she included photos of an unfinished toilet, cracked walls, and an unfinished or poorly maintained air-conditioning area, among others.
Also included in the post are documents of the project, disclosing that it costs P111,900,000 under Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor Inc.—one of the construction firms owned by couple Pacifico "Curlee" Discaya and Cezarah "Sarah" Discaya, who are under probe for questionable flood control projects. Phase 2 of the project was supposed to be completed on Sept. 4.
"Seriously?! Mahiya naman kayo!" Marcos wrote, adding, "Pati ito, ninakawan niyo ng dignidad."
She stressed that Filipino artists deserve respect, and "not this rotten monument of incompetence."
For their part, Cornelio Samaniego, the lawyer of the Discayas, clarified that Great Pacific Builders was contracted only for the first phase of the construction of the Film Heritage building, saying that the firm had turned over the first phase in December 2024 and secured a certificate of completion.
He added that a separate construction firm handled the second phase of the project.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro refuted their claims and advised the couple to revisit all the existing contracts of their firm with the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“They might have forgotten their commitments, considering the numerous projects that they got from the government. Wrong information given to the media may cause confusion to the people,” she said, per the Philippine News Agency report.
Philippine Film Heritage is a three-storey project by the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Department of Tourism, and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority. It was intended to be a state-of-the-art facility featuring a collection of Filipino films, memorabilia, and audiovisual preservation and restoration facilities.
Once completed, it will house the Cinematheque Centre Manila and the Philippine Film Archive, and will serve as the new headquarters of the FDCP.
It held its groundbreaking ceremony in October 2023 and was expected to be finished in October 2024.
