Rizal’s El Fili landmark is crumbling

Heritage advocates want the historic Binondo panciteria saved before it deteriorates further.

The deteriorating Panciteria Macanista de Buen Gusto in Binondo, Manila, is drawing attention from heritage advocates who want the historic structure preserved before its condition worsens further, renewing questions about the government’s response to years of calls to protect the landmark.

The three-storey bahay na bato, believed to date to the 1880s, once housed a Macanese Chinese noodle restaurant featured in Chapter 25 of José Rizal’s El Filibusterismo, where Filipino students gathered for a banquet and used satire to criticize Spanish colonial authorities.

The building’s poor condition has been documented for years, with a 2020 report describing the structure as decrepit and a 2024 account of Binondo’s heritage sites noting that it remained dilapidated, with an uncertain future.

Preservation efforts have included a petition launched in December 2023 calling on the government to restore the property.

Heritage groups such as Renacimiento Manila and The Heritage Collective have worked to draw public attention to endangered historic structures in Binondo and nearby San Nicolas.

In a response dated December 20, 2023, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines said the panciteria was a presumed Important Cultural Property and was listed as a cultural property of the City of Manila. This provides protection against unauthorized alterations or demolition, although a national-level declaration requires the private owner’s consent.

The agency expressed support for preservation but said restoration funding would depend on formal recognition and further project development, leaving the timeline for intervention uncertain as the structure continues to deteriorate.

The building’s condition has drawn criticism over the slow progress in protecting a site tied to the country’s literary history. Despite years of calls for preservation, there has been no visible restoration of the former panciteria.

Heritage advocates have also stressed that the public can help protect endangered structures by documenting them and alerting authorities.

Preserving the former panciteria would safeguard both an architectural remnant of old Manila and a physical link to Rizal’s novel.

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