Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno was saddened after he saw that some of the walls and other structures around Bonifacio Monument were vandalized by still unidentified men.
Moreno who’s known for his mission to clean up Manila urged the people to stop committing vandalism, especially to monuments.
“They should stop defacing monuments because these are reminders of heroes who gave us the things we enjoy now,” Moreno said.
“Punta sila sa’kin. Bigyan ko sila ng hate wall where they can express themselves. Doon na lang tayo. Puwede naman natin pag-usapan ‘yun,” Moreno added.
He made a decision to make a “hate walls” or “freedom walls” around the park so the people who wanted to express their feelings by committing vandalism doesn’t need to give inconvenience to the Manila City Government next time.
“Freedom wall, hate wall, whatever you call it, a wall [where] they can express themselves in an artistic manner or [express their] beliefs for that matter,” Moreno.
The Manila Mayor also said that he’s not yet making a decision if he would order a crackdown against vandals.
“Sayang naman ‘yung oras kung puro aresto kami. Baka mas maganda kung makisuyo na lang kami,” Moreno said.
However, he warned that consequences are waiting for the people who would continue defacing government-owned structures and heritage sites.
“We are firm, don’t get us wrong. We are firm but we are just trying to be diplomatic at the start,” he said.
In another interview, Moreno said that the vandals might clean their own graffitis if they continue defacing heritage sites.
“Kung mabisa ang laway nila, lawayan nila,” Moreno said when asked if how the vandals could clean up their graffitis.
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“I’m not after the penalty. I don’t want to make Manila richer because we keep on penalizing people,” he added.
Last week, a monument in Mendiola was vandalized by alleged leftist groups just 24 hours after it was renovated by the City Government of Manila.
Netizens expressed their disappointment over the acts of the vandal, saying that they should not deface heritage sites amid the efforts of Moreno to beautify Manila.