Manansala mural sale sparks furor in NPC

Thursday, January 18, 2007

By Katrice R. Jalbuena, Reporter

National Press Club “elders” or lifetime members are planning to file a lawsuit against officers of the organization for what they describe as the “clandestine” sale of the Vicente Manansala mural that once graced the dining room of the historic NPC building by the Pasig River.

One of the opponents of the sale, Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Neal Cruz, also claimed the defunct Manila Chronicle, owned by the powerful Lopez clan, had donated the mural in the 1950s with a proviso that it remained as the NPC’s property.

Cruz quoted Manansala’s friend, columnist I.P. Soliongco, as saying the Lopez clan had asked the NPC to return the mural if the club did not want it anymore.

“I relayed this information to some NPC officers and members, but apparently the present board disregarded it,” Cruz said in his column As I See It.

However, former NPC president and current secretary, Louie Logarta, told The Manila Times there is no documentary evidence on the alleged sale ban.

Neither do the club’s bylaws forbid the mural’s sale, Logarta added.

“One of the argument used by critics of the sale is the supposed provision of the Lopez’” Logarta said. “This was brought up during the General Assembly on October 27, 2006, when the decision was made to sell the mural. Several lawyers were consulted. However, they could not find such a provision in the bylaws.”

Hard decision

“We are in a damned if we do, damned if we don’t position,” Logarta acknowledged. “We are being criticized for selling the mural, but if we didn’t sell the mural, if we let it rot till it fell down, we would still have been criticized.”

Logarta said sale was not clandestine as it was approved during a general assembly in October.

The NPC lifetime member and former Manila Times editor in chief, Cip Roxas, said officers talked with some elders, including Cruz late last year.

“His only proviso was, that the money not be touched,” Roxas said in a telephone interview.

He said the board resolution approve the sale came after the October assembly.

Few members then had complained, Roxas noted. Those that did, he said, were “people who haven’t been to the NPC for 25 years.”

Roxas said some National Museum experts had inspected the mural.

“They said, ‘this is easily worth P50 million,’” Roxas recalled. “But they couldn’t afford to buy it.”

Asked if the NPC officers had gotten in touch with the Lopez family, Roxas replied, “I was under the impression that they did.”

Conditions

Logarta said the NPC sold the Manansala to the Heritage Galleries of Odette and Mario Alcandara after they promised to restore the badly damaged mural.

Logarta said another condition was a ban on the export of the mural.

The mural was partially damaged by a fire and then restored with the help of other artists like Ang Kiukok, Malang, Cris Cruz, Gig de Pio and several others.

The mural’s location, on a wall the dining hall shared with the restaurant’s kitchen—and generations of smoking journalists—also increased the wear and tear on the Manansala.

“We could not afford to restore it,” admitted Logarta. “We were not in position to take care of such an important piece of art. It’s a national treasure that should be taken care of and preserved.”

According to Logarta, the money from the sale has been deposited in a time deposit with the PNB. The receipt is with the NPC office, he added.

The money will be used to pay the Clubs various outstanding debts to Meralco, PLDT and Maynilad.