MANILA, TAKE NOTE | Turkey orders 3 luxury condos demolished to preserve iconic Istanbul view

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Advocates on either side of the debate over DMCI's controversial Torre de Manila project across Luneta may want to take note of this development in Istanbul: three luxury apartment buildings - completely built with units already sold - have been ordered demolished to protect and preserve the skyline around the city's iconic Süleymaniye Mosque.

'Top court approves destruction of Istanbul's silhouette-spoiling skyscrapers', Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News reported.

The country's administrative court "upheld a ruling imposing the destruction of a group of skyscrapers that ruined the iconic panorama of Istanbul's historic center, when looked at from across the Bosphorus," the Hurriyet said. "The Council of State ruled on May 28 that a previous decision adopted by a local court last year was in line with the law and adequate procedures, lawyers said Aug. 20. They also added that a complaint had been filed against municipality workers for not implementing the decision in due time."

Public outcry over the Onalti Dokuz project, a trio of luxury apartment buildings along the Marmara coast, had apparently been ongoing since 2011. From certain vantage points, they rose behind the minarets of the Süleymaniye Mosque. "Despite the controversy, the construction was completed and the apartments were sold," the Hurriyet said.

The news from Istanbul is likely to add to the debate over a similar issue in Manila, where a condominium development is accused of ruining the backdrop to the Rizal Monument in Luneta.

The Senate has scheduled for Tuesday an inquiry into 'Torre de Manila'. Senator Pia Cayetano said that the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, which she chairs, will lead a joint on-site inquiry to see whether national laws and policies were violated in the construction of the 46-storey DMCI condominium.

An online petition on change.org refers to the edifice as "Terror de Manila" and "Pambansang Photobomb".

In November 2013 the Manila City Council voted unanimously to suspend the building permit of developer DMCI Homes for Torre de Manila, saying the project violated local zoning rules, and acknowledging the opposition of concerned citizens and heritage conservationists.

On January 24, however, the Manila Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals (MBZAA) reconsidered the suspension after DMCI Homes appealed for an exemption to local zoning laws.

Torre de Manila was already 19 floors high as of August 20, according to the tower's construction update on the DMCI Homes website.