The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) is requesting a ₱500 million budget for the restoration and retrofitting of the historic Manila Central Post Office (MCPO), which was gutted by a massive fire in 2023.
During a Senate Committee on Finance hearing on the 2026 proposed budget, PHLPost Acting Postmaster General and CEO Maximo Santa Maria III said the restoration would symbolize a “new era of the postal service in the country,” amid the decline of traditional mail operations in recent years.
Santa Maria explained that the project aims to rebuild the MCPO to its original form, including its interior and foundations, while reinforcing it with modern structural standards. “It will restore to its original structure which includes the interior and the foundations. So the project will cover not only the restoration, retrofitting, and rehabilitation of the entire structure,” he said.
The 2023 blaze, which started in the building’s basement and burned for over 30 hours, caused an estimated ₱300 million in damage. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) later determined that the fire began when a discharged car battery overheated and exploded near combustible materials such as paint and thinner stored in the basement.
Senator Mark Villar, who presided over the hearing, asked whether PHLPost had considered relocating its headquarters, given that the structure’s original design predated modern technologies. In response, Santa Maria noted that the MCPO was declared an important cultural property in 2018 and that a conservation management plan was created in consultation with heritage experts to guide both preservation and future use.
According to PHLPost, the restored building will feature a postal museum in its main lobby and an innovation hub on one of its floors for technology and knowledge-sharing among startups.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will oversee the design and construction, while the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will supervise the restoration under Republic Act 10066, which governs the conservation of heritage properties.
The target completion date for the project is 2027.
