DUMAGUETE CITY, Dec. 2 -- The Committee on Church Cultural Heritage of the Diocese of Dumaguete welcomes the city government's move to establish a setback distance between the centuries-old bell tower and the proposed convention center and modern public market.

In an interview on Tuesday, Msgr. Julius Perpetuo S. Heruela, committee chair, told the Philippine News Agency that lawyer Neil Ray Lagahit, the city administrator, has assured a 10-meter setback following a recent letter from the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP).

"We are happy to know that the city government is supporting the conservation and preservation of the Cathedral Bell Tower, which speaks volumes of the city's history dating back to the Spanish era," Heruela sai...