2nd ICOMOS Philippines Student Symposium

We believe there is good student research out there that should be shared. ICOMOS has culled through abstracts and presents the most relevant and innovative among them, followed by a discussion among its expert members in those fields.


[Schedule for the 2nd ICOMOS Philippines Student Symposium]

Check out our lineup for #IPSS2021!

Day 1, 28 May 2021 (Friday)

OPENING SESSION: Heritage Makers, Change Makers
Keynote Address by Dr. Felipe de Leon Jr., NCCA National Music Committee Chair

SESSION 1: The doing of built heritage conservation: Methods and approach
Paper presentations by Vangie Cheryl Ulila, Tiffany Bello & Shayna Mari Tria

Day 2, 29 May 2021 (Saturday)

SESSION 2: Heritage Values: Intangible meanings, tangible effects
Paper presentations by Jose Medriano III, Mary Marguerette Cruz, Louie Ann Valeriano & Jezreel R. Nugas

SESSION 3: Adaptive Reuse: Old buildings, new uses
Paper presentations by Ira Ben Tobis, Jazel Lynn Ong & Gellaine Marie Burgos

This is a free event. Scan the QR code or go to tinyurl.com/IPSS2021 to register now!

New Intern: Briel Lising (May – August 2021)

Briel Lising graduated with a degree in AB History and a minor in Cultural Heritage from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2017. Since then, she has worked for Saint Pedro Poveda College and the Lopez Museum. Currently, she is teaching college freshmen in the Ateneo  as part of the Department of History. Briel hopes that her internship with ICOMOS will help her gain knowledge and confidence to start a community-based heritage program for the city of Pasig. Through her experience in research and education, as well as a heart for heritage, she hopes to make valuable contributions to the research project with the guidance of her mentors under the ICOMOS Philippines Internship Program.

Briel’s mentors are ICOMOS Expert Members Chen Mencias and Gabriel Caballero. Chen Mencias is a tourism planning consultant who runs her own firm, Blue Water Consultancy and the the primary mentor of the research. Gab Caballero is a Landacape Architect based in Singapore, currently the Focal Point for Sustainable Development Goals of ICOMOS International. Briel will be working with Chen and Gab for research on the Role of Heritage Conservation as a Dimension of Sustainable Tourism in the Philippines.

We look forward to Briel’s contributions, welcome to the team!

Internship Testimonial: Ceirene Malolos Communications and Strategy Intern (November 2020 – February 2021)

The shift to a purely online internship did indeed make my ICOMOS Philippines internship experience unique. Regardless of the challenges that this posed, there were regular meetings between mentors and interns. The tasks assigned to me as a communication interns were mainly information dissemination in the different online mediums. Together with the ICOMOS Philippines Communication Team, we helped develop the Philippine culture and heritage conservation repository of information. These are not limited to the Philippine context; instead, it also includes international news, opportunities, and practices relevant to heritage practitioners, students, and enthusiasts. 

In addition to working on ICOMOS PH communications, I also had the opportunity to be a part of Project Alexandria’s study on the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property (PRECUP). I interviewed and gathered the view-points of LGUs in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regarding their cultural inventories- from their collection to preservation, which allowed new insights into the different government processes and experiences and the challenges that come with it. 

The theme of my internship has a lot to do with communication and information regarding heritage and culture. From my internship experience with ICOMOS PH, I’ve come to appreciate how access to information is a crucial part of governance. Not everyone has the same amount of access. I am glad that ICOMOS Philippines’ goal as an organization is to work towards an informed Philippine heritage practice.

Currently, I am part of a national government agency office focused on promoting and harnessing regional products and trade in the Philippines. Although my work is more focused on businesses, it has a lot to do with knowing a product’s origin, its history, heritage, and culture – to be able to promote and market the product or services efficiently. My current role also involves a lot of coordination with local government units and offices. My ICOMOS PH internship experience, especially with the PRECUP study, has contributed to building connections and coordination with different Philippine government levels.