Completion of the International Symposium on Seismic Retrofit of Unreinforced Masonry Heritage Churches in the Philippines

Check out some photos of the recently concluded International Symposium on Seismic Retrofit of Unreinforced Masonry Heritage Churches in the Philippines held at the National Museum of the Philippines last January 13-14, 2016.

Former ICOMOS President Augusto Villalon was part of the panel of speakers where he shared a statement of the importance of historic preservation in the Philippine context. Other experts such as architectural historian Regalado Trota Jose, conservation architect Rohit Jugyasu from India, structural engineer and Architect Stephen Kelley from the USA were part of the discussion. ICOMOS member and President of Bakas Pilipinas Roz Zacarias Li served as symposium moderator.

The event was organised by ICOMOS Philippines with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Museum of the Philippines, Bakas Pilipinas, and the University of Santo Tomas – Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics (UST-CCCPET)

Both photos are credited to Bakas Pilipinas.

International Symposium: Seismic Retrofit of Unreinforced Masonry Heritage Churches in the Philippines

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Museum of the Philippines, Bakas Pilipinas, ICOMOS Philippines, and the University of Santo Tomas – Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics invite everyone to the upcoming International Symposium on “Seismic Retrofit of Unreinforced Masonry Heritage Churches in the Philippines” on January 13-14, 2016, at the National Museum of the Philippines in Ermita, Manila City.

For those interested, kindly register on or before January 7 by paying the registration fee (PHP 2,500 for professionals, PHP 1,500 for students) to ICOMOS Philippines BPI Current Account: 003271030028.

For inquiries, please send us an email at seismic.symposium2016@gmail.com or call us (63) 948 0112630 / (63) 917 5554633. Look for Ms. Sheila de la Paz.

To view the Symposium Program and List of Speakers, go to www.bakaspilipinas.wordpress.com.

ICOMOS Philippines meets at the Sta. Ana Church in Manila

ICOMOS Philippines met last July 9, 2011 at the White Room of the Sta. Ana Church in Manila. Members involved in the Sta. Ana Community Project, namely Kara Garilao (Fundacion Santiago) and Christian Aguilar (Escuela Taller) shared their work with other ICOMOS members.

ICOMOS members at the Sta. Ana Church camarin.

The Sta. Ana community leaders served traditional Sta. Ana pancit (fried noodles) for merienda (afternoon snack). The meeting was attended by a record 53 people.

Maila Subido, Sta. Ana resident and historian, talks about Sta. Ana history.

Joint Statement of the Heritage Conservation Society and ICOMOS Philippines on the Dingras Church

The Tale of Two Facades
The Planned Demolition of our the Historic Dingras Church Facade’


A call to arms and a sound of alarms! Once again, a historic structure in our country is threatened. What makes it even more alarming is that it happens in the same province, Ilocos Norte in almost the same period of time. First the planned demolition of the Laoag Central Elementary School, a perfectly usable, intact and beautiful example of 1920s education architecture in exchange for a mall, and now the proposed demolition of the centuries old façade of the Church of San José de Dingras to be replaced by what would most likely be a poor replica of the former.