UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund supports the conservation of the Historic City of Vigan in the Philippines

Syquia Mansion, one of the historical buildings in Vigan damaged by the earthquake in July 2022. It is among the historical buildings that benefits from the support of the Heritage Emergency Fund. Photo credit: MNL Solutions, Inc., August 9, 2023

23 October 2023, City of Vigan, Philippines – With the support of the Heritage Emergency Fund (HEF), UNESCO Jakarta, in partnership with ICOMOS Philippines, launched a 12-month project to enhance the protection of the Historic City of Vigan, a World Heritage Site since 1999. This activity aims to support post-earthquake technical standard enhancement on the conservation and protection of heritage houses and structures and contribute to the long-term recovery of the city following the earthquake in July 2022. It is also the first HEF activity implemented in the Philippines.

On 23 October, representatives of national and local government agencies, universities, NGOs specializing in heritage and conservation, private companies, homeowners and technical experts attended the official launch of the project.

Official project launch of the first UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund (HEF) project
in the Republic of the Philippines at the Historic City of Vigan, Ilocos Sur

“We are so excited to be one of the recipients of the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund project. The research and evaluation of the different teams will assure us that we will be able to restore the Syquia Mansion back to its glory days. Gregorio Syquia and all our other ancestors are beaming from up there!” – Ms. Maria Milagros “Mitos” P. Belofsky, Ancestral Homeowner, Syquia Mansion

“The critical concern now is how to protect the integrity and authenticity of the UNESCO World Heritage Site as homeowners plan to repair, restore, and rehabilitate their damaged properties; thus, the assistance from UNESCO and ICOMOS Philippines for restoration studies and plan for the two selected representatives is a welcome development” – Ar. Fatima Nicetas Rabang-Alonzo, a member of Vigan Conservation Council

Within the framework of this activity, the structural, architectural and materials assessments will be carried out for the representative houses (pilot sites), namely, the Syquia Mansion and Cabildo (Old) house, which will contribute in proposing technical standards for post-disaster damage assessment, and shoring and repair design for the future restoration of the entirety of the Historic City of Vigan’s beneficiary houses.

The findings of the two pilot sites assessments will be shared with the local government, the ancestral homeowners and the Vigan Conservation Council through a series of lectures, training-workshops and town hall meetings, and support the update of Vigan’s existing 2010 Heritage Homeowners Preservation Manual with an addendum. The outcome of the assessment and technical studies will also contribute to enhancing the skills of practitioners, craftsperson and homeowners on the effective repairing methods compatible with original building systems and materials.

The Heritage Emergency Fund (HEF) is a multi-donor funding mechanism, established by UNESCO in 2015 with the goal of assisting Member States in responding quickly and effectively to crises resulting from armed conflicts and disasters all over the world. Its objective is to strengthen the ability of Member States to prevent, mitigate and recover the loss of cultural heritage, harnessing the potential of culture to strengthen resilience and support recovery. Since its establishment, the HEF has enabled UNESCO to support 84 countries through more than 120 emergency preparedness and response activities.

UNESCO thanks the donors of the Heritage Emergency Fund who make the activities possible: The Qatar Fund for Development, the Government of Canada, the Kingdom of Norway, the French Republic, the Principality of Monaco, the Republic of Estonia, ANA Holdings INC, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Slovak Republic, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Principality of Andorra, the Republic of Serbia.

More about the HEF:

https://www.unesco.org/en/culture-emergencies/heritage-emergency-fund

About UNESCO

UNESCO is the UN specialized agency with a mandate to protect and preserve cultural and natural heritage, in line with the international conventions.

Website: www.unesco.org/jakarta, Instagram, Facebook, X ➡️ @unescojakarta

Media contact: Eliana Bantchev e.bantchev@unesco.org

About ICOMOS Philippines

The International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is a non-governmental international organization dedicated to the conservation of the world’s monuments and sites. ICOMOS Philippines is an SEC registered non-stock corporation and the duly recognized National Committee (NC) of ICOMOS International in the country from 113 worldwide.

Website:  https://philippines.icomos.org/, Instagram, Facebook, X ➡️ @icomosph

More about the UNESCO Jakarta – ICOMOS Philippines HEF Team ➡️ https://bitly.ws/YgER

Media contact: Ar. Kenneth Javier Tua kenneth.javier.tua@icomosphilippines.com

The Philippine Tentative List Preliminary Evaluation Strategy: Considerations for the Better of the World Heritage Tentative List in the Context of the Philippines

ICOMOS PH Intern Supitcha Sutthanonkul will be presenting her research: “The Philippine Tentative List Preliminary Evaluation Strategy: Considerations for the Better of the World Heritage Tentative List in the Context of the Philippines” in a Members-Only Event on February 18, 2021 at 8PM PST.

Abstract

The State Party of the Philippines ratified the World Heritage Convention 1985 and has since inscribed 6 sites in the World Heritage List. Currently, the Tentative List of the Philippines has 19 sites presented and has evolved since 1993 with several notable listings in 2006, the edited and elimination in 2009, and listing again in 2015. Considering the numbers of the sites that were still listed since 1993 and later years, the current evaluation process of the Tentative List could be challenging. However, the evolution in various years indicates the attempt of the State Party to develop the Tentative List for the future nomination.

ICOMOS PH intends to investigate the current stage of the Tentative List of the Philippines and its strengths and weaknesses and to thread a pathway through the institutional history of the tentative list and find the potential development in the context of the State Party of Philippines. This research focuses on gathering the theoretical point of view from the desktop review and the practical experience by the interview of heritage practitioners in the country to conduct the systematic analysis comparing with the international recommendations and find the possible challenges that could affect the Tentative List requirement and process. The output is the issue-based analysis and the preliminary strategy with potential development for the better evaluation process of the Philippine Tentative List.

Contact us to learn more about the ICOMOS Philippines Internship Program info@icomosphilippines.com