Manila, Philippines – May 2, 2025 — As part of its continuing efforts to professionalize and strengthen the cultural heritage sector, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) successfully hosted the International Conference on the Competency Framework for Cultural Heritage Management on May 2, 2025. The event, held at the Manila Metropolitan Theater Ballroom in Ermita, Manila, brought together experts, practitioners, and stakeholders in heritage conservation from across the country. This conference is in line with the month-long celebration of Heritage Month 2025, further highlighting the importance of advancing cultural heritage management in the Philippines.
Organized in partnership with the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School – Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics (USTGS-CCCPET) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites Philippines (ICOMOS Philippines), the conference served as a significant platform for advancing the discussion on building a national competency framework aligned with global heritage management standards.
The event commenced with a warm welcome from Mr. Joseph Patrick V. Lee, Chief of the Cultural Properties Regulation Division at NCCA, who recognized all of the participating heritage workers coming from different agencies, organizations, and universities. This was followed by Ms. Beverly Macayan-Bautista, MAEd, Officer-in-Charge of USTGS-CCCPET, who articulated the rationale of the conference. She underscored the need for structured competency-based training programs that reflect the evolving demands of heritage work, especially in the face of climate change, urbanization, and cultural globalization.
The conference featured an esteemed lineup of speakers who shared global and local perspectives on cultural heritage management:
- Ms. Felicia Sta. Maria, an independent writer and researcher, delivered a compelling talk on Early Initiatives to Guide Cultural Workers in the Philippines, offering a historical overview of past capacity-building initiatives and highlighting the longstanding need for a unified professional framework in the field.
- Prof. Neel Kamal Chapagain, PhD, a respected academic from Ahmedabad University, India, discussed Developing the Competency Framework for Cultural Heritage Management. He drew from his international experience and UNESCO-led frameworks to propose a structured skill set model that includes knowledge, abilities, and ethical values vital to safeguarding cultural heritage.
- Assoc. Prof. Eric Babar Zerrudo, PhD, Executive Director of NCCA, presented Aligning Cultural Heritage Education in the Philippines to the UNESCO Competency Framework: The UST Graduate School Program Experience. His talk highlighted the importance of integrating heritage education into academic institutions and aligning curricula with global standards such as UNESCO’s “Competence Framework for Cultural Heritage Management” to ensure sustainability and excellence in the field.
- Assoc. Prof. Cheek S. Fadriquela, PhD, President of ICOMOS Philippines, spoke on ICOMOS Philippines as a Driver of Informed Heritage Conservation Practice. He outlined the role of ICOMOS as an advocacy and technical body that bridges policy, research, and community-based conservation in the Philippine context.
An open forum followed the presentations, providing an opportunity for participants to engage directly with the speakers. Attendees raised valuable questions and shared their experiences from the field, enriching the discourse on localized application of competency-based heritage management practices.
To formally conclude the conference, NCCA Chairman Victorino Mapa Manalo shared closing remarks, acknowledging the importance of collective and sustained action in elevating the standards of cultural heritage management in the country.