Continue reading “ICOMOS President Toshiyuki Kono visits the Philippines”
ICOMOS President Toshiyuki Kono visits the Philippines
A Framework for Heritage: Comparing Systems, Prospects, and Wins in Developing Countries – A Talk by ICOMOS President Toshiyuki Kono
“A Framework for Heritage: Comparing Systems, Prospects, and Wins in Developing Countries” by Toshiyuki Kono
12 September 2018 (Wednesday) | 2-4PM (Makati City, Philippines)
ICOMOS Philippines invites you to a talk by ICOMOS President Toshiyuki Kono, a Distinguished Professor at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, entitled “A Framework for Heritage: Comparing Systems, Prospects, and Wins in Developing Countries” on September 12 (Wednesday), 2-4PM, at the Ateneo Professional Schools Ampitheater, Rockwell Center, Makati City.
As many UNESCO World Heritage sites are in developing countries, where the legal infrastructure and management systems for conservation and protection are still evolving. What are the parameters considered for setting up inventories, incentives, and management systems?
In view of this current terrain, President Toshiyuki Kono will discuss prospects and emerging trends in heritage systems for developing countries, along with sustainable heritage wins and best practices.
We would like to acknowledge the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law for co-presenting this talk with us.
For those who are interested to attend, kindly send us an email at info@icomosphilippines.
Lighting and Acoustic Design for Existing and Historic Buildings
This CPD Program offered by ICOMOS Philippines will help professionals understand and learn basic principles for lighting and acoustic design for existing and heritage structures. In these talks, the basic theory of each discipline’s approach, and how to get the job done on low, medium, and high-end budgets will be discussed.
Lecturers Mr. Richard Thomas (Optimum Show, Paris, whose projects include: the Louvre, Paris, Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, and the Parthenon, Athens) and Mr. Jose Hermano (Acoustic Analysis Inc., whose projects include Araneta Coloseum, PETA Theater, La Salle Greenhills St. Benilde Gymnasium) will discuss past projects that illustrate and support these principles, and how they might have embellished or reduced the output depending on cost.
This seminar was held on July 28, 2018 (Saturday), 1pm-6pm at Casa Blanca, Intramuros, Manila.
ICOMOS Philippines: New Members 2018
ICOMOS Philippines is very pleased to welcome its new members for the year 2018! Get to know them as we share with you a brief of their profile and expertise.
Lila Ramos Shahani
Lila Ramos Shahani is the former Secretary-General of the Philippine National Commission to UNESCO. Under her leadership (and with the help of other government agencies), her team succeeded in obtaining four UNESCO designations for the country: in Intangible Cultural Heritage, Memory of the World and Creative Cities.
She has taught at the Asian Institute of Management, the Ateneo School of Government and the University of the Philippines. She has published widely, not only academically but as a former columnist for the Philippine Star. In addition, she has published with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, ABS-CBN, GMA News, Rappler, Business World and the Philippine Graphic.
She also spent many years in New York, where she did editorial work for Oxford University Press, writing and research for the United Nations Children’s Fund, and policy and communications work for the United Nations Development Programme.
She received her B.A. in Comparative Literature from Brown University, her M.A. in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and remains a doctoral candidate in Literature at Oxford University.
John Peterson
Dr. Peterson is an anthropological archaeologist with field research experience in the Philippines, US Southwest and Texas, Northern Mexico, Ecuador, Brazzaville-Congo, and the Daiyuan Valley of Jiangxi Province China. He specializes in historical ecology and archaeological heritage management. He took his BA from Antioch College in Environmental Studies, MA and PhD from University of Texas at Austin, USA and has had academic affiliations with various universities – University of Texas at El Paso, University of Hawaii, University of Guam, and University of San Carlos in Cebu, and has had academic honors including two Fulbright awards, an NEH fellowship, is a National Geographic Explorer, and managed large grant programs for NSF, NASA, NIH, and other US funding agencies.
Aside from this academic engagement, Dr. Peterson operated a mixed grain and livestock farm in Ohio, USA and managed a living historical farm where horses, mules, and steam engines were used to recreate mid-19th century farming in the American Midwest.
John Peterson has been involved with ICAHM, the International Scientific Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management of ICOMOS since 2008 as a vice president and most recently as president, and has consulted on and contributed to nomination reviews of several world heritage properties.
Stephen Acabado
Dr. Stephen Acabado is an associate professor of anthropology and a core faculty at the Cotsent Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His archaeological investigations in Ifugao, northern Philippines, have established the recent origins of the Cordillera Rice Terraces, which were once known to be at least 2,000 years old. Dr. Acabado also directs the Bicol and Ifugao Archaeological Projects and co-directs the Taiwan Indigenous Landscape and History Project.
He is a strong advocate of an engaged archaeology where descendant communities are involved in the research process. He is a member of the Engaged Research Grant Advisory Committee of the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research.
IN MEMORIAM: Augusto Villalon
In Memoriam
Augusto F. Villalon
May 31, 1945 – May 5, 2018
Through his tireless advocacy, Arch. Augusto Villalon, former President of ICOMOS Philippines, inspired innumerable heritage conservation practitioners and ordinary citizens alike to protect the national patrimony. Although he was practically a lone voice when he helped introduce heritage conservation to the country some 40 years ago, Arch. Villalon zealously promoted heritage awareness through his writing, speaking, organizing, and campaigning. Publications and countless newspaper articles which he wrote helped mold the national consciousness. Organizations which he helped found, such as the Heritage Conservation Society, generated momentum, as did his years of involvement with both the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and UNESCO’s National Commission of the Philippines. By 2009, the groundswell that he helped create finally led to Republic Act 10066, better known as the Philippines’ Heritage Law.
Arch. Villalon was the bridge between the Philippines and the international heritage conservation community, primarily through his work with ICOMOS. He was President of ICOMOS Philippines for 25 years, was called upon to undertake numerous international missions, and was the moving force behind the inscription of the Philippines’ first five UNESCO World Heritage sites. He was Vice President of the International Committee on Cultural Tourism as well as the International Committee on Vernacular Architecture. He was a founding member of the International Committee on 20th Century Heritage, and he also served in both the Executive and Advisory Committees of the organization. He was so revered worldwide as an elder statesman of the conservation profession that ICOMOS awarded him with an Honorary Membership in 2014, just one of his many prestigious international and local distinctions.
Toti, as he is fondly called by family and friends, effected social change beyond the field of heritage conservation as well. As President of the Gota de Leche Foundation, he helped provide milk and nutrition support to indigent children in Manila—an endeavor to which he passionately dedicated himself.
A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Arch. Augusto Villalon leaves behind a loving family, respectful friends and colleagues around the world, countless grateful mentees, and the well-deserved legacy of being the father of heritage conservation in the Philippines.
Internship Opportunity for Cultural Heritage Research at ICOMOS Philippines
Calling all university students and recent graduates! ICOMOS Philippines is looking for interns who will be part of our cultural heritage research.
Accepted applicants will research on heritage conservation-related studies, reports and ordinances of NGOs, government agencies, and LGUs. Findings from this body of work will help shape ICOMOS Philippines’ future approaches to protect and conserve our heritage.
Requirements. Currently enrolled students in a university or recent graduates are welcome to apply; with research and writing skills, as well as ability to summarize and synthesize data; independent worker and team player; interest in heritage is a plus.
For those interested, kindly send your cover letter and CV to info@icomosphilippines.com on or before March 3, 2018.
ICOMOS Philippines Elects its New Board of Trustees
During its annual General Assembly held at the Ayuntamiento in Intramuros last August 19, 2017, members of ICOMOS Philippines elected Maria Cristina Paterno, Ar. Michael Angelo Liwanag, La. Susan Aquino-Ong, Maria Karina Garilao, and Ar. Jeffrey Cobilla as the new Board of Trustees.
In a succeeding meeting of the Board of Trustees, Maria Cristina Paterno was elected as President, La. Susan Aquino-Ong was elected as Vice President, and Ar. Jeffrey Cobillawas elected as Assistant Corporate Secretary. Elected as Corporate Secretary was Atty. Lucille Karen Malilong.
For more information about our current Board of Trustees, please click on this link
Joint Statement by the Heritage Conservation Society and the International Council of Monuments and Sites Philippines on the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex
The Heritage Conservation Society (HCS) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites – Philippines (ICOMOS-PH), as regards the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC), respectfully state the following:
1. We reiterate our gratitude to the cultural agencies, specifically the National Museum (NM) and the National Historical Commission (NHCP), for their declarations on RMSC as an Important Cultural Property and a National Historical Landmark, respectively.
2. We particularly note with approval the NHCP’s declaration that outlines the significance of RMSC as a historical site – as a venue for the Far Eastern Games and in subsequent athletic, religious. political, and social events; its role in World War II and its reconstruction thereafter; and its architectural design in the Art Deco style by Juan Arellano, one of the country’s most significant architects.
3. Having thus outlined the statement of significance of the site, it is the duty of the cultural agencies, consistent with international best practices, to require the preparation of a conservation management plan (CMP) by qualified experts, under its control and supervision, to ensure that the significance of the site is respected and preserved.
4. A CMP should be prepared prior to detailed site, architectural and engineering development planning, and the CMP should in fact guide and provide the parameters of such development planning, just as the preparation of a environmental impact study and securing an environmental compliance certificate guide development planning.
5. The CMP should then be presented to, and evaluated by, stakeholders in a manner similar to that provided under Section 8 of Republic Act No. 10066, (the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009), reflecting the fundamental principles of Sections 4 to 7 of Republic Act No. 7356 (the Charter of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts). Further, any CMP should be defined by public accessibility as provided by Section 40, and provide the parameters of a heritage agreement, as required by Section 18 of Republic Act No. 10066.
6. We reiterate our support for progress and development, and recognize the need for cities to evolve, but in the context of the sustainability of cultural significance through conservation, as provided under Republic Act No. 10066.
This Joint Statement was signed by Mark Richard Evidente, President of Heritage Conservation Society and Dominic Galicia, President of ICOMOS Philippines
Post Script Note: ICOMOS Philippines created a small working group which submitted a World Monuments Watch Nomination for its 2018 cycle. Research findings were shared by Gabriel Caballero at the mASEANa conference in Jakarta that happened in January 2018.
IDMS 2017: “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism” Conference on Redefining Cultural Tourism in the Philippines
IDMS 2017 Conference: Redefining Cultural Tourism in the Philippines
29 April 2017 (Saturday) | 8:30AM-5:30PM (Manila City, Philippines)
In celebration of the 2017 International Day for Monuments and Sites, with the theme: “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism“, the International Council on Monuments and Sites Philippines will be holding a one-day conference entitled “Redefining Cultural Tourism in the Philippines: Our Stories and Best Practices in the Regions” on April 29 (Saturday), from 8:30AM-5:30PM, at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Auditorium, Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila City.
The event features experts who will talk about the following:
- Kara Garilao, “The Role of the Narrative in Local Heritage Tourism“
- Chen Mencias, “How Much is Paradise? Batanes and Its Economic Benefits through Heritage Conservation“
- Tracey Santiago and Mapee Singson, “Saving Sagada: Realities and Recommendations“
- Dominic Galicia and Tina Paterno, “Beginning Sustainable Tourism Efforts in Quiapo and Escolta“
- Augusto Villalon, “Cultural Tourism Projects in Bohol Using Heritage Resources for Tourism“
- Richard Daenos, “Elevating Angeles City as UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy“
- Charisse Tugade, “Consuming Culture: Authenticity and Responsibility in Heritage-Based Tourist Merchandise“
- Ivan Henares, “Social Media Marketing of Cultural Tourism“
Early bird registration is at PHP 1,000 until April 24. On-site registration fee will be PHP 1,200 (PHP 700 for students) inclusive of copies of the abstracts of the presentations and lunch.
For inquiries on the event, kindly contact Ms. Dominique Candi H. Escover at (046) 423 3741 / 0906 973 2310 or via email at nicaescover@icomosphilippines.com.
Managing Disaster Risks for Cultural Heritage and Building Resilience – A Talk by Dr. Rohit Jigyasu
“Managing Disaster Risks for Cultural Heritage and Building Resilience” by Dr. Rohit Jigyasu
28 April 2017 (Friday) | 2PM (Manila City, Philippines)
Bakas Pilipinas and ICOMOS Philippines invite you to a talk by Dr. Rohit Jigyasu, ICOMOS India member and conservation architect and risk management consultant, entitled “Managing Disaster Risks for Cultural Heritage and Building Resilience” on April 28 (Friday), 2PM, at the Mapua Institute of Technology Seminar Room, Muralla St., Intramuros, Manila City.
The event is open to everyone and is FREE ADMISSION.
For inquiries, kindly contact Ms. Nica Escovar at 0906 9732310 or via email at nicaescovar@icomosphilippines.com.