Category: World Heritage

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ICOMOS Philippines’ members presented in the People-Nature-Culture Forum 2022

To provide how management and conservation of heritage places can give a dynamic and mutually beneficial role in society today and long into the future, the People-Nature-Culture (PNC) World Heritage Leadership (WHLP), a capacity-building programme delivered by IUCN, ICCROM, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and other organizations, with the support of the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment and other partners, is established to equip heritage site managers worldwide.

Among the fully-funded scholars is ICOMOS PH member Dr. Laya Boquiren Gonzales, who was invited to participate and present at the PNC Forum, which celebrated the conclusion of the 2017-2022 Korea-ICCROM Funds in Trust, the approaching completion of Phase I of the World Heritage Leadership Programme (WHLP) and the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. The event was held from October 10 – 12, 2022 in Suwon, Republic of Korea (ROK)

Dr. Boquiren – Gonzales presented “How can we establish good governance arrangements that ensure they benefit from the conservation of those places?” on Day 2 under the theme of Who benefits from heritage.

Dr. Laya Boquiren – Gonzales presents the case on the Interlinkages of Built Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the C’s of Governance at the PNC Forum

Dr. Boquiren-Gonzales provided highlights on her presentation from the forum:

The conservation of the Santiago Apostol Parish in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga, a National Cultural Treasure, is an excellent case of community-based safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and application of the C’s of Governance, including the following:

  • collaboration of management actors;
  • concerted efforts of multiple stakeholders including local champions;
  • conservation anchored on a sense of collective devotion and pride and not only tourism as the sole motivation;
  • coordination among a consulting committee;
  • collaboration of local cooperatives for the safeguarding of ICH;
  • celebrations that dramatize the significance of traditions and honor collective memory;
  • contracting technical experts in the conservation of built heritage, a convergence of space of interests;
  • consensus and coalition-building;
  • cooperation strengthened by social relationships; and
  • collective pride rooted in one’s occupational identity and place affinity.

The claiming of public spaces (SDG 11.5 and SDG 11.7), originally intended for disaster mitigation, became an intergenerational significance collective skills formation anchored on place wisdom (the space is now an artisans’ haven and eco park).

Substantial impacts include the integration of woodcarving into the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system by local champions and acknowledgment of the need to integrate heritage into basic educational pedagogy. Heritage, including intangible properties, provide livelihood (SDG 8) entrepreneurial opportunities beyond mere employment (SDG 10), a sense of well-being and contentment, pride, social cohesion, and place affinity. It is life itself.

The conservation of built heritage and safeguarding of craft production unfold in relationships forged over time across levels of the locality. Decisions are arrived at through consensus. Concerted efforts are the product of coalition-building.

Ideally, cooperation is institutionalized or formalized under the coordinated efforts of national government agencies and provincial and municipal governments. When the local government and national government agencies enter the picture, the conservation of built heritage and safeguarding of the intangibles must be achieved through efficient planning and mobilization of resources, and reflected in Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); implemented in Programs, Projects, and Activities (PPAS); and audited using the right monitoring and evaluation tools.

Conservation efforts are best protected by legislation and enshrined in the constitution. However, the strength of implementing the terms of such arrangements and the rule of legislation are just as potent as the combined aspirations of communities. Therefore, community empowerment and collective action must persist above all.

To know more about the PNC forum, kindly visit this link ➡️ People-Nature-Culture Forum takes a closer look at the benefits of heritage places | ICCROM

For more information on ICOMOS Philippines ➡️ https://philippines.icomos.org/ 

#ICOMOS #ICOMOSPH #HeritageProfessionals #InAction #SustainableDevelopmentGoals #LikasKayangPagUnlad #PhilippineHeritage #PAMANA2030 #PNCForum2022  

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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

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Introducing Supitcha Sutthanonkul and Ceirene Malolos, ICOMOS Philippines Interns – November 2020

New ICOMOS Philippines interns. Supitcha Sutthanonkul (left) and Ceirene Malolos (right)

With rising interest on collaborative heritage research, mentorship and the development of communications strategies for the organization, ICOMOS Philippines is happy to share that we will have two new interns working with us for the next three months:

Supitcha ‘Maysa’ Sutthanonkul is a heritage studies student from Thailand who is pursuing her master’s degree in World Heritage Studies in Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus, Germany. She has a background in architecture with a major in interior architecture. She has done projects related to history, heritage, architectural conservation and urban development. Her interests include industrial heritage, sustainable development, and adaptive- reuse of architecture in the urban context.

Maysa decided to join the internship program to learn about heritage conservation in a different context from Thailand gaining experience from one of the very active national committees of ICOMOS. She hopes to use skills and advice from her mentors, Gabriel Caballero and John Peterson to develop fruitful research for the heritage field in the future.

Maysa will be researching on the current state of the World Heritage Tentative List of the Philippines for the next three months.

Ceirene Malolos is a graduate of Communication Arts from De La Salle University Manila and is currently taking her Masters in ASEAN Studies at the University of the Philippines Open University. Concurrent to her graduate studies, she participated in the ASEAN University Network – ASEAN Credit Transfer System at the National University of Singapore; and she was also a Darmasiswa Scholarship awardee taking Pure Fine Arts (Seni Rupa Murni) at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Denpasar, Bali in Indonesia.

By applying at the ICOMOS Internship Program, Cen intends to grow her expertise and knowledge on Philippine culture and heritage adding to her on-going area studies track, share and raise awareness about the current state of her country’s own culture and heritage – in the Philippines and beyond.

Aside from the advancement of the Project Alexandria research under the tutelage of Tina Paterno, Cen will further develop the organization’s communications strategy, particularly reviewing the video and graphic content to further the objectives of effectively communicating with the public, stakeholders and its members. She will be working with Communications Committee Member, Claudia Montero to further develop the brand of ICOMOS Philippines.

Welcome, Maysa and Cen! We’re very pleased to have your assistance.

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ICOMOS Talks: UNESCO World Heritage – Perspectives from the Field

ICOMOS Talks: UNESCO World Heritage – Perspectives from the Field
8 August 2016 (Monday) | 1PM (Manila City, Philippines)

ICOMOS is one of the key advisory bodies to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and members of the organisation are dedicated to the stewardship of the world’s significant monuments and sites, and the dissemination of pertinent knowledge.

For this year’s World Heritage Committee meeting held in Istanbul, Turkey, ICOMOS Philippines supported the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines for evaluating various World Heritage nominations and reviewing the states of conservation reports. The Philippines is one of the members of World Heritage Committee from 2013 to 2017.

International conservation practitioners Augusto Villalon, Bojer Capati, Gabriel Caballero, Eric Zerrudo, and Michael Manalo will discuss triumphs, challenges, and guidelines that could better Philippine heritage policy and management.

  • Augusto Villalon, “The Benefits of the World Heritage Convention to Sites, People and Culture”
  • Gabriel Caballero, “Unraveling World Heritage: Breaking Down the Concept of Outstanding Universal Value”
  • Bojer Capati, “Safeguarding OUV (Outstanding Universal Value): Zonation Method for Heritage Sites”
  • Michael Manalo, “Damming It Up: Recent Case Studies in World Heritage and their Philippine Parallels“
  • Eric Zerrudo, “The Concept of Sustainability in Philippine World Heritage Sites“

The event will be on August 8 (Monday), 1PM, at the National Museum of Fine Arts Auditorium, P. Burgos Drive, Manila City.

Registration fee for ICOMOS Members, as well for students and faculty with valid school ID, is PHP 200. For others and the general public, registration fee is PHP 400. To reserve seats, email info@icomosphilippines.com.

The image on the poster is of Alhambra in Granada, Spain, inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984.

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Twinning program between Ifugao Rice Terraces and Cinque Terre bared

A twinning program between the Ifugao Rice Terraces and Cinque Terre, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, has been initiated beginning with a study tour of Cinque Terre this coming May 11 to 20, 2009. UNACOM Secretary General Ambassador Preciosa Soliven, Governor Teodoro Baguilat, Jr. of Ifugao, Mayor Pablo M. Cuyahon of Hungduan, Ifugao and Archt. Joy Mananghaya of ICOMOS Philippines will join this study tour. The objective of the visit is to learn from the management and conservation approaches of this Italian cultural landscape, with the aim of applying some of their best practices to our own Ifugao Rice Terraces. Cinque Terre is a living cultural terraced landscape with vineyards and olives. It faces the same conservation and management challenges that our the rice terraces are facing.

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Post Conference Report: 2007 CIAV Conference – “Preserving Traditional Landscapes”

The ICOMOS Philippines successfully hosted the 2007 meeting of the ICOMOS International Committee on Vernacular Architecture (CIAV), held last 2-8 December 2007 at the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, a UNESCO World Heritage site. International heritage experts, members of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) participated in the event.

ICOMOS is the official international organization of heritage conservation professionals involved in heritage conservation and who are recognized as international leaders in the field. It regulates the worldwide conservation profession and is the only NGO accredited to advise the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on cultural heritage matters. Its headquarters is in Paris and its Philippine members are prominently involved in conservation projects for the government or private sectors and are also members of the academe.

The conference was unveiled with a welcome dinner organized at the National Museum. Sumptuous dishes were shared as the hosts presented their welcome remarks to the numerous distinguished guests and delegates of the conference. Respected heritage specialists from Canada, Italy, Finland, Germany, United States, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Japan and Korea joined their Philippine counterparts in the welcome event.

Continue reading “Post Conference Report: 2007 CIAV Conference – “Preserving Traditional Landscapes””
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Protecting endangered traditional landscapes

International heritage luminaries are meeting in the Philippines for the first time from 2-8 December 2007. They are members of ICOMOS (International Council of Monuments and Sites), the official international organization of architects, landscape architects, urban planners, archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, tourism professionals, lawyers, and other professionals involved in the heritage conservation profession who are recognized as international leaders in the field.

Headquartered in Paris, ICOMOS is the international organization that regulates the worldwide conservation profession and is the only NGO accredited to advise the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on cultural heritage matters. Its Philippine members are prominently involved in conservation projects for the government or private sectors and are also members of the academe.

On 2-8 December the ICOMOS National Committee Philippines hosts the 2007 meeting of the ICOMOS International Committee on Vernacular Architecture (CIAV), to be held at the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Respected heritage specialists from Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Macedonia, United States, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Japan and Korea are joining their Philippine counterparts to meet on “Protecting Endangered Traditional Landscapes”, focusing on the current status of the 5 terrace clusters located in Ifugao province inscribed in the World Heritage in Danger List. The “In Danger” designation simply means that conservation measures for a site on the World Heritage List must be stepped up to prevent its rapid deterioration.

The experts will discuss conservation and the socio-economic issues that can support heritage conservation in countries like the Philippines. On the meeting agenda are:

a) The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, a UNESCO-inscribed World Heritage Site, is endangered today because of physical deterioration but more importantly, the resident population who has always maintained the site is having difficulty bridging the task of preserving their heritage with 21st century lifestyle. Case studies will be presented showing steps taken by other international sites with similar issues.

(b) In countries like the Philippines preserving heritage is really a lost cause unless preservation becomes more relevant to its host communities through tying preservation in with development and income generation. Therefore methods have to be found to use heritage as a resource for income generation i.e through community tourism programs, craft development, or harnessing natural resources for sustainable development such as mini-hydroelectric plants, etc.

At this moment, physical repair of the terraces is necessary. However restoring the terraces and their walls must come together with establishment of cultural and economic opportunities that make terrace life more viable for the 21st century. Among the positive measures suggested by UNESCO, is the establishment of additional income-generating opportunities such as community-based cultural and eco tourism programs.

Therefore the meeting’s sub-theme is identifying methods to use the underutilized rice terraces heritage as a resource to increase present income levels. One program is the establishment of community-based tourism.

Conserving heritage has little relevance to most site residents who live from day to day in survival mode. Therefore ICOMOS aims to make them aware that among the values of heritage is its use (not exploitation) as a sustainable cultural and eco tourism resource. Therefore heritage must be preserved as a livelihood opportunity and also to provide community identity.

Successful community-based heritage projects in the Philippines will be presented such as the Freedom Trail that unites seaside towns in south Cebu province in a trail of conserved heritage and community-led tourism sponsored by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, the heritage tourism project by the Bohol community, Taal heritage program, and the Save Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMO) community development programs in Ifugao province. These success stories prove that the Filipino, contrary to popular opinion, has actually done well in conserving his heritage. The Philippine presentations will show that good community-oriented conservation work is being done in the country, proving that our heritage is not going down the drain like everyone else thinks.

Training of Philippine conservation practitioners is another objective of the meeting. Since conservation courses are not offered in Philippine universities, the presence of foreign colleagues is a rare opportunity for ICOMOS Philippine Committee members and other heritage professionals to widen their personal international networks and to upgrade professional. Most of the Philippine participants will be from the youth sector.

Institutions supporting the ICOMOS endeavor are the US Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation, e8/TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company), Fundación Santiago, Ayala Foundation, Ramón Aboitiz Foundation, Department of Tourism, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).