Board of Trustees
Ms. Maria Cristina Paterno, President and Chairperson
Tina is an architectural conservator with over 15 years’ experience working with varied historic building materials. She holds a master’s degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania, with a focus on conservation of materials, and worked for a decade as a conservator for Integrated Conservation Resources, Inc., in New York City. Projects she worked on during that time include the United Nations headquarters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Federal Reserve Bank, and the Apollo Theater. She then established her own consultancy firm in New York, T. Paterno Conservation, Inc., which works with a team of architects, engineers, historians, and other specialized trades. The firm’s work, largely about treatments and repairs to preserve authenticity, relies on archival research, materials diagnosis, documentation, site and materials testing of stone, brick, cast and wrought iron, mild steel, glazed terra cotta, concretes, mortars, and non-ornamental stuccoes. She returned to Manila and co-founded and managed San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation, Inc., a SEC-registered foundation that manages the site’s technical restoration, fundraising initiatives, and sustainability programs that build relevance and ownership in the local and national communities. In addition to her day job, Tina’s evenings are spent remotely managing her consultancy firm in New York.
As president of ICOMOS Philippines, Tina acts as the primary spokesperson of the organization to various heritage issues both locally and internationally. She leads long term and short term plans with the Board, including the development of programs to carry out the goals of the organization together with project managers.
Mr. Erik Akpedonu, Treasurer General
Erik is a faculty member of the Department of Fine Arts of the Ateneo de Manila University teaching Art Appreciation and Philippine Colonial Art & Architecture; and a Research Associate at the Ateneo de Manila University`s Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC). He studied Architecture at the Lippe University of Applied Sciences in Detmold, Germany. Working in architectural bureaus in Germany, Ghana, and Malaysia, he participated in various projects in those countries and in the Middle East. Since his arrival in the Philippines in 2006, Erik has been conducting extensive surveys of historic Filipino architecture, first in Bohol in 2006-2007 and from 2008 in Metro Manila. He has published journal articles and book chapters discussing various aspects of heritage, culture, and architecture. He is co-author (with Czarina Saloma) of the book “Casa Boholana: Vintage Houses of Bohol” (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2011). As Project Manager of IPC’s `Architectural Heritage of Manila Project, 1571–1961` he is currently working (with Fernando Zialcita) on two 3-volume books on the built heritage of Metro Manila (Ateneo de Manila University Press, in press).
Erik serves as the Treasurer of ICOMOS Philippines and provides financial oversight and encourages the board’s strategic thinking about the short and long term budgets in relation to its advancement of the organization’s mission. The treasurer develops financial management policies & protocols for monitoring and evaluating the organization financial performance.
Dr. Cheek S. Fadriquela, Corporate Secretary / Secretary General
Cheek is a wood conservation specialist and represents ICOMOS Philippines as an expert member at the ICOMOS International Wood Committee. He obtained his PhD in Forestry: Wood Science and Technology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), with specialization in the conservation of wooden cultural heritage in 2017, and finished his Master degree in Cultural Heritage Studies at the University of Santos Tomas (UST) in 2008. He was a Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports scholar from 1990 to 1996 for his degrees in Associate in Control Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering in Information and Computer Science, a Spanish Program for Cultural Cooperation research grantee in 2008 and publication grantee in 2010, a Riksantikvaren (The Directorate of Cultural Heritage) scholar in Norway for his training in the International Course of Wood Conservation Technology in 2016, and a Getty Foundation grantee to attend the International Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works in Turin, Italy in 2018. He was also an NCCA research grantee for the Architectural Documentation and Condition Survey of Baker Hall in 2017 and the Nuestra Señora del Pronto Socorro Conservation Management Plan in 2019. He has been involved in several restoration projects as a consultant and materials specialist, including the restoration of Malate Church doors, San Agustin Church choir loft stalls, Manaoag Church and Maribojoc Church retablos, Jasaan Church, and the Assessment of the Multi-hazard Vulnerability of Priority Cultural Heritage Structures in the Philippines under World Bank, among others. His multi-volume work entitled “Kahoy: Wood in the Philippines” published by UST Publishing House was a 2014 National Book Award finalist. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the UST Graduate School and the Vice President of the Japanese manufacturing company Shinsei Industries Philippines, Inc.
As the Corporate Secretary, Cheek is in charge of external responsibilities of the organization including compliance with government mandated requirements and enforcement of the statutes of ICOMOS International, the organization’s parent company.
Ar. Kenneth J. Tua, Board Trustee
Ken is a registered & licensed architect, an economic scientist, and a sustainable heritage conservation and management practitioner based in the Philippines. He has degrees in Bachelor of Science in Architecture at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas – College of Architecture and an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) in DYnamics of Cultural Landscape, heritage, Memory and conflictualities (MSc – MA DYCLAM+) and Master of Arts in Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations (MA CDIR) as a fully-funded scholar by the European Union. He also acquired professional certifications as a fully – funded scholar in Sustainability, Sustainable Development, and Innovation programmes from YSISEA in Singapore, APYE in Thailand and Social Innovation Center, Hanyang University, South Korea. Previously, he worked at the Philippine government through the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines – Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), where he helped in the sustainable restoration and conservation of the Pasig River and its communities. Currently, he is a Doctorate student / researcher who focuses on Cultural Landscapes and Policy Simulation at the Environmental Economics laboratory, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan through the Japanese Government’s MEXT / Monbukagakusho (文部科学省奨学金) PhD – Research Scholarship.
As one of the Board Trustees, Ken assists the President in the cultivation of donors, partners, supporters, collaborators, allies, and other stakeholders. He is also in charge of ensuring the organization’s activities and projects are compliant and in furtherance of its mission in compliance with international parent organization and VMV charter.
Officers
Mr. John Ray Ramos, Heritage Affairs Officer
John Ray is ICOMOS Philippines’ Heritage Affairs Manager who assists the Board of Trustees in its functions, is in-charge of administrative work, and helps manage projects.
He finished his bachelor’s degree in History and is finishing his Masters in Public Administration in the University of the Philippines – Diliman. He is the author of the nonfiction children’s book Bayani Biographies: Jose Rizal and the coauthor of Bayani Biographies: Andres Bonifacio both published by Kahel Press. He has worked as a historical consultant for multiple heritage documentation and conservation projects on old churches, ancestral houses, Spanish fortifications, and other built heritage. As a scholar and cultural worker, his research interests include public history, heritage conservation and management, and cultural policy and governance.
Ar. Claudia Isabelle Montero, Communications Officer
Claudia is currently a PhD student in the Department of History at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her MPhil thesis focused on the role of history and culture towards built heritage protection, where it investigated how the 2009 National Cultural Heritage Act has been interpreted and implemented in Manila, Philippines. Her main academic interests are in history and historiography of colonial urban spaces (in the Philippines), built heritage, and heritage conservation practice. She is additionally interested in the articulation of the national politics of memory and identity. In 2018 she was a Junior Fellow for the Global Humanities Campus at the Freie Universität Berlin in Germany. An active member of the International Committee for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), she has been involved in several heritage activities in the Philippines.
She is a licensed architect and a conservator of historic buildings with applied experience in research documentation and condition survey assessment. She has worked extensively with nonprofit organizations, private clients and government agencies in the Philippines involving research and consultancy in the study of materials, methods, conservation, and restoration works. Additionally, she worked as a project architect for the National Museum of the Philippines in 2013, which aided in the supervision of the restoration works of several National Cultural Treasures in the Philippines.
As the Communications Officer of ICOMOS Philippines, Claudia develops the communications strategy of the organization that is in line with its mission and vision. They stay abreast with the organization’s priorities, programs, and activities and disseminate information on local and international events, learning opportunities, conferences, field schools, and heritage publications.
Ms. Kristine Kate Lim, EPWG Representative
Kate is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Geographical Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universitat Berlin. Her on-going research examines the risks and vulnerabilities of Philippine maritime cultural landscapes given natural hazards, climate change, and human activities. For her master’s thesis, she examined an archaeological shell midden in a local coastal site as proxy data to reconstruct past climate and its relationship to human marine adaptation.
Kate is an archaeologist and sits as a board member of several heritage groups such as the Kapisanan ng mga Arkeologist sa Pilipinas Inc. [KAPI], (Guild of Archaeologists in the Philippines), Tuklas (Discover) Pilipinas Society, and Artists’ Welfare Project, Inc. She provides the program direction of Tuklas, a non-profit organization composed of archaeologists and young heritage professionals that apply discovery learning and community engagement principles to mainstream archaeology lessons in the country. As a development worker, she worked in various non-profit and government organizations focused on community development, environmental conservation, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights. At present, she is a researcher at the Nayong Pilipino Foundation where she studies the conservation of Philippine cultural heritage sites.
As the Emerging Professionals Working Group (EPWG) Representative, Kate is tasked to be the official representative of the Philippines to ICOMOS International’s emerging professional working group program. They engage in international and regional teleconferences and are the liaison for collaborations with other national committees. They are also in charge of establishing the long-term strategies for ICOMOS Philippines’ Internship program.
Ar. Harvey A. Vasquez, Ex-Officio Representative to NCMS-NCCA
Harvey is a Registered and Licensed Architect (RLA) in the Philippines with 16 years of experience ranging from renowned local firms to international offices servicing wide-range of projects. International exposure gained while employed in Dubai (U.A.E.) and Singapore has enormously improved his interaction and negotiation skills affirming better grasp in the architectural profession. He is the Managing Partner at Kalamaam Design Studio and a Full-time Professional Faculty and the Architecture Program Chairperson at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).
He is currently heading STUDIO N0W as his banner studio. STUDIO N0W’s research interest lies in the intersection of Art and Architecture and its permutations in installation art. The studio also focuses on the seamless integration of the existing built environment with new Architectural Intervention using the strategic platform of Research by Design.
Harvey is the Ex-Officio Representative of ICOMOS Philippines to the National sub-Commission for Monuments and Sites (NCMS) of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). NCMS’ mandate is to assist the NCCA in conserving Filipino built heritage and its environments and the committee formulates strategies, policies, plans, programs, projects, and networking for the protection of historic structures, complexes, and landscapes throughout the Philippines.