Internal Committees

National Sustainable Development Goals Working Group (SDGWG)

The National Sustainable Development Goals Working Group – ICOMOS Philippines (SDGWG PH) coordinates ICOMOS and ICOMOS Philippines response to United Nations 2030 Agenda, through advocacy, policy, and localizing of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (ICOMOS, 2017).

ICOMOS Philippines Policy Guidance Task Team Members

LArch’t. Gabriel Victor Caballero, MA WHS, Focal Point for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of ICOMOS International 

LAr. Caballero is the Focal Point for the Sustainable Development Goals for ICOMOS and acts as facilitator and coordinator for ICOMOS’ work in relation to the global sustainable development policy arena. He coordinates the activities of the SDGs Working Group, develops ideas and monitors progress to support the implementation of the ICOMOS Action Plan for Cultural Heritage and Localizing the Sustainable Development Goals. Mr. Caballero is also an expert member of the International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes and specialises on sensitive landscape design interventions, cultural landscape research, culture-nature linkages and world heritage evaluations in rapidly urbanizing areas in Asia.

Ms. Anjelika Orui, BSArch, Policy Guidance Manager / Task Team Coordinator

Ms. Orui is a Junior Architect, Writer and Researcher based in Manila. She graduated with full scholarship and Latin honors in Architecture at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. During her time as an undergraduate, she served as a student ambassador and represented the country in International Forums about Sustainable Future Cities, Inclusive Design and New Global Challenges such as International Peace and Security and the Future of work after COVID-19. Upon graduation, she moved to Japan where she held a research position and volunteered as an ambassador to the Kobe City Government in Japan.

Currently, she is the Task Team Coordinator of the Sustainable Development Goals – Working Group of ICOMOS Philippines and manages a team of specialists in the localization of the ICOMOS International Policy Guidance for Heritage and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She is also an active member of the organization, conducting research and field work in various world heritage sites.

Arch’t. Kenneth J. Tua, MSc–MA DYCLAM+, MA CDIR, PhDAgSci Std., Task Team Member

Ar. Tua 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.

EnP. Chen Reyes – Mencias, MA ENV., Task Team Member

EnP. Mencias is a Tourism Planner who has been providing technical assistance to local governments, NGOs, national government agencies and private companies on tourism planning and ecotourism development for almost 20 years. She is a graduate of Tourism, Environmental Education and Urban and Regional Planning. She authored several planning tools designed to provide a more pragmatic approach to the planning process. She is also into tourism product development that capitalizes on both the natural and cultural assets of a destination. She advocates responsible travel, heritage conservation, and community-based approaches in planning.

Dr. Laya Boquiren – Gonzales, PhD, Task Team Member

Dr. Boquiren is the former Deputy Executive Director who leads the Heritage Space Program of the recently reformed Nayong Pilipino Foundation. This includes the conceptualization and strategic implementation of programs for a museum of ethnographic collections and a creative hub set in a planned urban forest. Prior to this engagement, she served as curatorial consultant for various institutions, creative hubs, and local and international projects. She contributed to monographs, academic journals, and learning resources as author and editor. Boquiren authored a book and curated exhibitions on Willy Tadeo Layug, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. Boquiren has a Doctor of Philosophy in Philippine Studies and as a Goldman Sachs grant recipient, completed short focused programs on the Creative Industries at the Institute of Media and Entertainment New York and Keio University Japan. Currently, she is the Arts Department Chair and Research Ethics Review Board, University of Asia & the Pacific.

She is also a member of prestigious professional organizations such as the International Society of Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF), International Council of Museums (ICOM), International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and is a Trustee at the Heritage Conservation Society (HCS).

Arch’t. Harvey A. Vasquez, UAP, M.Arch., Task Team Member

Ar. Vasquez 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.

IDr. Caroline Marie Lising, PhD Cand., Task Team Member

IDr. Lising is an archaeologist, licensed interior designer, and visual artist who has worked in print and broadcast media. As an archaeologist, she specializes in cultural heritage management of materials and sites of deep history. Archaeological Heritage management has always been her primary interest.

She continues to focus on this subfield of the discipline of archaeology to discover what can be done to develop it and where the gaps are, and how it can be of relevance and service to a greater majority of people. At the end of 2021, she intends to defend her PhD dissertation in Germany, in which she looks to answer these questions and will present recommenda<ons moving forward, after studying the landscape and environment of archaeological heritage management in the Philippines for the last ten years. She is currently part of the Kalinga Archaeological Expedition team that published a paper in the journal Nature (Inggico et al 2018), the Peñablanca Rock Art research team that published a paper in Radiocarbon (Jalandoni et al 2021).

Currently, she is also the Honorary Consul of the Honorary Consulate of Georgia for Luzon – Republic of the Philippines.

Arch’t. Claudia Isabelle Montero, M.Arch., MPhil, PhD Cand., Task Team Member

Ar. Montero 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.

Dr. John Lee Candelaria, PhD, Task Team Member

Dr. Candelaria is a Research Fellow at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan. He obtained his Ph.D. from the same institution in 2022 with a dissertation investigating war memorialization practices in Southeast Asia. He also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in History from the University of the Philippines and is interested mainly in researching peace and conflict issues in the Philippines and Southeast Asia through the lens of history, memory, and heritage using visual methodologies.

Mr. Giuseppe Luigi Hernandez Abcede, BSArch, Task Team Member

Mr, Abcede works in the architecture and construction project management industry with D.A. Abcede & Associates. He is a graduate of BS Architecture from De La Salle – College of St. Benilde, and was a former intern (2020), now an Associate Member at ICOMOS Philippines (International Council on Monuments & Sites). He is a member of ICOMOS Philippines’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Working Group. Gio is also the current Vice President of the Heritage Conservation Society.

His previous experience ranges from work as an architectural designer with architecture studio, One/Zero Design Co., and as a Research & Development Officer at Digiscript Philippines Inc., designing virtual tours for various cultural heritage sites. He is also a partner designer for fundraising initiatives with the San Sebastian Basilica Conservation & Development Foundation, Inc.

Local Members

LArch’t. EnP. Cris Justine G. Ugalino, CBP, CBA, Local Member

LAr. Ugalino is a Landscape Architect, member of Philippine Association of Landscape Architects (PALA) and International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA). PALA Philippine Landscape Architecture Standards Special Committee Member. Environmental Planner, Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners – NCR Chapter (PIEP-NCR). PIEP NCR Board of Directors 2021-2022, Awards Committee Chairperson, Knowledge Management Committee Vice-Chairperson. Certified BERDE Professional, Certified BERDE Assessor, Philippine Green Building Council – Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) Program. M. ICOMOS Philippines.

Ms. April Joy E. Dopeño, PhD Cand., Local Member

Ms. Dopeño is a fulltime faculty at the Department of International Studies, Far Eastern University Manila. A certified guest service professional (CGSP), experienced lecturer, trainer, and freelance tour guide for almost twenty years with demonstrated history of working in the education management, non-governmental institutions, and tourism and hospitality industry. She obtained her BA in International Studies at the College of the Holy Spirit Manila and MA in Cultural Heritage Studies from the University of Santo Tomas wherein her graduate research provided a comprehensive framework in utilizing the cultural heritage of the municipality of Dauis in Bohol in creating sustainable cultural heritage based tourism planning and development. Dopey also finished an intensive course in Art History at the University of Santos Tomas and Public International Law at The Hague Academy of International Law, The Hague, The Netherlands. She has also presented a number of academic research in both local and international conferences in the areas of Heritage Tourism, Cultural Diplomacy, Human Security, Sustainable Development, and Policy Analysis. Dopey was also awarded a full-time scholarship at Taylor’s University Malaysia where she is currently taking her PhD in Hospitality and Tourism.

Mr. Nicanor D. Germono, Jr., Local Member

Mr. Germono is the Co-Founder and President of the Youth for Pangasinan Heritage (Y4PH) –a youth-led volunteer organization which aims to raise awareness on and elicit appreciation of culture, arts, history, and heritage, among Pangasinan youth. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences degree, with a major in Social Anthropology and a minor in Political Science, from the University of the Philippines Baguio. He has been trained in archaeological excavation and ethnographic research, museum development and management, and heritage documentation and conservation through his participation in the Ifugao Archaeological Project Field School (2013 & 2014), Photogrammetry International Field School (2019 Full Scholar), Museo Kordilyera’s Museum Management Training (MMT), NCCA’s Cultural Mapping Project, and UP’s Social Science Research Extension Institute (SSREI), among others.

Communications Committee

This committee serves as the vehicle for communicating projects and learning opportunities, heritage news to the membership and public.  The team develops the Communications Plan for ICOMOS Philippines and maintains the online presence of ICOMOS on various social media platforms in engaging the public and the members of the organization.

Claudia Isabelle Montero, Communications Officer

Claudia Isabelle Montero 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.