Category: Internship

Rhizza Mae B. Comandante is an undergraduate student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines taking a Bachelor of Arts in History. She is a student and research assistant at the PUP Center of Human Rights and Studies. She is an active member of the PUP-Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Kasaysayan, and an active deputy of the Kabataan Partylist, a youth partylist group in the Philippine congress.  Despite her numerous responsibilities outside the university, she is a consistent President’s and Dean’s Lister and a scholar of the Taguig City Government.

Her research interests focus primarily on (1) Local History; for the aspiration to give limelight to the collective struggles and experiences of the grass-root masses and Indigenous people, (2) Cultural Heritage; as she believes that the long-standing history of the people is reflected on their Cultural Heritage, and (3) Asian Studies; because she wanted to acquire an interdisciplinary understanding in studying the diverse culture and profound history of the Asian countries.

She joined the ICOMOS Philippines Internship Program because of the belief that this institution will help her achieve her utmost goal: to serve the Filipino people. As a scholar, she would like to amplify the voice of the Filipino masses and Indigenous communities by studying their remarkable history and culture, by contributing to the conservation of their Cultural Heritage and traditions, and lastly, by advocating that history must be accessible to the general public. Under the program, she hopes to create a significant contribution to the organization with the guidance of the ICOMOS Philippines mentors.

Jake is a graduate student currently taking up MA Philippine Studies at the University of the Philippines Asian Center. Having graduated BS Communications Technology Management from the Ateneo de Manila University, he is passionate about how marketing, design, and heritage all intersect and inform the Philippine cultural identity. 

With ICOMOS, he hopes that his internship will deepen his understanding of heritage work in the country, as well as provide him an opportunity to contribute. He believes that heritage is an important part of realizing and appreciating who we are as Filipinos.

Novo Mickey M. Mitra is an undergraduate student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila studying Bachelor of Arts in History. She is an active officer of the student organization of the Department of History PUP ‘Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Kasaysayan’ as a year-level representative. Aside from school, she is an active officer and a member of a community organization ‘Rotaract Club of Culiat’ as Professional Service Director. She’s a consistent President’s Lister and a scholar. 

She joined a month Internship with ICOMOS Philippines because of her interest in studying culture in Traditions of the Philippines as well as Military History and the ruins that wars left in the soil of the Philippines. She believes that there is a world beyond books that she wants to discover in order to understand the diversified communities, their stories and their significance to each other. Like her program History, Heritage studies become closer to her heart as she met and read about the Indigenous People and their struggles about keeping their culture and Heritage in modern days and ICOMOS Philippines is one of the most powerful places to empower such ambition. She hopes to learn new things and knowledge outside her current program and contribute to the ICOMOS.

Glyre Treasure Faeldonia is an undergraduate student studying a degree in Human Geography at Lancaster University, UK. Aside from his studies, he is an active member in a number of student organisations that facilitate conversations and activities in international relations and cultural heritage in particular – and his proudest achievement is being recently accepted as a member of the European Students’ Association in Cultural Heritage!

Glyre wanted to get involved in the ICOMOS PH internship since he is impassioned with the policy-making, economic, and cultural-mapping aspects of Cultural Heritage. He also has a sharp interest in intangible heritage, with the main pursuits of preserving indigenous traditions and practices in the Philippines, on the main account that he comes from the Subanon people which further invigorates his enthusiasm! Furthermore, he aims to spread awareness to the British-based Filipinos of their rich heritage that is brilliant as it is abundant in the Philippines.

Throughout the duration of his internship, Glyre will be under the guidance of Tina Paterno to contribute in restructuring and repopulating the organisation’s e-library, as well as developing certain sections of the ICOMOS PH’s website. Further work also includes producing reports and assisting in reviews of certain issues pertinent in the field.

We are looking forward to Glyre’s work for ICOMOS Philippines. Welcome!

Lorenzo is an undergraduate student currently taking a degree in AB History with a minor degree in Education at the Ateneo De Manila University. With a passion for film and Philippine history, he hopes to combine the two passions to make history more accessible to people.

Lorenzo wanted to become an intern at ICOMOS Philippines because of his interest in making history accessible to people. He believes that knowing more about one’s own cultural heritage will help them value their own history. With these intentions in mind, he hopes to contribute to the research at ICOMOS.

Glad to have you on the team Lorenzo!

Kly Allyson Macaraeg is a college senior taking up a degree in History at the Ateneo de Manila University and is also currently taking a double minor in Japanese and Southeast Asian Studies. Her research interests lie mainly in cultural heritage and history, preservation of local languages, and ASEAN development studies.

Kly has joined the internship program with the goal of growing in knowledge in the field of cultural heritage, through a more hands-on learning experience in the development of resources in the Philippine context, and as well as advocating for more profound appreciation of Philippine heritage practice. Through the advice and guidance of her mentors she hopes to be able to make valuable contributions to the research projects of the organization’s internship program.

Welcome to the team Kly!

I was an ICOMOS Philippines Communications and Strategy intern from March 2021 to June 2021. As a Consular and Diplomatic Affairs student, most of my works were related to policymaking. Working with ICOMOS Philippines as a Communications track intern has helped solidify my passion and advocacy for all things heritage, culture, and history.

My two primary tasks were: 1) Communications and Strategy work support, including but not limited to social media management. I did the primary strategy support for the International Day for Monuments and Sites 2021 (IDMS) and the 2nd ICOMOS Philippines Student Symposium (IPSS). I also produced the collaterals for IDMS 2021 and edited the bio notes for the IPSS speakers 2) Copyediting organizational outputs, specifically the official ICOMOS Philippines website. 

Although I was not part of the research track, I was also assigned to research international heritage initiatives. In my research, I learned that young professionals and the like have been proactive in cultural works and simply need a better and suitable platform to deepen their contributions further. Hence, organizations such as ICOMOS are ever more significant in ensuring that we may continue to enjoy sustainable heritage. 

Two years on, as I pursue a law degree, I’ll continue promoting and advocating for heritage and culture in my sphere of influence. With the help of my experience as an ICOMOS Philippines intern, I’ll be able to effectively convey the proper cultural conservation and preservation issues that we must address.

The shift to a purely online internship did indeed make my ICOMOS Philippines internship experience unique. Regardless of the challenges that this posed, there were regular meetings between mentors and interns. The tasks assigned to me as a communication interns were mainly information dissemination in the different online mediums. Together with the ICOMOS Philippines Communication Team, we helped develop the Philippine culture and heritage conservation repository of information. These are not limited to the Philippine context; instead, it also includes international news, opportunities, and practices relevant to heritage practitioners, students, and enthusiasts. 

In addition to working on ICOMOS PH communications, I also had the opportunity to be a part of Project Alexandria’s study on the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property (PRECUP). I interviewed and gathered the view-points of LGUs in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regarding their cultural inventories- from their collection to preservation, which allowed new insights into the different government processes and experiences and the challenges that come with it. 

The theme of my internship has a lot to do with communication and information regarding heritage and culture. From my internship experience with ICOMOS PH, I’ve come to appreciate how access to information is a crucial part of governance. Not everyone has the same amount of access. I am glad that ICOMOS Philippines’ goal as an organization is to work towards an informed Philippine heritage practice.

Currently, I am part of a national government agency office focused on promoting and harnessing regional products and trade in the Philippines. Although my work is more focused on businesses, it has a lot to do with knowing a product’s origin, its history, heritage, and culture – to be able to promote and market the product or services efficiently. My current role also involves a lot of coordination with local government units and offices. My ICOMOS PH internship experience, especially with the PRECUP study, has contributed to building connections and coordination with different Philippine government levels.