News & Events

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Internship Testimonial – Marga De Lemos (Comms and Strategy Track)

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.

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2nd ICOMOS Philippines Student Symposium

We believe there is good student research out there that should be shared. ICOMOS has culled through abstracts and presents the most relevant and innovative among them, followed by a discussion among its expert members in those fields.


[Schedule for the 2nd ICOMOS Philippines Student Symposium]

Check out our lineup for #IPSS2021!

Day 1, 28 May 2021 (Friday)

OPENING SESSION: Heritage Makers, Change Makers
Keynote Address by Dr. Felipe de Leon Jr., NCCA National Music Committee Chair

SESSION 1: The doing of built heritage conservation: Methods and approach
Paper presentations by Vangie Cheryl Ulila, Tiffany Bello & Shayna Mari Tria

Day 2, 29 May 2021 (Saturday)

SESSION 2: Heritage Values: Intangible meanings, tangible effects
Paper presentations by Jose Medriano III, Mary Marguerette Cruz, Louie Ann Valeriano & Jezreel R. Nugas

SESSION 3: Adaptive Reuse: Old buildings, new uses
Paper presentations by Ira Ben Tobis, Jazel Lynn Ong & Gellaine Marie Burgos

This is a free event. Scan the QR code or go to tinyurl.com/IPSS2021 to register now!

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New Intern: Briel Lising (May – August 2021)

Briel Lising graduated with a degree in AB History and a minor in Cultural Heritage from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2017. Since then, she has worked for Saint Pedro Poveda College and the Lopez Museum. Currently, she is teaching college freshmen in the Ateneo  as part of the Department of History. Briel hopes that her internship with ICOMOS will help her gain knowledge and confidence to start a community-based heritage program for the city of Pasig. Through her experience in research and education, as well as a heart for heritage, she hopes to make valuable contributions to the research project with the guidance of her mentors under the ICOMOS Philippines Internship Program.

Briel’s mentors are ICOMOS Expert Members Chen Mencias and Gabriel Caballero. Chen Mencias is a tourism planning consultant who runs her own firm, Blue Water Consultancy and the the primary mentor of the research. Gab Caballero is a Landacape Architect based in Singapore, currently the Focal Point for Sustainable Development Goals of ICOMOS International. Briel will be working with Chen and Gab for research on the Role of Heritage Conservation as a Dimension of Sustainable Tourism in the Philippines.

We look forward to Briel’s contributions, welcome to the team!

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Internship Testimonial: Ceirene Malolos Communications and Strategy Intern (November 2020 – February 2021)

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.

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Diverse Pasts, Complex Futures – ICOMOS Day 2021 (April 18, 10:30am GMT+8)

In celebration of ICOMOS Day 2021, themed ??????? ?????, ??????? ???????, the Philippine National Committee hosts a talk that explores the creation, selection, and preservation of heritage through the kalesa study and the jeepney. 

Urban historian ??. ??????? ????? discusses the evolution of the carruaje in pre-War Manila. In the last century, it was perceived as a relic from an “unmodern” past that must give way to newer, safer transportation forms. Today it survives primarily for tourists who seek a nostalgic experience, or perhaps an incomplete interpretation/presentation of the Walled City and other historic districts. 

What lessons on heritage declaration and preservation might one draw by studying the case of the kalesa and the jeepney, currently absent from the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property? What insights might be applied to contemporary vernacular architecture, especially those of lower-income Filipinos? What role do heritage managers and cultural workers play in identifying what should be preserved and ensuring that cultural properties, especially those heavily used and meaningful to marginalized communities, endure into the future? 

These questions and more will be explored by Dr. Pante and guest discussants ???? ??? ?????????? and ?????? ?????? moderated by ???? ???????. 

  • The webinar will be held via Zoom on 18 April, Sunday at 10:30 AM Hong Kong SAR, MNL time 
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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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Internship Testimonial: Ruby Descalzo, ICOMOS PH Intern 2020

As an environmental scientist and as a heritage advocate, I find myself eager to learn about the interconnectedness of culture and the environment. Though miles away from the Philippines, I joined ICOMOS Philippines as an intern hoping to broaden my knowledge on our cultural and natural heritage, and likewise to grow as a young professional in the field of heritage. 

I was able to accomplish a variety of tasks during my internship, focusing graphic design, branding, and research work. These included creating promotional materials for ICOMOS Philippines’ talks and webinars series as well as contributing to the mapmaking for Project Alexandria and the archaeological research project led by Dr. John Peterson. My experience was made more fruitful through the mentorship of the Communications Team members, headed by Ms. Claudia Montero as they were able to help me translate my ideas into effective communication materials. Moreover, my involvement in the research work enabled me to be exposed to various heritage conservation aspects as well as Philippine Archaelogy which afforded me the opportunity to learn about facets of history that I would not have come across were it not for Dr. Peterson’s project.

My internship in ICOMOS Philippines was my first exposure to professional heritage work. Throughout the program, I gained a better understanding of various facets of heritage: cultural landscapes, built heritage, as well as the challenges that the Philippine heritage practice currently faces. However, the most important lesson and firsthand experience that I had with the organization was seeing the interdisciplinarity of heritage work exemplified by the members. 

After my internship, I have started working as a research assistant for a research project on lake methane dynamics. While my current work mainly deals with environmental science, I hope to continue contributing in any way I can to our country’s natural and cultural heritage conservation. And in the hopes of improving my knowledge in both environmental science and heritage conservation, I hope to pursue graduate studies on ethnoecology and eventually join ICOMOS Philippines as a member this time.

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Internship Testimonial: Gio Abcede, ICOMOS PH Intern 2020

During my internship, I was exposed to the different projects of the Architects Committee–from contributing to their Focus Group Discussions, to researching on the International Scientific Committee on Twentieth Century Heritage (ISC20C), and to delving into the topics for the proposed CPD Talks on proper adaptive reuse strategies and design principles application to historic buildings. These involvements enabled me to get a better understanding of what constitutes a good conservation and adaptive reuse project. Insights gathered from ISC20C advocacy projects and initiatives, which can be helpful in resolving 20th century structures’ demolition issues, and the various case studies encountered during this research aided the discussion in how to work around the challenges architects may face regarding conservation parameters. 

Other than the work for the Architects Committee, I was also exposed to more heritage research by contributing to Project Alexandria and working on the ICOMOS Philippines Online Library which both helped me gain a more comprehensive look into the current heritage conservation landscape in the Philippines. Moving forward with my architectural and documentation work, the learnings that the experience offered to me by ICOMOS, my mentors and its members is something that I am extremely grateful to have.

“Through the guidance of my mentors in ICOMOS Philippines, I was able to get a better understanding of what constitutes a good conservation/ adaptive reuse project. We looked into local and international case studies and discussed what challenges architects face in the process of designing with conservation parameters.  I hope to carry these insights and instill them in design principles for my work in Architecture and documentation projects.”

I will be completing my thesis, a proposal on a values-based adaptive reuse guide using a typo-morphological analysis of Avenida Rizal, in hopes to stir the discussion of how heritage values may be better interpreted by designers/architects. I am also taking on projects that create virtual tours for tourist destinations and heritage sites around the Philippines. I hope to get more experience in fields relating to heritage work and eventually return to ICOMOS and contribute more as a member.

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Introducing Kristen Banaag, ICOMOS Philippines Intern – November 2020

Kristen Banaag, ICOMOS Philippines Intern 2020

With greater amount of online content and communications activities, ICOMOS Philippines is now looking at data protection and intellectual property management for its members. ICOMOS Philippines is happy to share that we will have a third intern working with us for the next months:

Kristen Banaag is an undergraduate student taking up Diplomacy and
International Relations with a specialization in East and Southeast Asian Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines. She is familiar with project management, and publications and is actively involved in various organizations that are centered on youth empowerment and leadership advocacies in line with her passion to pursue philanthropic and socio-cultural causes.

Kristen wanted to be part of the ICOMOS Philippines internship program because she believes that it will enable her to productively apply the insights and takeaways to her field of study. She believes that it is essential to widen one’s perspective on the cultural diversity of one’s country to successfully imbue a positive impact through her prospective line of work.

Aside from working on content creation, copywriting, and social media management, Kristen will also contribute to developing the intellectual property and copyright protocols and develop a marketing plan to increase the audience of ICOMOS Philippines across potentially interested groups even outside the heritage field . This work will be guided by the Secretariat, Carissa Veloso and Trustee, Kara Garilao. She will also be supporting the creation of the digital library of ICOMOS Philippines under the mentorship of Communications Committee Member, Rancho Arcilla.

Welcome, Kristen! We’re very pleased to have your assistance.

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Internship Testimonial: Patricia Panganiban, ICOMOS PH Intern 2018

Under the mentorship of Tina Paterno, I had my internship with ICOMOS Philippines in 2018. Together with Sen Roxas, we worked on understanding the state of conservation practices in the country: What sites get conserved? What are the methods being used? With these in mind, we kicked off our baseline research by gathering reports on conservation projects in the country, with emphasis on building typology, regional project distribution, funding, and conservation methodologies and practices.

“The work in ICOMOS Philippines gave me a good starting overview of cultural work being done in the country… The experience that I gained through my research helped prepare me for the challenges that come with setting up a museum, especially the research into an institution’s history.”

From emailing different government agencies, to scouring libraries, and getting access to reports, our work, though arduous, was made more fruitful by the help and insight offered by various ICOMOS Philippines members who willingly shared their experiences, opinions, and suggestion to aid our research. The experience that I gained in my ICOMOS internship has helped prepare me for the challenges of my current work and even beyond.

ICOMOS Philippines’ internship program equipped me with the necessary knowledge and background as I witnessed the work conducted by the National Museum and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Currently, I am part of the development team of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation’s museum project, Museo ng Nayong Pilipino. Thanks to my ICOMOS experience, I am able to handle the challenges faced as we develop our collection and exhibits.

For interested students and or new graduates who would like to take internship with ICOMOS Philippines, please contact  info@icomosphilippines.com