Cultural Heritage in the Philippines

Cultural Heritage in the Philippines

• The Philippine Constitution commits to promoting, enriching, and conserving artistic and historical wealth.
• Cultural properties are under State protection, with regulations on their disposal.
• Republic Act No. 10066 (National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009) aims for harmony between the past and present.
• The act emphasizes the integrated approach to cultural conservation across disciplines and technologies.
• Its management should be responsible, inspiring present and future generations.
• Objectives of the act include protecting, preserving, conserving, and promoting cultural heritage, local communities' properties and histories, establishing and strengthening cultural institutions, protecting cultural workers, and ensuring their professional development and well-being.
• Article XIV of the 1987 Philippine Constitution addresses Filipino national culture, emphasizing unity in diversity, artistic and intellectual expression, and the patronage of arts and letters by the state.
• The state is obligated to conserve, promote, and popularize historical and cultural heritage and resources, including artistic creations.

Categories and Definitions of Cultural Heritage

• Cultural heritage is the totality of cultural property, passed down through generations.
• Cultural property includes churches, mosques, places of worship, schools, historical and natural resources, movable and immovable objects, tangibles and intangibles.
• Tangible properties hold historical, archival, anthropological, archaeological, artistic, or architectural value, including antiques and natural history specimens.
• Intangible properties encompass practices, representations, expressions, associated knowledge, skills, instruments, objects, and artifacts — oral traditions, languages, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge concerning nature, and traditional craftsmanship.
• Nationally significant properties exhibit historical, aesthetic, scientific, technical, social, and/or spiritual value, unifying the nation.
• Important cultural properties are those with exceptional cultural, artistic, and historical importance.
• National cultural treasures are unique properties, possessing outstanding historical, cultural, artistic, and/or scientific value, and declared so by relevant agencies.
• Historical shrines/monuments are sites/structures historically important, as declared by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

Cultural Agencies and Functions

• The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) sets policies and guides for activities related to cultural heritage.
• The National Museum (NM) is responsible for the preservation and promotion of the country's rich artistic and cultural heritage, with a focus on reconstruction and rebuilding.
• The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) approves the declaration of historic structures, monuments, and heritage houses and regulates their preservation.
• Other agencies and institutions are also involved (e.g., Department of Education, National Library, Cultural Center of the Philippines).

Cultural Mapping

• Cultural mapping involves a participatory approach to documenting, recording, and using community cultural resources for community development.
• It helps understand and utilize cultural resources effectively and efficiently.
• The process identifies, records, and classifies cultural properties in a locality.
• It is important for the LGU to take the lead in its cultural mapping projects in order to enhance the local cultural landscape.
• Critical factors for creating a cultural map include community participation, organization structure, data gathering, data validation, and cultural data management.

Assessment of Significance

• Significance assessment comprises a summary of heritage values for a cultural property.
• This process identifies the historical, aesthetic, scientific, and social significance.
• Criteria include ownership, usage, documentation status, condition, people using it, and stories associated.

Phases of Cultural Mapping

• Scoping and Negotiation Phase: involves coordinating the project's implementation and securing mutual agreement. Orientation and information-gathering are crucial to establish objectives and scope.
• The Social Preparation Phase: Orientation of all concerned stakeholders involved in the project's implementation and data gathering, aiming at generating a comprehensive cultural property profile of the locality.
• The Training of the Local Team Phase: Local mappers are trained in collecting data, and filling-out forms based on the modules prepared by and presented by the NCCA.
• The Data Gathering Phase: The mappers conduct fieldwork and data collection on assigned properties and practices.
• Lastly, Data Validation and Output/Report Generation ensure quality control and compilation of data, culminating in a comprehensive cultural profile.

The Role of Cultural Agencies

• They determine cultural significance, promote conservation, and protect cultural properties, while respecting local contexts, cultural diversity, and participation.
• This includes collaborations between relevant governmental agencies, local communities, and NGOs, coordinating efforts for effective handling of cultural properties and resources.