Burnham Park to be declared a national heritage site

AGUIO CITY — The city government supports the proposed declaration of the 34-hectare Burnham Park complex as a national heritage site provided that the corresponding duties and responsibilities of concerned government agencies and the local govern- ment will be appropriately delineated to avoid overlapping of functions just like what had been happening in the past.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan said the city does not object to the proposed declaration of Burnham Park as a national heritage site, but the law to be crafted for the purpose shall clearly define the duties and responsibilities of the concerned government agencies and the local government who have a stake on the management, operation and administration of the city’s premier park.

The 34-hectare Burnham Park complex is titled under the name of the Department of Tourism (DOT) but its management, administration, and operation was conveyed to the local government by virtue of Executive Order No. 224, Series of 1995 issued by former President Fidel V. Ramos and enhanced by EO No. 695, Series of 2009 issued by former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

He claimed that the law to be crafted relative to the park being declared as a national heritage site must clearly outline the specific duties and responsibilities of the DOT, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) among others, and the local government on how the affairs of the park will be effectively and efficiently managed for the overall development of the facilities within the area covered by the park.