Public, private collaborate to preserve heritage sites

PUBLIC and private sectors have linked up to identify, conserve and preserve the city’s heritage sites and resources.

City council committee on education, culture and historical research members Councilors Peter Fianza, Benny Bomogao and Mylen Yaranon lauded the efforts of the University of the Philippines College Baguio Educational Foundation Inc. (UPCBEFI) through project leader Dr. Rowena Boquiren and other civil society organizations to pursue the Baguio Heritage Mapping Project.

The lawmakers said the project, which aims to collate data on heritage sites and resources in the city leading to their conservation and development using the “adaptive re-use” concept, will be a big boost to the city government’s own efforts at heritage conservation.

The legislative committee is in the process of consolidating all inputs on heritage sites while proposed measures towards heritage identification and protection have been filed before the city council.

These are the proposed ordinances for the creation of the City of Baguio Council for Culture and the Arts (CBCCA) filed by the committee and for the official declaration of heritage zones, markers, buildings or structures and creation of a Baguio Heritage Council submitted by Councilor Leandro Yangot Jr.

Both are now being considered by the body and are open for inputs from the private sector.

The aldermen in response to the concerns raised during the interagency and multisectoral meeting on

mapping project held July 5 committed to support the findings and recommendations that will be made to achieve the goals of the project.

During the meeting, Boquiren expressed hope the city government can come up with the legislative measures before the Baguio Day celebration on Sept. 1.

The initial list of heritage sites and structures which were researched on and validated by the project will be made available for the purpose along with the other products targeted by the project particularly the information kit and electronic map or e-map of these sites.

A monitoring team to be led by Gil Bautista was formed to follow through the completion of the cultural materials that will be submitted to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Led by the UPCBEFI with support from the environment protection group Pine Cone Movement Inc. (PCMI) and in cooperation with government agencies, the mapping project has a timeline of two years within which they aim “to produce a heritage mapping report and advocacy products for dissemination to the public, assess priority sites and have a model for retrofitting and/or adaptive re-use, build a partnership that shall sustain heritage mapping work and conservation action and recommend policy and conservation actions to mandated agencies for Baguio’s heritage promotion and protection to sustain the city’s status as renown tourism destination.”