BAGUIO CITY – The city council committee on education, culture and historical research is proposing for the creation of a local cultural council that will be primarily take charge of working out the unification of the diversed cultures of the city and facilitate the declaration of heritage sites, historical landmarks among others in the different parts of the city.
Councilor Peter Fianza, chairman of the aforesaid committee, explained there is a need to put in place the historical and cultural direction of the city government to avoid future conflicts similar to what has happened to the marking of the city hall building as a marked structure and the declaration of Burnham Park as a historical landmark by concerned cultural agencies.
“We need to gather all sectors into one body so that its collective actions will guide the city government in adopting appropriate policies beneficial to the preservation and protection of our rich culture and history,” Fianza stressed.
He revealed the local cultural council will be composed of duly authorized representatives from the numerous tribes in the city, concerned government agencies and the local government for them to be able to extensively deliberate on the appropriate programs and projects that should be undertaken leading to cultural and historical preservation and protection in the city.
According to him, representatives from concerned cultural agencies such as the National Heritage Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and its umbrella organization, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) could also be made members of the local cultural council in order for the body to be able to have a holistic view and approach of the direction of the city in terms of cultural and historical preservation of the city.
Fianza cited all issues in relations to cultural preservation and protection, marking, classification and declaration of heritage sites and historical landmarks among others should be extensively deliberated by the experts in the cultural council before its collective actions will be submitted to the city government for implementation.
He said his committee will first consult with the different leaders of various tribes in the city to get their consensus on whether or not they support the creation of the local cultural council before filing the appropriate legislation for such creation to boost the city government’s efforts in cultural preservation and protection and the subsequent preservation of heritage sites and historical landmarks.
Fianza said comments, suggestion and recommendations in relation to the proposed local cultural council, its structure, operations and functions, will be entertained by his office in order to get all possible ideas that would effectively and efficiently address all possible angles of the cultural council prior to the passage of the required legislation.
Fianza cited now is the time for those who value the preservation and protection of the city’s culture and heritage to share their equally important views, opinions and arguments on what will be the city’s direction to continue preserving and protecting its rich culture and traditions as well as its existing heritage sites and historical landmarks that must be protected from being damaged, citing that the city will always work for the protection of the heritage sites through the introduction of projects that will protect and preserve them for the benefit of the present and future generations of local residents. By Dexter A. See
