BAGUIO CITY – The city government is supportive of the overall plan of the Baguio Historical Foundation and concerned cultural agencies to declare portions of the city as either national shrines, national monument or national landmark pursuant to existing provisions of Republic Act (RA) 10066 or the new law protecting the country’s heritage.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan explained there is nothing wrong to declare identified portions of the city as heritage sites or historic landmarks but advocates and the city government must sit down together to discuss the matter before submitting a consolidated request to the concerned cultural agency for such declaration in the future.
“We do not object to the declaration of portions of the city as heritage sites or historic landmarks because we recognize the efforts of our predecessors in preserving and protecting such important places. However, we must put things in their proper perspective by consulting the owners of the properties and come out with a unified request,” Domogan stressed.
He challenged heritage site and historic landmark advocates to draw the line by following the actual procedures prescribed under the law prior to declaration and not simply insist on what they believe is right.
According to him, the declaration of Mansion House as a historical landmark in the city should be the benchmark in working out the declaration of other similarly situated sites in the city.
In 2009 the former National Historical Institute (NHI), now known as the National Heritage Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), passed Resolution No. 001, series of 2009 declaring Mansion House as a historical landmark and its status was said to be Level I.
However, in the case of city hall, the NHI placed a marker recognizing it as a historical structure but no formal resolution was passed for its formal declaration as a historical structure, thus, it remains under the Level II category or marked structure.
Further, in the case of the initial declaration of Burnham Park as a historical landmark, Domogan argued the consent of the owner which is the tourism department, and the administrator, which is the city government, were not even secured when the BGF filed for its recognition as a historic landmark, thus, there is no formal declaration yet to speak of.
Domogan explained what needs to be done is for advocates to sit down with the city government in order to identify the appropriate places to be declared as heritage sites and historic landmarks to prevent overlapping of proposals with the concerned cultural agencies.
He challenged the advocates not to mislead the people through the social media about the real procedures in the declaration of heritage sites because they seem to have violated the same by not securing the consent of the owners in proposing for the declaration of Burnham Park as a historic landmark.
He asserted the best thing to do at this time is for everyone to sit down and listen to the issues to be raised before consolidating whatever places that should be declared as heritage sites so that the city council will come out with a formal resolution supported by a petition for the private sector in order to achieve the purpose of having the declaration of heritage sites in the city.
