Paglikom ng Kayamanan ng Lahi: Orientation and Workshop on the Philippine Registry of Heritage for the Province of Isabela

CAUAYAN CITY—The Philippine Registry of Heritage (PRH) Office conducted an orientation and workshop on the submission of local cultural inventories (LCIs) for the Province of Isabela and its component cities and municipalities. The event was attended by 56 culture and tourism officers across 32 local government units (LGUs). The Province of Isabela is among the few provinces in the Philippines with a 100% cumulative submission rate wherein all component cities and municipalities, including the Provincial Government, has submitted their LCI to the PRH. As such, the training program focused on the maintenance of their LCI. In particular, the discussions were centered on the improvement of cultural property documentation and the utilization of the LCI in the protection, promotion, and preservation of cultural heritage in accordance with the provisions of the National Heritage Law.

The PRH Team also conducted a workshop wherein participants were assigned to groups and were given a sample LCI submission to critique and improve its documentary and data requirements, with the goal of submitting a compliant LCI. The participants exhibited exceptional knowledge on the proper standards and formatting of documentary requirements, sharing their LGU’s best practices and advice to the plenary. They were also able to adopt the documentation principles and tips discussed to provide adequate minimum data on their assigned cultural property.

Apart from matters concerning the PRH, the participants also raised specific questions related to the declaration of their cultural properties and the enforcement of the regulations stated in RA 11961. In particular, they were concerned about unauthorized modifications to the National Cultural Treasures in their localities, the lifting of a Cease and Desist Order on the construction of a burned down church due to chance archeological findings, and assistance on a possible nomination to UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list.

Overall, the success of the event “Paglikom ng Kayamanan ng Lahi” proved that the Province of Isabela continues to be a valuable partner in the Commission’s mandate to preserve, promote, and protect the nation’s cultural heritage, and is evidently committed in maintaining their status as a 100% Registry-compliant province.