Culture, history and heritage

The state of culture and arts, history and heritage is an under-discussed on-going concern. If history is the memory of a people, culture and arts are its soul. Our heritage and national patrimony is in need of protection and conservation. In 1994, the Omnibus Heritage Law was crafted to do just this, but remains unimplemented.

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization of the Philippines has already made the astute observation that policies and programs geared towards national development have shown to be more successful when infused with a cultural dimension. The expressions of our culture must then also be protected for future generations to appreciate. Arts and architecture is one of the medium through which culture expresses itself. Jose Rizal understood this. That is why he specifically chose to write his book, no longer for a European audience as originally intended, but for his countrymen. It is also why the culture and arts community is usually the first field that a totalitarian regime targets for censorship and suppression.

Culture is history, and history is culture as Nick Joaquin once observed. He wrote: “It was humble Filipino masons and artisans and carpenters and painters and chisel-wielders who created those more gorgeous public works: from the façade of Morong Church to the complex of structures that form the Taal cathedral square.” These are integral parts of our national history; with the Ifugao Rice Terraces, the first Philippine flag, the Rizal monument in Luneta (which should be protected) and so forth.

In 1994, the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts, pushed by the then Commissioner for the Subcommission on Cultural Heritage Felice Sta. Maria and the Executive Director of the NCCA Carmen D. Padilla with other culture institutions, initiated the Omnibus Heritage Law. Its purpose is “…the pursuit of cultural preservation as a strategy for maintaining Filipino identity, this Act shall pursue the following objectives: (a) Protect, preserve, conserve and promote the nation’s cultural heritage, its property and histories, and the ethnicity of local communities; (b) Establish and strengthen cultural institutions; and, (c) Protect cultural workers and ensure their professional development and wellbeing.”

When the NCCA first started, the law was that only items owned by the National Museum could be considered National Treasures; a limited view. In 1992, Felice Sta. Maria worked to expand the law to include any important cultural items, whether privately or publicly owned, as National Treasures. The first properties included under the expanded definition were of vital importance to the formation of the First Philippine Republic. For example, the site of the Malolos Congress, where the first constitutional democracy in Asia was formed; the Independence House and Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit; the original copy of the Philippine Proclamation of Independence; and, hopefully when it is finally found, the original copy of the Malolos Constitution. Also added were seminal cultural documents like the original manuscripts of Noli mi Tangere, El Filibusterismo and Mi Ultimo Adios. Even the birthplace of Rizal and the exile site in Dapitan were included. The Omnibus Heritage Law then is an extension of this principle. It creates a system for the classification, ranking, preservation and defense of cultural properties. We support the implementation of this bill.

Along with preservation and conservation comes the ability to prevent their destruction, misuse and even exportation for sale internationally. Cultural institutions must have the ability to be able to regulate the use, remodeling and even prevent the razing of culturally sensitive and important sites. Even something as minute as renaming a culturally and historically important street must be prevented.

The importance of preserving our cultural heritage, and thus our national identity, should be a growing concern for all Filipinos. We must preserve and protect our cultural properties. This bill is a landmark piece of legislation that, if properly implemented and supported, will be instrumental in preserving who we are as a people.