• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
An ordinance mandating the comprehensive cultural heritage mapping of both cultural properties and natural properties of cultural significance in the City of Bacolod, was passed on third and final reading by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod Wednesday.
Authored by Bacolod Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr., the ordinance said that the City of Bacolod is rich in culture due to its rituals, practices, and preserved areas, which are important points to consider in the coming cultural mapping, as certified by the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA).
The City Council recognizes the need to protect our local history, not only for tourism purposes, but also to pay homage to our ancestors and take pride in their sacrifices. Thus, the main objective of the Ordinance is to identify our historical sites for the benefit of our future generations, it said.
The conduct of cultural mapping and the institution of an enhanced Cultural Heritage Education Program in local school curriculum strengthen the conservation and protection of the City’s cultural heritage and ensure the preservation of its unique cultural character, the ordinance said.
The Ordinance to be known as the “Cultural Heritage Mapping Ordinance of Bacolod City,” mandates that in the conduct of cultural mapping, the City Tourism Office (CTO) of Bacolod City as the lead agency will coordinate with the NCCA and other cultural organizations and agencies, such as the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (“DENR”), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), among others and to culture and history experts, it said.
The City will submit reports of its Local Cultural Inventories (LCI) to the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property (PRECUP), the ordinance said.
All cultural properties and natural properties of cultural significance found, situated, and/or within the territorial jurisdiction of Bacolod City will be subject to cultural mapping and archiving, it added.*
