‘Dayaw’ 5th Episode Emphasizes Importance of Cultural Mapping

Senator Loren Legarda emphasizes the importance of Philippine heritage preservation and cultural mapping in the fifth episode of Dayaw titled “Pagbangon, Pagpapatuloy” (Restoring and Protecting our Colonial Past), which looks at the meticulous process of rebuilding and restoring our tangible heritage.

Episode 5 will air on October 29 at 6:00pm on the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC).

“It is important that we understand who we are and where we came from. I hope that viewers take to heart this important advocacy and understand why I persist in promoting the sustainable use of our finite resources, the preservation of our indigenous arts, and the celebration of our culture as a whole,” Legarda stated.

In this episode, Professor Eric Zerrudo, a proponent of cultural mapping, explains the importance of heritage documentation. In the case of Baroque churches in Bohol damaged by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in 2013, the restoration team which included Zerrudo relied on documentation that had been previously done on the structures’ design, thankful that they had “something to work on.”

The episode highlights two important colonial heritage sites in Iloilo— the Miag-ao church, a UNESCO Heritage site and the San Joaquin church. Also featured are restoration stories of the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the Church of Santa Barbara, both in Iloilo.

The episode also takes us to the northern city of Vigan, a UNESCO World Heritage City. In the absence of beautiful beaches and mountains, the community and the local government of Vigan worked together in drawing in tourists through culture and history.

The restoration and preservation of historic buildings, Gabaldon schools, centuries-old churches and heritage houses require highly-trained and skilled craftsmen. Dayaw visits Escuela Taller in Intramuros, where a new generation of craftsmen, artisans and technicians are being prepared for the important work of preservation.

Legarda, who has pushed to mandate cultural mapping by all local government units said, “Conscientious restoration must take into consideration the sensibilities and shared memories of the community while maintaining a building’s historic and architectural integrity.”

“Our culture and heritage are vital components of our identity and make us different from the rest of the world. We spend money and dedicate manpower to promoting tourist sites, we should extend the same effort in identifying, documenting, exhibiting and restoring our cultural heritage,” she stressed.

Dayaw, conceptualized and hosted by Senator Legarda, and produced by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and ANC, is shown every Thursday, 6:00pm on ANC with replays on Friday 1:30am and 2:30pm, Saturday 2:30pm and Sunday 11:00am. It is aired simultaneously on The Filipino Channel (TFC).