PGLU, LGUs PARTNER TO STEP-UP LOCAL CULTURAL MAPPING PROJECTS
By: Lorenna C. Luna, GPC-LUPTO | Photos By: Wendell B. Tangalin, PIO | Date: May 12, 2021
The Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) grants Cultural Mapping financial assistance to the local government units (LGUs) of Bagulin and San Gabriel through the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) by Gov. Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III, Bagulin Mayor Virigilio C. Flor, and San Gabriel Mayor Herminigildo M. Velasco on May 12, 2021 via video conferencing. The two LGUs will now join the Municipality of Bauang and City of San Fernando who are currently conducting their cultural mapping projects.
In the continuing pursuit of preserving and promoting La Union culture, arts and language, the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) officially grants Cultural Mapping financial assistance to the local government units (LGUs) of Bagulin and San Gabriel through the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on May 12, 2021 via video conferencing.
The virtual MOA signing was attended by Gov. Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III, Bagulin Mayor Virigilio C. Flor, San Gabriel Mayor Herminigildo M. Velasco, and their respective culture and arts/tourism focal persons.
During the program facilitated by the La Union Provincial Tourism Office (LUPTO), Gov. Pacoy expressed his full support to local cultural mapping projects in the province and asserted its utmost importance in protecting cultural heritage. “With the dynamic understanding of our culture, we as a province can move forward and advance to the demands of the times,” he said.
Each partnering LGU will receive Php 250,000.00 in financial assistance to roll out the cultural mapping projects in their localities, through the collaboration and technical assistance of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
As a concluding part of the program, the culture and arts/tourism focal persons of the Municipality of Bauang and City of San Fernando who earlier launched their cultural mapping projects, shared their progress reports. Bauang identified 307 heritage elements for field mapping, 155 or 50.49% of which have already been validated through the first follow up. On the other hand, the City of San Fernando was able to ascertain 227 local heritage elements, of which 132 or 58.15% are ready for NCCA’s final review. Both LGU representatives expressed that as their teams went through the different cultural mapping phases, they discovered and learned more about their localities. These LGUs realize that having a concrete and updated cultural database can only be achieved through sustained and unified efforts to map culture and heritage properties.
Republic Act No. 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, states that the LGUs, through their cultural offices, shall maintain an inventory of cultural property under its jurisdiction. PGLU and partnering LGUs recognize the true worth of cultural mapping as a systematic approach in identifying, recording and classifying the cultural properties or resources of the community in order to describe, visualize and understand them.
