Bill that seeks to declare Carcar City national cultural heritage zone gets house committee nod

The Sta. Catalina de Alexandria Church is one of the heritage structures found in Carcar City.  |CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines— The road to being declared a national cultural heritage zone may be rough but Carcar City is certainly on the right track, says Information Officer Candice Acuña.

House Bill 1790, a measure which Representative Eduardo Gullas re-filed before the 17th congress, has already advanced to the committee level in the House of Representatives.  It now has the support of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture.

The bill seeks to declare the city of Carcar into a national cultural heritage zone to preserve its heritage structures.  It seeks  the preservation and enhancement of the cultural, artistic and social heritage sites.

If approved, the law will mandate the Department of Tourism (DOT) to formulate a development plan that will enhance tourism activities in the city’s heritage areas similar to that of Calle Crisologo in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.

DOT is the primary agency tasked to also craft its implementing rules and regulation.

“Four years ago, while I was still the tourism officer, I and my staff already submitted a request to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (for the declaration of national cultural heritage zones in Carcar City) and we did house-to-house interviews and did an inventory of at least 30 houses and structures in Santa Catalina Street alone,” Acuña said.

Acuña recalled that they documented old structures that were found in the area then.  Their documentation included the determination of the structure’s age.

“We were walking down Sta. Catalina St, under the heat of the sun, with umbrellas in tow. We knocked on the houses.  Some opened their houses to us and agreed to be interviewed but we also had an experience that we were not invited in. One time, gigukod pa mi ug iro (we were chased by a dog),” Acuña said.

The output of their house-to-house interviews, which included a written account on the history of the structures and their current conditions, were submitted to NCCA.

Acuña said that they have been looking forward to the declaration of national cultural heritage zones in their city since  Gullas’ first introduced his House Bill to the 13th congress.

“It was a very tedious and long process, I even didn’t anymore think that this declaration would happen. But thank God, it did!” Acuña said. | dcb