Garganera calls for protection of Cebu City’s heritage sites
The damage on the 300-year-old fence of the Yap-Sandiego ancestral house in Barangay Pari-an has caught the attention of Cebu City Council members. | Photo from Val Sandiego
CEBU CITY, Philippines — It is a responsibility of the Cebu City government to also protect its heritage sites.
This was the message of Councilor Joel Garganera, who delivered a privilege during the City Council session this afternoon, September 17, to raise a concern on the destruction of the 300-year-old stone fence of the Yap-Sandiego ancestral house in Barangay Pari-an.
Read More: Wayward truck rams, destroys Sandiego Ancestral Home’s 300-year-old stone fence
“If not for the immediate response of the police, the driver of the said truck would have gotten away after causing such damage which almost injured four tourists visiting the area. Years and years of history, gone in an instant. Are we to wait until irreversible and irreparable damage has been done before we take action?” said Garganera.
Garganera asked members of the Cebu City Council to pass legislation that will ensure the protection of the city’s heritage sites that have also become tourist attractions.
The protection of heritage sites should be included in the city’s planning and zoning plans, he added.
Read More: Rama on Sandiego Ancestral Home’s stone fence destruction:’We will make this an issue’
Following Garganer’s privilege speech, Council members asked the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) to restudy the city’s heritage sites and determine how they are fairing in a modern day community.
Garganera said that heritage sites must be protected from harsh industrial exposure because of their fragile state.
“Although we have avoided the worst that could happen, I cannot help but think how easy it is to erase a century worth of history in just a single, negligent act,” he said.
Legislators also asked CPDO to produce a cultural map that will be used as basis for zoning.
They also urged Mayor Edgardo Labella and the Cultural Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) to convene and conduct an inventory of the city’s existing cultural and heritage sites. | dcb
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