Senate committee approves Carcar City Cultural Heritage Zone Bill in 1st reading
Carcar City Division, Carcar City’s contingent to the Sinulog sa Lalawigan 2020. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Basic Education and Culture has formally approved in first reading House Bill 5644, which seeks to declare the city of Carcar as a cultural heritage zone.
Representative Eduardo Gullas of Cebu’s first district, who authored the bill, confirmed the development on Wednesday, July 22, 2020.
“I am happy to report that the Senate Committee on Basic Education and Culture formally approved on first reading House Bill 5644, which I authored. HB 5644 aims to create a cultural zone in the City of Carcar, Southern Cebu,” said Gullas who virtually attended the Senate committee hearing.
Carcar City forms part of the province’s first legislative district, which Gullas represents.
The proposed measure is aimed at preserving the historical and cultural structures in Carcar City, a fourth class city located 39 kilometers south of Cebu City.
Santa Catalina de Alexandria Church is one of the heritage structures found in Carcar City. | CDN DIGITAL FILE PHOTO
“Carcar is home to old-fashioned buildings and other monuments that are reminiscent of the architectural creations of the country’s colonial past and it would be a waste to just [to]allow them to disappear because of urbanization,” Gullas said.
READ: Bill that seeks to declare Carcar City national cultural heritage zone gets house committee nod
If the measure is passed into law, Carcar’s streets, parks, monuments, building, and natural bodies of water would be maintained “as close as possible to their forms at the time when they were of greatest importance to our country’s history.”
When enacted, the law will also 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 the renowned Calle Crisologo in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.
“It would also be given the utmost importance when it comes to priority development by concerned agencies such as the Department of Tourism for the purpose of encouraging tourists to visit there,” said Gullas.
DOT will be the primary agency tasked to also craft its implementing rules and regulation of the law once passed. /bmjo
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