Probing on Philippine Old Churches

Laya. "Built heritage project" includes traditional ethnic houses, fortifications, lighthouses and churches, or any government civil structures. According to Ms. Gatbonton, the criteria for a structure to be considered a national landmark, and therefore be awarded the grant are antiquity, uniqueness, state of conservation, and location.

NCCA also tries to resolve issues on church and state separation by offering the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the bishop of specific parishes to forge a Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA). NCCA is also forging another MOA with all institutions carrying out work on heritage conservation.

On the side of the church, the Committee on Church Patrimony is established under CBCP as a response to a Vatican directive to establish such committee. Headed by Bishop Tumulak of Tagbilaran and assisted by Fr. Ted Millan Torralba (also of Tagbilaran), it is hoped that this committee can help educate the parishes and its clergy about the significance of conservation and its proper implementations. It is now working on pilot areas like Bohol, Iloilo, San Fernando, and Ilocos. However, like the CBCP this committee is advisory and has no police or implementation powers. If the bishop is receptive and cooperative the project can work, but if he is not, nothing moves, said Fr. Javellana.

The World Heritage List

Churches considered as heritage landmarks in the Philippines could receive farther acclamation when inscribed in the World Heritage List. For instance, Miag-ao Church was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1993, together with three other Baroque churches in the country --- San Agustin Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte; Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Church in Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur; and the San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila. The World Heritage Committee recognized all four as fusions of European Baroque reinterpreted by Chinese and Philippine craftsmen. The National Commission on Culture and the Arts nominated these four Baroque churches to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. However, it was to a great extent the work of architect Augusto "Toti" Villalon, a UNESCO commissioner who worked with private individuals on the necessary documentation.

World Heritage Committee, a UNESCO program established in 1972, has been working to ensure that proper conservation measures are undertaken to preserve the authenticity of the heritage structures. Aside from the four Baroque churches, there are four other cultural and natural sites in the Philippines that have been added in the World Heritage List, namely the

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