Tapia, Reeza Mei B.

Professor Jessica Peña

2014-20601 September 26, 2018

ARCHAEOLOGY 2 MIDTERM EXAM ESSAY

Heritage, by its book definition, is anything that is handed down from the past
generations. It may be something that is intangible like cultural heritage, traditions, stories,
and our values as an individual who is a part of a greater collection of human beings called
‘societies’. It can also be tangible, something you can see, or touch, or feel with your senses.
This includes the built and unbuilt environment – the structures, the artifacts, or even the
landscape.
Cultural heritage has a vast control over everything we do. Since all of us are a part of a
society and all societies has their own culture, cultural heritage includes all tangible and
intangible part of it. And to understand the past, we must look into it holistically. Cultural
heritage is more than conservation of the material remains, these material remains are only
a part of a bigger context. And I think cultural heritage is more than the sum of all of its parts
therefore, actions must be done in order to conserve it.
The world as we know it is because of the past events that has happened and
understanding how we are now, how our species has persevered and survived over time has
a great effect on how we will be in the future. Our choices however small they may be today,
has an effect no matter how small or large, to what will happen in the next few years.

How can we help as an individual?

Like what I previously mentioned, each individual has a huge effect on our cultural
heritage and likewise, the same effect can be used to protect it, a reverse effect.
As an architecture student, heritage is part of our curriculum. We took classes on world
heritage and Filipino heritage. It is because of the reason that we, the designers of the built
environment, are responsible not only on how the world would look now but also on how it
would look in the future.
The built environment is where we live in and has a social role in it. It is like the stage to a
play as William Shakespeare quotes “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women
merely players”. To be able to live out culture, we must first have a setting to do it.
The built environment has a way to dictate how societies would work. The discovery of
the cave made men less nomadic, for example. They learned that you can stay in one place,
seek shelter inside a cave, and plant food. This was a great shift from their normal lifestyle
back then.
The built environment is where it all happens -- it is a the medium for societies to form
and apply their cultural traditions, values, and beliefs. It has a way of dictating norms in the
present which subsequently affect the next few years.
 Therefore, understanding the consequences that architects have, in a way you are
responsible to the community. As an architect, you have to make decisions that are for the
best interest of the public. We have a greater social responsibility and that is through making
structures that are humane, and in every decision, we have to properly determine a
structure’s significance to the society – whether it would be better to conserve it or would
the land offer greater value if you demolish it and use it for something else.
Of course, heritage conservation is not merely saving something from the past because
not everything in the past is important and if we rely merely on that, then, what room do we
have for progress? I think it is best to list down pros and cons of the importance of a past
remain, and if it had a huge impact on how we are now, then, it must be preserved.
As a UP student, we are constantly being trained to be critical thinkers of our university –
to be proficient in our individual fields of expertise so that in practice, we may be able to
contribute to the betterment of our country. As a UP student, heritage is something that
made us who we are as citizens of the country, and as trainees of professionals who will be
dictating the next few generations of how our society will be. We, as students must
understand our past, to be able to identify our next move. Heritage is the legacy that we
brought to this country and the legacy that we are to bring by bringing our morals and
principles to our practice.

How do we preserve heritage?

Despite the fact that archeological heritage is not a priority of our government, we
can still do so much to support and promote the cultural heritage sector. Listed below are the
few things we can do:

a. Awareness campaigns

Awareness campaigns include making posters and infographics on

archeological heritage. During the midyear of 2017, as part of our CWTS
requirement in Escolta Conservation, we made a pamphlet about the different
things one can do in Escolta and the heritage buildings that are still found there.
Escolta used to be the queen of streets in Metro Manila. It was a prime business
center, much like BGC or other urban centers now. There is so much history in that
one strip of street that must be protected and people should know of it. However,
there is not much publicity or campaigns about it made by the government. Only
the middle class and upper class are within the reach of these campaigns, thus
they are the only ones participating in it. I think each individual really has a
contribution to conservation and something as simple as sharing a campaign on
Facebook will be beneficial.

When more people know about the importance of heritage, they will be more
aware of the surroundings and more cautious of their actions. For example, a
simple act of vandalism can be prevented with proper education. Knowing the
outcome of your actions will prevent you from negligence. For example, you will
 not throw trash everywhere knowing that everything goes somewhere and
recalling your lecture in Earth Science that trash clogs waterways which disrupts
nature.

Another reason is that if everyone knows what the profession does, what
archeologists do, there may be more people inclined to pursue this profession. Our
society has a way of dictating the courses we pursue based on the supposed need
of the economy. More people are taking courses that are what the global market
‘needs’. There is not much room to explore the things we want. Being fed which
professions to take limits this purpose of heritage conservation. Less people want
to study Filipino language, less people want to be experts in sociology, or in
anthropology because we are inclined on becoming ‘globally competitive’ (or
more commercialized rather). Should there be more awareness on the different
career fields we can pursue, there may be more heritage conservation experts.

b. Stronger laws protecting our heritage

There are actually existing laws on heritage conservation in our country.

Republic Act 10066 is an act that provides protection to our national heritage. It
also strengthens the agency that is directly concerned with retrieving and
conserving national artifacts which is the National Commission for Culture and the
Arts (NCCA). This law was signed by the former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
on March 26, 2010. Listed below are some of the other heritage conservation laws.

1. Republic Act No. 4846 – Cultural Properties Preservation and Protection

Act
2. Presidential Decree No. 105, s. 1973 – Declaring National Shrines as
Sacred (Hallowed) Places and Prohibiting Desecration Thereof
3. Presidential Decree No. 266, s. 1973 – Declaring National Cultural
Treasures, National Shrines, Monuments and/or Landmarks
4. Presidential Decree No. 374, s. 1974 – Amending Certain Sections of RA
No. 4846
5. Presidential Decree No. 375, s. 1974
6. Presidential Decree No. 756, s. 1975
7. Presidential Decree No. 1505 – Amending PD No. 206

Despite having these laws however, there are still instances where these are
violated. Perhaps its because they are not strictly implemented. Or perhaps
heritage conservation laws are still vague as to which ones shall be preserved. An
example would be the battle regarding the demolition of Torre de Manila. It is true
that it disrupts the view of an archeological landmark. For me the decision should
be clear from the very beginning. Rizal Shrine was there first, and it is a national
treasure. The situations should have been avoided had there not been negligence
on the part of the city officials. However, now that the condominium is already
 there, they are burdened with guilt and liability for all the wasted resources if
Torre de Manila is to be demolished, but at the same time there is also another
burden of protecting the view of the monument.

c. Be strict to your own morals and values when it comes to heritage

We must be for the benefit of more people. Every decision with regards to
conservation of heritage must be done for the best interest of the public. For
example, if it is your property affected by the law, follow it. You must think of the
nation instead of your own interests or gain. Escolta landmarks are examples of
this. Property owners there replace the old structures with new ones,
condominiums to be exact since it has more commercial value when turned into
those building types. Well, even if it is not the responsibility of the owner to
preserve the site or structure or anything that is found in it that is of great value,
he/she still has a responsibility to it. One thing you can do about it is perhaps
investigate on the property, its heritage value, and inform authorities about it. A
detailed assessment of the building/property may reveal other aspects to which it
can be used. Perhaps, adaptive reuse just like what was done to The First United
Building in Escolta where they modernized some of the interiors for offices. If the
authorities do not make any action about it, then, that’s your go signal.
d. Nationalism
And most importantly, nationalism has a huge factor in the conservation of
heritage. As a UP student, this was the main contribution for me by the university.
It taught us to love our country, to do our best in our selected field of expertise to
make a contribution, to serve the country. If your profession is within the scope of
heritage conservation, if you can do something even just one aspect of it, and you
know it would make a huge effect, do it.
Teach your student the value of using Filipino language, teach them how our
mother tongue does not hinder us from progress but makes for a better tool for
easier communication, teach them how a certain structure represents the style in
a certain time period, and teach them all the things that must be passed down
generation to generation. If you think one piece of knowledge can add value to
people’s lives, share it.

How do we go beyond our limitation in resources?

Since it is understandable that the government prioritizes the most basic need, we
must learn to work based on the resources we have. It is more realistic for us to do measures
that require less work and money. This can be done mostly by establishing preventive
measures. Like the famous saying goes “Prevention is better than cure”
We must rehabilitate now what has to be rehabilitated, identify what has to be
preserved. We must properly project the things that has a greater chance of becoming a
landmark so that in the future there won’t be an extensive need to rehabilitate these things
once they are already damaged or worse, beyond saving. Save them while it still isn’t too late.
Little measures when consolidated becomes one big effort.
An example of failure in the protection of heritage is Boracay. Recently it has been
closed down due to rehabilitation. The government has failed to foresee that constant
overuse of the national landmark contributes to its slow deterioration. Had they seen it
coming there wouldn’t have been a need to close it down totally now.
Of course, it is important to have high ambitions for our country – to be able to be as
progressive as the First World Country with heritage conservation as well established as
theirs. However, we must also be realistic on our actions. Since they have more funds and
well-established laws, their heritage conservation is far superior than us. But that shouldn’t
stop us. We are slowly getting there. We must look for smaller ways and more resourceful
ways to help. And I think we can do that as individuals, our collective action towards success
– in heritage conservation and other aspects – can help us achieve the goal of becoming on
par with other progressive countries.

References:

Denise Fabella, Denise (July 2016) A Filipino archaeologist’s mission to make prehistory
relevant today. Retrieved on October 3, 2018 from
http://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2016/07/15/mylene-lising-archaeologist.html

Zabal, Boy Ryan B. (July 05, 2018) Boracay rehab challenges: Treating sewage, relocating
illegal settlers. Retrieved on October 3, 2018 from
https://www.rappler.com/nation/206596-sewage-illegal-occupants-boracay-
rehabilitation-challenges

Khan Academy (n.d.) What is Cultural Heritage? Retrieved on October 3, 2018 from
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history-basics/beginners-art-
history/a/what-is-cultural-heritage