Carcar residents worried about heritage town costs

A number of residents in Carcar complained about the cost the declaration of the place as a heritage town might have on fellow community dwellers and possible investors alike.

This was raised by Poblacion Dos barangay captain Edgardo Paras in yesterday's public hearing on the ordinance declaring Carcar as heritage town.

Paras said the ordinance should contain provisions of a climate that will not penalize residents, who may be, constructing or renovating structures that are not in consonance with the heritage plan.

"Kinahanglan ba gyud nga mogasto og dako aron motukma sa heritage plan? Multahan gud ta ani," Paras questioned.

Paras has several ancestral houses in his barangay that includes the popular "balay nga tisa."

Carcar Heritage Conservation Society head Manny Castro assured Paras there is no need to put up a bigger amount.

Architect Melva Java, president of the Committee on History, Sites and Relics and a member of the National Historical and Cultural Commission, affirmed by saying that constructing and renovating following the heritage theme is even cheaper.

She said they just have to build edifices that "will not appear unsympathetic to the rest of the neighborhood."

"The materials to be included are even cheaper, they don't have to build something to make it look like it is old as that would already be cheating," Java said.

She added this is precisely why there is a Carcar Heritage Conservation Council that will act as the consultative body in going through the design prior to the approval of the building plan.

Java also said there is a need to speed up the approval of the ordinance since Carcar is "losing historicity at a faster rate."

The idea of declaring Carcar as heritage town started in 2000, but only yesterday did the municipality conduct a public hearing.

Observers noted there is still a need for the community to be educated on the advantages of being declared a heritage town as many are not even aware of how "historically, naturally and culturally rich the town of Carcar is just like Vigan City of Ilocos Sur." - Ferliza C. Contratista