Not where I come from

Inefficient. Corrupt. Inept. Ignorant.

Those are words I've encountered in the course of discussions about the need to amend different laws and the issue of whether or not certain powers to regulate the environment and cultural heritage should be delegated to local government units.

The groups discussing the Sustainable Forest Management Bill and that discussing the Cultural Heritage Bill were different. However, the fears of some members of both groups were the same. They did not want to give power to the LGU because they believed that the LGU could not do the job. What if the LGU got bribed? What if the LGU officials are the violators themselves? They don't understand the law! 

Thankfully, not everyone shared those opinions. More importantly, there are a lot of success stories that show that empowering an LGU can lead to better implementation of the law. 

Last week, I had the joy and privilege of being among the speakers at the last Conservation Management Planning (CMP) Workshop at the old Session Hall of the Provincial Capitol. The CMP is a two-day training given by the Cebu Provincial Committee on Sites, Relics, and Structures as part of the Heritage Caravan organized by the provincial government.

The participants for this workshop were LGUs and private sector representatives from Daanbantayan, Bogo City, Santa Fe, Asturias, Danao City, Pinamungajan and Cordova. They had earlier participated in the Heritage Caravan and prepared a municipal/city-wide cultural map that detailed their tangible heritage sites and structures, as well as relics or artifacts of the past. 

Mr. Ruel Rigor emceed the workshop and talked about the caravan experience. Architect Melva Rodriguez-Java, the chairwoman of the committee, gave an overview of conservation principles. She also gave a presentation on "Historic Preservation and Adaptive Re-use". She cited the Cebu Cathedral Museum (formerly the Cathedral Convent), Museo Sugbo (the provincial jail until 2004), and Carcar Museum (the former municipal infirmary) as examples of successful adaptive re-use. The restoration of the Boljoon Bell Tower, as well as the plans for restoring Oslob Church, were also discussed.

On the second day, Ms. Gelena Asis, who teaches sustainable tourism and ecotourism at the University of San Jose-Recoletos, taught the participants how to plan a tour itinerary for cultural tourism.Prof. Jose "Jobers" Bersales, the Vice chairman of the Committee, gave a talk on establishing a community museum and had everyone laughing at his comic spiels.I spoke about cultural heritage and the law and discussed what an LGU can do under existing laws and given the Supreme Court decisions on the subject.

The current Cultural Heritage Bill is not very clear on what an LGU can do. In fact, the bill appears to require a declaration from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for cultural property to be declared a "local cultural property". I'd say that this is a step backwards as the NCCA does not even have a cohesive policy on local cultural heritage. At the CMP, very few participants (only four to be exact) were aware of the NCCA's existence. 

Cebu is probably the only province which has a province-wide cultural heritage program. I am aware that it takes a lot of resources, including dedicated and passionate people, and the right political climate, for the program to succeed. 

Hearing the CMP participants happily narrating their stories about what they have discovered about their places, their history, and themselves, made me very hopeful that the program will flourish and become integrated into their lives. Thus, next time I'm in a meeting with people cynical about LGUs, I can always say: Come to Cebu.