Evangelists of heritage

What can you do to stop real estate developers from building tall structures beside historical landmarks?

That was one of the questions asked by French cultural heritage experts at a presentation by Ms. Gemma Cruz-Araneta on cultural heritage projects in Manila. Architect Augusto Villalon, the President of ICOMOS-Philippines, answered and said, "Nothing." It was true. Our national laws do not provide for buffer zones for heritage structures.

That was one of the things that the French experts learned about the way cultural heritage is treated in the Philippines. For two days, I listened to them share their experiences about cultural heritage at the National Museum when I took part in a two-day seminar entitled "Heritage Conservation: The French Touch" organized by the French Ministry of Culture and Communications, the French Embassy in the Philippines and ICOMOS-Philippine Committee.

One of the speakers talked about the measures that were taken to evacuate valuable artworks in case of fire (it was a mechanical contraption that cut the paintings from the frame and ejected them from the burning building). I was impressed when the speakers presented the Euromediterranee project in Marseille. Ms. Anne-Marie Cousin and Mr. Gerard Goudal (both identified as "Heritage Inspector" in the programme) showed how the city center was revitalized by converting old buildings into offices. They also talked about how important it was to preserve the silhouette of the city.

I also learned that in France, there is an association of "heritage coordinators" who work with the public and private sectors to promote heritage. The speaker was Mr. Xavier Bailly, the head of such association. He also discussed how the city of Amiens was able to attract more visitors and make them stay longer through a project where the façade of a church was lit up at night.

It felt surreal to hear the speakers talk about their projects and the magnitude of it all. In all case studies about heritage in France, it was assumed that the community involved was aware of the value of cultural heritage and that there was no issue about why there is a need to protect it (they took pains though to explain that the community concerned was consulted for all projects). It seemed that everyone in France knows that cultural heritage is part of collective identity.

When I described the Heritage Caravan project of the Cebu provincial government to them and told them that heritage workers went to different places in Cebu to make the communities in various municipalities aware of heritage, one of the speakers commented, "Like evangelists?" I wanted to laugh but realized that it was an apt way to describe the caravan.

They visited Cebu and seemed impressed by what they saw. They could not believe that a mass was being held at ten in the morning on a Friday in Santo Niño Church. Most of the churches in France were empty, they explained. I told them to come back in January when the novena masses would be held. That would probably surprise them more.

The last part of the seminar was held at the Army and Navy Club, a beautiful (and crumbling) colonial structure near Manila Bay needing millions of pesos to restore. I stepped out of the decrepit building and saw a brilliant red-orange sun about to set into the sea. After hearing the French speakers, I felt waves of envy and self-pity. Seeing the sunset made me realize that while we might have a long way to go before we appreciate our cultural heritage the way the French value theirs, we have a lot to be grateful for now. And most of them are free.

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