Manila expands Spanish cultural heritage advocacy

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Historical and Heritage Commission vice chairperson Gemma Cruz-Araneta said they have expanded their advocacy for Spanish cultural heritage preservation by reaching out to local government units across the nation.

“We have decided to conduct series of seminars in towns and cities making governments realize the importance of their built heritage recoveries,” said Araneta who also serves as executive assistant to Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.

During seminars, Araneta said they make it a point for LGUs to send their city engineers, architects and contractors, and all those involved in the protection of the country’s cultural heritage and heritage zones.

Under the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 signed into law by President Arroyo on March 26, 2009, the heritage zone shall be maintained by the LGU concerned. The same law also prohibits the renaming of cultural properties.

To further promote Spanish culture and language in the country, the Spanish government spends an estimated P10 million a year to bankroll various researches and activities that promote Spanish culture and language in the country. The funding is coursed by the Spanish Ministry of Culture through its grant-giving body, the Spanish Program for Cultural Cooperation. The program theme, “Toward a Common Future,” expresses the intent to build a strong common future among participating countries rooted in their historically rich common past.

In a recent news conference at the Instituto Cervantes in Manila, SPCC general coordinator Jose Rodriguez noted that since its foundation in 1997, the Spanish government has given thousands of grants that translated into excellent researches, cultural activities, and publications all across Asia Pacific and other countries.

The grants can involve research on the cultural heritage of the Philippines and Spain and the Pacific Islands, publication of original research and of classic and modern Spanish texts in translation, cultural activities representing Spanish culture in its natural setting in the Iberian Peninsula and in other settings such as the Philippines and the Pacific Islands, and conferences, symposia and seminars involving collaborative and interdisciplinary research, Rodriguez said.

To date, he said, SPCC is accepting grant applications that will be used for Spanish studies in any fields. Applicants should submit their proposals on or before May 31, 2010 to the SPCC at Instituto Cervantes, 855 T.M. Kalaw Street, Ermita, Manila. Application forms and more information are available through www.spcc.com