MANILA, Philippines – May is declared the National Heritage Month (NHM) in the Philippines.
Leading this celebration is the Taoid Heritage Program of the Subcommission on Cultural Heritage (SCH) of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), a statement said.
An Ilokano word meaning “heritage,” Taoid was established not only as a facilitator of the celebration of the heritage month but also as a program that implements cultural intervention projects for local government units to enrich their culture and arts. This year it has taken on the theme “Pamanang Pinoy: Taoid 2014.”
The Taoid celebration, which will be observed throughout the year, will kick off its Luzon leg with a series of activities in Albay-Masbate-Sorsogon (ALMASOR), touring the three different places from May 1 to 5. The Visayan leg officially opened in Limasawa, Southern Leyte last March 31 in line with the 493rd commemoration of the first mass in the Philippines.
Almasor is a Spanish word which means “soul sisters.” Siblinghood is about connection thus the choice to give emphasis to such siblinghood between the three Southern Luzon provinces belonging to the Bicol region. Taoid Heritage Program is not only trying to establish connections between ages but also between places.
SCH will conduct a rapid assessment of different cultural properties and institutions of Daraga, Legazpi City, Sorsogon, and Masbate City such as museums, historical markers, heritage houses, artist organizations and galleries, libraries, and the Cagsawa Ruin.
Schedule of activities
The first day of the Luzon leg of Taoid will be held in Daraga, Albay where there will be a “Walk for Heritage” from Cagsawa Ruins to Daraga Church, where the opening of NHM will be held at night. In the morning, there will be a demonstration of ibos-making and breakfast of local delicacies.
On May 2, the delegates will travel to Sorsogon where at night the NHM will be opened at the Sorsogon Capitol Building. The next day, Atty. Trixie Angeles will give a lecture on the heritage law by (this is a tie-up event with the Angat Kabataan Heritage Camp) at Barcelona Church. It will be followed by a pili delicacies workshop.
For the last day, NHM will be launched in Masbate City on May 5 at the Old Municipal Hall.
National Heritage Month
Proclamation No. 439, signed on Aug. 11, 2003, declares the month of May as National Heritage Month (NHM) “in recognition of the need to create among the people a consciousness, respect, and pride for the legacies of Filipino cultural history, and love of country.”
In 2009, the government formally made heritage conservation a legal mandate, by ratifying and implementing Republic Act 10066 or the National Heritage Act of 2009, empowering NCCA and its afiliated agencies in their policy-making and implementation of conservation programs.
The steering committee of the Taoid Heritage Program 2014 is composed of Fr. Rentoria, head of SCH and the National Committee on Archives; Dr. Stephen S. Totanes, vice head of SCH and head of the National Committee on Historical Research; Lucille Karen E. Malilong-Isberto, SCH secretary and head of the National Committee on Monuments and Sites; Dr. Marilou P. Tadlip, assistant secretary and head of the National Committee on Libraries and Information Service; Robert Bjorn O. Santos, SCH member and head of the National Committee on Art Galleries; and Amado R. Alvarez, SCH member and head of the National Committee on Museums.
