HISTORICAL PROFILE OF CAMALIG / CRITERIAS THAT MAKES IT A HERITAGE

SITE:

Apparent reminders of the Spanish era in Camalig are the architectural and
engineering work of the towns church and Spanish houses. It is to be
pointed that these were made possible through forced labor extracted from
the Filipinos by the Spanish ruling class.

Existing Historical Landmarks:

Saint John The Baptist Church

- In 1842 a huge edifice built as the new church consumed all the volcanic
stones of the town
- It took another six years before the whole structure was completed in
1848. Camalig then, could boast of having one of the strongest, most
massive if not the most beautiful among the church in the Bicol Region.
(Such was the glory of the Camalig Church, which could easily compare with
the European cathedrals at the time.)
Camaligs Spanish and American-era Ancestral Houses
- These are bahay na bato (stone houses) that made use of different
traditional materials and are dating back from late 18th century and early
19th century and were formerly owned by some of the most significant
persons during the Spanish, Japanese and American Era.

Supporting Laws/Codes:
(Stated under Article III Section 5 of Republic Act NO. 10066):
Section 5. Cultural Property Considered Important Cultural Property.
The following works shall be considered important cultural property:

Structures using archaeological and traditional ethnographic materials;

Structures dating at least fifty (50) years old;

PLANNING GUIDELINES:

Physical Development Planning assess the towns situation as regards to

individual buildings, structures, open spaces, land use, traffic, etc., and to
present recommendations on such as well as on infrastructure and services.
Create ordinances setting the boundaries of the protected zone within the
historic core and providing clauses for the protection of the historic buildings
similar to those of national laws.
Define the core and buffer zones of the historic town
Provide guidelines of preservation and conservation of the Camalig
ancestral houses.

SUPPORTING CODES TO CONSIDER:

Maintenance of Heritage Zones. (Stated under Section 13. ARTICLE IV of
Republic Act NO. 10066)
A heritage zone shall be maintained by the local government unit concerned, in
accordance with the following guidelines:
(a) Implementation of ADAPTIVE REUSE of cultural properties within the
heritage site;
(Under article II): "Adaptive reuse" shall refer to the utilization of buildings,
other built-structures and sites of value for purposes other than that for which
they were intended originally, in order to conserve the site, their engineering
integrity and authenticity of design.
(b) Appearance of streets, parks, monuments, buildings, and natural bodies of
water, canals, paths and barangays within a locality shall be maintained as
close to their appearance at the time the area was of most
importance to Philippine history as determined by the National Historical
Institute; and
(c) Local government units shall document and sustain all sociocultural practices
such as, but not
limited to, traditional celebrations, historical battles,
recreation of customs, and the reenactment of battles and other local customs
that are unique to a locality.

Establishment Of Buffer Zones. (Stated under Section 6 of Republic Act No.

7586 otherwise known as the "National Integrated Protected Areas System
(NIPAS) Act of 1992")
Buffer zones are intended to provide an extra layer of protection around the
protected area while also providing livelihood opportunities based on
sustainable resource utilization.
The major goal is to encourage buffer zone residents and/or managers to
establish a strong social fence that will prevent encroachment into the
protected area by others, that is, to provide sufficiently strong incentives so
that buffer zone users will help to protect the protected area.
(Under Section 10. Protected Area Management Zoning.)
Buffer Zone. Areas outside the protected area but adjoining it that are
established by law (Section 8 of the Act) and under the control of the DENR
through the Park Area Management Board. These are effectively multipleuse
zones that are to be managed to provide a social fence to prevent
encroachment into the protected area by outsiders. Land tenure may be

granted to occupants who qualify. Buffer zones should be treated as an

integral part of the protected area in management planning.

Other Similar Laws that can serve as basis/ guidelines:

Ordinance No.14 series of 1997 can be a point of reference as to this aspect. ( An ordinance

enacting the preservation and conservation guidelines for Vigan ancestral

houses)
DEFINITIONS
Stated from the REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10066
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF THE NATIONAL
CULTURAL HERITAGE or the the "National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009"
Under Article II
(a) "Adaptive reuse" shall refer to the utilization of buildings, other built-structures
and sites of value for purposes other than that for which they were intended
originally, in order to conserve the site, their engineering integrity and authenticity
of design.
(f) "Built heritage" shall refer to architectural and engineering structures such as,
but not limited to, bridges, government buildings, houses of ancestry, traditional
dwellings, quartels, train stations, lighthouses, small ports, educational,
technological and industrial complexes, and their settings, and landscapes with
notable historical and cultural significance.
(i) "Conservation" shall refer to all the processes and measures of maintaining the
cultural significance of a cultural property including, but not limited to, preservation,
restoration, reconstruction, protection, adaptation or any combination thereof.
(o) "Cultural property" shall refer to all products of human creativity by which a
people and a nation reveal their identity, including churches, mosques and other
places of religious worship, schools and natural history specimens and sites,
whether public or privately-owned, movable or immovable, and tangible or
intangible.
(q) "Heritage zone" shall refer to historical, anthropological, archaeological,
artistic geographical areas and settings that are culturally significant to the
country, as declared by the National Museum and/or the National Historical
Institute.
(s) "Historical landmarks" shall refer to sites or structures that are associated
with events or achievements significant to Philippine history

(w) "Important cultural property" shall refer to a cultural property having

exceptional cultural, artistic and historical significance to the Philippines, as shall be
determined by the National Museum and/or National Historical Institute.