Cultural Heritage vs The Pandemic: The Conservation Efforts of the Intramuros Administration During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Case Study Sample)

Cultural Heritage vs The Pandemic: The Conservation Efforts of the Intramuros Administration During the COVID-19 Pandemic By: Charlene Ann Mildred Barroga Visual Arts Professor: Dr. Laya Boquiren-Gonzales Submitted to The Arts Department Date of Submission: December 11, 2020 Abstract The National Heritage Act of 2009 defines Cultural Heritage as “the totality of cultural property preserved and developed through time and passed on to posterity.” [Article II, Section 3 (L)] Given this, the government values cultural heritage as it is a collection of different establishments with which they reveal the national identity of the Filipinos. As the COVID-19 Pandemic struck, a challenge for Heritage sites came in and that was their tourism income as sites had to close in order to address the health of the people; one of the affected institutions concerning heritage sites is the Intramuros Administration--- an organization responsible for conserving the walled city of Intramuros which is the premiere heritage site of Metro Manila. This paper will look into the efforts on how the city of Intramuros is being conserved by the administration and how the government through the Intramuros Administration values the cultural significance of the city. Keywords: Culture, Heritage Site, Intramuros, Conservation Efforts Introduction Cultural Heritage is defined by law in the Philippines as “the totality of cultural property preserved and developed through time and passed on to posterity.” This means that the government acknowledges Cultural Heritage as something valued by the people, the property of the country, and a representation of a Filipino. With this, we have The National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, the primary law that is meant to protect cultural heritage. The contents of the law basically states the immense value of cultural heritage and what it encompasses - in this case, a wide range, including even houses, churches, mosques and other sites relevant to the Filipino national identity. Moreover, this law also proves that our country’s values on cultural heritage align with that of UNESCO (Section 6, Heritage Law) who see that this protection is an important priority for multiple sites it recognizes globally. This is why the heritage sites of the Philippines must be protected, promoted, and preserved in any way possible.[Heritage Law PDF] However, during the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing as of this writing in 2020, the challenge to protect while giving access to these cultural sites has been a massive challenge. This is because tourism income is lost while the cost of maintaining these sites has not changed. In addition, these sites have also been tasked with still making these sites inclusive by giving some kind of access, mostly via the internet while physical visits are restricted at the moment. Given this situation, this paper will present a case study on the walled city of Intramuros in Manila City, Philippines. The entire walled expanse is extensively preserved as it dates back to the Spanish colonial period and is the primary cultural heritage site located in the country’s capital. As such, the paper will look into the conservation efforts done by the Intramuros Administration - the government organization directly under the Department of Tourism of the Philippines tasked to protect and promote the cultural heritage of Intramuros to promote the love for Filipino Artistic heritage even in this modern time of crisis. This paper will also try to go deeper, asking questions as to how aims such as enriching the love for Filipino heritage sites on the part of the Intramuros Administration is being executed. As such, this will also include a brief discussion as to why Intramuros is unique and significant. Brief Profile of Intramuros as a Heritage Site As a mark into which Miguel Lopez de Legazpi founded the city of Manila, Intramuros is that mark which became a walled city as it was the central base of the Spanish Empire in the whole of Asia. As quoted from the government website in the Philippines: “Intramuros became the capital of the Spanish East Indies (Indias orientales españolas), which included the Philippines, Guam, Palau, and the Marianas.” The walled city has seen multiple instances of prestige in its long history: the center of political and religious power for a long time, transitioning from an exclusively-Spanish residence to a melting pot, the site of “Mock Battle of Manila” where colonial power changed hands to the Americans after a 300 year reign of the Spanish and a bombing during World War II that destroyed numerous historical establishments within its walls.(The Evolution of Manila | Presidential Museum and Library, 2020) In 1979, President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Presidential Decree 1616, s. 1979, which created the Intramuros Administration to oversee the restoration and maintenance of Intramuros as a cultural and historical landmark.” (The Evolution of Manila | Presidential Museum and Library, 2020)[http://malacanang.gov.ph/75830-the-evolution-of-manila/] In a Youtube podcast of Dr Espenanza Bunag Gatbonton, one of the first employees of Intramuros she says that: “Intramuros is a beautiful memory of the past. It is like a microcosm of all things good and bad.” The reason behind this is because, she talks about the people behind the construction of Intramuros, she notes that the construction workers who built the city of Intramuros were the Filipinos who were Indios at that time (We Are Intramuros Episode 1: Resiliency and Filipino Identity, 2020). This is why, despite it as a mark of one of the historical errors in the Philippines it still gives a great significance as it is done by the hands of Filipinos; thus still representing the national identity of the Filipinos (Appendix A).[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kc4O8jyMDk] As Donald Perziozi says, in his book entitled: The History of Art History “Both museums and mysteries teach us how to solve things; how to think; and how to put two and two together. Both teach us that things are not always as they seem at first glance. They demonstrate that the world needs to be coherently pieced together (literally, re-membered) in a fashion that may be perceived as rational and orderly” (Perziozi, 491). Intramuros in this regard, is suitable for this “re-membering” process given that it isn’t just a collection of artifacts and pieces put together, but it is a portion of an actual place; given the Spanish Colonial way of life around the city. Thus, it tells us how crucial it is to preserve a city such as Intramuros. The Profile of the Intramuros Administration --- Presidential Decree 10066 According to Section 1 of the aforementioned decree, “The Intramuros Administration is responsible in supervising all activities concerning the conservation and development and protecting the heritage site. Moreover, the cultural structure which is the Hispanic Structures in the walled city is ordered to be maintained as “it shall ensure that the general appearance of Intramuros shall conform to Philippine-Spanish architecture of the Sixteenth to the Nineteenth Century.” This first section of the Presidential Decree shows that the Intramuros administration is then responsible for maintaining the site’s historical traces and structures as these historical happenings in the city of Intramuros represents the National Identity of the Filipino. Furthermore, the succeeding sections of the decree declare other privileges and responsibilities that the Intramuros Administration handles such as taxes as to quote section 11: “The Administration, in consultation with the Minister of Finance, may extend discounts on real property assessments situated within Intramuros, so as to encourage the private sector to engage in the construction of duly approved facilities: Provided, that such incentives shall apply only to new construction and to improvements of existing building that conform to the Administration’s architectural specifications.” Through this section Intramuros gains the opportunity of tax discounts as it promotes the cultural heritage of the Philippines. Aside from this, it is also seen in the declaration that the government does provide all the necessary support needed for the Intramuros Administration such as all the funds that can be used in order to preserve any of the artifacts or structures under the cultural heritage of Intramuros. In addition, the administration also “may operate museums, art galleries, theaters, and other cultural/educational facilities that are incidental and suitable to the attainment of its objectives: Provided, That the Administration may operate such facilities, either directly or through existing institutions such as the National Museum, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the National Library, and other agencies of the Government.” (Section 5) and “may directly, or in association with public or private enterprises, construct, lease, sell and otherwise operate shopping and commercial facilities in Intramuros. It may likewise operate guided tours and offer related tourism services.” (Section 6) Today, the Intramuros administration as a government agency under the Department of Tourism still fulfills the Executive Order which summarizes the conservation and development of the city of Intramuros. As it envisions a heritage which is iconic for tourist sites as their mission in the mission-vision statement goes: “An iconic tourism site that honors the Philippines’ glorious past–a thriving and vibrant future-proof livable city, built on a foundation of shared values and a genuine Filipino sense of community.”("About The IA | Intramuros Administration") and still acknowledge their mission in preserving the place as the mission statement writes: “Implement and realize a restoration and redevelopment plan for the present and future development, manage...