Malolos, Bulacan hosts 5th Annual Conference on Philippine Towns & Cities

The Provincial Government of Bulacan and City Government of Malolos, in collaboration with Heritage Conservation Society (HCS), Bulacan HCS Chapter, Urban Partnerships Foundation (UPF) and the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP), hosts the 5th Annual Conference on Philippine Towns and Cities (PTC), November 5 to 6, 2010 at the Hiyas Pavilion, Bulacan Provincial Capitol, MacArthur Highway, Malolos, Bulacan.

PTC aims to enhance civic engagement with local governments units in order to inform and guide the LGUs on the proper care and utilization of a valuable asset — built heritage resources.

In our towns and cities, wanton real estate speculation and over-construction are often mistaken for modernization when in fact these exert devastating pressure on the historic and cultural core of many of our human settlements. As a result, a valuable economic resource – built heritage — is left to deteriorate or is thoughtlessly demolished in the name of progress. Concerted effort is imperative to protect heritage resources because these are revenue and job-generating assets that can spark economic revitalization, as the case of Vigan clearly shows.

Highlights this year include a briefing on the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 (RA 10066), lecture and training on cultural mapping, heritage identification and documentation, the Lakbay Republika ng Malolos Heritage Tour and experience riding on a Karatig jeep, Bulacan Artists Art Exhibit launch, photo exhibit of bridges, Art Deco buildings and lighthouses, cultural presentation of Bulacan's Lakan Sining and case studies of selected Philippine towns and cities namely Malolos, Bulacan; Sta. Ana, Manila; Hagonoy, Bulacan; and Antipolo, Rizal.

For more information, contact Dorie Soriano or Luz Regalado of the Heritage Conservation Society at (02) 5466367, (02) 3534494, (0917) 8668853, (0906) 2625631 or e-mail hcs_secretariat@yahoo.com; Rheeza Hernandez (Bulacan HCS) at bul_heritage_conservation@yahoo.com, (0915) 4339438; or Arch. Osie Alfonso (Bulacan HCS) at jcbal2004@yahoo.com, (0917) 909768 or (02) 2380887.