The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will launch Taoid, the National Heritage Month, on July 29 on Capul Island, Samar, in line with the province’s celebration of Saluka festival.
Heritage clinics will be conducted by the NCCA National Committees on Archives, Art Galleries, Historical Research, Libraries and Information Services, Monuments and Sites, and Museums.
Samar holds important heritage sites and structures such as the Saint Michael Parish Church, which was built in the 17th century; and the cobblestone watchtower in Almuraya Fortress Ruins, built in the 19th century.
Other cultural sites include the Muralla, Grand Canyon and Pergola.
Muralla is a cobblestone perimeter fence built during the Spanish era that covers a cemetery.
The Grand Canyon is a manmade space excavated in 1913, passing Tumagingting Hill. Pergola is a cobblestone arc built in 1894 and used as passageway to the defunct Casa Tribunal.
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.”
NCCA spearheads the celebration of NHM. Since 2011, the NCCA Subcommission on Heritage, headed by Regalado Trota José, has made it a year-long observance, with the kick-off done around the country.
Other provinces or cities where Taoid has been launched include Batanes, Baguio, Sarangani, Cebu and Apayao.
Aside from José, head of the National Committee on Archives, members of the SCH and effectively the Taoid steering committee are Imelda Loste (Galleries); Maria Nela Florendo (Historical Research); Antonio M. Santos (Libraries and Information Service); Jaime C. Laya (Monuments and Sites); and Antonio Julian Montalvan (Museums).
The NCCA board is led by chair Felipe de Leon Jr. and executive director Emelita V. Almosara.
For more details, contact NCCA Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO) head Rene Sanchez Napeñas at tel. 632- 5275529, 5272192 loc. 207-208, or 0928-5081057; or Marga Madera, project manager, tel. 632-5272192 loc. 512 or 0949-9309265. E-mail ncca.paio@gmail.com or nccaheritage@yahoo.com; log on to www.ncca.gov.ph.