Angat Kabataan, the annual youth camp on Philippine heritage conservation, will be held April 30 to May 4 as part of the National Heritage Month celebrations.

Organized by the Society of Ecclesiastical Archivists of the Philippines and the San Agustin Museum, with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the event will tour 150 youth delegates from across the country in Albay and Sorsogon in Bicol.

NCCA Commissioner Fr. Harold Rentoria, OSA said summer youth program has proven to be an effective avenue for promoting awareness and appreciation of the cultural heritage of the Philippines.

“The NCCA has constantly been receiving welcome updates and reports from the alumni of the previous camps,” Rentoria said, underscoring the active participation of the youth in preserving Unesco World Heritage Sites and National Cultural Treasures.

Angat Kabataan camps have been previously held in Cebu in 2009, Albay in 2010, and Iloilo in 2012.

With the support of the Province of Sto. Niño of the Order of St. Augustine, which is the Philippine province of the Augustinian religious order, city government of Legazpi, municipality of Daraga, provincial and city governments of Sorsogon, and the Dioceses of Legazpi and Sorsogon, the camp goes back to Bicol to revisit some of the centuries-old churches and cultural museums, and explore other facets of heritage preservation.

Included in the tour are Lignon Hill, Legazpi Museum, and Daraga Church.

‘Kaplag’

Rentoria explained that the camp is a part of the celebrations for the upcoming 450th anniversary of “Kaplag,” or the finding of the image of the Child Jesus in Cebu by the Augustinians, the first missionary order to evangelize the Philippines as shown by the very ancient churches it has built across the archipelago, like the  San Agustin Church in Intramuros, listed in the Unescro World Heritage List and the oldest church in the country.

The summer camp will consist of tours of heritage and other important sites as well as lectures on history and conservation.

Fr. Arnel Dizon, OSA, vice president of Colegio  de San Agustin in Biñan, Laguna, will give a talk on “The Image of Sto. Niño, the Augustinians in the Philippines and the Basilica del Sto. Niño.

In addition, the 1965 pilgrim image of Sto. Niño de Cebu will be brought to Bicol.

Other important lectures: “Restoration Words in San Agustin Church and Museum” by Fr. Ricky Villar, OSA; “Restoring the Our Lady of the Gate Parish Church in Daraga, Albay with the Youth” by architect Ana Lorilla; “Implementing the Heritage Law with the Youth” by lawyer Rose Beatrix Cruz-Angeles; and “Designing a Conservation Program for Cultural Treasures in the Locality” by Eric Zerrudo of the Center for the Conservation of Cultural Properties in the Tropics of the University of Santo Tomas.

Participating as well in the event are NCCA Chair Felipe de Leon Jr., Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences-Commission on Youth, and NCCA Heritage Ambassador and Naga native Enchong Dee.

Other partner groups and institutions for Angat Kabataan are the 450 Years of Kaplag Executive Committee, Colegio San Agustin-Binan, tCatholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Permanent Committee for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, and Manila Tours & Educational Services.