THE Bureau on Cultural Heritage of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BCH-Armm) and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) have agreed to undertake cultural mapping project for Muslim communities in Armm.
They agreed to come up with an inventory and registry of cultural properties that need preservation and protection during a consultative meeting on research and documentation on Tuesday.
Fr. Harold Rentoria, NCCA commissioner for Cultural Heritage, described the cultural mapping as a process of identifying, recording, and using cultural resources and activities in building communities.
“The culture is like the soul of the country. Everything emanates from our culture; this is why we would like to preserve it for our identity as people of the Armm, and as Filipinos. This is the reason why we have come up with a system so that we will be able to pass on to our children what we have in the past that still exist in the present, that they can use in the future,” Rentoria said.
The NCCA commissioner called on local government units in the region to support and take accountability on projects relating to cultural heritage.
He said that it is important to craft projects that will aid in their preservation and protection.
Meanwhile, BCH-Armm Executive Director Marites Maguindra has expressed optimism on Armm’s renewed ties with the NCCA.
The NCCA is the planning and policy making body of the government on the preservation and protection of culture.
Maguindra said stronger ties with the NCCA is very beneficial for the ARMM since BCH has limitations in resources although it is not the first time the two agencies worked together.
The BCH has also proposed to the NCCA possible projects that they could jointly implement in the future during the consultation meeting held Tuesday.
One of these is the operation of the Armm Museum, or the Regional Center for Cultural Heritage. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)