Tagum City wins PH Heritage Awards

THE City Government of Tagum won the prestigious Philippine Heritage Award for Historical and Cultural Programs under the Heritage Education and Interpretation Category for its Kagikan Project established in 2013.

The award was conferred by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Together with the Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines project in Cordillera, the Kagikan Project of Tagum City was recognized under the Heritage Education and Interpretation Category while the Palacio de Memoria was awarded under the Adaptive Reuse Category for this year's Philippine Heritage Awards.

The Kagikan Project focuses on tracing the roots and history of Tagum City. In its published book, it contains the etymology of Tagum City, its territorial limits, the prehistoric situation of the area during the Spanish, Ameican, and Japanese invasions, the tribes that first settled in the city, and the leaders who strived to form their first government.

In a posted article of NCCA, the panel recommended the Tagum Local Government's Kagikan Project for its commitment and effort in bringing together, sharing, and discussing diverse entities' understanding of Tagum's history and culture through research.

As a result of the years-long historical research and inquiry of the Kagikan Project, the Tagum City Historical and Cultural Center rose in Tagum City’s former city hall.

The Philippine Heritage Awards is a conservation recognition program in which the President of the Philippines, on the nomination of the NCCA, bestows monetary prizes, awards, and citations for notable accomplishments and contributions. Section 37 of the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, or Republic Act No. 10066, governs the prizes. (PR)