CULTURE and heritage are very dynamic and each community has its own story to tell. This is the story of the City of San Fernando, Pampanga’s preservation efforts.
Preserving Heritage for Progress is the banner heritage preservation program of the City Government of San Fernando, Pampanga that anchors urban renewal on cultural heritage. One of the mainstays of the City’s development thrusts since 2003, the program has been sustained through the administration of three City Mayors namely Dr. Jesus Reynaldo Aquino, Atty. Oscar S. Rodriguez and currently, Mayor Edwin Santiago.
During Mayor Rodriguez’s term, the heritage preservation program was included in the 8 – point agenda as Agenda No. 7, “Mayamang kasaysayan at kultura, Pagyabungin pa.” Under Mayor Santiago’s administration, it is now included in the 12 – point agenda as Agenda No. 12 “Enrichment of tourism and culture.”
Since its implementation, the program has made significant milestones while remaining a continuous work in progress. Through the program, several historic sites and monuments have been listed in the National Historical Institute, now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, while those that are of local and regional significance are in the registry of the City’s heritage resources.
Since 2004, prior to the enactment of the Republic Act No. 10066 in 2009, San Fernando has already delineated its heritage district.
Since 2006, the City Government has institutionalized incentives for heritage owners by means of granting zero assessment levels for purposes of real property tax assessments, making it one of the first local governments in the country that grants such incentives.
This year, Mayor Santiago led the city in a strategic review of its vision and has come up with a new strategic vision that would place the “City of San Fernando as Center of Kapampangan Culture, A Prefered Tourism Destination in Asia by 2022.” This strategic vision is anchored on heritage, crafts and cuisine and the city has embarked on some quick win projects in pursuit of this vision.
Preserving Heritage for Progress continues to be a hallmark of governance, particularly the management of a community’s heritage resources, and sustainability as well.