Recently, a delegation composed of representatives from the academe, historians, conservation architects, museum management leaders and key officials from the Cebu City Government — led by the head of the City Planning Office — traveled to Singapore, Melaka, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang for a Unesco World Heritage Field Study. Consultations and walking tours were arranged at every stop.
The main aim of this study tour was to gain valuable insight into tangible and intangible heritage preservation, and to learn good practices from local communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) — especially how their roles intertwine with the responsibilities of their local government units.
Sponsored by the Cultural and Historical Affairs Foundation with the support of Nustar, another goal was to seriously explore the possibility of nominating our city’s heritage sites for a Unesco World Heritage listing. This is why it was essential to visit Melaka and George Town — historic cities in the Straits of Malacca — inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2008.
Melaka is the oldest Malaysian city on the Straits of Malacca and this was my third visit. But as our group trailed esteemed National University of Singapore professor Johannes Widodo through its historic districts, I saw the city with a new pair of eyes. Inscribed by Unesco in 2008, with extensions in 2011, Melaka shows how tradition and tourism can peacefully co-exist. The Jonker Walk is lively even late at night, many of the famed shophouses have adhered to the principles of adaptive reuse, local cuisine is reasonably priced and shopping still offers great value. A morning spent with locals at The Bendahari was especially productive, as discussions focused on how their traditions and daily lives have been affected by modernization.
Unlike Melaka, it was my first time visiting George Town in Penang, and now I wonder what took me so long to find my way to that gem of a place.
Mayor Rajendran Anthony welcomed our group warmly to his city — aptly described by Unesco as having a unique architectural and cultural townscape, not to mention its gastronomic delights. The sheer dedication of the local community to preserving its historic, cultural and natural resources is worthy of the highest admiration. About 5,000 historic buildings form part of its core and buffer zones. These include mosques, shophouses, bungalows, temples, government buildings, offices, churches, residences, monuments, even cemeteries. The most important of these structures, 82 in total, are classified as Category 1, meaning they must be used as originally intended, with repairs made as faithfully to tradition as possible.
We returned home with the realization that much work lies ahead. Even just in terms of preparation, achieving our goals will require massive community effort and consistent support from government and private entities committed to and passionate about heritage preservation.