CARETAKER

Mayor Ferdi Medina's trip to Sweden to attend a conference on local government gave me a chance to become the acting mayor of Vigan from September 13 to 29, 2006. But, I would rather call myself the CARETAKER. To temporarily head the local government of World Heritage City is not an easy task. It's not only a question of signing documents such as licenses, permits, clearances, vouchers, checks, communications, legislative enactments, and the like but its an issue of effectively managing the city while the chief executive is on official travel.

As a caretaker, it is my responsibility to see to it that government is properly functioning. In some cases, acting mayors tend to rock the boat when the mayor is away. Not in this part of the world. As the humble Vice Mayor and careteker of the City of Vigan, I cannot afford this to happen. We are not only exercising governance but we are protecting a World Heritage Site!

Conservation is really the centerpiece of Vigan's public management. This maybe the much sought rallying point in unifying the Biguenos for a common cause. Through this, the significance of our city can be appreciated. The economics of conservation can give the people of Vigan the much needed opportunities to improve their lives.
It's not simply attracting tourists to come to this city but to dicover business undertakings related to Heritage Conservation.

Is there money in conservation? The answer is a resounding YES! Conserving the rich legacy of Vigan is improving the lives of the Filipinos. If there is such thing as Debt for the environment swap, how about Debt for culture swap? This can be Vigan's contribution to save the Philippine economy.

Solidarity Day

Every September 8 of the year, all heritage cities in the world celebrate Solidarity Day. Vigan as a heritage site and being a member of the organization of World Heritage Cities has always contributed its share in this celebration from the time of its inscription in December 4, 1999.
After 7 years, Vigan consistently protected its rich heritage. From enacting local ordinances to protect the Vigan Ancestral Houses to providing the necessary technical and infrastructure support, conservation has become the centerpiece of Vigan’s developmental thrust.

At present, the City has embarked a cultural mapping project to identify and have an inventory of all our cultural properties, be it

BUILT heritage- such as the ancestral houses of Vigan;

INTANGIBLE heritage – such as our songs, dances, cuisines, customs, traditions and practices;

MOVABLE Heritage – such as paintings, statues, religious icons, jewelries, relics, artifacts and other works of art;

NATURAL Heritage such as our centuries-old trees, rivers, natural parks, and the vista of the mountains and seas.

Here in Vigan, we are not only protecting our ancestral houses but all forms of cultural and historical properties. We are gathered here again to pledge our commitment to heritage conservation and to show the world that we are doing this for humanity’s sake so that the next generation will have something to appreciate and learn from. Protecting our heritage is preserving our civilization. Through Heritage conservation, we can tell the world that as Bigueños and Filipinos, we have an identity to be proud of.


This day, September 8, we are in solidarity with the rest of the world in protecting our heritage.

This day, September 8, we are also in solidarity with the Lord God in celebrating the Birthday of the Blessed Mother.

Let’s all celebrate Solidarity day!