AWARDS NIGHT PAYS TRIBUTE TO HERITAGE SITES

In planning this year’s 24th Luna Awards, Film Academy of the Philippines Director General Leo G. Martinez sought something different for the program—a theme or motif that will just make the event not you usual run-of-the-mill handing out of trophies to winners. The point
he tried to put across was there must be something different for a change in view of the fact that award-giving in the film and entertainment industry has become almost one-awards night-a-month occurrence.

Emphasizing the truism that award-giving is recognizing performances and achievements that everyone of us will be proud of, the FAP director-general opted to focus on something that Filipinos can really be proud of.

And these are the heritages sites in the country which the UNESCO has declared as such. These are natural and man-made (mostly architectural) wonders that can stand side by side the famous and popular tourist destinations the world over.

In effect, he figured out that juxtaposing these eight local heritage sites with the best that our local film industry people chalked up in the year 2005 will be a double celebration of places and people we Filipinos can be, and must be, proud of.

We, therefore, downloaded the following about the eight heritages sites of the Philippines from the WOW Philippines website of the Department of Tourism for a terse but substantial capsulized write-ups about these very interesting places in our country.

TUBBATAHA REEF MARINE (Palawan)

Located at the heart of the southern Sulu Sea, 98 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, fragile Tubbataha Reef is a marvelous marine wilderness and a special eco-system much appreciated for its beauty as well as its scientific value.

In the heart of Sulu Sea, a wide expanse that lies between Palawan and the Southern Island of Mindanao, nestles Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park. This unique 33,200-hectare underwater splendor teems with abundant flora and fauna of the sea. The name Tubbataha is a derivative of two muslim words, ""Tubba"" (meaning long) and ""Taha"" (referring to something related to shore, reefs, or lagoon). It is composed of two distinct atoll reef systems, the North Reef and the South Reef, separated by a four-mile channel.

Tubbataha's North Reef is a nesting site for sea birds of all kinds as thousands of birds converge there every year. Boobies and terns are some of the birds that fly into Tubbataha to lay their eggs. It is also a nesting site for endangered sea turtles. Its seaworld is a diver's paradise with gorgonian seafans, soft corals, and gigantic sea sponges serving as home to turkey fish, anemone crab, banded sea snakes, nudibranches, starfish, cat sharks, surgeon fish, bat fish, and butterfly fish. Rare fish can be found in the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, like the unusual-looking Fox-faced Rabbit fish.

Because of its fabulous beauty, the marine park was honored by UNESCO on December 11, 1993, as the first natural site in the Philippines to be inscribed in the prestigious World Heritage List.

The national marine park, located in Cagayancillo in Palawan, is open to visitors all year round but the best time to visit is from March to June when the sea is calmer.

IFUGAO RICE TERRACES (Ifugao)

The Ifugao Rice Terraces was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995 ""because of its great beauty that expresses conquered and conserved harmony between humankind and the environment.""

There are five major rice terraces listed which are similar yet distinct from one another:

--Banaue is the most famous of all the sites. It is the artistic center of the Ifugao carvers and the Ikat weavers.

--Batad is home to the spectacular tiered, amphitheater-shaped terraces.

--Mayoyao is where the organic Ifugao rice, Tinawon, in red and white variety, is harvested in abundance.

--Hapao boasts of its stone-walled rice terraces which date back to 650 AD and are located in Hungduan where Mt. Napulawan stands.

--Kiangan is home to two famous rice terraces sites known for their size and visual impact: Nagacadan and Julungan.

The rice terraces can be visited all year round but best time to visit is from January to May when the weather is drier. It will take around 10 hours to reach the place from Manila via the Pan-Pacific Highway and around 45 minutes by chartered plane to Bagabag Airport.

VIGAN HERITAGE VILLAGE (Ilocos Sur)

The historic town of Vigan was inscribed in the World Heritage List in November 1999 because of its outstanding development in architecture, urban planning, and landscape design. It also serves as a testimony to a cultural tradition which has disappeared.

The justification for inscription is as follows: Vigan represents a unique fusion of Asian building design and construction with European colonial architecture and planning. Also, it is an exceptionally intact and well preserved example of European trading town in East and South-East Asia.

The name Vigan was derived from ""Biga"", a giant taro plant that grows abundantly along the banks of the Mestizo River. This river was central in the development of trade and community activities in Vigan during the 16th to the 19th centuries. Established in the 16th century, Vigan is the best preserved example of a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia. Its architecture reflects the coming together of cultural elements from elsewhere in the Philippines and from China with those from Europe to create a unique culture and townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.

Vigan boasts of the following tourist attractions:

--Calle Crisologo. Located at the heart of the Mestizo district, this cobblestoned street is lined on both sides by centuries-old Vigan houses, whose ground floors have been turned into shops where souvenir items and Vigan furnitures could be found at reasonable prizes.

--St. Paul’s Metropolitan Cathedral. Built by the Augustinians in 1790-1800 in distinctive Earthquake Baroque architecture, it has three naves, twelve altars, and a choir loft. Chinese influence is evident in its baptistery altar, brass communion handrails, a pair of Fu Dogs, and moldings on the façade. Most of the original church interior features are still in place. The octagonal belfry is located 10 meters south of the cathedral.

--Arzobispado (1783). The only surviving 18th century arzobispado in the country, the palace served as headquarters of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898 and the invading American forces under Col. James Parker in 1899. Its Museo Nueva Segovia showcases antique portraits of bishops, a throne room, archdiocesan archives, and other ecclesiastical artifacts gathered from various colonial churches all over Ilocos Sur.

--Plaza Salcedo. The elevated elliptical plaza west of the cathedral features the 17th century Juan de Salcedo Monument, the oldest of its kind in the Northern Luzon. It was in Plaza Salcedo where Gabriela Silang was executed by public hanging in 1763.

--Burgos National Museum. The ancestral house of Padre Jose Burgos is an excellent showcase of archeological and ethnographic treasures, antiques, dioramas of local historical events, and photographs of Ilocano heroes and achievers. A priceless collection of 14 Esteban Villanueva canvasses depicting the 1807 Basi Revolt is exhibited on the upper floor of the museum.

It will take an eight-hour ride from Manila via Pan-Pacific Highway to reach Vigan and about
45 minutes by plane to Laoag City Airport.

ST. PAUL SUBTERRANEAN NATIONAL PARK (Palawan)

A picturesque stretch of a river, running for an unknown length that overwhelms the beholder, is the main fare offered by the Subterranean River.

Emptying itself into St. Paul bay, this physical wonder was appropriately described by a visiting tourists: Nature sculpture is everywhere. Between stately stone pillars rises a series of steps leading from the water to some temple within. Then the cavern stretches away, an almost perfect rectangle with walls and ceiling decorated with many colors. One sharp turn of the way and there appears a huge stalactite glittering like a chandelier from the ceiling of some great ballroom. Suddenly, one boat glides into a great chamber resplendent with colors and decoration like a stage set for a scene in some grand opera.

This subterranean national park is located in Puerto Princesa City. It is open to visitors all year round but the best time to visit is from January to May when the weather is drier.