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International Council on Monuments and Sites - ICOMOS Philippines

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International Council on Monuments and Sites - ICOMOS Philippines

ICOMOS Philippines is an NGO of experts working to improve conservation and protection of Heritage. ICOMOS Philippines was established in 1988.

Its work is rooted in conservation standards, theory, research, and scientific methodology as it conducts independent research, connects communities, and upskills preservation professionals through conferences, field schools and workshops. Globally, ICOMOS' expert members have developed the conservation standards and charters heritage practitioners rely on today. ICOMOS Philippines is among the 15

0 member countries of ICOMOS. ICOMOS International was established in 1965, and headquartered in Paris.

04/08/2026

𝐁𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞.

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Philippines, through the Kabilin Partnership Program, invite cultural workers, heritage advocates, students, researchers, local government representatives, and interested members of the public to join Bantay Kabilin: A Pilot Training on Disaster Risk Management for Cultural Heritage as observer participants.

Gain valuable insights from heritage conservation and disaster risk management experts as they discuss practical strategies for protecting our cultural heritage from disasters, climate risks, and other threats. Observe meaningful discussions, learn from real-world case studies, and become part of a growing network committed to building more resilient heritage communities.

📍 The Kabilin Center, Eduardo Aboitiz Street, Tinago, Cebu City
📅 July 30 – August 20, 2026

Whether you are beginning your heritage journey or looking to deepen your understanding, this is an opportunity to witness how collaboration, preparedness, and conservation come together to ensure that our heritage endures for generations to come.

Slots are available on a first-come first-serve basis and depending what module(s) you’ll attend, you’ll receive a certificate of participation at the end of this pilot program. Join us and be part of the one of the first responders in saving our Cebuano Cultural Heritage!

Register to this link, and select the modules you'd like to attend:
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSeDEbjs0SNTgQ.../viewform

04/08/2026

𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧

CASA GORORDO MUSEUM–Dr. Resil B. Mojares, National Artist for Literature and social historian, was interviewed by UP Cebu Associate Professor Laya Boquiren Gonzales last July 23, 2026 at the Casa Gorordo Museum. Dr. Mojares authored The Feast of the Santo Niño published in 2018.

Throughout this journey, the book has been one of the project's most important intellectual companions. Readers will appreciate the Santo Niño de Cebu devotion as a living tradition shaped by centuries of continuity, adaptation, and participation. The work encourages thinking of the Feast of the Santo Niño de Cebu devotion not as a single day or week-long feast but as a cyclical, year-round system of interconnected practices, of which the Hubo and Kaplag are crucial ritual nodes. Devotion is a dynamic cultural ecosystem woven together by ritual, pilgrimage, performance, craftsmanship, memory, institutions, and, above all, generations of devotees who have continually renewed its meaning. Mojares describes the tradition in which new meanings and practices are layered upon older traditions without erasing them.

Resil B. Mojares explains that Cebu became the spiritual center of the Santo Niño devotion through the establishment of the Villa del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus and the growth of pilgrimage traditions. He underscores the significance of what Miguel Lopez de Legazpi wrote to the King of Spain: ‘God waited for us here’ pertaining to the finding of the Santo Niño image in Cebu. Kaplag, from the Cebuano term meaning "finding," is the present-day commemoration of the discovery of the Santo Niño image by Spanish forces in Cebu on April 28, 1565, nearly forty years after it was first given to Rajah Humabon and Reyna Juana at the baptism of Cebu's early converts in 1521. Dr. Mojares hopes that the history of Cebu embracing local worldviews will be more disseminated across educational programs and initiatives.

The Batobalani ICHSN Project is under the Kabilin Partnership Program of the ICOMOS Philippines and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. Gabay sa Kabilin is a series of one-on-one conversations with experts in Cebu’s history and heritage who can shed light on the significance of the feasts of devotion to the Santo Niño de Cebu to provide guidance on interpretation efforts.

© Batobalani ICHSN Project, 2026
Under the ICOMOS Philippines x RAFI-Kabilin Partnership Program

31/07/2026

𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧: 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

The first-ever Bantay Kabilin: Pilot Training Program on Disaster Risk Management for Cultural Heritage (DRMCH) officially commenced at The Kabilin Center, Cebu City, bringing together heritage practitioners, local government units, cultural institutions, museums, churches, disaster risk reduction professionals, and community partners from across the country.

Implemented under the Kabilin Partnership Program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) in partnership with ICOMOS Philippines, with the support of the Japan Foundation Manila, the pilot training aims to strengthen the country's capacity to safeguard cultural heritage through internationally aligned and community-based disaster risk management approaches.

The opening program featured messages from key partners, including Ms. Amaya Cristina A. Fansler, President and CEO of RAFI, who underscored the importance of integrating heritage conservation with disaster resilience through collaboration and shared stewardship.

As the country's first national training program of its kind, Bantay Kabilin: DRMCH marks an important step toward building more resilient heritage communities and ensuring that the Philippines' rich cultural legacy is protected for future generations.

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬: https://bit.ly/BantayKabilinLaunchingProgram

30/07/2026

𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

For the elders of Barangay Pari-an, devotion to the Santo Niño is not chosen. It is inherited, absorbed from infancy, and carried into old age. "Even children are born into devotion," one participant shared, "and they really pursue it to old age."

Conversations with eleven residents, held through a focus group discussion under the Batobalani: ICHSN Project, revealed a community whose devotional life is woven into its identity as one of Cebu City's oldest districts, once the Chinese quarter, home today to Magellan's Cross and the Jesuit House Museum. For thirteen years, the barangay has built an altar outside its hall each novena, sustained through tanod deployment and community sponsorship. Known as "Batobalani sa Gugma," the magnet of love, it runs from morning through late evening as council members offer daily prayers.

Participants called their celebration an offshoot of what happens at the Basilica, an inherited devotion, "in the blood." Several traced their own path into it through marriage and migration, from Negros, Bantayan, and Bohol, finding families whose worship had been rooted in Pari-an for generations, some still keeping vestments once made for their infants before the Santo Niño.

The group spoke of catechism for children as young as four, of devotees enduring pain to attend Mass, and of small images carried across the diaspora to keep the devotion close. "The final source of peace," one elder reflected, "is the Santo Niño de Cebu in the Cebuano heart and spirit."

Asked about the feast's challenges, participants named traffic, crowding, and garbage, but refused to call the crowds a burden. "Traffic, that is happy," one said. Waste management and comfort rooms, however, remain real concerns.

Looking ahead, the barangay hopes for enough budget to produce its own costumes and finally join the citywide Sinug celebration, and for closer ties between local businesses and the devotional calendar, a spirit they call "Patigaynon Parianon."

Rooted in the earliest history of the Santo Niño's arrival in Cebu, Pari-an carries forward a devotion it has never stopped believing is in the blood.

The Batobalani ICHSN Project is under the Kabilin Partnership Program of the ICOMOS Philippines and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

© Batobalani ICHSN Project, 2026

Under the ICOMOS Philippines x RAFI-Kabilin Partnership Program

29/07/2026

𝗣𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟬: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

ICOMOS Philippines, in partnership with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) through the Kabilin Partnership Program, successfully conducted a series of Sustainable Development Trainings under the Pamana 2030: Mobilizing Philippine Heritage as a Driver and Enabler of Sustainable Development (MPHSD) initiative.

The training series brought together heritage professionals, project teams, government partners, and international experts to strengthen the integration of cultural heritage into sustainable development through policy alignment, indicator development, monitoring frameworks, and the UNESCO Culture 2030 Indicators.

This milestone reinforces the shared commitment of ICOMOS Philippines and RAFI to position cultural heritage as a key driver of resilient, inclusive, and sustainable communities.

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬: https://bit.ly/Pamana2030CulturalHeritageSDTraining

25/07/2026

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧 marks the beginning of a shared mission between the 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐈𝐧𝐜 (𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐈) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 (𝐈𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐒) 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 to strengthen disaster risk management for cultural heritage in the country.

Through capacity building, knowledge sharing, and strategic collaboration, the initiative empowers heritage practitioners, local governments, and communities to better protect cultural treasures before, during, and after disasters. Anchored at The Kabilin Center as a space for learning, collaboration, and community engagement, the initiative brings together heritage practitioners, local governments, and communities through capacity building, knowledge sharing, and strategic partnerships. Together, we are laying the foundation for a more resilient future where safeguarding our heritage goes hand in hand with strengthening the communities that keep it alive.

24/07/2026

𝐀 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬

For the residents of Barangay Tinago, devotion to the Santo Niño is expressed through a gathering. Every Thursday during the Fiesta Señor, sacred images are carried together from different sitios across the barangay in the panagtagbo sa Sagrada Familia, the gathering of the Holy Family, in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard.

Conversations with thirteen residents, conducted through a focus group discussion under the Batobalani: Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Santo Niño de Cebu Devotion (ICHSN) Project, revealed a distinctive model of shared devotional stewardship. Those from Pier 3 carry the image of San Jose. Barangay Tinago carries the Birhen sa Guadalupe. The Santo Niño is carried by Sitio Abmo. No single sitio holds the complete devotional picture; it is the gathering itself that reunites the Holy Family each week of the feast.

Participants trace the practice's formalization to a Coast Guard chaplain in 2026, an example of how new structures can take root within living heritage without displacing the rhythms sitios had already kept on their own. Safeguarding here also takes the form of service: tanods, health workers, and fire volunteers are deployed yearly to the devotee city, while the barangay's own novena is described less as a project than as naandan, a habit so woven into communal life that it needs little active reinforcement.

For one participant, devotion arrived through marriage rather than lineage. Originally from Negros, she was introduced to the devotion by her in-laws upon settling in Cebu, a pathway of transmission through kinship as significant as any formal teaching.

Hospitality emerged as central to the barangay's identity. "We welcome everyone," participants said, a self-characterization that mirrors the panagtagbo itself, a practice premised on welcoming images, and devotees, from beyond one's own community.

Participants did not see the devotion as threatened, but were direct about the gap between communal commitment to cleanliness and the resources to sustain it, citing the need for a bottle collector and reliable waste collection. Asked about the devotion's positive impact, the group pointed to unity, a barangay that moves as one body throughout the season. Looking ahead, residents hope to join the Sinuog dance and the Mardi Gras, expanding beyond service and procession support toward a more visibly celebratory expression of the same devotion.

In Barangay Tinago, living heritage is sustained not by any single custodian, but by the gathering itself.

The Batobalani ICHSN Project is under the Kabilin Partnership Program of the ICOMOS Philippines and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

© Batobalani ICHSN Project, 2026
Under the ICOMOS Philippines x RAFI-Kabilin Partnership Program

22/07/2026

𝗔 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿

For many residents of Barangay Santo Niño, devotion to the Santo Niño is not confined to the Fiesta Señor alone. It is woven into everyday life through family traditions, community participation, school activities, novena masses, and shared experiences, all of which continue to shape the community's identity.

Conversations with residents of Barangay Santo Niño, conducted through a focus group discussion under the Batobalani: Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Santo Niño de Cebu Devotion (ICHSN) Project, revealed the many ways devotion continues to be practiced and passed on within the community. They described faith as something learned naturally through participation, observation, and the example of parents, elders, teachers, and fellow devotees.

The discussion also highlighted how safeguarding extends beyond devotional practices alone. Through crowd management, cleanliness efforts, volunteer deployment, hospitality services, and coordination with the Basilica and local government, Barangay Santo Niño helps create the conditions that enable the Fiesta Señor to be celebrated safely and meaningfully each year.

Among the many traditions associated with the feast, participants identified the Sinug as the cultural expression that most powerfully embodies Cebuano devotion to the Santo Niño. Often described as a “dancing prayer,” the Sinug represents more than movement or performance. It is an embodied expression of faith through which devotion, gratitude, and panaad are offered to the Santo Niño.

For community members, safeguarding the Sinug is inseparable from safeguarding the devotional identity of the Fiesta Señor itself. As generations continue to participate in the dance, they also inherit the values, meanings, and traditions that give it significance.

While participants did not view the devotion itself as threatened, they acknowledged practical challenges associated with major celebrations, including crowd control, waste management, medical emergencies, and the displacement of vendors during large processions. Addressing these concerns, they noted, is an important part of ensuring that the feast remains both meaningful and sustainable for future generations.

The experiences shared in Barangay Santo Niño highlight how living heritage is sustained not only through major celebrations but through the everyday practices, relationships, and shared commitments that continue to nurture devotion within the community. In this way, the Fiesta Señor remains not simply an annual event, but a living tradition carried forward by the people who continue to embody it in their daily lives.

The Batobalani ICHSN Project is under the Kabilin Partnership Program of the ICOMOS Philippines and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

© Batobalani ICHSN Project, 2026
Under the ICOMOS Philippines x RAFI-Kabilin Partnership Program

21/07/2026

As communities face increasing risks from natural hazards and other threats, protecting our cultural heritage is more important than ever. Strengthening the resilience of our museums, heritage sites, cultural institutions, and cultural workers ensures that our history, identity, and traditions continue to thrive for future generations.

Explore how Disaster Risk Management for Cultural Heritage (DRMCH) has evolved from a global framework into a localized initiative in the Philippines through Bantay Kabilin.

This initiative is a collaborative project of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Philippines, working together to build a more resilient heritage sector by strengthening the capacities of cultural institutions and the people who safeguard our shared legacy.

Through The Kabilin Center, this partnership advances learning, collaboration, and capacity building for the heritage sector. Stay tuned for upcoming learning opportunities designed to empower cultural workers and further strengthen the resilience of our culture and heritage institutions.

15/07/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲: 𝗜𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗦 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

On 11 July 2026, members of ICOMOS Philippines gathered at the Manila Metropolitan Theater and online for the 2026 General Assembly—a meaningful occasion that celebrated the organization's achievements, strengthened its commitment to heritage conservation, and ushered in a new set of leaders for the 2026–2029 term.

The Assembly featured reports on the organization's accomplishments, finances, membership, and strategic communications, presentations from the Board of Trustees candidates, and updates on the Kabilin Partnership Program, highlighting heritage initiatives that promote sustainability, resilience, and community empowerment.

The event concluded with the proclamation of the newly elected Board of Trustees, marking a new chapter for ICOMOS Philippines as it continues to champion the protection and promotion of the country's rich cultural heritage.

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬: https://bit.ly/ICOMOSPHGA26

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