is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the Philippines and is a multisectoral, non-political and non-profit organization. LIKAS Morong is also registered and recognized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the Local Historical Committees Network (LHCN), which is an important segment of the former. LIKAS Morong is the official historical committee
of the town of Morong, as well as the steward of the second floor of Comandancia which currently houses the museum. LIKAS Morong is dedicated to the promotion and understanding of Morong history through community-based research, training, and education. One of its major initiatives is the development of a community-based museum at the center of the town. Just like most of the entire Philippine archipelago, Morong experienced more than three centuries of colonial domination and influences from Spain, and more than three decades of occupation by the United States (not including a few years of Japanese rule) (Agoncillo, 1990). Thus, its culture is a cornucopia of mostly Spanish and American influences, yet it retained a language that is decidedly still Tagalog-based, and beliefs, traditions and practices that have indigenous roots (Pascual & Guillermo, 1978). Natives from the community can also be found in the diaspora in many places in the world, foremost of which is in North America where there have been immigrants from Morong since 1910s or earlier. A native of Morong, Private Tomas Claudio, whom the town considers its town hero but not without contestation (Soriano, 1978), immigrated to the United States in 1911 and died in a battlefield in France fighting for the US Army in 1918 during the First World War (National Historical Commission, 1965). Currently, there are about 2,000 alumni of Morong High School residing in North America (US and Canada) alone. Concerns about the erosion of local heritage and lack of sense of local history have been articulated by townspeople, especially due to the loss of certain community landmarks such as the Glorietta, a round structure at the town plaza, which was built in 1912 through donations from the Progressive Youth of Morong in America (PYMA), but which was torn in the 1970s to build a basketball court. Another landmark that disappeared quite recently was the female fu-dog structure that guards the entrance of the Morong Catholic Church. The structure was stolen during the height of a storm in the late 1990s. Other historical structures that are just now in memories, photographs and paintings, are the old Morong bridge that was destroyed by the Filipino guerillas during World War II to stop the advancing Japanese soldiers (Pascual & Guillermo, 1978), and the old Morong High School buildings demolished to give way for the construction of modern school facilities
Against the background narrated above, a small group of citizens organized a local heritage organization in 2012 called Lipunang Pangkasaysayan ng Morong or LIKAS Morong, Inc. The name stands for Morong Historical Society. It was in mid-2000s when the idea of organizing a historical society that will engage community members in matters of history and heritage first came about. Despite the disconcerting changes in the community mentioned earlier, there was no organization, agency or program that was actively advocating for heritage conservation. Attempts were made to recruit potential members using online means, particularly email messaging, but the efforts were not successful. Most of the initial convenors were Morongueños based in the United States and thus, it was challenging as communications were mostly not in real time, there were uncertainties about intentions, and there were no known initiators of similar communitybased projects on the ground in Morong. Although there were attempts by expatriates to engage the local government and local teachers, the efforts still did not bear fruits, until 2012, in terms of organizing a viable historical society and establishing a museum for the town. About a year after the online social media site Facebook launched Groups, the author who was overseas created an online Facebook group called Morong Historical Society and invited a few Morongueños residing in Morong and abroad which became the core group of the society. As of 2015, LIKAS has fifty-nine active and inactive members, about a third of whom resides abroad, mostly in North America (U.S. and Canada). LIKAS Morong, as its constitution asserts, is dedicated to the promotion and understanding of Morong history through community-based research, training, and education.” One of its major initiatives is the development of a community-based museum at the center of the town. The acronym LIKAS is particularly meaningful for heritage work as the Tagalog word 'likas' means native. It is also the root word for 'kalikasan', which means nature. Excerpts from Sto. Domingo, M.R. (2015) Creating alternative community settings: The case of a community-based heritage project in the Philippines. Community Psychology in Global Perspective, vol. 1, issue 2, 61-77. LIKAS Morong Officers and Members of the Board (2022-)
President
Edric C. Calma
Vice President
Brenz Nicole Sarmiento
Secretary
Fatima P. Angeles
Treasurer
Ruby SM. Doroteo
Treasurer (Assistant)
Charito P. Angeles
Members of the Board
Alexie Corbilla
Anita Ramos De Jesus
Felino SM. Angeles, Jr. Jesue Javier
Joie Bernardo – Martinez
Mona Alvendia
Susan San Miguel Romero
