17/09/2024
PUBLIC/PRIVATE COLLABORATION FOR HERITAGE HOUSES
Old Houses that bear officially issued historical markers, that are designated ’heritage’ because it has historic or cultural or architectural significance- are assumably ’public’ - with owner and government collaboration.
The following (all of it, not just one paragraph) are what can designate an ancestral or significant house as ‘heritage.’ An ancestral house (though an inherited property) may not necessarily be also ‘annointed’ *heritage* unless it passes NHCP guidelines to be so-called.
GUIDELINES ON THE DECLARATION OF HERITAGE HOUSES (from NHCP)
I. TERMINOLOGY
Heritage Houses are houses of significant cultural, historical, social, architectural, and artistic value. Because of their significance, they are considered national treasures for the present and future generations. Heritage houses may be houses of ethnic/indigenous tradition, and of the Spanish colonial, American colonial, Post-war periods and/or mixed historical styles:
A. Houses of Ethnic Tradition. These are houses of the Southeast Asian type found in the non- Westernized communities in the Philippines. These houses include the balay and binuron of the Isnegs, the bale of the Ifugaos, the afong of the Bontocs, the gunu b**g of the T'bolis, and the torogan of the Maranaos.
B. Houses of the Spanish Colonial Period. These houses, erected during the Spanish regime, reflect Western influence. They include the bahay-na-bato (stone house) and the bahay-na- tisa (brick house).
C. Houses of the American Colonial Period. These houses, built during the American regime, include chalets, bungalows, bahay-na-kongkreto (reinforced concrete house), two-storey houses and the houses designed by architects of the period, among them Andres Luna de San Pedro, Arcadio Arellano, Juan Arellano, Juan Nakpil, Fernando Ocampo Sr., and Pablo Antonio.
D. Houses of the Post-War Period. These include houses built immediately after World War II up to contemporary times. Houses under this category include those designed by the major architects of the period, such as Federico Illustre, Otillo Arellano, Pablo Antonio, Carlos Arguelles, Leandro Locsin, Jose Zaragosa, Felipe Mendoza, Gabriel Formoso and the Mañosa brothers.
E.Houses of mixed historical styles. These houses had undergone change/s resulting from change in ownership, renovation, transformation, addition, repair and replacement, and/or rehabilitation. Such changes were undertaken in different periods of their development, and can still be found in the different parts of these houses. The history of the building can be appreciated through these period traces.
II. CRITERIA FOR HERITAGE HOUSES
A. Age. These houses are esteemed for their age and for having well withstood the ravages of time. These houses must be at least fifty (50) years old to qualify.
B. Site. The site or setting may be urban, suburban, upland, lowland, or rural, and may be of environmental, historical, cultural, and/or artistic importance.
C. Representative of Development or Styles in Architecture. These are houses which represent a particular architectural style, form, or milestone development, revolutionary technology, relating to a significant historico-cultural experience of the Filipino people. In considering particular architectural characteristics of the period, the development of architectural styles should be taken into account:
1. Initial development/s
2. Full development
D. Authenticity. The house should not have undergone any major renovation or modification that has altered its form, character, and style. A house, in order to be declared a Heritage House, should have at least seventy five percent (75%) of the original structure and materials.
III. PRIVILEGES FOR BEING A HERITAGE HOUSE
The owner of a Heritage House is entitled to certain privileges. Such privileges and legislation should be coordinated and tied-up with government finance agencies, such as the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
A. Tax Incentives. These could come in the form of reduced realty tax or tax deductions from income for repairs and maintenance of the Heritage House.
B. Government Assistance. The government could help finance the repair or maintenance of a declared Heritage House. It can also provide technical advice on how to carry out preservation and restoration works.
C. Status of a Heritage House. The house is declared a Heritage House signifying its significance, and is identified as such by a plaque installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
D. Privacy and Public Access to the Property. Public accessibility for the purpose of historical education and the level of owner privacy shall be arranged between the NHCP and the Owner/s in a Memorandum of Agreement prior to the declaration of the house as a Heritage House.
IV. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OWNER OF THE HERITAGE HOUSE
A. Preservation of Houses. Heritage Houses should be well-maintained and in good condition. They should not be allowed to deteriorate. There should be no major alterations, especially of the exterior, the immediate surroundings, and the major rooms in the house. Any repair, addition, alteration, renovation, restoration or reconstruction must have written permission of the NHCP Chairperson, and should make use of conservation or construction methods which are technologically accepted by conservationists and restoration architects. Furniture and interior architectural ornaments should likewise be well-maintained as they are important decorative components of the Heritage House.
B. Ownership of the House. The owner retains private ownership of a house officially declared as a Heritage House by the NHCP. If a property (lot), wherein a declared Heritage House is located, should be used for some other purpose, the owner has the option to dismantle the Heritage House and transfer it to another site. New structures should not compete, dominate, or obstruct, but rather shall be made to harmonize with the Heritage House.
C. Access to Visitors. Visits to the Heritage Houses may be conducted in close coordination with owner/s, and in accordance with the MOA between the NHCP and the Owner/s.
D. Assumption of Responsibility. The heirs of the owner assume responsibility for the Heritage House upon the demise of the owner. In case the house and the property are sold, the government shall be given the first priority of purchase. When the new owner assumes possession of the house and property, responsibilities are passed on to him.
E. Non-Agreement among the Legal Owners. In case one or more of the owners does/do not want to preserve the house, but instead, they want to sell/dispose of the property for monetary reasons, the owner who would like to retain and preserve the property may buy out the shares of the disagreeing party/ies.
V. MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) shall be entered into by and between the Heritage House Owner and the Government, through the National Historical Commission of the Philippines which will spell out the details of the arrangement.
VI. VIOLATIONS
Any violation committed by the homeowner will result in the withdrawal of the status of his house as a Heritage House and the privileges which go with it, as mentioned in Section III.
