The Bonifacio Monument, Nominee As One of the Most Endangered Monuments on Earth in the 2010 World Monuments Watch

16 March 2009

                              click image to enlarge

Yesterday, as nominator, I had the honor of submitting by email the nomination form and nomination signature form for the inclusion of the Bonifacio Monument in the 2010 World Monuments Watch.  Joining me in making the nomination is Prof. Ding Reyes, as endorser in behalf of Kamalaysayan, Inc.. In the World Monuments Watch page of its website, this is what the World Monuments Fund has to say about the 2010 Watch:

World Monuments Watch 

Launched in 1996 and issued every two years, the World Monuments Watch calls international attention to cultural heritage around the world that is threatened by neglect, vandalism, conflict, or disaster. The 2010 Watch will continue this tradition of identifying endangered sites, while also encompassing sites with compelling issues or progressive approaches that could inform the field at large.

Watch listing provides an opportunity for sites and their nominators to raise public awareness, foster local participation, advance innovation and collaboration, and demonstrate effective solutions. The Watch nomination process also serves as a vehicle for requesting WMF assistance for select projects. 

Since the program’s inception, 544 sites have been included on the seven Watches. Nearly half the listed sites, representing 79 countries, have received WMF grants totaling $50 million. These WMF monies have leveraged an additional $150 million in assistance from other sources.

As the flagship advocacy program of the World Monuments Fund, the Watch is emblematic of WMF’s commitment to inspiring heritage stewardship, forging partnerships, and advancing conservation. 

In sponsoring the Watch program, WMF seeks to highlight emerging issues and opportunities in the field, confront urgent challenges, foster community engagement, and build capacities and constituencies for sustaining heritage protection in the long-term.

This is what we wrote in the Watch Listing portion of the Nomination form in justifiying inclusion of the Bonifacio Monument in the 2010 Watch:

The inclusion of the Bonifacio Monument on the World Monuments Fund Watch would leverage in a significant way the implementation of the plan of action outlined above.  Once the millions of Filipinos around the world notice the inclusion of the Monumento in the World Monuments Fund's 100 Most Endangered List, it will start a global rescue campaign unprecedented in the annals of Philippine cultural preservation and heritage conservation history. 

It will send a clear signal to Philippine government leaders and the National Historical Institute that the world community is watching and will not agree to a further desecration of the Bonifacio Monument.

Inclusion on the Watch will hasten submission by the Philippine Government to the Tentative List and should also help hasten UNESCO listing on its World Heritage cultural list. The Monumento World Heritage Global Campaign, convened by the nominator, has an online petition at http://www.gopetition.com/online/23996.html which seeks inclusion of the Bonifacio Monument in the list of UNESCO World Heritage cultural sites.

As a nation, let's join together in prayer and collective action so that the World Monuments Fund considers our submission and includes the Monumento in the 2010 World Monuments Watch. 

To God be the glory, always!

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Paghuhukay sa Monumento Rotonda Malapit Na sa LRT

04 February 2009


Kung pamilyar ka sa Monumento sa Caloocan, madali mong maa-identify ang lugar na ito.  To the left of the picture is the northern edge of the LRT.  At the foreground is a pink enclosure marked FB.  This is where the LRT-MRT3 closed loop project contractors obviously intend to dig another hole.  The threatened Bonifacio Monument is at the background. 

The picture below provides an update of an earlier picture I've taken in the post entitled "Terrible Diggings Continue at the Monumento."  They have dug this hole deeper; if you will note, there are sacks at the left side of the picture where they've gathered the dirt dug up from the hole.

Mga kapatid na Pinoy, we should act before it's too late!  Gumagapang na ang namumuong dilim sa banal na bantayog sa kadakilaan ng lahing Pilipino -- ang Monumento ni Gat Andres Bonifacio.

 

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Bishop Deogracias S. Iñiguez, A Giant of Our Times

27 January 2009

Today I had the chance to personally hand over to the Bishop of Kalookan, the Most Reverend Deogracias S. Iñiguez, D.D., a copy of my appeal to government authorities to immediately suspend the LRT-MRT3 diggings near Monumento and to conduct public consultations that will allow our people to arrive at a solution that will spare the threatened Bonifacio Monument from further desecration.  

The good bishop promised to look into the matter and asked me to furnish him other materials that will support the call for public consultation and dialogue on the issue of the LRT-MRT3 closing the loop project at Monumento.

Bishop Iñiguez is a giant of our times.  I consider it a privilege just to stand beside him.  Here is a man who stands head and shoulders above ordinary mortals, exerting his spiritual and moral authority on earth for the good of God's people.

 

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