President Rodrigo Duterte signed a law declaring the City of Carcar in Cebu as a heritage zone.

Republic Act no. 11644 states that the City of Carcar "shall be accorded priority development by the Department of Tourism (DOT), in coordination with the Provincial Government of Cebu, the City Government of Carcar, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and its affiliated cultural agencies, and other concerned agencies of the government, and shall be subject to the rules and regulations governing the conservation and preservation of heritage zones."

"The DOT, in coordination with the Provincial Government of Cebu, the City Government of Carcar, the NCCA and its affiliated cultural agencies, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), shall immediately prepare the development plan involving the preservation, conservation, restoration, and maintenance of cultural and historical sites and structures for the enhancement and sustainability of tourism in Carcar City," it stated.

It also noted that "the NCCA shall approve only those methods and materials that strictly adhere to the accepted international standards of conservation in undertaking conservation and restoration works."

The law which was signed last Jan. 14 and was released to the media on Monday shall take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

"Within the 60 days from the effectivity of this act, the DOT in coordination with the Government of Cebu, the City Government of Carcar, the NCCA and DENR shall promulgate necessary rules and regulation for the effective implementation of the law," it stated.

Also signed by Duterte last Friday is the Republic Act No. 11645 or an act establishing a heritage zone within the municipality of San Vicente in Ilocos Sur.

The law noted that "within the period of one year from the effectivity of this Act, the Municipality of San Vicente, Ilocos Sur shall pass a municipal ordinance to operationalize appropriately the management of its Heritage Zone, including all the cultural properties designated as intrinsic thereto".

"The ordinance shall likewise include the metes and bounds of the Heritage Zone established pursuant to this Act", it added. Robina Asido/DMS