One of the features that can distinguish communities is their cultural heritage. This is the legacy of the ways of living from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations (Reshma, M. et al., 2023), like artifacts, monuments, a group of buildings and sites, and museums that have a diversity of values including symbolic, historic, artistic, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological, scientific, and social significance (uis.unesco.org).

In the Philippines, the 1987 Philippine Constitution expresses its commitment to foster preservation of Filipino national culture, protection of the country’s artistic and historic wealth, and respect and protection of the rights of indigenous cultural communities. Consequently, the Philippines has enacted into law the Republic Act No. 10066, also known as the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009. This law provides for the protection and conservation of the national cultural heritage. The aim of this law is to for the pursuit of maintaining Filipino identity through cultural preservation, let the historic past and modern society effectively coexist, and acknowledge and address conservation problems in an integrated and holistic approach for the benefit of the present generation and generations to come. The R.A. 10066 has also strengthened the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), created by virtue of R.A. 7356 in 1992. The Commission is mandated to formulate policies geared toward the development and promotion of culture and the arts and the preservation of the Filipino cultural heritage. A requirement also of the R.A. 10066 is for all LGUs to conduct an inventory of present cultural properties, dubbed as Cultural Mapping, for promotion and conservation. This is also stipulated as a requirement for municipalities applying for the Seal of Good Local Governance.

Cultural Mapping is “an approach used to identify, record, and use cultural resources and activities for building communities, where communities map what is important to them” (Cook & Taylor, 2013). This is vital in Municipal Development Planning and Tourism Planning since it is the first step in the cultural planning process. The NCCA takes cultural mapping as a form of systematic approach in inventorying, documenting, visualizing, and classifying cultural properties or resources. This method is used to have a better understanding of the locality as it represents cultural identity and pride.

The Republic Act 9593, or the Tourism Act of 2009, on the other hand, recognizes tourism as an economic driver, a form of social upliftment, and environmental protection. The excellent yet crucial decision to invest in tourism therefore poses responsibility among sectors in a community. This means that the local government units must commit to:

1.     create jobs and generate revenue from taxes and visitor spending, thereby stimulating local businesses;

2.     community development through infrastructures enhancing the overall quality of life of the residents;

3.     cultural preservation; and

4.     increased visibility, supporting all the goals.

In the province of Ilocos Norte, the culture stems from a network of beliefs, customs, and traditions cultivated by their ancestors. The practices that were handed down from generation to generation, coming from diverse populations (Galeon, K. 2019), remain valuable as they serve as a guide to the Ilokanos. With 21 municipalities and two (2) cities, of which four are considered to be home to indigenous peoples, the range of social and cultural range is just limitless.

The Municipality of Marcos, one of the youngest municipalities in the province, having been established in 1963, is a 4th class municipality nestled in the southeastern part of Ilocos Norte. Blessed with natural resources, the municipality offers panoramic fields and scenery with agriculture as their main economic base, where rice, corn, tobacco, and high-value commercial crops constitute the major crops planted in the municipality. While relying mostly on agriculture, the crops can become a great avenue for the town to develop the visibility of tourism through the development of agritourism and ecotourism activities. And while agriculture may be seen as a great potential for tourism, the Ilokano culture in Marcos is likewise still evident through its tangible and intangible manifestations.

However, based on the records of the LGU in 2023 on the inventory of cultural properties, there are only four identified assets, namely, the Don Mariano Marcos Monument, which is the only tangible-immovable property, and the Mannalon Festival, Lantern Parade Day, and Founding Anniversary Celebration. No other documentation of the municipality’s rich cultural heritage is available. Hence, cultural mapping is proposed as a strategy to map out, target, and prioritize the tourism potentials of LGU Marcos.

Publication. Publication of the output in a reputable journal.
Policy. Results can be a basis for the Local Government Unit of Marcos, Ilocos Norte, for the integration into local plans, programs, and projects to further enhance the values, relevance, and contribution to the community’s quality of life.
People Services. Provide training and workshops to relevant stakeholders to strengthen community involvement in cultural preservation and protection.
Places. Improvement of existing sites and landmarks with cultural significance and the development of areas with potentially high cultural meaning.
Partnership. Partnership between MMSU and LGU Marcos for program and project development
Paper for Presentation