ILOILO City – The National Museum of the Philippines is considering declaring the Old Provincial Capitol of Iloilo, or Casa Real, along with the Arroyo Fountain in General Luna Street as Important Cultural Property (ICP).
Jeremy Barns, director-general of the National Museum of the Philippines, sent a letter to Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. informing him that the two structures made it to the list for consideration into wither a National Cultural Treasure (NCT) or an ICP.
The list was made by a panel of experts that convened last December 17, 2020.
“We are happy to inform you that a list of presumed cultural properties was proposed and considered for designation as either a National Cultural Treasure (NCT) or an Important Cultural Property (ICP) by a panel of experts duly convened last December 17, 2020, by the Director of the National Museum for the purpose, in line with pertinent provisions of Presidential Decree No. 374 and Republic Act No. 10066,” Barns said in the letter to Defensor.
Barns said if there were no objections, they will proceed “in due course with the declaration of the same, together with a public announcement.”
ICPs are those singled out from among cultural properties possessing “exceptional cultural, artistic, and/or historical significance” to the Philippines.
The Iloilo provincial government also initiated major heritage conservation projects, including the restoration and adaptive reuse of the Casa Real de Iloilo and the Prison of Iloilo.
The original Casa Real de Iloilo structure was built in 1873, renovated and redesigned by the Americans following the inauguration of the civil government of Iloilo in 1901.
It became the seat of the provincial government and was used as headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
Meanwhile, the Prison of Iloilo, built in 1911, now houses the National Museum Western Visayas and Satellite Office, which opened in April 2018./PN
