ILOILO City – The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) will conduct a cultural mapping of Plaza Libertad prior the start of its redevelopment.
CENRO head Engineer Noel Hechanova said they will convene all the elders and/ or old-timers of barangays adjacent to the plaza and gather inputs from them as far as structures and statues, tress and other features of the plaza that have historical significance.
“We will conduct a cultural mapping and identify tanan dira sa sulod nga heritage…Nag-pre-meeting na kami sa mga kapitanes. Amon ginhingyo sa ila nga i-identify ang mga old-timers sa barangay nila kag mag-recommend sila para kakuha kami sang impormasyon parti sa mga heritage structures dira,” said Hechanova.
The CENRO head said they will make recommendations about the revisions based on the plan of Architect Paolo Alcazaren after the cultural mapping.
Hechanova said the redevelopment has not yet started. The recent felling of trees there was due to public safety concerns, he explained.
“Ang mga kahoy nga ulotdon as per plan ni Architect Alcazaren na-identify na. Na-identify man sang Department of Environment and Natural Resources ang pwede kag indi pwede utdon,” added Hechanova.
Aside from the old-timers, Hechanova said they may also tap local historians like Iloilo Provincial Capitol resident historian Nereo Lujan.
It was in Plaza Libertad where the Philippine flag was raised on Dec. 25, 1898 during the Philippine Revolution after Spaniards surrendered to the local troops led by Ilonggo hero General Martin Delgado.
On Nov. 17, 2003 the National Historical Institutedeclared Plaza Libertad a national historical landmark.
The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) is funding the Plaza Libertad redevelopment.
Four other public plazas here will be rehabilitated too – in the districts of Jaro, La Paz, Molo, and Arevalo./PN
