Pangasinan Capitol building declared as heritage site

November 17, 2018 Community Billboard

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) members passed an ordinance declaring the Pangasinan Provincial Capitol Building as cultural heritage site to commemorate its 100 years of historical and cultural milestone.
“We acknowledge that the Pangasinan Provincial Capitol building is one of the most beautiful capitols in the country and the declaration is also timely because the province will be celebrating the 100 years of the capitol building on December this year,” 4th District board member Jeremy Agerico Rosario said in an interview on Wednesday (November 14).
Section 6 of the Provincial Ordinance no. 27-2018, which was approved by the SP members on Monday (November 12), refers to the allocation of funds necessary for the preservation of the Provincial Capitol, said Rosario.
A penal clause was also included in the provincial ordinance for any person who shall vandalize, deface, or damage the Capitol building.
Violators will have to pay a penalty of P2,500 to P5,000, and shoulder the cost for the restoration of the same to its original state.
In support of the local declaration, Rosario said a provincial resolution endorsing the proper declaration of the Capitol building as a cultural heritage site to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) was also approved by the SP members.
“We have declared it on our own, but we know that the labeling is the work of NCCA as tasked by the national government. We passed a resolution endorsing it to the NCCA, hoping that it will qualify based on their study as a national historical or heritage site,” he said.
Rosario added the SP members wanted the Capitol Building to be preserved and for the national government to fund the restoration and maintenance of the old edifice.
“We will comply with all that NCCA will require,” he said.
Rosario said the Capitol Building has its historical value, as it stood the test of World War II.
He also commended former Governor Amado Espino Jr. for restoring but preserving the original design of the capitol.
The construction of the capitol started in 1917 and was completed in December 1918 during the American Colonial period. It suffered the ravage of war during World War II but was reconstructed in 1948, the Provincial Information Office said in a statement.Meanwhile, Governor Amado Espino III, in an interview on Monday, said “the capitol represents the service of the government to its people.”
The provincial government launched the Capitol Building Centennial Anniversary photo contest with the theme: Stronger Heritage, Stronger Pangasinan, which runs from November 12 to 18. Hilda Austria, PNA / ABN