Grupo Kalinangan 2022 Annual Report

CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

MABUHAY!

AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, IT GIVES THE HONOR TO WELCOME BOTH THE NEW AND OLD MEMBERS TO THE GRUPO KALINANGAN INC. (GKI).

THE PAST YEAR HAS BROUGHT US BACK TO A FOCUS ON HERITAGE AND CULTURAL MAPPING DESPITE THE THREAT OF COVID AND LOCKDOWNS FROM THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS. IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT, YET WE HAVE OVERCOME THE SITUATION. THERE WAS THE PASIG CULTURAL MAPPING DONE EARLY LAST YEAR AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PASIG MEMORYA PROJECT, WHERE OUR DELIVERABLES WERE PRESENTED AND WELLRECEIVED BY THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF PASIG. OUR MEMBERS HAVE ALSO CONDUCTED VARIOUS EDUCATIONAL HERITAGE TRIPS IN MALABON, CAVITE, AND PAMPANGA, WHICH FURTHER INCREASED ENGAGEMENT AND CULTURAL AWARENESS AMONG OUR MEMBERS. NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT HAS BEEN A VERY BUSY YEAR. WE HAVE HIT SNAGS HERE AND THERE, BUT WE STILL AIM TO CONTINUE WITH OUR FOCUS ON LOCAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE PRESERVATION.

WITH THE EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION GRADUALLY CREEPING INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE, A LOT OF THEIR HERITAGE AND LOCAL HISTORY ARE SLOWLY DISAPPEARING. THE SITUATION BECOMES WORSE AS MANY OF THESE DISAPPEARING HERITAGE AND HISTORY ARE NOT BEING WRITTEN AND DOCUMENTED. THIS IS WHERE GRUPO KALINANGAN COMES IN TO HELP THESE COMMUNITIES POINT OUT THE IMPORTANT SITES AND TRADITIONS THAT THEY HAVE. THIS KIND OF WORK CAN BE VERY DAUNTING, AND SOMETIMES EVEN INTIMIDATING, WITH VARIOUS OPPOSING FORCES FROM MAN AND NATURE, BUT WE HAVE ALWAYS PROVEN OURSELVES TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS. IT IS THROUGH THIS KIND OF CONFIDENCE THAT WILL HELP US CONTINUE TO SURPASS THE CHALLENGES AHEAD.

OUR VISIONS FOR LOCAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE PRESERVATION ARE NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. THEY ARE WHAT DEFINE US AS PEOPLE AND AS A RACE. THESE ARE THE ASPIRATIONS THAT DEFINE GRUPO KALIMANTAN. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR SUPPORT IN THE COMING YEAR. TOGETHER, WE SHOULD ACHIEVE OUR COMMON VISION FOR LOCAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

OUR SINCEREST THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE SUPPORTED OUR PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS THIS 2022:

With the recovery of the tourism industry as a relevant topic in the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic , Grupo Kalinangan held “Utilizing Cultural Heritage for Tourism Recovery “, a free one-day webinar dealing with identifying stakeholders in cultural heritage, case studies, and recommendations for utilization of local cultural assets in pursuit of tourism development, in partnership with Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP).

Local Government Unit (LGU) tourism officers and staff, members of local culture and arts councils, heritage advocates and practitioners listened to lectures and discussions on cultural heritage as a tool for tourism recovery, which is a very timely subject in the current COVID-19 pandemic, to help broaden their perspective on the maximization of cultural assets for tourism development.

Mr. Arwin Paul Alfonso Lingat, ATOP President, delivered the welcome remarks while lectures were presented by Mr. John Ray Ramos, Ar. Reynaldo S. Lita and Ms. Kara Garilao.

CULTURAL MAPPING TRAINING PROGRAM BATCH 12

The Cultural Mapping and Training Program, GKI’s annual flagship activity, just had its biggest batch yet with participants coming from as far as Mahatao, Batanes in the north, and M'lang, Cotabato in the south. Forty-nine (49) participants successfully completed the six-week hybrid training from February 12 to March 19, 2022, where they underwent a hybrid of online lectures via Google Classroom, Google Meet and face-to-face training in designated venues within the City of Taguig. The training program concluded with a validation workshop where participants presented their local cultural mapping reports in front of specialists and stakeholders.

The Training aimed to create a heightened awareness and appreciation of the benefits of cultural heritage conservation and the cultural mapping process and to enable aspiring cultural workers with the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies to conduct cultural mapping and capacity building activities for local governments and communities across the Philippines. The Training includes 14 CPD credit units for architecture and 15 units for environmental planning. You can watch the activity highlights here.

ALAB: GENERAL MEMBERSHIP ASSEMBLY 2022

Members and partners of Grupo Kalinangan gathered on March 26 2022 for the annual General Assembly, themed ALAB, at the Holiday Inn & Suites Makati. GKI President Isabel Beatrice Bautista presented the organization's accomplishments in 2021, while Treasurer Joel Aldor presented the plans and upcoming activities for 2022. The members also held its biennial elections, where six new Trustees were chosen to serve from 2022-2024.

A week after the annual general assembly, an internal Election of Officers was held online on April 2, 2022, where a number of officers were elected for a term of two (2) years. See the section on the Board of Trustees and Officers for more information.