'Roots and Horizons': National Heritage Month bridges the Filipino past and future

The Philippines celebrates National Heritage Month (NHM) annually during May, pursuant to President Proclamation No. 439. Spearheaded by the National Commission of Culture and the Arts (NCCA), it is a time to honor the stories, traditions, and places that shape the Filipino identity. 

This year's theme, “Roots and Horizons: Our Shared Heritage, Our Collective Future," spotlights heritage as a mirror to the Filipino past and a guide for the nation's future. 

On Thursday, GMA News Online joined a press tour organized by the NCCA across key heritage sites, including the University of Santo Tomas, the Philippine International Convention Center, Teus Mansion, Bahay Ugnayan, and the Goldenberg Mansion.

The tour highlighted architectural and built heritage, underscoring that heritage is not just preserved but embedded in modern, everyday life. The NCCA also highlighted the role of the media as storytellers of heritage, aiming to strengthen public engagement with heritage sites and cultural programs, and spark conversations on identity, history, and nation-building. 

“The message we want to share here is that heritage is for everyone. It’s not just grand,” Ivan Anthony S. Henares, PhD., Commissioner for Heritage and Head of the National Committee on Monuments and Sites, told GMA News Online during a press brief after the tour. 

“It’s also something that you see in your own hometowns, you see in your own communities. Every community has heritage,” he added. “And we want to honor the bearers of that heritage, our elders, those who are still continuing the traditions.”

The theme invites Filipinos to look back on Philippine history and culture with pride, while also looking forward with hope and responsibility toward building a future together. It emphasizes that heritage is not just concerned with the past; it is a continual process that informs our values, strengthens identity, and inspires unity across generations and communities.

“Kung alam mo kung sino ka as a person, gusto natin mag-nation-building, gusto natin umasenso, gusto natin tumaas. Kailangan nating [malaman] saan tayo nanggaling, but we look toward the future,” Maria Teresa B. Rayos Del Sol, Vice Head of Subcommission on Cultural Heritage and Head of the National Committee on Art Galleries, answered GMA News Online. 

Henares also emphasized the importance of communities when it comes to the protection and preservation of Philippine heritage. 

“Here in the Philippines, we really need to strengthen community stewardship when it comes to heritage protection. It’s not just the responsibility of the national government to preserve, promote, safeguard heritage. Communities need the necessary skills to do that,” he said. 

This National Heritage Month, a series of activities will take place across the country, with a focus on community participation, capacity-building, and heritage protection. The official kick-off activity, a showcase of Angono traditions, is set for May 10 at the Loyola Retreat House in Angono, Rizal. —CDC, GMA News