Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
Twentieth Congress 
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _________
 Introduced by Hon. Charisse Anne C. Hernandez
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The 1987 Philippine Constitution guarantees the protection and fostering of our cultural 
and historical heritage. It was provided in Article XIV, Section 14 of the 1987 Philippine 
Constitution which states: “The State shall foster the preservation, enrichment, and dynamic 
evolution of a Filipino national culture based on the principle of unity in diversity in a climate 
of free artistic and intellectual expression.”. Also Section 15 of the same article expresses that 
“Arts and letters shall enjoy the patronage of the State. Lastly, in Section 16 of Article XIV, it 
provides that  “The State shall conserve, promote, and popularize the nation’s historical and 
cultural heritage and resources, as well as artistic creations.”. In order to further strengthen 
these constitutional provisions, Republic Act No. 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act 
of 2009 was enacted. Article IV of the said law provides for the designation and maintenance of 
heritage zones in order to protect the historical and cultural integrity of a geographical area. 
The City of Calamba has a meaningful history and rich cultural heritage. A lot of 
historical sites are situated in the said city. One of which is St. John the Baptist Church, where 
Dr. José Rizal, our National Hero, was baptized. Located near the church is the Rizal Shrine, 
reconstructed in 1949 and is now maintained by the National Historical Institute. The said 
historical sites are located along Mercado Street and Rizal Street in Brgy. 5 (Poblacion), 
Calamba City. F. Mercado street was named before the father of our National Hero. He was 
married to Teodora Alonso and resided in the City of Calamba and built a business in 
agriculture. On the other hand, JP Rizal Street was named after our very own Dr. José Rizal. 
These roads are used in order to get to these locations. They are essential and meaningful. 
Furthermore, these landmarks can be considered as cultural  treasures and of historical 
significance as they were not only named before notable persons, but they lead to historical 
places which survived the test of time. 
This bill seeks to declare F. Mercado Street and JP Rizal Street as historical and cultural 
zones. The significance of these landmarks needs to be preserved and made known not only to 
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the people of Calamba City, but also to the world. With the passage of this bill, it is intended 
that the Department of Tourism and other suitable agencies would be able to put into place 
long-term plans to advertise and protect these cultural treasures, allowing cultural tourism to 
thrive.
CHARISSE ANNE C. HERNANDEZ
Representative
Lone District, Calamba City 


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
Twentieth Congress 
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _________
Introduced by
Hon. Charisse Anne Hernandez
AN ACT DECLARING F. MERCADO STREET AND JP RIZAL STREET IN THE 
CITY OF CALAMBA, PROVINCE OF LAGUNA AS HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL 
ZONES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
SECTION. 1.  The aforementioned streets surrounding Rizal Shrine located in the City 
of Calamba, Province of Laguna is hereby declared as historical and cultural zones. As such it 
shall be accorded priority development by the Department of Tourism (DOT) in coordination 
with the National Historical Institute, the National Museum, and other government agencies. It 
shall be subject to the rules and regulations governing the development of tourist zones.
SEC. 2. The Rizal Shrine located in the City of Calamba was a reproduction of a two-
story, Spanish-Colonial style house where Dr. José Rizal was born. The house is designated as 
a National Shrine (Level 1) by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. It is 
located along F. Mercado Street and JP Rizal Street in Calamba’s Poblacion 5.
SEC. 3.  The DOT, in coordination with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone 
Authority (TIEZA), and other concerned agencies of the government, including the National 
Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), The National Museum of the Philippines, 
and other government agencies, including the Department of Public Works and Highways 
(DPWH),  shall  prepare  the  necessary  tourism  development  plan,  providing  for  their 
development and maintenance, including improvement and restoration of sites, Provided, that 
the said development plan shall ensure the preservation of the cultural heritage and historical 
significance of the area/s concerned.
SEC. 4. The DPWH shall coordinate with the DOT for the necessary construction 
and/or improvement of roads and other infrastructure projects upon promulgation of this Act, 
and incorporate the design, construction and funding of the same in its infrastructure programs.
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SEC. 5.  The Secretary of the DOT and the Secretary of the DPWH shall include in their 
respective programs the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in 
the annual General Appropriations Act or charged against the internally generated funds of the 
DOT.
 
SEC. 6. The DOT shall take immediate steps to implement the development plan and 
incorporate this in the Department’s overall tourism development program for the ensuing year.
The DOT shall likewise promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the proper 
implementation of this Act.
 
SEC. 7. All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations or parts 
thereof which are inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Act shall be deemed repealed or 
modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 8.  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official 
Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,