Republic of the Philippines

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Nineteenth Congress Vs TIME:

First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 2368

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: “Zhe 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
“Aris 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. 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. 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 before 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



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

Sixteenth Congress
Third Regular Session

2368

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.


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,