City's quick assessment of heritage sites lauded

Within just 48 hours of the recent earthquake, Cebu City completed a full initial assessment of its heritage sites, prompting the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to adopt the city’s rapid-assessment form and online tally template as a national model for heritage emergency reporting.

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The swift response was led by the Cultural and Historical Affairs Office, under division head Bryner Laurito Diaz, and Orland James Romarate, officer-in-charge of the Heritage Preservation and Cultural Properties Registry Section (HPCPRS).

On the morning of October 1, the team convened a rapid coordination meeting to deploy three field groups across the city and activate a live dashboard for real-time monitoring.

“We moved fast but stayed methodical. Three teams, one system, and a live tally that our national partners could see in real time,” Romarate said via the city’s PIO, “the priority was safety; the goal was clarity.”