Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) includes identification, documentation, research, preservation, protection, promotion, enhancement, and transmission through formal and non-formal education. This paper identified the conditions and status of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of Tabaco City, Philippines, identified the threats to the preservation of ICH, and determined the measures taken to safeguard the ICH. It utilized purposive sampling and adopted the Cultural Mapping of the NCCA in the documentation and identification of ICH in Tabaco City that employed ethnography through community immersion and non-participant observation applying the Filipino psychology, focused group discussion, and unstructured interviews in data collection. Findings revealed that ICH in Tabaco City is under threat due to many ICH practitioners' death and old age, a rising lack of interest in ICH among the youth, and the influences of foreign culture. However, measures were put in place to safeguard ICH. The living practitioners of ICH in Tabaco City pass on their knowledge and traditional skills to the next generations by sustaining traditional blacksmithing, pedicab making, folk medicine, and native cuisines. Furthermore, ICH is promoted by generating awareness through various tourism activities. This paper also recommends the establishment of a school for living tradition that may teach the younger generations of the ICH in Tabaco City. Likewise, mainstreaming indigenous knowledge into the curriculum must be done so that the younger generations can derive valuable lessons from studying ICH. Lastly, the local government must adopt policies through local legislation to ensure the preservation, promotion, and protection of ICH and their living human treasures.

This research project was conducted to document the cultural properties of Tabaco City, Philippines, through Cultural Mapping. It sought to generate baseline data for cultural statistics on tangible and intangible heritage, natural heritage, significant personalities, and cultural institutions. This study adopted the Cultural Mapping Methodology of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Participants of this cultural mapping were composed of 11 mappers who were trained to do the heritage documentation. Ethnography, community immersion, in-depth interviews, document analysis, participant observation, historiography, and photo documentation, were used in data collection. Findings revealed that the cultural mapping project in Tabaco City, Philippines was able to document and provide an inventory of the cultural properties of the place that showcase the city’s rich culture that could be used as baseline data in the formulation of promotional activities, conservation projects, policies, and legislation to fully safeguard and protect the city’s heritage resources. This study recommends that the output of this cultural mapping must be disseminated to schools and libraries so that the community, especially the students, researchers, and cultural workers, can raise their awareness of the city’s rich culture and thorough research on the documented cultural properties must be conducted. Moreover, the government and other stakeholders must strengthen their efforts to foster awareness, appreciation, and protection of the cultural properties of Tabaco City, Philippines.

Mt. Mayon Natural Park (MMNP), commonly known as Mayon Volcano, is one of the most celebrated natural heritages in the Province of Albay. It is a classic stratovolcano that rises 2,462 m (8, 189 ft) above sea level. This paper discussed the inherent cultural significance of MMNP by utilizing the cultural mapping approach of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to map significant natural resources. The informants’ articulation of the significant values of the volcano is a manifestation that the site is a significant natural property in the city. However, a lot of significant data are missing to fully provide holistic and comprehensive articulation of the significance of the volcano. From this context, this paper recommends the inclusion of MMNP in the targets for the next cultural mapping exercise of Tabaco City. Moreover, an update on the diversity and distribution assessment of flora and fauna may be considered to provide the Local Government Unit of Tabaco City with the current status of biological status of the volcano as baseline data for future efforts in the conservation and protection of the site.

This paper profiled the St. John the Baptist Church in Camalig, Albay, and Tabaco City, Philippines. It assessed the church’s cultural significance as well as the threats, issues, and constraints. This qualitative research adopted the cultural mapping approach of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). It employed ethnography, historiography, and participant observation as methods in cultural mapping. Braun and Clarke’s phases of thematic analysis were applied to reveal the inherent cultural significance. Further, the assessment of cultural significance was based on the Four Fields Value of Important Cultural Property. Findings revealed that St. John the Baptist Church both in Camalig, Albay, and Tabaco City possessed historical, aesthetic, and religious attributes that made the heritage structure profoundly valuable. However, natural calamities and funds for church restoration are the issues or constraints facing the church. This paper recommends that a conservation management plan that will focus on the restoration guidelines, conservation measures, and heritage protection must be adopted to fully protect the St. John the Baptist Church in Camalig, Albay, and Tabaco City. Moreover, the local government unit should conduct a risk assessment and update the hazard plans to mitigate the possible impacts of natural calamities on these heritage churches.