BONTOC, Mtn. Province – The newly minted Provincial Historical Committee met for the first time since it was institutionalized by Provincial Ordinance No. 496, series of 2023 dated July 17, 2023 to tackle its first work.
It is to be noted that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan enacted the provincial ordinance with the mandates of the Committee to formulate the programs and projects to perpetuate the history of the province, the offices of the provincial government, among others.
The history of the province was already published, Mountain Province: Then and Now. The histories of the respective offices of the provincial government have been identified as the new task to be done by the Committee.
Last Monday, August 07, 2023, the Committee had a meeting at the Pearl Café and Restaurant to start the mandate of writing the histories of the respective offices of the provincial government. Focal persons were designated per office composed of permanent employees.
Among the salient points discussed were the guidelines in making the write-ups such as the when and legal bases of the creations of the offices, who were the first and succeeding heads of the offices and what have they done, the vision and mission of each office, and the resources of each office since then up to the present.
The manuscripts were agreed to be submitted on or before June 2024. The researches and gathering of data are to be done right after the meeting and to be presented, including initial write-ups, in the next quarterly meeting of the Committee.
A technical writing seminar was requested to be conducted for the writers before the next meeting which the presiding officer has positively affirmed.
Other requests made in the social media by personalities who lauded the provincial government led by Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr. for coming up with the Committee are the documentations of historical buildings and sites within the province, including the exploits of local heroes in World Wars 1 and II.
Among the policy statements of the Ordinance, “the diverse rich historical and cultural heritages of the province are to be preserved and passed on to the people and incoming generations to be aware of”.
Another is to recognize the historical uniqueness and resources of the province and acknowledge the local cliché, “ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan”.
Roger Sacyaten
