World Heritage Sites

(Photo Caption: The Ifugao Rice Terraces in Batad, Philippines. Source: http://www.travel-philippines.com/locations/central-luzon/2-batad.htm )



I have been writing about the subject of car accidents for one week already. I think I have already recovered from my "post accident anxiety". A colleague of mine who is a psychologist actually advised me to write something about my car accident experience in my BLOG. She said it would help me (psychologically).




I believe that it is now time for me to change topics.


Last Saturday (8/11/07) I saw a film feature (what others call an independent film) about the Ifugao rice terraces in Batad, Mountain Province (in northern Philippines). I learned from the film that the Ifugao rice terraces is listed as one of the World Heritage Sites.


What is a World Heritage Site?


A quick look at Wikipedia ( http://www.wikipedia.org/ ) gave this answer:


World Heritage Site
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


( Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Heritage_Site )

"A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State Parties (countries) which are elected by the General Assembly of States Parties for a fixed term.[1] (This is similar to the United Nations Security Council.)




The programme aims to catalogue, name, and conserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of mankind. Under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund. The programme was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. Since then, 184 (as of July 2007) States Parties have ratified the convention.



As of 2007, a total of 851 sites are listed: 660 cultural, 166 natural, and 25 mixed properties, in 142 States Parties. UNESCO references each World Heritage Site with a unique identification number; but new inscriptions often include previous sites now listed as part of larger descriptions. As a result, the numbering system currently ends above 1200, even though there are fewer on the actual list.



Each World Heritage Site is the property of the country on whose territory the site is located, but it is considered in the interest of the international community to preserve each site for future generations of humanity. The protection and conservation of these sites are a concern of all the World Heritage countries."


Currently, there are five World Heritage Sites listed under the Philippines. These are:


(See http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31 )

1. Baroque Churches of the Philippines (1993)
2. Tubbataha Reef Marine Park (1993)
3. Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras (1995)
4. Historic Town of Vigan (1999)
5. Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park (1999)


I realized that I have visited four out of five sites fom this list. The only site that I have not visited (from the Philippine list) is the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park.


Well, I hope to visit this marine park someday :)


Cheers,


Raffy(8/13/07, in Quezon City)

P.S. Below are some links to the Ifugao Rice Terraces in Batad, Philippines:




http://www.travel-philippines.com/locations/central-luzon/2-batad.htm


http://www.aenet.org/ifugao/batad.htm