THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines-Visayas started the first leg of training for the cultural mapping of Antique to establish baseline documentation and interconnectivity of cultural resources in localities.

It also aims to develop primary and secondary teachers’ learning materials.

Tourism officers and teachers from the municipalities of Antique attended the face-to-face training.

It was the first in a series that will be conducted in February.

The cultural mapping of Antique is a project of UP Visayas in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the provincial government of Antique.

“The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recognizes cultural mapping as a vital and crucial tool in providing the society an overall framework in the preservation of our heritage, may it be tangible or intangible, built, man-made or natural,” Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, an advocate of culture and heritage, said in her keynote address.

UP Visayas Chancellor Clement Camposano commended Legarda’s efforts to raise funds for the mapping project.

“Truly, we are fortunate to have with us a public servant who is a champion of cultural documentation and preservation,” Camposano said.

He stressed that cultural mapping is important to establish people’s identity.

“We can never truly say that we know who we are if we do not make an effort to understand our history and culture,” Camposano said.