In a nationwide campaign to spread awareness of the country’s documentary heritage, the Philippine Memory of the World (MoW) Committee in the Philippines invites the public to submit nominations for its call to enlist in the UNESCO MoW registries significant documents for world recognition.
Joining the nine documents already listed in UNESCO’s registries, new documents are in line for consideration. These include Jose Rizal’s novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, a collection of ethnographic films by folkloric dance master Ramos Obusan, three oldest books printed in the country, Marcelo H. del Pilar’s La Solidaridad, a community newspaper, Makinaugalingon representing an early act of community journalism in Iloilo, and documents compiled on wartime comfort women.
Each of the documents being considered embodies memories of the Filipino nation’s historical and cultural experiences that formed us as a nation. A document, defined by MoW chairman Prof.
Nick Deocampo as a recorded idea or thought preserved in books, films, maps, illustrations, and other artefacts. They serve as memories of a people’s past.
Response on Behalf of Inductees: Honorable Grace Poe, Senator | Representative of FPJ Film Collection
An appeal is made to archivists, librarians, cultural organizations, academics, and researchers to look at their collections and discover something important they may want to nominate for inclusion in the UNESCO MoW Registries. There is a need to spread awareness of the significance of documents in preserving historical and cultural memory.
In order to widen public awareness over the program, public awareness and nomination workshops will be held this year in the cities of Naga, Dumaguete, and Davao.