Conservation of a 'living' heritage site poses a multitude of problems. Economic progress, population growth, unplanned tourism development and the increasing demand for more infrastructures are exerting pressure on the fragile urban fabric of historic Vigan. Realizing these threats to the built heritage of Vigan, the private sector initiated an extensive awareness campaign in the early 1990's, under strong criticism from local leaders and greedy businessmen. The climate changed for the better in 1995 with a new set of local leaders sympathetic to the cause of conservation. Acting as a catalyst in changing the attitude of the entire community, the UNESCO presented a viable way of conserving the cultural heritage of Vigan. It was only then that the various' stakeholders started to work closely together to resolve the conflicting issues of conservation and economic development. A recently concluded international conference finally gave direction to the conservation and development plans for Vigan.

Vigan is the capital town of the Province of Ilocos Sur that lies along the northwestern coast of the island of Luzon in northern Philippines. It has an indigenous population of 41,540 inhabiting a total land area of 2.74 square kilometers, 60% of which are agricultural lands. As center of trade, commerce and education in the province, and location of government offices, Vigan's population increases by twice as much during daytime.

A sixteenth century map identifies Vigan as an island strategically located at the river delta of the Abra River along the coastal area nearest to Mainland China. Vigan became a bustling trade post during the height of the Asian mercantile activity in the 15^th to the 18^th centuries. Immigrants, mostly Chinese settled down in Vigan, intermarried with the natives and started the multi-cultural bloodline of the Bigueños.

Spanish and Mexican colonizers arrived in 1572 and made Vigan the capital of the ancient province of Ylocos. Their flourishing galleon trade intensified local commerce and industry. In 1758, Vigan became the seat of the suffragan diocese of Nueva Segovia and its status raised to that of a city named Ciudad Fernandina. For more than 3 centuries, Vigan was the most important city north of Manila.

The urban tissue of the historic district shows the specific characteristics of Hispanic town plan, and its architecture a blend of Spanish, Mexican, Chinese and native influences. The built heritage consists of more than 180 administrative and religious structures, historic buildings, public squares and warehouses, representing the unique artistic and technological achievements of 18^th and 19^th century native artisans who developed a regional architectural style adopted to the earthquake-prone tropics and reflected their indigenous art. The structures built by Chinese taipans who had monopoly on local commerce and trade are still very much lived in by their descendants or used for contemporary community purposes.

The historic structures are suffering from various stages of deterioration. This is visible in subsidence with cracks on load-bearing walls; serious degradation of' wooden trusses supporting the roof; removal of the original clay-roof tiles and replacement thereof with metal corrugated sheets; rising damp in walls; removal of external plaster due to weathering; and removal of external decorations and moldings. The old urban tissue survived the ravages of time, nature and the last world war, but a series of fire during the 1950's and 1970's destroyed dozens of historic buildings that were replaced by modern structures.

Cultural heritage is also manifested in Vigan's 'industrial history'. Pre-colonial arts and crafts continue to flourish in traditional villages in the outskirts of the poblacion (urban center). Surviving traditional industries include the production of stoneware burnay jars (processed in kilns similar to those in the southern part of China), clay bricks and tiles, hand-woven abel fabrics, wooden furniture, salt, maguey rope, iron-smithing and stone cutting.

As signatoree to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the Philippine Government instituted laws (i.e., RA 4846; PD 260, 756, 1505) protecting national cultural treasures that include the historic district of Vigan. On the local front, the municipal government promulgated a similar legislation. However, legal loopholes in the protective laws, lack of resources, conflicting mandates of the two responsible government agencies (National Museum and the National Historical Institute), and lack of political will have rendered these laws ineffective.

In 1992, a group of private homeowners formed the Save Vigan Ancestral Homes Association, Inc. (SVAHAI), which aimed to protect the cultural heritage of Vigan. It initiated an awareness campaign by mounting the Viva Vigan Festival of the Arts in 1993. The festival has become a popular annual event showcasing Vigan's cultural heritage. In 1994, another group of Bigueños residing in Manila organized the Kai Vigan Foundation to assist SVAHAI in conservation projects. In 1995, SVAHAI started the architectural documentation of historic structures in Vigan, with the help of a grant from Toyota Foundation and the assistance of architecture students of a local university. So far, about 40 structures have been documented.

Several studies identified Vigan's potential as a primary cultural tourist destination: the 1990 National Tourism Development Master Plan; a Regional Tourism Master Plan; and the 1994 North Luzon Quadrangle Development Plan. In a bilateral agreement with the Philippines, the Commission of European Union commissioned a Conservation Plan for the Historic Core of Vigan in 1995. In response, the Department of Tourism re-paved Crisologo St. at the heart of the historic district with cobble-stone, and will soon undertake the concealment of overhanging service lines along the same street, restoration of the two public squares and transformation of the Mira Hills Park as a botanical park.

In 1994, an archdiocesan commission was established to preserve the artistic and historic heritage of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia in its archives, museums, church monuments and religious structures. In 1995, a multi-sectoral Ad-Hoc Committee for the Conservation of Vigan was formed by the municipal government to screen physical interventions within the historic core. The local government units and the private sector have also been very aggressive in greening and beautification projects within the poblacion and suburbs.

Last August 1996, President Fidel Ramos displayed his concern by creating a Presidential Commission for the Restoration, Conservation and Preservation of the Historic Core of Vigan. The commission is mandated to provide overall direction, coordination and supervision of' the planning, implementation, management and monitoring of the development efforts of Vigan Heritage and Tourism Complex.

Despite the laudable intent of the various stakeholders, the lack of expertise, leadership, coordination and direction hampered conservation efforts. The key players started to realize their individual roles only when UNESCO officials came to make an initial survey of Vigan in February 1997. They were impressed with the strong public-private partnership; the current administration's thrust to revitalize Vigan's cultural heritage (including its traditional arts and crafts) as a vehicle for economic recovery; and to develop a sustainable cultural tourism industry as a means of financing the long-term conservation of cultural properties. As a result, UNESCO selected Vigan as one of the five pilot sites in the region for its Integrated Community Development and Cultural Heritage Site Preservation through Local Effort or LEAP Programme.

Under the program, UNESCO has extended .financial and technical assistance to SVAHAI in the preparation of an Owner's Manual for the Maintenance and Restoration of Heritage Properties, and co-sponsored an international conference on Vigan earlier this year.

The Avante Vigan International Conference on the Development and Conservation of Vigan (organized by Kaivigan Foundation, SVAHAI, the Vigan Tourism Council and the municipal government) started last March 1997 with five multi-sectoral consultative sessions on the following topics:

• Opportunities in Owning a Heritage House
  
• Industries in a Historic Town
  
• Developing Facilities for a National Treasure
  
• Livelihood Openings in an Ancient Town
  
• Informing the Public about Vigan

It was followed by an Experts' Conference held in May 1997. Local policy makers and experts, guided by UNESCO officials and consultants prepared a legislative agenda based on inputs gathered during the consultative workshops, and a viable and sustainable business plan for developing and conserving Vigan. They also made plans for setting up the legal and administrative framework for the management of the historic core of Vigan.

Under the guidance of a UNESCO consultant, the boundaries of the proposed historic core and a protective buffer zone were defined, based on the following factors:

• Concentration of historic structures
  
• Incidence of modern and non-conforming structures
  
• Present and future land use
  
• Municipal boundaries
  
• Boundaries of individual lot ownership
  
• Ease of management

The proposed boundary of the core runs behind building lines to preserve the ancient streetscape. (Streets as boundaries of a protected zone would result in abrupt changes in the design of structures from one side of the street to the other). The proposed core and protective buffer zone include all but three of the surviving historic structures in Vigan. The protected area encompasses the old administrative and religious centers, public squares and a portion of the old watercourse. It extends across the river to include the belt of trees in the east, but excludes the other bank of the Govantes River in the north that falls under the jurisdiction of the neighboring town of Bantay.

A Presidential Commission for the Preservation, Restoration and Conservation of the Historic Core of Vigan created by President Fidel Ramos in August 1996 is perceived by local stakeholders as unqualified to manage the site. More than two-thirds of the commissioners are heads of national agencies. Only five members (the provincial governor, the municipal mayor and three private citizens) are Vigan residents. While all members, including the executive director are political appointees, none of them is a conservation expert.

To ensure an effective heritage site management, a local Preservation and Conservation Authority of Vigan (PCAV) will be created and mandated by the municipal government to perform the following tasks:

• Manage the historic core and protective buffer zone
• Draft a comprehensive building code for the historic core and protective buffer zone;
• Make a detail survey of all historic structures (including their current uses) and grade each structure to determine its level of protection;
• Review and recommend approval or refusal of all interventions within the protected zones based on a Vigan Conservation Code.

The PCAV will comprise of a conservation architect, an urban planner, a structural engineer, an archeologist and a community outreach officer. In essence, the authority will be a technical body mandated by the municipal government to draft the management plan and protective guidelines, and oversee their implementation. The municipality will request the Presidential Commission to acknowledge the PCAV as its legitimate on-site management and implementing body.

Funds that will accrue to a conservation trust fund will be raised internally to finance the operations of the PCAV; avail soft, long-term loans to owners of historic buildings for the proper restoration and development of properties; and improve heritage site presentation. The tourism industry will be tapped to provide the main source of funds through the following schemes:

• Centralized entrance/tourist fee collection, adopting the Hoi-An (Thailand) scheme, whereby tourists will purchase tickets with stubs that grant them entry to local museums and restored heritage houses (a percentage of the proceeds will go back to the historic structures visited for their upkeep)
  
• Taxes imposed on tourism-related activities and business establishments, commercial advertising and film production
  
• Permits, licenses and parking fees
  
• Local fines and penalties

Other sources of funding will come from government grants; institutionalized budget of the Presidential Commission; congressional initiative for subsidizing public ownership of heritage properties; donations and grants from other sources; and loans for socialized housing and property development within the framework of the conservation code.

Local stakeholders are revising municipal development plans geared toward the development of a sustainable tourism industry through revitalization of its eco-cultural resources. Cultural revitalization encompasses a wide range of concerns: conservation of the natural and cultural heritage to attract tourists; rejuvenation of historic buildings through multiple adaptive re-use; revitalization of traditional arts and crafts; revival of ancient building trades for proper restoration of the built heritage; restoration of authenticity within the historic core; and rehabilitation of the ancient watercourse around Vigan to revive river industries and enhance tourist activities.

Economic sustainability of heritage properties hinges on their re-use as income-generating units. Since ancestral houses are quite large for single users, owners are now being encouraged to maximize the use of available floor space by transforming them into shops, restaurants, offices and other economic units. Transforming historic properties into mixed-use units can generate income provide funds for their long-term maintenance.

Heritage site presentation is being improved by the restoration of street signage and furniture, public squares, peripheral streets and approaches; removal and concealment of overhanging utility wires, exposed air-conditioning units and TV antennae; and repainting with original lime wash paints on the exterior of heritage properties. Owners of modern structures within the historic core are encouraged to 'reface' their buildings to restore streetscapes. Crisologo Street at the heart of the historic core has already been re-paved with cobblestone and pedestrianized. Peripheral streets will be similarly treated. Only calesas (horse-drawn carriages) will be allowed to traverse these streets.

To preserve authenticity, new infrastructures and economic activities will be made to conform to the cultural fabric of the historic district. Only 'boutique' hotels, reproductions of historic structures and 'bed-and-breakfast' establishments are allowed. Developers are encouraged to locate high-rise and modern tourist facilities outside the poblacion, preferably along nearby coastal areas to provide additional leisure and water sports activities.

Traditional arts and crafts are being rejuvenated not only to satisfy the souvenir market, but for export outside Vigan. Clay bricks and tiles produced by about 250 households in the western barangays of Vigan are being improved to supply the conservation requirement of Vigan's historic structures. Locally made wooden furniture and hand-woven fabrics are now top export items.

Environmental concerns being addressed by the provincial and municipal government units include the rehabilitation of the old riverine system around the poblacion, the gradual phase-out of tricycles and motorized vehicles within the historic center, adoption of zero-waste management system and the greening of the municipality.

The Municipal Government is preparing a dossier on Vigan for its re-nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List of Cultural Properties. To merit inscription in the World Heritage List, the local legislative body is currently drafting appropriate protective legislation in consultation with all concerned parties on the following agenda:

• Definition of boundaries of the historic core and protective buffer zone;
  
• Creation of the Preservation and Conservation Authority of Vigan (PCAV);
  
• Revised Building Code for the protected zones;
  
• Institutionalizing a conservation trust fund to finance the operations of the PCAV and for conservation works.

All stakeholders are now fully aware that inscription in the World Heritage List will not only add prestige to Vigan as a heritage site, but will ensure its long-term protection by the national government, as well as the international community.