NATIONAL HISTORICAL COMMISSION OF THE PHILIPPINES

GUIDELINES ON THE DECLARATION OF HERITAGE HOUSES 2010

GUIDELINES ON THE DECLARATION OF HERITAGE HOUSES

I. TERMINOLOGY

Heritage Houses are houses of significant cultural, historical, social, architectural, and artistic
value. Because of their significance, they are considered national treasures for the present and
future generations. Heritage houses may be houses of ethnic/indigenous tradition, and of the
Spanish colonial, American colonial, Post-war periods and/or mixed historical styles:

A. Houses of Ethnic Tradition. These are houses of the Southeast Asian type found in the non-
Westernized communities in the Philippines. These houses include the balay and binuron
of the Isnegs, the bale of the Ifugaos, the afong of the Bontocs, the gunu bong of the
T'bolis, and the torogan of the Maranaos.

B. Houses of the Spanish Colonial Period. These houses, erected during the Spanish regime,
reflect Western influence. They include the bahay-na-bato (stone house) and the bahay-na-
tisa (brick house).

C. Houses of the American Colonial Period. These houses, built during the American regime,
include chalets, bungalows, bahay-na-kongkreto (reinforced concrete house), two-storey
houses and the houses designed by architects of the period, among them Andres Luna de
San Pedro, Arcadio Arellano, Juan Arellano, Juan Nakpil, Fernando Ocampo Sr., and Pablo
Antonio.

D. Houses of the Post-War Period. These include houses built immediately after World War II
up to contemporary times. Houses under this category include those designed by the major
architects of the period, such as Federico Illustre, Otillo Arellano, Pablo Antonio, Carlos
Arguelles, Leandro Locsin, Jose Zaragosa, Felipe Mendoza, Gabriel Formoso and the
Maosa brothers.

E. Houses of mixed historical styles. These houses had undergone change/s resulting from
change in ownership, renovation, transformation, addition, repair and replacement, and/or
rehabilitation. Such changes were undertaken in different periods of their development, and
can still be found in the different parts of these houses. The history of the building can be
appreciated through these period traces.

II. CRITERIA FOR HERITAGE HOUSES

A. Age. These houses are esteemed for their age and for having well withstood the ravages of
time. These houses must be at least fifty (50) years old to qualify.

B. Site. The site or setting may be urban, suburban, upland, lowland, or rural, and may be of
environmental, historical, cultural, and/or artistic importance.

C. Representative of Development or Styles in Architecture. These are houses which represent

a particular architectural style, form, or milestone development, revolutionary technology,
relating to a significant historico-cultural experience of the Filipino people. In considering
particular architectural characteristics of the period, the development of architectural styles
should be taken into account:

1. Initial development/s
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GUIDELINES ON THE DECLARATION OF HERITAGE HOUSES 2010

2. Full development

D. Authenticity. The house should not have undergone any major renovation or modification
that has altered its form, character, and style. A house, in order to be declared a Heritage
House, should have at least seventy five percent (75%) of the original structure and
materials.

III. PRIVILEGES FOR BEING A HERITAGE HOUSE

The owner of a Heritage House is entitled to certain privileges. Such privileges and legislation
should be coordinated and tied-up with government finance agencies, such as the Department of
Finance and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

A. Tax Incentives. These could come in the form of reduced realty tax or tax deductions from
income for repairs and maintenance of the Heritage House.

B. Government Assistance. The government could help finance the repair or maintenance of a
declared Heritage House. It can also provide technical advice on how to carry out
preservation and restoration works.

C. Status of a Heritage House. The house is declared a Heritage House signifying its
significance, and is identified as such by a plaque installed by the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines.

D. Privacy and Public Access to the Property. Public accessibility for the purpose of historical
education and the level of owner privacy shall be arranged between the NHCP and the
Owner/s in a Memorandum of Agreement prior to the declaration of the house as a
Heritage House.

IV. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OWNER OF THE HERITAGE HOUSE

A. Preservation of Houses. Heritage Houses should be well-maintained and in good condition.

They should not be allowed to deteriorate. There should be no major alterations, especially
of the exterior, the immediate surroundings, and the major rooms in the house. Any repair,
addition, alteration, renovation, restoration or reconstruction must have written permission
of the NHCP Chairperson, and should make use of conservation or construction methods
which are technologically accepted by conservationists and restoration architects. Furniture
and interior architectural ornaments should likewise be well-maintained as they are
important decorative components of the Heritage House.

B. Ownership of the House. The owner retains private ownership of a house officially declared
as a Heritage House by the NHCP. If a property (lot), wherein a declared Heritage House is
located, should be used for some other purpose, the owner has the option to dismantle the
Heritage House and transfer it to another site. New structures should not compete,
dominate, or obstruct, but rather shall be made to harmonize with the Heritage House.

C. Access to Visitors. Visits to the Heritage Houses may be conducted in close coordination
with owner/s, and in accordance with the MOA between the NHCP and the Owner/s.
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GUIDELINES ON THE DECLARATION OF HERITAGE HOUSES 2010

D. Assumption of Responsibility. The heirs of the owner assume responsibility for the
Heritage House upon the demise of the owner. In case the house and the property are sold,
the government shall be given the first priority of purchase. When the new owner assumes
possession of the house and property, responsibilities are passed on to him.

E. Non-Agreement among the Legal Owners. In case one or more of the owners does/do not
want to preserve the house, but instead, they want to sell/dispose of the property for
monetary reasons, the owner who would like to retain and preserve the property may buy
out the shares of the disagreeing party/ies.

V. MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) shall be entered into by and between the Heritage House
Owner and the Government, through the National Historical Commission of the Philippines
which will spell out the details of the arrangement.

VI. VIOLATIONS

Any violation committed by the homeowner will result in the withdrawal of the status of his
house as a Heritage House and the privileges which go with it, as mentioned in Section III.