Vigan City Heritage City in the Philippnes

Vigan City is the capital of the Province of Ilocos Suril. It is on the west coast of Luzon, the Philippines, facing South China Sea. Vigan City is an excellent example of the direction Penang can develop as a heritage city. Here is the story of Vigan City and how they became a respected heritage city

Practically located in a delta, it is an island bordered by three rivers. One of the stories about the origin of its name is from the word: Bigan, (Bee Gan) meaning beautiful shore in Hokkien.

Chinese traders had been here long before Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1572. Another story about its name came from the plant Bigaa, a kind of yam that used to grow in abundant along the river. This plant is featured in the city's official seal.

Vigan used to be a vibrant city under Spanish rule for about one hundred years but over time, the place suffered decline when the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade stopped.

Later,  due to political unrest and also a series of unfortunate events the place became akin to a ghost town. However, a lot of the monuments, unique building and architecture survived and the people realized only they could bring back the city back to its feet again by using their own heritage to its advantage.

Vigan is a good example of how sustainable cultural practices could turn a drab town into a UNESCO World Heritage Site and make it even better over the years. Since its inscription in 1999, by using a holistic approach to tackle related issues one by one, Mayor Eva Marie Singson-Medina and her team managed to make the city livable again as well as to instill a sense of pride to the residents.

They have won numerous awards such as the most child-friendly city and the cleanest and greenest city. As a result, other neighboring municipalities also joined Vigan to be under the same jurisdiction and Vigan City became a fine example for other heritage sites in Asia Pacific like George Town to follow.

The city title was reinstated in 2001, based on the Royal Decree of September 7, 1758 issued by King Fernando VI of Spain. This title was not taken lightly as the citizens work really hard to make it worthy as one. Based on the presentation by Mayor Eva Marie Singson-Medina during the heritage conference held in George Town, the participants were shown an overview what were done to improve the situation over there.

Four main objectives were identified:

• to instill a sense of pride to the locals
• to study and enforce building guidelines
• to create local and international relationships with other cities
• to develop Vigan as a tourist destination by selling Biguenos local products and promoting unique heritage.

Here is the list of some of the actions taken, by category:

Reviving both tangible and intangible heritage.