LAST Nov. 22, 2022, Jonathan Balsamo, the head of the Valenzuela City Cultural Affairs and Tourism Development Office, told me that a city tourism officer is now a mandatory post in the local government unit, instead of being just an optional one as per Civil Service Commission Memorandum Circular (MC) 12, series of 2022.

This has been a long time coming for tourism advocates because they know that tourism is important for any town or city for it can generate much needed additional revenue to serve the people.

This is big news to the tourism sector but also big news for me as an advocate of public history.

In my experience with some tourism officers, they see tourism only as beaches, scenic spots, festivals, food and beauty pageants. They have no inkling that they can also be experts in the local history, culture and heritage of their place. They do not realize that they can generate sustainable income generating activities for the LGUs by utilizing the narratives of the past and the heritage of their ancestors.

We have heard horror stories of how some heritage sites are neglected, especially in the provinces. Old municipios, heritage houses and Gabaldon school buildings were being demolished without consultation. Basically because no government office in the local government is in charge of these kinds of issues.

Balsamo said: “In a way this is a welcome development, to strengthen the office that indirectly can preserve local history and heritage.” He hopes that the local executives, the mayors and the governors realize that “cultural heritage is part of tourism.”

People do not just go to Fort Santiago in Intramuros, in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, or Cebu province, just to see the place. People go there for the feel of the past, which is enhanced by the stories that we tell of the place. It is these stories that give magic to it. Festivals that were created devoid of the experiences of people are the ones that were not sustained. Even food should be contextualized using history, just like how Ilocano food and industries were a product of the hard times Spanish colonization had brought through its economic policies, which drove people to try to conserve whatever they could. Hence, longganisa, sukang Ilokano, burnay and so on.

In some LGUs, cultural heritage is under the tourism officer. Balsamo, for one, curated the two museums in Valenzuela City, the one in honor of Katipon Pio Valenzuela and the one for the city’s history. He also supervised the restoration of the Arkong Bato, the former boundary between the provinces of Rizal and Bulacan, and also the former house of Pio Valenzuela, which will be opened to the public soon. It helps a lot that Balsamo is a historian.

I also am familiar with the work done by the Biñan City Culture, History, Arts and Tourism Office (BChato), headed by Bryan Jayson Borja, in trying to preserve and document this Laguna town’s landmarks, especially those that relate to José Rizal’s early life, and disseminate them in various publications and cultural programs, to which they have invited me to speak twice already.

Then, there’s Manila Tourism & Cultural Affairs Bureau (MTCAB), headed by Charlie Duñgo, continuing the projects to put a sense of history to Manila as the capital city started by the previous administration.

It could also be that a historical and cultural affairs office may be put up separately from the tourism office like in Cebu City. They have their own Cultural and Historical Affairs Office (CHAO), headed by its division chief Bryner L. Diaz who implements the recommendations of a council of experts composed of local historians and cultural workers. Despite being perceived as a modern city, the Cultural Planning, Museum and Cultural Affairs Office of the City of Makati, headed by Dwayne Samarista, is doing their best to highlight the older history and traditions of Makati based on a previous cultural mapping.

Even so, the tourism officers should be knowledgeable about history. Balsamo once heard historian Aaron Mallari saying at a training sponsored by Nayong Pilipino” “Tourism officers are public historians.” Balsamo believes that with the new MC, we can push for the idea that “tourism officers can also be public historians because they preserve and promote the local history and heritage of their communities.”

It is important that a qualified person is placed in this job. But if you are not the right person, then make yourself one. You can enroll in a graduate course on history and heritage, or even cultural management, you can attend trainings and conferences, especially with the Philippine Historical Association, or better yet connect with the right people by joining organizations like Association of Tourism Officers to compare notes.

Because history is too important to be left just to historians. We need people in government to champion us.