Abstract

The town of Mogpog is one of the six towns in the province of Marinduque which was established as a town in 1807. Due to the location of the island province, its customs and traditions are still intact and its uniqueness from the surrounding provinces is still well pronounced. The colonial influences are still noticeable today from the built heritage up to the festivals and traditions that were practiced since the colonial period. The heritage of the town is embodied in the architecture of the existing heritage houses which therefore strongly establishes its links to its history and origins but the degradation, modification, lack of conservation effort, enforcement of protective laws, economic pressures, and awareness regarding the importance of the heritage houses pose a great threat to its value and the identity of the people of this town. The objective of this study is to explore the history and determine the significance of the heritage houses to the town and its people through the use of cultural mapping. This study used the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) cultural mapping toolkit as a guide for the qualitative method that includes an interview with the owners and resource people to get the oral history and stories of the houses. This paper discussed the data gathered from the cultural mapping of the heritage houses to understand their history, significance, and issues on their current condition. The study showed that each heritage house has its own set of significance.

Keywords: heritage house, built heritage, cultural mapping, Mogpog