From November 27 to 29, 2024 Institution Building Chief Jose Abraham C. Ongkiko and Junior Project Assistant Franklin Joshua G. Gali attended the 8th National Archives Congress at Lingayen, Pangasinan in the province’s Training and Development Center 2. The event was organized by the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCAA) in collaboration with the UP Library Science Alumni Association (UPLSAA), UP School of Library and Information Studies (UPSLIS), and Society of Filipino Archivists (SFA), Inc. Over 100 attendees from various public and private institutions joined in the event which was formally titled the National Congress on Disaster Management for Archives and Other Cultural Institutions. In line with its namesake to focus on archiving in case of disasters, the lectures and workshops aimed to share the standards to follow in the event of any potential disaster scenario.
Image 1: IB Chief Jose Abraham C. Ongkiko provides his presentation on Disasters in the Philippine Context
The first day featured an opening message from Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III delivered by Pangasinan Polytechnic College president Raymundo Rovillos, PhD. As the events principal sponsor, the province representative reaffirmed their commitment to archiving and the maintenance of its records. This was then followed by messages from Emma M. Rey, Head of the NCCA-National Committee on Archives, and Hon. Regalado Trota Jose Jr., Chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. These initial messages highlighted the importance of recognizing the potential risks our nation’s archives face and the importance of sharing the standards that are already in place.
Image 2: (L to R) UST Dominican Layperson Karl Baroro, IB Chief Jose Ongkiko, and UP Diliman Deputy University Librarian & Head Eimee Lagrama in a Q&A panel
Immediately following this was the first formal Lecture of the event which was delivered by IB Chief Ongkiko. The topic of Disasters in the Philippine Context provided a preview of the different potential hazards any archivist may face. With this overview, participants were given a glimpse of the identification of potential risks. Key highlights in this presentation included the consistent high rankings of the Philippines in the World Risk Index and common measures for hazards in the country.
The first day then proceeded with the next two lectures by UST College of Tourism and Hospitality Management Lay Dominican Karl Baroro and Deputy University Librarian and Head of the UP Diliman University Archives Eimee Lagrama. These two succeeding lectures discussed the various frameworks for disaster management and the methodology of disaster risk assessment. Utilizing IB Chief Ongkiko’s lecture as a springboard, the latter lectures emphasized the importance of flexibility and applicability when developing our disaster plans. These lessons were later provided context through a question and answer portion which featured all three lecturers.
Image 3: Junior Project Assistant Franklin Joshua Gali participates in the salvaging of damaged records workshop activity
The second day began with a talk by Dr. Heather Brown, librarian of the Australian Library and Information Association. Dr. Brown shared with the conference their nations standards for preparing a disaster plan in libraries. The talk highlighted that one must align their output with rapid assessment results and include an emergency immediate actions chart.
This was then followed by a workshop wherein the different organizations present were tasked with writing their existing disaster plans or the steps they will take to develop their own through the guidelines presented in the event. Leading this workshop was UPSLIS Dean Rhea Apolinario and Asst. Prof. Mary Golfo-Barcelona wherein they selected groups to share with the congress their write-ups.
Under the guidance of NCCA-National Committee on Archives Head Emma Rey and Chairperson of the Professional Regulatory Board for Librarians (PRBFL) Hon. Yolanda Granda, a succeeding workshop was conducted which provided participants the opportunity for a hands-on experience in salvaging documents damaged in the event of a disaster.
The second day ended with a fellowship night which featured a message from Lingayen mayor, Hon. Leopoldo Bataoil who once again reaffirmed the province’s commitment in maintaining records and dedication to their heritage. The night proceeded with dialogue between the representatives of the organizations present. One point of discussion was the UP Diliman School of Library Information Sciences relaying their interest in further developing their capacity-building initiatives.
Image 4: Group photo featuring the participants of the 8th National Archives Congress
The final day of the congress began with a message of appreciation from the organizers for all those involved. The participants were then provided a cultural tour to the Banaan Pangasinan Provincial Museum, Pangasinan Provincial Library, and Provincial Archives and Records Center. These venues highlighted the value the province of Pangasinan places on the maintenance of its records and archives. With the event finally coming to an end, the farewell message encouraged all private and public institutions involved to further capacitate archivists in being aware of the conduct during disasters and to share with one another the best practices during these events.
Prepared by:
Franklin Joshua G. Gali
Junior Project Assistant