Lights off and UNESCO World Heritage nomination on for Mount Mayon

The Mayon Volcano has long been an iconic landmark and tourist attraction not only in the Bicol Region in southern Luzon, but in the whole of the Philippines. It rises majestically, appearing in almost perfect symmetrical cone, in the province of Albay.

In late March this year, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) revealed a plan to make the famed volcano visible at night — the Mayon Volcano Heritage Aesthetic Lighting — with a cost estimated at P750-million. The project was immediately met with objections and criticisms from different sectors.

Tourism stakeholders and other groups pointed out the huge cost the lighting entails, which could be used for more beneficial projects. Environmentalists expressed concerns over disruptions of native fauna and other negative impacts.

The Diocese of Legazpi released a statement on 25 March, saying the project is “misguided,” and that ‘[t]o impose artificial light upon her is not to honor her, but to disturb what has been naturally, silently and majestically proclaimed for generations.”

“It disrespects the sacredness of creation. In the spirit of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, we affirm that creation is not for domination or display. It is entrusted to our care. Mayon is not a backdrop for spectacle. She is a living symbol of our identity and our shared responsibility as stewards of the earth,” the statement says.

Additionally, the diocese reasons that the project “harms the environment and threatens wildlife;” “insults our people’s priorities,” seeing that “massive public funds being diverted to something so impractical, unnecessary, and cosmetic;” “distracts from deeper, unaddressed problems” such as such “continued quarrying, mountain clearing, and irresponsible road construction;” and “risks reducing us to ridicule.”

The provincial government of Albay, led by acting Governor Baby Glenda Ong Bongao, also released their statement on 24 March, calling for the discontinuance of the project and citing that the province was declared a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

“As a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Albay is globally recognized as a learning area and model for sustainable development in which development programs and projects are conscientiously reconciled with the conservation of natural resources and preservation of the natural environment for future generations. The Albay Biosphere Reserve (ABR) has designated zones for its functions of development (transition zone) and conservation (core zone), mediated by a buffer zone,” the provincial government said. “While the proposed installments for the lighting project are within the buffer zone, the object of the said project is the Mayon Volcano Natural Park, which is a core zone of Albay Biosphere Reserve and is a Protected Area under the E-NIPAS Law. The project is deemed detrimental to the conservation function of the Albay Biosphere Reserve, especially since it is not included in the Albay Biosphere Reserve Management Plan submitted to UNESCO and in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Protected Area Management Plan for Mayon Volcano Natural Park. The Albay Biosphere Reserve is subject to periodic evaluation by UNESCO in 2026 and is at risk of being delisted as a Biosphere Reserve should the lighting project push through as it is not aligned with the existing management plans for the site.”

Bongao added that the cultural landscape of Mayon Volcano has been nominated to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“As a cultural landscape, Mayon Volcano also plays an important role in the spirituality of the Albayanos, being believed to be the final resting place of their ancestors’ souls, the ‘Pusod kan Kinaban’ or ‘Navel of the Earth’ to Albay’s indigenous people, the apparition site of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Abandoned), and the landmark to which the old churches of Albay were oriented for Eucharistic celebration. To devout Albayanos, the Mayon Volcano’s eruption and other natural phenomena portend divine signals that necessitate the conduct of communal religious rituals such as perdon and Kristiyanong Turog, usually done at night time or before dawn. The artificial lighting and projection of different colors to Mayon Volcano threaten to desacralize the site that has been central to the age-old traditions of Albayanos,” she said.

“At this point, the lighting project is not in line with its vision to be an internationally outstanding site with two UNESCO designations. More importantly, it is not in line with the natural and cultural values that Albayanos traditionally associate with Mayon Volcano,” she emphasized.

The nomination for UNESCO World Heritage Site designation was submitted on 29 January, with the dossier personally delivered by Ivan Henares, secretary general of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines (Unacom), to the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The dossier was drafted by a team of local experts led by the Provincial Tourism, Culture and Arts Office of Albay and supported by Unacom, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Biodiversity Management Bureau, National Museum of the Philippines, and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority. This is the second nomination effort for the site. The first one was submitted in 2015 and the site was placed on the tentative list.

The present nomination identifies an area of both natural and cultural significance, covering 11,639.15 hectares, and including 5,327.15 hectares of the Mount Mayon Natural Park; Our Lady of the Gate Church in the town of Daraga; the ruins of Saint James the Apostle Church (popularly known as Cagsawa Ruins) in Cagsawa, Daraga; the ruins of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Budiao, Daraga; and Saint John the Baptist Church in the town of Camalig.

The nomination highlights the geological history and natural beauty of the site as well as its cultural importance to the local communities, particularly in the cities and towns of Tabaco, Santo Domingo, Bacacay, Legazpi, Daraga, Camalig, Ligao, and Guinobatan. It also explains the site’s national importance and universal value.

According to the nomination dossier, “[t]he mixed property contains all the necessary elements that demonstrate the interplay between the volcanic landscape and the communities surrounding it. Apart from the various natural elements within the contiguous protected area boundaries of Mount Mayon Natural Park that express its natural heritage values and aesthetic coherence, the cultural properties that represent the interplay of humans and volcanoes also present a coherent narrative embedded in intangible heritage elements, ruins and archival evidence that portray the back and forth movement of human communities along the slopes of the volcano, particularly in Camalig and Daraga.”

“[T]he rich tapestry of tangible and intangible cultural heritage have been directly affected by the Mayon’s constant activity, and have resulted in the social construction of belief systems and a diversity of artistic representations of the symbiotic relationship between humans and volcanoes,” it further says.

The Philippines presently has six UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Historic Town of Vigan, the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, the Baroque Churches (Church of San Agustin in Paoay, Ilocos Norte; Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva in Miagao, Iloilo; Church of the Immaculate Conception of San Agustin in Manila; and Minor Basilica of La Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur), the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, and the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary.

The country’s last UNESCO World Heritage inscription was Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in 2014.