May 2025 Philippine Registry of Heritage Update
The Philippine Registry of Heritage (PRH) recently published its Monthly Status Report for May 2025. Click the link below to see the current number of cultural properties included in the Registry and the Local Cultural Inventories (LCIs) submitted last month.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD: 2025 MAY STATUS REPORT
The deadline for 2025 LCI submissions is on December 15, 2025. Pursuant to the DILG-NCCA Joint Memorandum Circular 2021-001 or the Amended Guidelines on the Standardized Submission of LCI under the PRECUP for the Issuance of Certificate of Compliance (COC) to Local Government Units (LGUs), if the LGU complies with the documentary and minimum data requirements, a COC will be received from the Commission. It will be valid from the date of issuance until December 31 of the following year. [ https://tinyurl.com/DILG-NCCA-JMC-2021-001 ]
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For queries or clarifications, please contact the PRH under Cultural Properties Regulation Division, or email us at precup.pilipinas@gmail.com or talapamana@ncca.gov.ph
For further information, please refer to the Registry Portal: [talapamana.ncca.gov.ph]
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IN PHOTO: La Purísima Concepción de Santa Maria (Registered Property, Municipality of Santa Maria, Bulacan)
The exact origin of the religious image of the La Purísima Concepción remains uncertain due to the limited historical records of Santa Maria, however, there are two main narratives that attempt to explain its provenance. The first narrative suggests that the image was carved by a Franciscan friar from a piece of wood salvaged from a galleon that sailed to the Philippines during the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade. The second narrative claims that the image already existed when the town was founded in 1792, at which time it was dedicated under the patronage of La Purísima Concepción.
The image has faced numerous challenges throughout its history. It was lost twice. Its first disappearance occurred in 1899 during the outbreak of the Filipino-American war and it was not recovered until 1930, when a devotee of La Purísima Concepción by the name of Teofilo Ramirez recovered it. Ramirez claimed that the Virgin appeared to him in a dream, through which she revealed the image was being kept safe in Gapan, Nueva Ecija. It disappeared again on December 7, 1999, when it was stolen from its altar on the eve of the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. With the help of the authorities, the image was later retrieved in an antique shop in Manila where it was already planned to be shipped abroad.
Today, the image of La Purísima Concepción is revered as a cultural treasure of the town.
Photo credit: Municipality of Santa Maria, Bulacan
