The Makati City local government and the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) launched on Thursday, July 28, the historical marker placed at the Museo ng Makati where the Presidencia of San Pedro Macati was previously located.
Makati City Mayor Abby Binay and National Museum of the Philippines Director-General Jeremy Barns led the unveiling of the marker in Barangay Poblacion.
The Old Presidencia was built in the 1930s and served as a town hall until 1961. In 1990, then-Mayor and former Vice President Jejomar Binay converted the Old Presidencia into a local museum.
In 2019, the NMP declared the Old Presidencia as an "Important Cultural Property" for its cultural, artistic, and historical significance to the country.
Today, the Museo ng Makati houses different archeological artifacts, earthenware, rare photographs, dioramas, and murals depicting the rich history of Makati City.
According to Binay, there are five more structures in the city that have been declared as Important Cultural Properties by the NMP. These are the:
1. Church Complex of San Pedro y San Pablo (St. Peter and Paul Church Complex) located in Poblacion
2. Church Complex of Nuestra Señora de Gracia in Guadalupe Viejo
3. Ermita de San Nicolas de Tolentino in West Rembo
4. Passenger Terminal and Control Tower of the old Nielson Airport
5. Makati Stock Exchange Building by National Artist Leandro Locsin in Bel-Air
Binay said they will also erect historical markers in these areas for the public to easily recognize their cultural, artistic, and historical significance in the city and the Philippines.
The mayor explained that aside from the sites' recognition from NMP, the city government has already passed an ordinance protecting and maintaining these historical sites.
Under City Ordinance No. 2019-A-094, the Makati Built Heritage Ordinance, the four historical sites, aside from the Makati Stock Exchange building, have already been declared as "locally significant" by the city government.
Binay urged the public to help protect and preserve these structures for the future generations of Makatizens and Filipinos.