Manila, Philippines - Renowned historian, heritage conservationist, and columnist Ana Maria L. Harper was sworn in last week by Tourism Secretary Ace Durano as administrator of the Intramuros Administration, the body created to restore, preserve and develop the country‘s historic Walled City.
As Intramuros administrator, Harper will be tasked not only with the maintenance of the centuries-old walls and forts, but also the promotion of culture.
A founding member of the Concerned Citizens for the National Museum, Inc., founding president of the Heritage Conservation Society, and festival director of the Filipino Heritage Festival, Inc., Harper has been involved in the preservation of Philippine heritage.
One successful endeavor is the annual Filipino Heritage Festival, which showcases the regions‘ cultural delights and promotes heritage conservation.
Harper is also commissioner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), and council member of the National Trust Foundation. She was also executive committee member of the Presidential Commission on Culture and Arts, commissioner of the Manila Historical Commission, and consultant to the Department of Tourism.
The conservationist was also the first Pama-as Gintong Bai awardee for cultural heritage conservation, an honor she received in 2005 during the celebration of the Centennial Year of the Feminist Movement of the Philippines.
She is working on a degree toward a Doctorate in Arts and Letters at the University of the Philippines.
Source: showbizandstyle.inquirer.net (31 Maret 2008)