Heritage Without Borders 2026: A National Call to Protect Philippine Heritage Through Conservation, Policy, and Public Action

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Heritage Without Borders 2026 brought together conservators, museum curators, heritage advocates, government representatives, academics, and cultural workers for a one-day conference in Quezon City on April 20, 2026, followed by a five-day lecture series on painting conservation from April 21 to 25 at the National Library of the Philippines. Organized by Sanfo 101 in collaboration with Art Conservation Education of The Netherlands and in partnership with the National Library of the Philippines and the Quezon City Tourism Department, the event created a timely platform for deeper public conversation on heritage protection, conservation practice, and the implementation of heritage laws in the Philippines.

The conference welcomed participants from across the heritage sector, including conservators, museum curators, and heritage advocates, underscoring the growing urgency of preserving collections, monuments, historic sites, and cultural memory in a country facing both environmental and human-made threats. The gathering was welcomed by Hon. Tany Joe L. Calalay, Councilor of Quezon City’s First District, 2nd Assistant Minority Floor Leader, and Chairperson of the Committee on Tourism, Cultural Affairs and Heritage, and formally opened by Pearle R. Saprid, founder of Sanfo 101.

For Saprid, the event’s mission is deeply personal. In remarks prepared for the conference, she recalled seeing the Gomburza Monument at Padre Burgos vandalized years after it had been created by her father, sculptor Solomon Saprid, an experience that helped shape her belief that heritage protection must extend beyond a few nationally recognized works to include overlooked collections, family legacies, and community memory. That same conviction helped inspire the founding of Sanfo 101, which marked its second anniversary on April 5 and has grown from a training school for art conservation into a broader movement advocating access to conservation knowledge, mentorship, and responsibility across communities.

“Heritage is not only about the celebrated monuments that make it to the national registry,” Saprid said in her prepared remarks. “It is also about the countless works, the overlooked collections, and the families who hold the memory of artists in their hearts.”

Heritage Without Borders 2026 featured keynote and guest speakers whose work bridges conservation practice, museum leadership, and cultural advocacy. The program highlighted keynote speaker Gemma Cruz Araneta, distinguished guest speaker Kate Seymour of Art Conservation Education and Chairperson of the ICOM-CC Directory Board, ICOM Philippines representatives including Cecille Gelicame, as well as Ar. Ysa Peñas and Atty. Evecar Cruz-Ferrer. Sessions covered disaster preparedness in art conservation, cultural and heritage conservation, architectural and historical sites conservation, heritage conservation laws, and museum and conservation practice.

The open panel discussion proved highly engaging, allowing participants to actively pose questions about the significance of heritage and conservation in the Philippines. This dynamic exchange underscored one of the event’s central themes: the urgent need to broaden conservation efforts from being a specialized field to a subject of national importance. Organizers highlighted that protecting heritage requires not only heightened public awareness, but also stronger collaboration among institutions and more rigorous enforcement of existing laws and policies designed to safeguard cultural assets and historic sites.

Following the conference, the Heritage Without Borders lecture series took place from April 21 to 24 at the EDSA Auditorium of the National Library of the Philippines, featuring internationally recognized art conservator and educator Kate Seymour. Each morning, Seymour led focused sessions on key topics in painting conservation: Dry Cleaning Methods, Aqueous Cleaning Approaches, Solvent Cleaning Strategies, and Gel and Emulsion Cleaning. An exclusive hands-on workshop was also conducted in the afternoon, allowing participants to learn and apply the same cleaning methods, approaches, and strategies discussed during the lecture series. The series concluded with an in-depth Museum Case Study held on Saturday, April 25 at the Quezon City Experience Center. By offering science-based, material-sensitive techniques tailored for the unique challenges of the Philippine tropical climate, the lecture series not only equipped participants with practical expertise but also fostered the exchange of international best practices for sustainable collections care and preservation.

Heritage Without Borders 2026 positioned conservation not simply as a technical discipline, but as a shared civic duty. By bringing together local and international experts, public institutions, and grassroots advocates, the event affirmed that Philippine heritage requires not only skilled conservators, but also stronger public support, sustained education, and the serious implementation of laws that protect cultural heritage for future generations.

About Sanfo 101

Sanfo 101 is a pioneering art conservation studio and learning center in the Philippines dedicated to training the next generation of conservators through hands-on, material-sensitive methods attuned to the tropical Philippine context. Founded under the leadership of Pearle Saprid, the organization provides training in the restoration of paintings, wood, paper, ceramics, textiles, and other materials while promoting ethical and culturally sensitive conservation practice.