A Spanish-era building that played a key role in the early education of residents in Vintar, Ilocos Norte has been recognized as an important cultural property.
Tourism operations officer Erwin Suguitan confirmed this on Monday following the approval of Municipal Ordinance 2022-3, declaring the Don Federico F. Nagtalon building, formerly known as the old central school in Vintar, as a cultural property of the municipality.
Sponsored by Sangguniang Bayan member Josey Florian Foronda, in his capacity as chairperson of the Committee on Tourism, the ordinance gives due recognition to the structure as one of the oldest buildings in Vintar.
“The Don Federico F. Nagtalon building is now in good company with four other structures that were already included in the list and recognized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts,” Suguitan said.
The four other cultural properties of the town include the old municipal building, St. Nicholas de Tolentino Church of the Roman Catholic, the Vintar Dam, and the Gabaldon building of the Florentino Camaquin Integrated School.
Meanwhile, Vintar Mayor Richard Degala assured that all cultural properties of the town will be properly safeguarded by promoting cultural heritage awareness, particularly to the younger generation.
Ericson Josue, a church historian who pursued his doctorate degree in church history at the Pontificia Universita Gregoriana, said formal education during the Spanish colonial period was controlled by the church.
There was an “Escuela de Ninos” (school for boys) and “Escuela de Ninas” (School for girls), due to separate subjects intended for each.
The building of the school for boys and girls was then adjacent to the Roman Catholic church and is now the heritage building of the Vintar Central Elementary School (VCES).
Records show that during the Spanish colonial period, Queen Isabela II enacted an Education Decree on December 20, 1863 which paved the way for the establishment of at least two free primary schools, one for boys and one for girls, in each town under the responsibility of the municipality.
In Vintar, the heritage building of VCES was believed to have been built in 1860s. The architectural design is Spanish-inspired and it is made up of bricks or “radrillo.”
Elders of the community and retired teachers who were born in the early 1900s have claimed that their grandfathers worked in forced labor during its construction.
To date, the old building has remained a property of the state and is still a part of the educational institution.
During the American colonial period, some improvements were made, adding a second floor of the building to accommodate more Filipino students because the VCES was the only primary school in the town then.
Source: Philippines News Agency
