The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), headed by Chairman Arsenio “Nick” Lizaso and its Board of Commissioners denied the petition of Ms. Chloe Go to delist the Pao Ong Hu Taoist Temple in Sta. Ana, Manila as an Important Cultural Property (ICP). On August 8, 2020, Ms. Go filed a petition to delist the Pao Ong Hu Taoist Temple as an ICP for the following reasons: (1) that the previous and current owner has no knowledge of the ICP status of the said structure, as there was no indication that the property was already declared; (2) that the property was turned over to Ms. Go by the previous owner devoid of any artifacts; (3) that the declaration of the said property blatantly disregards the principles of due process, as no public notice and/or hearing has been done; and (4) that after declaring the said structure, the concerned Registry of Deeds was not notified. Pursuant to Section 8 of Republic Act No. 10066 and Section 11 of its Implementing Rules and Regulations, the NCCA posted a public notice online to invite support or opposition from various stakeholders regarding the filed petition.  This public notice was posted on 8 January 2021 with a deadline set on 29 January 2021.

Moreover, this Commission requested the comments of the National Committee on Monuments and Sites (NCMS), National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts (NCAAA), Manila Heritage Tours Sta. Ana, and the local government unit of the City of Manila. The NCAAA asserted that while the said property is culturally significant, it has deteriorated so much that its architectural significance has been compromised. The Manila Heritage Tours Sta. Ana and the City of Manila have not given any position regarding the matter. After due deliberation and careful evaluation, the petition to delist the Pao Ong Hu Taoist Temple as an ICP was dismissed on 16 September 2021 for lack of legal and factual justifications as per NCCA Board Resolution No. 2021- 312. Furthermore, the declaration of the Pao Ong Hu Taoist Temple as an ICP will be duly registered in the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property and the installation of the declaration marker be implemented accordingly.

The Pao Ong Hu Taoist Temple is declared as an Important Cultural Property under the National Museum of the Philippines’ (NMP) Resolution No. 03-2016. The temple is located just behind the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Abandoned (Sta. Ana Church), which is a declared National Cultural Treasure. It features two rooms dedicated to two different personas, one for Pao Kong— a Taoist God, and for Guanyin—a female Deity resembling the image of Virgin Mary.

For more details, please contact the Cultural Property Protection and Regulation Division through the numbers 8527-22-07 or 8527-21-92 local 339 or email us at heritagelaw@ncca.gov.ph. Log on to www.ncca.gov.ph and like the official NCCA Facebook page.