Pila Historical Society

By virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1, dated September 24, 1972, the National Historical Institute (NHI) is mandated to promote and preserve Philippine cultural heritage by undertaking, among others, history-related activities and maintaining national shrines, monuments and landmarks.  The Institute, through its Historical Preservation Division, also implements Presidential Decree No. 260, and Presidential Decree No. 1505.

Presidential Decree No. 260 declares specific structures as national shrines, monuments and/or landmarks and vests the NHI with the right to declare historic sites as National Shrines, Monuments and/or Landmarks.  PD 1505 amends Presidential Decree No. 260 by prohibiting the unauthorized modification, alterations, repair and destruction of original features of all national shrines, monuments, landmarks and other historic edifices.

The status of the town center of Pila as a National Historical Landmark is also shared by two other historic town sites: a portion of the town of Taal in Batangas, which was declared by virtue of NHI resolution No. 2 S. 1987, and a portion of Silay City in Negros Occidental, which was declared by virtue of NHI Resolution No. 2, S 1990.  Vigan, for its part, has been distinguished with the status of a World Heritage Site declared by the UNESCO-ICAMOS.