Claiming Space: Heritage for the Locals of Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines

Marie Louise Antoinette Sioco1,2, Andrea Natasha Kintanar1,3, Grace Barretto‑Tesoro1,3, Maria Kathryn Purnell1,4*, Kathryn Manalo‑Cachapero1,5, and Kate Lim1,5

Community extension projects in archaeology introduce the discipline to local communities and strengthen the partnership between local stakeholders. In 2018, funded by the University of the Philippines Diliman with the support of the local government of San Juan, Batangas, we held a heritage awareness project in collaboration with the San Juan de Bolboc Heritage Group to share the results of the 2009–2012 excavations in Pinagbayanan, San Juan. The project, defined by the engaged and invested participation of the local community, paved the way for our non-government organisation (NGO), TUKLAS to hold similar workshops in other Batangas municipalities to contribute to a local heritage knowledge advocacy project. This presentation discusses the most recent workshops in Calatagan, Batangas held in 2023 and 2025. It shares significant outputs: the launch of the Batangas Archaeology website for educators and the formal creation of the Calatagan Cultural and Archaeological Learning, a local heritage advocacy group to enhance the history and culture of Calatagan through research and heritage conservation. The workshop highlighted the pedagogical and knowledge‑production challenges that senior high school teachers faced. The 2025 workshop highlighted the need for the tourism and service‑oriented industries to be more informed about Calatagan history and heritage. It underscores the importance of tailoring projects based on stakeholders’ needs. We also learned the importance of long‑term partnerships with local counterparts. For future collaborative projects with local stakeholders, we need to include them from the planning phase to the knowledge‑production stage, and most importantly in sharing the results with all stakeholders.