ABSTRACT
When situated in the Philippine context, the concept of cultural landscapes is alien to the Filipino perception since the notion of a landscape reflecting the imprint of man, whether relict, associative or continuing as World Heritage criteria state, does not exist either in the local vocabulary or in the collective consciousness. In the eyes of the local community, a landscape is simply a landscape. Perhaps it is at best appreciated as a place or vista of natural beauty whose preservation is dictated by precepts of environmental sustainability without any consideration for cultural or human attributes.
