DAVAO CITY – A center is being built to take charge of archiving documents, photographs and other records of the city.
Ann Victoria Silvosa, chief of the City Archives and Record Center (CARC) said her office would soon make an inventory of all documents in the city government and come up with a Records Disposition Schedule, “the bible of the city in implementing disposal of documents”.
Silvosa said the building that will house the CARC is still on the soil-testing phase for the next 45-60 days then construction will immediately begin. She said the CARC building should be finished “before the election ban.”
“The CARC has two components, the building and the training of officers. All archive officers will be transferred to CARC,” she said.
Silvosa said that currently, only a division is tasked to handle all archiving needs of the city.
She said the National Archives of the Philippines has set and prescribed training requirements, which they in turn have filed recommendation to that effect before the city’s Human Resource office.
Silvosa said the training of CARC employees already started last year.
Silvosa said other guidelines were set under Republic Act 9470 of 2007 or “an Act to Strengthen the System of Management and Administration of Archival Records, Establishing for the Purpose the National Archives of the Philippines, and for other Purposes.”
“Very specific were set (like) the thickness of walls, what will surround the building and height of ceiling,” she said.
However, she said that city already had its own “archiving efforts.”
“Many departments complain of how their documents pile-up like the LCR (Local Civil Registrar) which documents marriage contracts and other permanent documents are piled from floor to ceiling,” said Silvosa. She said the same is the case with the city’s Business Bureau.
“The City Council is the only office which has established a good records administration, all other offices are covered up with documents because they did not know to dispose (of it). The space could be used by the employees and clients instead,” she said.
Silvosa said the CARC would conduct a “re-engineering of documents” wherein a guideline would be se on how to “create, maintain and dispose of documents.”
Silvosa cited the “File 201” of the city’s 4,000 employees which she described in a gesture to be at an average of two inches thick.
“That record should be kept 15 years after retirement,” she said.
Silvosa hopes that people with records such as pictures and documents of the “colorful” stint Mayor Rodrigo Duterte over the years “will be attracted to come forward and share them with the CARC after the building is finished.”
“There are no records that will portray Mayor Duterte for future generations unlike in other place where there is a Presidential or Mayoral library” she said.
Other documents which Silvosa said is presently relevant is that of the Kadayawan (feast of the harvest) celebration of the city.
“Where is the first document creating the event, photos the people behind and people who made a difference such as Robert Limso, one of those who supported the celebrations,” she said.
Following the National Archives guideline, Silvosa said the CARC would include a digital and electronic access system. “It would be from top to bottom and all records would be linked electronically from the city, regional and even Malcanan (presidential palace) level,” she said.
She said that a station in CARC, for example, would now be used to access those information.(davaotoday.com)
