Dr Ivan Henares is a tourism educator, cultural policy researcher and advocate for heritage conservation in the Philippines.
‘I’m in Guernsey as the secretary general of the Unesco National Commission of the Philippines, but I’m also a commissioner of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in the Philippines,’ he said.
‘The reason I’m here with the National Trust is because I am chairman of the Heritage Conservation Society which is a member of an international organisation of national trusts, of which the National Trust Guernsey is a part of.’
Dr Henares was asked by Jersey Heritage to visit the island to brainstorm ideas and Unesco-related partnerships between Jersey and the Philippines.
But while in Jersey, he had to pop across the water to visit the island he had known about since he was a child.
‘I’ve always wanted to visit Guernsey, I’ve known it since I was a young kid because I collected stamps and I was buying stamps from Guernsey Post. That’s how I found out about the island in the ‘80s and I've wanted to come ever since,’ he said.
‘Coming into the harbour, the view was amazing and I hope I’ll have time to walk around the town.
‘Built heritage is very hard to find in the Philippines because it was blown to smithereens during World War Two and we lost a lot of our heritage, so it’s great to see so much culture and heritage in Guernsey.’
National Trust Guernsey vice-president Sara Jane Lampitt said that it had been a special visit.
‘We are very, very grateful to Ivan for coming all the way from the Philippines to Guernsey, he has shared some great insights with us,’ she said.
Dr Hernares said that he would pop in to the Post Office before he leaves.
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