By Gregorio Igartúa
Special to The Star
Anti-statehood groups criticize Senate Bill (SB) 273, which orders the elimination of the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture (ICP by its initials in Spanish). This legislation has the purpose of restructuring cultural initiatives in Puerto Rico and promoting them. Whenever a pro-statehood administration deals with cultural issues, there is opposition no matter what, and then positive results emerge.
Neither the governor, nor the House of Representatives, nor the Senate of Puerto Rico are interested in eliminating, altering, dismantling or leaving our cultural values orphaned, by closing the ICP through SB 273. The cultural management of the institute has turned out to be a futile exercise for the promotion of our culture and needs to be restructured and improved.
Consider:
* SB 273 only seeks to eliminate the ICP by transferring part of its specialized functions to the Department of Economic Development and Commerce.
* Valuable paintings in deterioration, which are poorly stored by the ICP, can be transferred to the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico. The museum can improve their maintenance and exhibition. Others can go to the Museum of Art in Ponce.
* The ICP supervises repairs and/or construction of buildings in Old San Juan. It is the entity that grants use permits, and then the request follows the same procedure in the Municipality of San Juan, and then thirdly also in the Permits Management Office (OGPE by its acronym in Spanish). An attempt is being made and it is possible to reduce the rigorous process of permitting by three agencies, as it is at present, to only one. This would result in eliminating unnecessary expenses and reducing the time in obtaining permits by requesting them through a single agency more specialized in this process.
* Other entities promote our culture and our heritage, consider: the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico, our town activities, activities in venues such as the Choliseo (which had a lot of opposition even after construction in 2001 and some even proposed to implode it; today it is one of the busiest in the world), the Convention Center, the Tapia Theater. Cultural input also comes by way of TV, or through listening to our teachers, or listening to our music, or spending time in our natural environment, as well as in other ways.
* Historical documents housed in the ICP that are deteriorated can be saved and maintained more effectively in the Historical Archive of Puerto Rico, whose inventory is being digitized.
* The culture of Puerto Rico is reflected, lived and felt everywhere without the ICP. Consider the Fine Arts Center (Centro Bellas Artes) in Santurce. How many protests by pro-independence leaders were in opposition when Don Luis Ferré proposed its creation? Today it is the most important fine arts center in Puerto Rico, is attended by the Puerto Rican public, and is internationally known.
* SB 273 seeks to develop our Puerto Rican culture and promote art. The distribution of responsibilities and movement of the ICP’s inventory will more effectively promote the culture and art of our Puerto Rico.
Gregorio Igartúa is an attorney and longtime advocate of statehood for Puerto Rico.
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