POLITICAL DYNAMICS ON THE DECLARATION OF WORLD WAR II JAPANESE BUNKERS AS HISTORICAL LANDMARKS AND TOURIST SPOT IN BARANGAY BULA, GENERAL SANTOS CITY

Historical landmarks play a significant role not only in shaping history, but also in contributing meaningfully towards community and economic development through boosting tourism and providing incentive for academic research and extensions to accrue. The City Government of General Santos are doing the same effort in impacting the policy sphere to preserve and exhaust more knowledge with regards to the discovery of the World War II Japanese Bunkers in Barangay Bula, General Santos City.

Using a qualitative-content method of research in gathering relevant data needed for the study, this study utilized the Key Informants Interview (KII) as a major source of information and through the necessary documents as factual bases of the study.

The study found that, the City Government of General Santos enacted City Ordinance no. 05 series of 2018 to protect, conserve, develop, and appropriate funds to the local city treasures, which includes the World War II Japanese Defense Structures in the city. There are forty-four (44) identified Japanese defense structures scattered in the city, and such structures were mapped and examined by the City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office together with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts. Consequently, the Consulate Office of Japan, headed by Consulate General Hon. Yoshiaki Miwa visited the bunkers last March 18-19, 2020. This is expected to strengthen existing relationships between Japan and the City for years to come.