Republic of the Phi
HOUSE OF REPRESE!
Quezon City

15™ CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO.__1746

Introduced by REP. SALVADOR H. ESCUDERO III

EXPLANATORY NOTE

A nation can be defined as comprising a definite geographical location or territory; a
set of people and, and a government that maintains its unity. This definition of a nation can
be found in old textbooks of political science. One aspect THAT had been overlooked but is
vital to the unity of a nation is CULTURE.

Culture has a cohesive effect in the life of a nation. Our Constitution provides that the
State shall foster the preservation, enrichment and dynamic evolution of Filipino national
CULTURE based on the principle of unity and diversity in a climate of free artistic and
intellectual expression...

Based on the above premises, | introduce this Bill who seeks the creation of the
Filipino Academy of Arts, Letters and Philosophy.

Approval of this Bill is earnestly requested.

BE, “a
SALVADOR H. ESCUDERO II

Representative
1° District, Sorsogon


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

15™ CONGRESS
First Regular Session

1746

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by REP. SALVADOR H. ESCUDERO IIL

AN ACT
CREATING THE FILIPINO ACADEMY OF ARTS, LETTERS AND PHILOSOPHY,
PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Title - This Act may be cited as the "Filipino Academy of Arts, Letters
and Philosophy Act.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy - The Constitution provides that the State shall foster
the preservation, enrichment and dynamic evolution of a Filipino national culture based on
the principle of unity and diversity in a climate of free artistic and intellectual expression.
Art, Letters and Philosophy shall enjoy the patronage of the State, and the State shall
conserve, promote and popularize the nation's historical, cultural, literary and philosophical
heritage and resources, as well as, artistic creations. The State shall encourage and support
researchers and studies on Philippine arts, culture and philosophy

Pursuant to these constitutional provisions, it is the policy of the Act to provide
meaningful incentives to those who engage in arts, letters, and philosophy; give due
recognition to outstanding achievements in the same fields, and organize the country's artists,
writers and philosophers into a community, receiving State support but free from government
interference in managing its own affairs.

SEC. 3. Academy of Arts and Letters - There is hereby created the Filipino Academy
of Arts, Letters and Philosophy, hereinafter referred to as the Academy, which shall be
composed of outstanding Filipino artists, writers and philosophers and organized and run by
them.

SEC. 4. Powers and Functions - The Academy shall plan, formulate, and implement
programs for the conservation, development, enhancement and propagation of Filipino art,
letters and philosophy. Pursuant thereto, the Academy shall have the power to:

a) Elect and expel members:


b) Receive and allocate State subsidies for individual artists, writers and
philosophers: and specific activities and programs;

©) Solicit, receive and accept donations and grants from private and public persons
and institutions, both Filipino and foreign, and conduct fund drives to support its
programs and activities;

d) Set up prizes, awards and other incentives for artists, writers and philosophers;

e) Recommend recipients of the Annual Republic Cultural Heritage Award, which is
hereby revived under this Act;

£) Create from donations and grants, administer a welfare fund for old, disabled, sick
or indigent artists, writers and philosophers, according to criteria which the
Academy itself may prescribe;

2) Hold, own alienate or encumber any real property necessary to achieve the
purposes of the Academy; and

h) Promulgate its own rules to govern its operations and carry out the objectives and
provisions of this Act. %

SEC. 5. Governing Board - The management and control of the Academy shall be
vested in a Governing Board, hereinafter referred to as the Board, composed of a Chairman
and six (6) members who shall initially be appointed by the President of the Philippines for a
transitional term of one (1) year, and thereafter elected by the member of the Academy
themselves for a regular term of three (3) years.

The Board shall exercise all the powers and functions of the Academy. It shall
operate and maintain a Secretariat.

SEC. 6. Eligibility for Re-election - The Chairman and members of the Board may be
re-elected to their positions without any restrictions. Anyone of them, however, may be
removed from office during his/her term for loss of confidence by a vote of two-thirds of all
members of the Academy. Unless expressly stated by said members, removal from office
does not mean expulsion from the Academy itself.

Any vacancy arising in the Board shall be filled up through a special election. ‘The
elected officer shall serve the unexpired term of his/her predecessor, provided that no such
election shall be held if the vacancy occurs six (6) months before the end of the three-year
term.

SEC. 7. Membership in the Academy - The Academy shall be composed initially of:

a) living artists, writers and philosophers who, at the passage of this Act, have been
awarded the Republic Cultural Heritage Award or the title "National Artist", and

) artists, writers and philosophers recommended by their peers and appointed by the
President of the Philippines.

Thereafter, members shall be elected by the Board upon recommendation of their
peers: Provided, That anyone rejected by the Board for reasons other than lack of professional
merit and fitness may appeal to the general membership of the Academy and clected member
by two-thirds of all members of the Academy niay overdue the decision of the Board to elect
a member, against whom grave reasons for non-admission have been alleged in writing by
his/her peers.


For purposes of this provisions, an artist, writer or philosopher eligible for election to
the Academy shall be defined as one who has earned public recognition and high regard of
the arts, letters and philosophy community for his/her work in any of the following fields:
literature, painting, sculpture, music, literary criticism, architecture, dance, theater, cinema,
journalism, history, cultural criticism and philosophy.

SEC. 8. Lifetime Membership - A member, once elected to the Academy, shall remain
member for life, unless he/she voluntarily renounces such membership, or for grave reasons,
which the Board shall define in the Rules of the Academy, he/she is expelled by at least two-
thirds vote of the entire Academy membership.

SEC. 9. Tax Exemptions - a) All donations and grants to the Academy made by public
or private person or institution may be claimed as tax deduction by the donor or grantor from
any form of income taxation; b) Real property owned by the Academy shall be exempt from
any form of real property taxation.

SEC. 10. Appropriations - To implement this Act, the amount of FIVE MILLION
PESOS (®5,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not
otherwise appropriated; thereafter, the Academy shall be given an annual grant by the State of
not less than Five Million Pesos (P5,000,000.00) from the General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 11. Separability Clause - Should any part or provision of this Act is declared
invalid or unconstitutional for any purpose, none of the other parts or provisions shall be
affected.

SEC. 12. Repealing Clause - All laws, executive orders, decrees, instructions, rules
and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed
or modified accordingly.

SEC. 13. Effectivity - This Act takes effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette and two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,