Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by Hon. Christopher V.P. de Venecia 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A FRAMEWORK FOR FUNDING THE DEVELOPMENT AND 
OPERATIONS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES THROUGH 
THE ANNUAL GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT TO COMPLEMENT AND 
SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF K-12 EDUCATION IN THE COUNTRY 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Education has never been limited to the confines of a physical classroom. Through the use of non-
formal educational spaces and institutions such as museums, our country can engage the youth in 
immersive learning experiences in order to further enhance their interest and pique their curiosity 
in our history, heritage, arts, traditions, and way of life. 
There have been a lot of benefits attributed to museums as a form of non-formal education. Some 
argue that museums play a unique role in shaping the minds of our millions of learners by offering 
benefits not found in schools. They are nonthreatening environments that appeal to a wide range 
of audiences; they offer an interdisciplinary approach to learning; they have greater flexibility than 
schools; and they have the capacity to bring students, teachers, and the public together in new 
ways.  
According to Shari Tishman, lecturer in the Arts in Education Program at the Harvard Graduate 
School of Education, “Museums are designs for learning. Whether intentionally or not, museums 
embody views about what’s worth learning, and the way that artworks, objects, and historical 
material are presented – from exhibitions to architecture to wall texts – embody views about how 
learning happens. 
In order to complement and support the development of public K-12 education in the country and 
recognize the importance of museums in the complementarity and non-formal education of our 
learners, this bill seeks to establish a framework for the funding of the operations and development 
of the National Museum of the Philippines. This is in accordance with the mission and mandate of 
the Department of Education to protect and promote the right of every Filipino to quality, 
equitable, culture-based, and complete basic education in the areas of formal and non-formal basic 
education. 
July 6, 2022
8:00 am
1287


At the same time, this will allow our museums to quickly recover from the losses they attained as 
a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely limited the number of patrons they had in the 
past years.  
For the above cited reasons, the passage of the bill is urgently sought. 
HON. CHRISTOPHER V.P. DE VENECIA 
Fourth District, Pangasinan 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by Hon. Christopher V.P. de Venecia 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A FRAMEWORK FOR FUNDING THE DEVELOPMENT AND 
OPERATIONS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES THROUGH 
THE ANNUAL GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT TO COMPLEMENT AND 
SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF K-12 EDUCATION IN THE COUNTRY 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Fund Our Museums Act of 2020”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the State to recognize 
museums and similar institutions as essential learning institutions and spaces for non-formal 
education for the promotion of the history, heritage, culture, and the arts of the country, as well as 
the creation of employment and livelihood within the museum industry and in other related 
industries for learners. In order to support these institutions and harness their potential, appropriate 
funding shall be given for the promotion, development, improvement, and maintenance of the 
various museums in our country. 
Section 3. National Museum of the Philippines Funding Framework. - The general 
appropriations of the National Museum of the Philippines for each fiscal year following the 
effectivity of this Act shall be pegged at the  budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) at 
no less than ONE-FOURTH OF ONE PERCENT (0.25%) of its total budget in order to ensure the 
viability and sustainability of the operations of the National Museum of the Philippines, as well as 
the construction and operations of regional, area, and site museums, towards the creation of a 
network of museums nationwide. 
Additional appropriations for the National Museum of the Philippines for each fiscal year 
following the effectivity of this act may be sourced from the Department of Education (DepEd)’s 
annual budget for the same purposes mentioned in the first paragraph of this section. 
This funding framework aims to secure and accelerate the continued development of the National 
Museum of the Philippines network, based on careful planning and short, medium and long-term 
1287


programming of works, involving both operational as well as capital expenditures, within the 
national capital, in each administrative region and sub-region, and in various specific sites 
throughout the country to provide greater access to all the learners. 
 
The provisions of this section notwithstanding, the National Museum of the Philippines and the 
Department of Education shall submit to the annual budget process as prescribed by the 
Department of Budget and Management. The National Museum, the DepEd, and the department 
of Budget and Management shall coordinate and exert best efforts to ensure that the requirements 
under this section are complied with in the preparation of the annual budget. 
 
SECTION 4. Purposes of the Funding framework – The National Museum of the Philippines, in 
coordination with the DepEd and the Department of Budget and Management, shall plan and 
formulate an annual budget proposal consonant with said level, and present this to the Congress 
for its approval as part of the General Appropriations Act for each fiscal year, to cover the 
following: 
 
a.) Personal services to cover the remuneration and benefits of regular personnel, which shall 
be upgraded and expanded in line with prevailing laws and issuances, as well as operational 
exigencies as may be proposed by the National Museum and approved by the Department 
of Budget and Management. 
 
b.) Maintenance and other operating expenses to cover the basic requirements of the National 
Museum, to operate, maintain, secure and supply, in proper order:  
i. 
its offices and ordinary facilities, property, plant, equipment and other assets;  
ii. 
its special, technical and patrimonial property, plant, equipment and other assets, 
as embodied particularly in its permanent collections, permanent repositories, 
permanent exhibitions, and items on long-term loan; and  
iii. 
basic museum services to the general public, delivered onsite and/or online. 
 
c.) A Museum Education, Community and Audience Development Program; 
d.) A Museum Infrastructure, Facilities and Sites Development Program; 
e.) A Museum Collections Acquisition and Development Program;  
f.) A Museum Research Program, to include an amount for research chairs, fellowships and 
grants in the agency’s mandated areas of work and competence; 
g.) A Museum External Training and Skills Development Program; 
h.) Implementation of the regional network of the National Museum pursuant to section 11 of 
Republic Act No. 11333 or the ‘National Museum of the Philippines Act’ and to section 6 
of this Act; 
i.) Utilization of Gabaldon Schools buildings that have been preserved pursuant to section 5 
of Republic Act No. 11194 or the ‘Gabaldon Schools Buildings Conservation act’ as 
possible museum spaces, in coordination with the department of education; 
j.) such other projects, activities, and programs consistent with the national museum’s 
mandate under republic act no. 11333 and successor legislation. 
 
SECTION 5. Capital Outlay. – In order to ensure that the agency is empowered to expand its 
infrastructure program for the creation of central, regional, area, and site museums, and acquire 


items for the collections that can also be spread out nation-wide, the capital outlay covering 
equipment, infrastructure and the acquisition of assets, particularly immovable or movable heritage 
assets, shall represent not less than thirty percent (30%) of the budget established in each year by 
virtue of this Act. 
 
SECTION 6. Regional Network of Museums Roadmap. – For the enforcement, realization, and 
monitoring of its mandate set forth under Section 11 of R.A. No. 11333, the National Museum 
shall create a roadmap towards the creation of a regional network of museums, which shall be 
comprised of regional, area, and site museums that shall be constructed and managed by the 
national museum spread out across the country. 
 
SECTION 7. Congressional oversight – The National Museum shall submit an annual report to 
the President and to Congress, not later than the 30th of March every year, following the effectivity 
of this act, on the effective implementation of this act, and recommended legislation where 
applicable and necessary 
 
SECTION 8. Separability Clause. – Any portion or provision of this Act that may be declared 
unconstitutional shall not have the effect of nullifying other portions or provisions hereof as long 
as such remaining provisions can still subsist and be given effect 
 
SECTION 9. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, issuances, rules and regulations which 
are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified 
accordingly.  
 
SECTION 10. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication 
in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.  
 
Approved,