Ze REPRESS

r RECEIVE

Eighteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO. 634

Introduced b)
REPRESENTATIVE LOREN B. LEGARDA

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE, APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Culture, which refers to an array of customs, traditions, knowledge, beliefs, and
behaviors, is recognized by the State to have a significant role in our society as it does
not only define our identity and unifies all Filipinos but also allows us to co-exist with
the other cultures in the world. The Constitution mandates the State to give priority to
arts and culture in order fo promote nationalism and human development as well as
to boost social and economic progress.

However, the positive impact of culture to our country and its people is not
‘commensurate with the importance and prioritization given to it for the past decades.
Culture is often ignored as an important factor in economic progress and many
members of our society have limited concept of culture.

Since the passage of Republic Act No. 7356 in 1992, the National Commission
for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has served as the overall policy-making and
coordinating body of all programs and plans related to the conservation, development,

O71 JUL VERA


and promotion of Philippine arts and culture. This significant function performed by
the NCCA was affirmed by Executive Order No. 80, series of 1999 and further
strengthened by RA 9155.

Recognizing the role played by the NCCA in implementing the cultural
programs of the government despite the limited resources and the importance of the
cuftre and the arte in the enrichment of the Flipino idenfty, this bil seeks to
reorganize the existing NCCA into the Department of Culture, thereby ensuring its

place in the priorities of the government.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

REN EGAROR


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Eighteenth Congress
First Regular Session
634

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by
REPRESENTATIVE LOREN B. LEGARDA

AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE,

APPROPRIATING 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. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Department of Culture Act of
2019."
ARTICLE |
DECLARATION OF POLICY

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared the policy of the State:

a) To recognize that culture is a unifying, humanizing and modemizing
agent/instrument of any society, and the patrimony and right of every
citizen of the Philippines;

b) To recognize the vital role of culture in nation-building;

¢) To incorporate considerations of culture in the formulation of appropriate
and significant political and economic policy that will better serve Filipinos

and ensure that all Filipinos enjoy full cultural rights, take full advantage of


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a dynamic cultural experience, and be inspired, sustained by, draw from,
contribute to and celebrate the country’s culture;

d) To create a national body which will develop, manage and be responsible
for the implementation of policy, legislation and strategic direction for the
protection, regulation, preservation, development, management,
dissemination and promotion of the country’s culture, relative to the
immense national resources, patrimony and wealth engendered and
amassed through countless generations and centuries of distinctive Filipino
ways of life and experiences in specific natural and social environments
that this represents, and to facilitate the convergence of various agencies
with cultural mandates and rationalize their organizations and functions;

To foster, strengthen, and accelerate the convergence of various
cultural offices agencies, and rationalize their organizations and
functions;

f) To recognize that cultural education is the right of every citizen and
therefore ensure that cultural literacy is inculcated in the development and
education of all Filipinos;

9) To promote the national language of the country while enhancing the
linguistic diversity of the Philippines; and,

h) To secure and improve the welfare of Filipino artists and cultural workers.

The Department shall continually review the state and needs of culture and arts

in the context of the country’s developmental goals.


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. SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall

be defined as follow:

a) “Art” shall refer to the expression or application of human creative skill and
imagination.

b) “Conservation” shall refer to all process and measures of maintaining the
cultural significance of cultural property, including but not limited to,
preservation, restoration, reconstruction, protection, adaptive re-use or any
combination thereof.

©) “Cultural agencies” shall refer to any.of the following national government
agencies with their specific areas of responsibility: National Museum of the
Philippines (cultural property), the National Library of the Philippines (books),
National Historical Commission of the Philippines (Philippine history), the
National Archives of the Philippines (documents) the Cultural Center of the
Philippines (culture and arts) and Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (language).

d) ‘Cultural Education” shall refer to the teaching and learning of cultural
concepts and processes.

) ‘Cultural Heritage” shall refer to the totality of cultural property preserved and
developed through time and passed on to posterity.

f) “Cultural Property” shall refer to all products of human creativity by which
people and nation reveal their identity, including architecture and sites or
human activity [churches, mosques and other places of religious worship,
schools] and natural history specimens and sites, whether public or privately
‘owned, movable or immovable, and tangible or intangible.

9) “Culture” shall refer to the broad spectrum of people's beliefs, practices,
customs and traditions, material culture, arts, and other forms of actual and


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h)

symbolic expressions and representations which are handed down from one
generation to the next in the process of interaction.

“History” shall refer to a written record of past events relating to Philippine
history.

“Indigenous Cultural Communities/ Indigenous Peoples” shall refer to a group
of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription
by others, who have continuously lived as organized community on
communally bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of
ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such
territories, sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other
distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social
and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and cultures,
became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. ICCs/IPs shall
likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their
descent from the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of
‘conquest or colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions
and cultures, or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain
some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions, but
who may have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have
resettled outside their ancestral domains;

“Intangible Cultural Heritage” shall refer to practices, representations,
expressions, knowledge, skills, as well as instrument, objects and artifacts
associated therewith, that communities, groups and individual recognize as
part of their cultural heritage, such as: (1) oral traditions, usages, customs,
languages and other expressions; (2) performing arts; (3) social practices,


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religious rites, rituals, culinary traditions, and festive events; (4) knowledge and

practices concerning nature and the universe, worship and (5) traditional

craftsmanship.
ARTICLE I
THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE

SEC. 4. Creation of the Department of Culture. There is hereby created the
Department of Culture (Kagawaran ng Kultura), hereinafter referred to as the
Department, which shall be the primary policy-formulating, planning, coordinating,
implementing, and administrative entity of the executive branch of the National
Government that will implement the pertinent provisions of the Constitution regarding
culture and arts as well as the aforementioned policy of the State.

The Department with its attached agencies shall be responsible for the
protection, preservation, regulation, development, management, dissemination and
promotion of the cultural, historical and artistic heritage and resources, tangible and
intangible, of the Philippines and the Filipino people, all of which, with their physical
and social contexts and environments, are understood as together constituting and
pertaining to Philippine culture for purposes of this Act.

The Department shall continually review the state and needs of culture and
arts in the context of the country’s developmental goals.

‘SEC. 5. Powers and Functions. The Department shall exercise the following
Powers and functions:

a) Formulate and implement national policies, plans, programs, and guidelines
for the protection, preservation, regulation, development, management,
dissemination and promotion of culture, to ensure overall consistency,
effectiveness, efficiency, and conformity with the policies of the State


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b)

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articulated in the Constitution as well as in this Act and other pertinent laws
and issuances;

Assume and exercise all existing regulatory and quasi-judicial functions
established under Republic Act No. 4846, or “The Cultural Properties
Preservation and Protection Act;” Presidential Decree No. 374, or “Amending
the Cultural Properties Preservation and Protection Act;" Presidential Decree
No. 1616, or “Creation of the Intramuros Administration;” Presidential Decree
No. 1748, or “An Act Amending the Charter of the intramuros Administration,”
Republic Act No. 8491, or “The Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines,”
Republic Act No. 9105, or “Art and Forgery Act of 2001;" Republic Act No.
10066, or “The National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009;" and, Republic Act No.
10086 or “Strengthening Peoples' Nationalism Through Philippine History Act,”
as well as such functions promulgated through executive issuances that
pertain to the agencies of the National Government covered under this Act,
which are all hereby transferred in tofo to the Department from the said
agencies;

Be responsible for disaster risk reduction and management relative to culture
and cultural property, both through its own programs and projects as well as
through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and
Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils, on which it shall
have full membership, representation and participation;

Recommend to the President of the Philippines the designation, through
Presidential Proclamation, with appropriate published guidelines pertaining
thereto, of a cultural property, whether immovable or movable, tangible or
intangible, as a National Cultural Monument, a category hereby established


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e)

9)

which incorporates the previously-established legal definitions of, criteria
pertaining to, and all cultural property previously declared by authorized
agencies as National Cultural Treasure, National Historical Landmark,
National Historical Shrine, National Historical Monument, and National
Historical Site;

Designate, through Department Order, and with appropriate published
guidelines pertaining thereto, cultural property, whether immovable or
movable, tangible or intangible, as National Cultural Property, a category
hereby established which incorporates the previously-established legal
definitions of, criteria pertaining to, and all cultural property previously declared
by authorized agencies as Important Cultural Property and Heritage House;
Administer the qualification and selection, with appropriate published
guidelines pertaining thereto, of the Award for National Living Treasures
(Gawad ng Maniilikha ng Bayan), which is hereby renamed as the Order of
National Living Treasures (Orden ng mga Pambansang Manlilikha ng Bayan),
and the Order of National Artists (Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng
Sining), and recommend those nominees to either Order who have been
qualified and selected to the President of the Philippines for proclamation as
such and conferral of the same;

Undertake, through a National Institute of Culture and Arts Management and
the Institutes of Living Traditions to be established for the purpose, in an
appropriate partnership with the academic sector, the education, training and
certification of cultural officers and personnel as a necessary qualification for
employment and promotion in the National Government and in local
governments where such might be required by the Department in coordination


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. with the Civil Service Commission and the Career Executive Service Board, at

h)

)

the career sub-professional, career professional, and career executive levels,
to include appropriate courses and programs towards certificates, diplomas,
and undergraduate and graduate degrees;

Administer the qualification, selection and conferral of such other awards as it
may establish in support of its mandate; i

Support the development of the cultural, artistic and creative industries of the
country, in all particulars and at all levels;

Administer the endowment funds established separately under Section 20 of
Republic Act No. 7356, The Law Creating the National Commission for culture
and the Arts;” and Section 50 of Republic Act No. 10066, which are herein
consolidated into a single National Endowment Fund for Culture and Arts
(NEFCA) that shall continue to be sourced and augmented as provided by the
aforementioned provisions, and provide financial support from this fund for
various national programs through a system of grants drawing from the
Proceeds, including both principal and interest, of the same, subject to the
approval of the Department of Budget and Management.

Represent the Philippines in matters pertaining to culture in overseas regional
and international organizations and events.

Other powers and functions as may be created, assigned or transferred by the
President of the Philippines in accordance with law.

SEC. 6. Composition. The Department proper shall include the Office of the

‘Secretary and the staff units directly under it, including the Services established
herein. The Office of the Secretary shall consist of the Secretary, at least three (3)


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Undersecretaries, and at least five (5) Assistant Secretaries, together with the
Personnel in their immediate offices.

SEC. 7. Secretary of Culture. The authority and responsibility for the exercise
of the mandate of the Department and for the discharge of its powers and functions
shall be vested in the Secretary, who shall have supervision and control of the
Department and shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines, subject to
the confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.

SEC. 8. Powers and Functions of the Secretary. —The Secretary shall have
the following powers and functions: .

a) Provide executive direction and supervision over the entire operations of
the Department and exercise administrative supervision over its attached
agencies;

b) Establish policies and standards for the effective, efficient and economical
operation of the Department, in accordance with the programs of
government;

¢) Promulgate rules and regulations necessary to cary out department
mandates, objectives, policies, functions, plans, programs and projects;

d) Promulgate administrative issuances necessary for the efficient
administration of the offices under the Secretary and for proper execution
of the laws relative thereto. These issuances shall not prescribe penalties
for their violation, except when expressly authorized by law;

€) Rationalize delivery systems necessary for the effective attainment of the
objectives of the Department, in accordance with the programs of
Government;


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a)

9)

h)

k)

Appoint all officers and employees of the Department except those whose
appointments are vested in the President or in some other appointing
authority and shall appoint employees to positions in the second level in
the regional offices as defined in this Act and in accordance with the Civil
Service laws, rules and regulations;

Exercise disciplinary powers over officers and employees under the
Secretary in accordance with law, including their investigation and the
designation of a committee or officer to conduct such investigation;

Sit on the governing boards of attached agencies as provided in this Act,
as well as any other agencies or organizations as may be appropriate or
designated;

Coordinate with local governments, other agencies and public and private
interests’ groups, including non-government organizations (NGOs) and
people's organizations (POs) on Department policies and initiatives;
Advise the President of the Philippines and make recommendations on the
promulgation of executive and administrative orders and regulatory and
legislative proposals on matters pertaining to culture;

Formulate and enforce a system of measuring and evaluating periodically
and objectively the performance of the Department and submit the same
annually to the President;

Prepare and submit to the President through the Department of Budget and
Management an estimate of the necessary expenditures of the department
during the next fiscal year, on the basis of the reports and estimates
submitted by bureaus and officers under the Department;


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. m) Exercise jurisdiction over all bureaus, offices, agencies and corporations
under the Department as are provided by law; and,

1) Performs such other functions as may be provided by law or assigned by
the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

SEC. 9. Undersecretaries. The Secretary shall be assisted by three (3)
Undersecretaries, who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines upon
the recommendation of the Secretary, at least two (2) of whom shall be career
officers. In general, the undersecretaries shall:

a) Advise and assist the Secretary in the formulation and implementation of

department objectives and policies;

b) Oversee all the operational activities of the bureau or units for which he
shall be responsible as assigned by the Secretary;

¢) Coordinate the programs and projects of the same and be responsible for
its economical, efficient and effective administration;

d) Whenever necessary be designated to serve as deputy to the Secretary in
all matters relating to the operations of the department; the designated
Undersecretary will temporarily discharge the duties of the Secretary in the
latter’s absence or inability to discharge his or her duties for any cause or
in case of vacancy of the said office, unless otherwise provided by law; the
President of the Philippines shall likewise make the temporary designation
of Acting Secretary to the same; and

) Perform such other functions and duties as may be provided by law.

SEC. 10. Assistant Secretaries. Each Undersecretary shall be assisted by an
Assistant Secretary shall be career officers and shall perform duties assigned by the
Undersecretaries, who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines upon


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the recommendation of the Secretary.

SEC. 11. Qualifications. No person shall be appointed Secretary,
Undersecretary, or Assistant Secretary of the Department unless he or she is a
citizen and resident of the Philippines, of good moral character, and of proven
integrity, and with at least seven (7) years of competence/ expertise/ experience as
manager, advocate, scholar or practitioner in fields of endeavor related to Philippine
culture and the mandate and functions of the Department.

ARTICLE Ill
THE DEPARTMENT SERVICES.

SEC. 12. Department Services. —The Department of Culture shall have
services which shall include the General Administrative Service, Financial
Management Service, Policy and Planning Service, Legal Affairs Service, Physical
Facilities Management Service, Human Resources Development Service, Strategic
Communications and Initiatives Service, Knowledge and Information Systems,
Project Evaluation and Monitoring Service, Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects
Service, Intemal Audit Service, Endowment Management Service, Grants
Management Service.

ARTICLE IV
THE BUREAUS

SEC. 13. The Bureaus of the Department—The Department shall exercise
supervision and control over the following four (6) Bureaus which are created under
it

a) Bureau of Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts Development — shall

formulate and implement plans, programs and activities for the
development of the different cultural communities all over the country,


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b)

°)

ensure the preservation and dissemination of the country's diverse
cultures, establish schools’ institutes for living traditions, encourage the
continued practice and development of traditional arts and crafts,
document the Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP), and
cause the recognition of outstanding traditional artists.

Bureau of Cultural Properties Protection and Regulation —‘shall be in
charge of the registration and documentation of the nation's historical and
cultural properties, issue permits and licenses, conduct inspection and
assessment on cultural properties, implement Disaster Risk Reduction
Program for the cultural assets, enforce laws on cultural heritage
conservation and intellectual property protection for artists and cultural
experts,

Bureau of Cultural Properties Preservation — shall formulate and implement
plans, programs, and activities for the preservation of tangible and
intangible cultural heritage, provide architectural, engineering, scientific
and conservation laboratory services, provide support to monuments and
sites, museums and galleries and libraries and archives all over the country
and establish a National Institute of Heritage Conservation.

Bureau of Artistic Resources — shall ensure the continuing and balance
development of the nation’s artistic heritage in its various forms; performing
arts, film and media arts, visual arts, architecture and allied arts and
literature, provide support to regional and local culture and arts centers,
performing arts and exhibition venues, ensure the welfare of artists and
cultural workers, undertake human resource development programs for
artists, and establish the National Academy for Culture and Arts and


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National Institute for Culture and Arts Management.
e) Bureau of Cultural Research, Education and Dissemination — shall
undertake cultural research for policy and program development, publish
cultural materials, especially on positive Filipino values for dissemination,
manage the cultural education program for country, ensure the
development and promotion of Philippine languages, implement national
translation program, and implement national promotion program in various
forms of media.
f) Bureau of Cultural and Creative Industries — shall formulate plans and
programs to ignite the innovative and entrepreneurial mindset of Filipino
artists and establish industries in the various genre of arts, performing arts,
cinema, books and publications, creative designs, culinary and lifestyle and
architecture and allied arts, and others.
Each Bureau shall be headed by a Bureau Director, who shall be assisted by
‘one (1) Assistant Bureau Director. The Bureau Director and Assistant Bureau Director
‘shall be appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Secretary.

SEC. 14. Powers and Duties of Bureau Director. —The Bureau Director shall
be its chief executive officer. He shall exercise overall authority in matters within the
jurisdiction of the bureau, including those relating to its operations, arid enforce all
laws and regulations pertaining to it. Shall appoint personnel to all positions in his
bureau or office, in accordance with law. In the case of the line bureau or office, the
head shall also appoint the second level personnel of the regional offices, unless such
power has been delegated. He shall have the authority to discipline employees in
accordance with the Civil Service Law.

ARTICLE V


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THE REGIONAL AND FIELD OFFICES

SEC. 15. Regional Offices of the Department. The Department is hereby
authorized to establish, operate and maintain a Regional Office, whenever
appropriate, in each of the administrative regions of the country. Each regional office
shall be headed by a Regional Director, who may be assisted by one (1) Assistant
Regional Director. The Regional Director and Assistant Regional Director shall be
appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Secretary: Provided,
that they shall be persons recognized as an accomplished manager, advocate,
scholar or practitioner in fields of endeavor related to Philippine culture in the region,
or any suitably qualified person in accordance with Civil Service Commission (CSC)
rules and regulations.

It may also establish satelite, extension or field offices when and wherever
necessary, particularly in locations where significant cultural and heritage properties
and concerns are identified to exist, and to support the operations, programs and
projects of its attached and other concemed agencies and institutions. A regional
office shall have, within its administrative region, the following functions:

a) Implement laws, policies, plans, programs, rules and regulations of the

department or agency in the regional area;

b) Provide economical, efficient and effective service to the people in the

area;

¢) Undertake research and gather data on local culture and arts trends and

other relevant cultural and artistic information;

d) Cause to establish and oversee the regional and local culture and arts

councils (as far as the city and municipal level) to engage participation of
local artists and cultural workers;


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. ©) Coordinate with regional offices of other departments, bureaus and
agencies in the area:

f) Coordinate with local government units in the area;

9) Make recommendations to the Secretary on all matters relating to culture
and arts in the region; and,

h) Perform such other functions as may be provided by law.

SEC. 16. Duties of a Regional Director. —The Regional Director shall perform

duties and functions as may be provided by law or further delegated by the head of
agency or other proper authorities concerned.

ARTICLE VI
THE ATTACHED AGENCIES, INSTITUTES, ADVISORY COUNCIL, OVERSEAS
OFFICES

SEC. 17. The Attached Agencies.

a) The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is hereby
abolished, and their powers and functions, applicable funds and
‘appropriations, records, equipment, property, and personnel transferred to
the Department.

b) The following agencies are hereby attached to the Department for policy
and program coordination, and shall continue to operate and function in
accordance with the charters, laws or orders creating them, insofar as they
are not inconsistent with this act.

1. Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)

2. _ National Museum of the Philippines (NMP)

3. National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP)
4. National Library of the Philippines (NLP)


1 . 5. National Archives of the Philippines (NAP)
2 6. Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF)

3 7. _ Intramuros Administration (1A)

4 8 National Parks Development Committee (NPDC)

5 9. _ Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF)

6 10. Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)

7 11. National Book Development Board (NBDB)

8 12. Design Center of the Philippines

9 ©) The laws and rules on government reorganization as provided for in
10 Republic Act No. 6566, otherwise known as the Reorganization Law, shall

n govern the organization process of the Department.

SEC. 18. National institutes. The following National Institutes, with their
respective networks throughout the country, shall be established under the
14 Department:

&

&

15 a) The National institute of Living Traditions, and through it, a network of
16 individual Schools of Living Traditions to be established, which, with the
v7 support of appropriate partnerships, shall be responsible for programs and
18 projects related to the safeguarding, sustainability, propagation and
19 intergenerational transmission of intangible cultural heritage, particularly
20 that which pertains to indigenous cultural communities;

a b) The National Institute of Cultural Heritage Preservation, and through it, a

2 network of individual Escuela Talyer (Workshop Schools) to be established,
23 which, with the support of appropriate partnerships, shall be responsible for
oT programs and projects related to national capacity building in the area of

2 conservation arts, sciences and trades with respect to the preservation of


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immovable and movable cultural property and with a particular focus on
vocational training for youth; and

c) The National institute of Culture and Arts Management, and through it, a

network of individual Culture and Arts Management Training Centers to be
established, which, with the support of appropriate partnerships, shall be
responsible for programs and projects related to the education, training and
certification of cultural officers and personnel as a necessary qualification
for employment and promotion in the National Government and in local
governments where such might .be required by the Department in
coordination with the Civil Service Commission and the Career Executive
Service Board, at the career sub-professional, career professional, and
career executive levels, to include appropriate courses and programs
towards certificates, diplomas, and undergraduate and graduate degrees;

SEC. 19. National Academy of Culture and Arts. There is hereby established
under the Department a National Academy of Culture and Arts, which shall be an
institutionalized association of the nation’s foremost leaders and exponents of culture
and arts, the primary purpose of which is to support the mandate of the Department
as an independent body of eminent persons. The President of the Philippines shall
be the Honorary Patron of the National Academy of Culture and Arts.

The structure and organization of the Academy, including the specification of
its functions, procedures as to its governance and the selection of its members, and
the composition of its secretariat, shall be contained in a charter to be formulated by
the Department and promulgated by the President of the Philippines through an
Executive Order within one (1) year of the effectivity of this Act.


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. SEC. 20. Culture and Arts Advisory Councils. The Department shall facilitate
the creation of a National Culture and Arts Advisory Council, a Regional Culture and
Arts Advisory Council, and, a Local Culture and Arts Advisory Council, to assist the
Department in the implementation of culture and arts initiatives.

SEC. 21. Sectoral and Industry Task Forces. The Department may create a
sectoral and industry task forces, technical working groups, advisory bodies or
committees for the furtherance of its objectives. Additional private sector
representatives, such as from the academe, CSOs, and federation of private
industries directly involved in culture and the arts as well as representatives of other
LGUs, and GOCCs may be appointed to these working groups.

SEC. 22. Rizal Centers. — The Department shall, through a dedicated
organizational unit to be established for the purpose, establish and manage centers.
to be known as Rizal Centers or Sentro Rizal, overseas, the primary purpose of which
shall be the promotion of, and the facilitation of access by the constituency of each
center to, Philippine culture generally as well as the cultural resources managed by
the Department and its attached agencies in particular.

Domestically, the Department shall establish Sentro Rizal as regional cultural
centers and hubs, to be supervised and operated appropriately through its regional
offices. Such regional centers shail include exhibition and performance venues, and
facilities enabling access to knowledge resources, particularly those pertaining to
vernacular language resources.

Overseas, the Department shall establish Sentro Rizal as Philippine cultural
centers in key places for the benefit of the global diaspora of Philippine citizens, the
global community of Filipino migrants or descendants thereof, and all who are
interested in Philippine culture. The Department for this purpose shall coordinate with


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the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, and other
concerned agencies.

Such Sentro Rizal as may be established overseas shall have a dedicated
budget and staff under the Department and be considered as overseas offices
thereof, shall function as repositories of Philippine cultural resources, shall carry out
active programs and projects to engage their respective constituencies, and shail
offer courses in the national language and any other Filipino languages as may
appropriate.

‘The operations of the Sentro Rizal network of the Department, overseas. shall
be considered as one its permanent flagship programs, and shall therefore be
specifically provided for in the General Appropriations Act for every fiscal year

Article XII, including Sections 42 to 47, of Republic Act No. 10066 is hereby
repealed.

SEC. 23. Overseas Offices. The Department shall establish overseas offices
whenever necessary to:

a) Implement plans, programs and projects of the Department relative to

‘communities of Philippine citizens abroad;

b) Promote Filipino culture to the international community;
¢) Coordinate with international organizations as well as with the overseas offices
of other departments, offices and agencies of the Philippine government and
d) Perform such other functions as may be provided by law.
ARTICLE Vil
REORGANIZATION

SEC. 24. Reorganization. The laws and rules on government reorganization

as provided for in Republic Act No. 6656, otherwise known as the Reorganization


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Law, shall govern the reorganization process of the Department and, where
appropriate, its attached agencies.

SEC. 25. Structure and Staffing Patter. Subject to the approval of the
Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department and, where
appropriate, its attached agencies, shall determine its organizational structure and
create new divisions or units as it may deem necessary, and shall appoint officers
‘and employees of the Department and its attached agencies in accordance with the
Civil Service Law, rules, and regulations.

SEC. 26. Transition Period. The transfer of functions, assets, funds.
equipment, properties, transactions, and personnel of affected agencies. and the
formulation of the internal organic structure, staffing pattern, operating system. and
revised budget of the Department, shall be completed within six (6) months from the
effectivity of this Act, during which time, the existing personnel shall continue to
assume their posts in holdover capacities until new appointments are issued.
Provided, that after the abolition of the agency, as specified in Section 17(a) of tes
Act, the Department, in coordination with the DBM, shall determine and create new
positions, the funding requirement of which shall not exceed the equivalent cost of
positions abolished.

‘SEC. 27. Separation from Service. Employees separated from the service 2s
a result of this reorganization shall, within ninety (90) days therefrom, receive the
separation and retirement benefits to which they may be entitled under Executve
Order No. 366. Provided that such separation pay and retirement benefits shall have.
priority of payment out of the savings of the department or agency.


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ARTICLE Vii
PROPERTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT

SEC. 28. Post Office Building and Liwasang Bonifacio. The Post Office
Building, currently the property of the Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost), and
the area known as Liwasang Bonifacio (formerly Plaza Lawton), both in the City of
Manila, are hereby appropriated for the exclusive use and central office premises of
the Department of Culture and its attached agencies.

SEC. 29. Other Properties. Real and movable properties owned by those
agencies abolished or absorbed into the Department under this Act, namely the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts Building and the Metropolitan Theatre,
shall be transferred to the Department.

ARTICLE IX
APPROPRIATIONS AND FINAL PROVISIONS

‘SEC. 30. Appropriations. The amount needed for the initial implementation of
this Act shall be taken from the current fiscal year's appropriation for the NCCA
through the Office of the President, and other appropriations available for the
purpose. Thereafter, the amount needed for the operation and maintenance of the
Department proper shall be included in the General Appropriations Act, provided
that for the next fiscal year, the amount shall be no less than Two Billion Pesos
(Php2,000,000,000.00).

SEC. 31. implementing Rules and Regulations. — The Office of the President,
in consultation with other government agencies mentioned in this Act, shall
promulgate its implementing rules and regulations within ninety (90) days after the
effectivity of this Act.

SEC. 32. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and


regulations and other issuances or parts thereof that are inconsistent with this Act
are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SEC. 33. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act shall be declared
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions not otherwise affected shall remain
in full force and effect.

SEC. 34, Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from its
publication in at least two (2) papers of general circulation.

Approved