Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by HON. GUSTAVO S. TAMBUNTING 
AN ACT  
ESTABLISHING THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The culture and the arts are not just mere forms of expression and entertainment, more importantly, they 
are essential tools for nation-building. Arts and Culture are integral to a nation’s struggle for national identity 
as they can evoke dialogue, induce reflection, and charter new relationships and ideas—all of which are 
essential to a healthy society. This is exemplified through the works of renowned Filipino artists during the 
Spanish and American Colonial Period, which have helped shape a sense of national identity among 
Filipinos. 
It is the policy of the State under Section 17, Article II of the Constitution to give priority to arts and culture 
so as to “foster patriotism nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and 
development.” However, with the transfer of the administration of cultural agencies to the National 
Commission on Culture Arts from the then Department of Education, Culture and Sports, effective 
promotion of the culture and arts took the sidelines due to the limited powers and resources of the NCCA 
and attached agencies. 
To this end, this proposed measure seeks to reorganize the National Commission on Culture and Arts into 
an independent Department of Culture or Kagawaran ng Kultura which shall be the primary policy-
formulating, planning, coordinating, implementing, and administrative entity of the executive branch of the 
National Government that will develop, manage and implement the pertinent provisions of the Constitution 
regarding culture and arts.  With more powers and better resources, the creation of the Department of 
Culture would be better equipped for the enormous task of preservation of the Filipino heritage and the 
promotion and advancement of cultural education among Filipinos. 
On behalf of the people of Parañaque City’s Second District, and for the common good of the Filipino 
people, the approval of the said measure is earnestly sought. 
REP. GUSTAVO S. TAMBUNTING 
2nd District, Parañaque City 
August 23, 2022
2:27 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by HON. GUSTAVO S. TAMBUNTING 
AN ACT  
ESTABLISHING THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled: 
ARTICLE I  
GENERAL PROVISIONS 
Section 1. Short Title. –  This Act shall be known as the "Department of Culture Act." 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the State: 
a)
To recognize that culture is a unifying, humanizing, and modernizing 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;
c)
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 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 that 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;
e)
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;
g)
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.
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. – For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall be defined as follow: 
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a) Art shall refer to the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination; 
b) Conservation shall refer to all proc ss and measures of maintaining the cultural significance of the 
cultural property, including but not limited to, preservation, restoration, reconstruction, protection, 
adaptive re-use, or any combination thereof; 
c) 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; 
e) 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; 
g) Culture shall refer to the broad spectrum of people's beliefs, practices, customs and traditions, 
material culture, arts, and other forms of actual and symbolic expressions and representations that 
are handed down from one generation to the next in the process of interaction; 
h) History shall refer to a written record of past events relating to Philippine history; 
i) 
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 an 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; and 
j) 
Intangible Cultural Heritage shall refer to practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills, 
as well as instrument, objects, and artifacts associated therewith, that communities, groups, and 
individuals recognize as parts of their cultural heritage, such as (1) oral traditions, usages, customs, 
languages and other expressions; (2) performing arts; (3) social practices, religious rites, rituals, 
culinary traditions, and festive events; (4) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the 
universe, worship and (5) traditional craftsmanship. 
 
ARTICLE II 
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 about 
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 
articulated in the Constitution as well as in this Act and other pertinent laws and issuances; 
b) 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 is all hereby transferred in toto to the Department from the said 
agencies; 
c) Be responsible for disaster risk reduction and management relative to culture and cultural property, 
both through its 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; 
d) Recommend to the President of the Philippines the designation, through Presidential Proclamation, 
with appropriate published guidelines pertaining thereto, of cultural property, whether immovable 
or movable, tangible or intangible, as a National Cultural Monument, a category hereby established 
which incorporates the previously-established legal definitions of, criteria about, 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; 
e) 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 about, and all cultural property previously declared by authorized 
agencies as Important Cultural Property and Heritage House; 
f) 
Administer the qualification and selection, with appropriate published guidelines pertaining thereto, 
of the Award for National Living Treasures (Gawad ng Manlilikha ng Bayan), which is hereby 
renamed 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 Singing), 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; 
g) 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 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; 


h) 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; 
j) 
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. 
k) Represent the Philippines in matters about culture in overseas regional and international 
organizations and events. 
l) 
Other powers and functions may be created, assigned, or transferred by the President of the 
Philippines by the 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, and at least three (3) Undersecretaries, 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 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, by the programs of government; 
c) Promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry 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 the proper execution of the laws relative thereto. These issuances shall not 
prescribe penalties for their violation, except when expressly authorized by law; 
e) Rationalize delivery systems necessary for the effective attainment of the objectives of the 
Department, by the programs of Government; 
f) 
At the point all officers and employees of the Department except those whose appointments are 
vested in the President 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 bye Civil Service laws, rules 
and regulations; 
g) Exercise disciplinary powers over officers and employees under the Secretary by law, including the 
heir investigation and the designation of a committee or officer to conduct such investigation; 
h) 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; 
i) 
Coordinate with local governments, other agencies, and public and private interest groups, 
including non-government organizations (NGOs) and people's organizations (POs) on Department 
policies and initiatives; 
j) 
Advise the President of the Philippines and make recommendations on the promulgation of 
executive and administrative orders and regulatory and legislative proposals on matters about 
culture; 


k) 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; 
l) 
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, based on 
the reports and estimates submitted by bureaus and officers under the Department; 
m) Exercise jurisdiction over all bureaus, offices, agencies, and corporations under the Department as 
are provided by law; and, 
n) 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; 
c) 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 
e) Perform such other functions and duties as may be provided by law. 
 
Sec. 10. Qualifications. – No person shall be appointed Secretary or Undersecretary of the Department 
unless he or she is a natural-born citizen and resident of the Philippines, of good moral character, and 
proven integrity, and with at least five (5) years of competence/ expertise/ experience as either a:  
1. manager, advocate, scholar, or practitioner in fields of endeavor related to Philippine arts and 
culture;  
2. manager, advocate, scholar, or practitioner in fields of endeavor related to the mandate and 
functions of the Department; or  
3. a National Artist.  
 
ARTICLE III 
THE DEPARTMENT SERVICES 
 
Sec. 11. 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, Internal Audit Service, Endowment 
Management Service, Grants Management Service.  
 
ARTICLE IV 
THE BUREAUS 
 
Sec. 12. The Bureaus of the Department. – The Department shall exercise supervision and control 
over the following four (6) Bureaus that 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, 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. 
b) 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 of 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. 
c) Bureau of Cultural Properties Preservation – shall formulate and implement plans, programs, and 
activities. for the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, provide architecturally, 
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. 
d) Bureau of Artistic Resources – shall ensure the continuing and balanced 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, and 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 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 the 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. 13. 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, and enforce all laws and regulations about it. Shall appoint personnel to all 
positions in his bureau or office, by the 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 by the Civil Service Law.  
 
ARTICLE V 
THE REGIONAL AND FIELD OFFICES 
 
Sec. 14. 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. ach 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 by Civil Service Commission (CSC) rules and 
regulations. 
 
It may also establish satellite, 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 concerned 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; 
c) Undertake research and gather data on local culture and art 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 the participation of local artists and cultural workers; 
e) Coordinate with regional offices of other departments, bureaus, and agencies in the area; 
f) 
Coordinate with local government units in the area; 
g) 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. 15. 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 the agency or other proper authorities 
concerned.  
 
ARTICLE VI 
THE ATTACHED AGENCIES, INSTITUTES, ADVISORY COUNCILS, AND OVERSEAS OFFICES  
 
Sec. 16. 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 
are 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 by 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) 
5. National Archives of the Philippines (NAP) 
6. Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) 
7. Intramuros Administration (IA) 
8. National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) 
9. Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) 
10. Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) 
11. National Book Development Board (NBDB) 
12. Design Center of the Philippines 
 
c) The laws and rules on government reorganization as provided for in Republic Act No. 6566, 
otherwise known as the Reorganization Law, shall govern the organization process of the 
Department. 


 
Sec. 17. National Institutes. – The following National Institutes, with their respective networks 
throughout the country, shall be established under the Department: 
 
a) The National Institute of Living Traditions, and through it, a network of individual Schools of Living 
Traditions to be established, which, with the support of appropriate partnerships, shall be 
responsible for programs and projects related to the safeguarding, sustainability, propagation and 
intergenerational transmission of intangible cultural heritage, particularly that which pertains to 
indigenous cultural communities; 
b) The National Institute of Cultural Heritage Preservation, and through it, a network of individual 
Escuela Tayler (Workshop Schools) to be established, which, with the support of appropriate 
partnerships, shall be responsible for programs and projects related to national capacity building 
in the area of conservation arts, sciences and trades concerning the preservation of 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 he 
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. 18. 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. 
 
Sec. 19. 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. 20. Sectoral and Industry Task Forces. – The Department may create 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. 21. Rizal Centers. – The Department shall, through a dedicated organizational unit to be established 
for the purpose, establish and manage Rizal Centers or Sentro Rizal, including those created under R.A. 
No. 10066 or the "National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009." The primary purpose of the Rizal Centers 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 shall include 
exhibition and performance venues and facilities enabling access to knowledge resources, particularly those 
about vernacular language resources.  
 
Overseas, the Department shall continue to establish Sentro Rizal as a Philippine cultural center 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 the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, and other 
concerned agencies.  
 
Sentro Rizal 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 shall offer courses in 
the national language and any other Filipino languages as may appropriate.  
 
The operations of the Sentro Rizal network of the Department shall be considered as one of its permanent 
flagship programs, and shall therefore be specifically provided for in the General Appropriations Act for 
every fiscal year.  
 
Sec. 22. Overseas Offices. – The Department shall establish overseas offices, preferably to be located 
in a present Philippine embassy or consulate, 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; 
c) 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 VII 
REORGANIZATION 
 
Sec. 23. Reorganization. – The laws and rules on government reorganization as provided for in Republic 
Act No. 6656, otherwise known as the Reorganization Law, shall govern the reorganization process of the 
Department and, where appropriate, its attached agencies. 
 
Sec. 24. Structure and Staffing Pattern. – 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 by the Civil Service Law, rules, and 
regulations.  
 
Sec. 25. 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 alter the 
abolition of the agency, as specified in Section 17(a) of this 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. 26. Separation from Service. – Employees separated from the service as a result of this 
reorganization shall, within ninety (90) days therefrom, receive the separation and retirement benefits to 
which they may be entitled under Executive 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. 
 
ARTICLE VIII 
PROPERTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT 
 
Sec. 27. 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. 28. 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. 29. 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 (Php 2,000,000,000.00).  
 
Sec. 30. 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. 31. Separability Clause. – If any portion or provision of this Act is subsequently declared invalid or 
unconstitutional, other provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect.  
 
Sec. 32. Repealing Clause. – All other laws, acts, presidential decrees, executive orders, presidential 
proclamations, issuances, rules, and regulations, or parts thereof which are contrary to or inconsistent with 
any of the provisions of this Act are h r by repealed, amended, or modified accordingly. 
 
Sec. 33. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette 
or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,