NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
s. No. 622
Senate
S'<©ffitP of t!)c S^.'n-cfnrp
*22 JULU P3 28
RECEIVED Wr.
Introduced by Senator Loren B. Legarda
AN ACT
STRENGTHENING THE CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION OF 
NATIONAL CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH ENHANCED 
CULTURAL HERITAGE EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND CULTURAL 
MAPPING, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 
10066 OR THE NATIONAL CULTURAL HERITAGE ACT OF 2009
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Culture is the narrative that binds Filipinos, regardless of ethnicity, social class, 
or educational background, into a -common chronicle of tradition, trials, and triumph. 
It is a story of our nation's journey ti roughout the centuries.
UNESCO has recognized cultural mapping as a crucial tool and technique in 
preserving the world's tangible and intangible cultural assets.1 The documentation of 
these cultural elements covers a wide range of areas, namely: (1) built heritage such 
as architecture, (2) tangible heritage such as traditional dwellings, (3) intangible 
heritage such as indigenous skills, and (4) natural heritage. The fundamental goal of 
cultural mapping is to educate and help the nation visualize its rich heritage while 
allowing for the reflection of what it stands to lose as a result of its collective apathy.
To further strengthen heritage conservation in the country, this bill seeks to 
amend Republic Act No. 10066, otherwise known as the "National Cultural Heritage Act
https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/cultural-mappmg (July 4,2017)


of 2009", to mandate local government units (LGUs) to conduct a cultural heritage 
mapping of their cireas for both tangible and intangible, and natural and built heritage.
For the above-cited reasons, the passage of this bill is urgently sought.
—=====XOSENrLEGARDA


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
S. No.
SENATE 
622
Senate
of tijp :0'mTtai7>
72 JUL14 P3-78
RECEIVED CV.
Introduced by Senator Loren B. Legarda
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AN ACT
STRENGTHENING THE CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION OF
NATIONAL CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH ENHANCED 
CULTURAL HERITAGE EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND CULTURAL 
MAPPING, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO.
10066 OR THE NATIONAL CULTURAL HERITAGE ACT OF 2009
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
Section. 1. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 10066, otherwise known as the 
"National Cultural Heritage Act of2009," is hereby amended to read as follows:
"'SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the following 
terms shall be defined as follows:
(a) "Adaptive reuse" shall refer to the utilization of buildings, other 
built-structures, and sites of value for purposes other than those 
that were originally intended to conserve the site, their engineering 
integrity, and their design authenticity.
(b) "Anthropological area" shall refer to any place where studies of 
specific ethnolinguistic groups are undertaken, the properties of 
which are of value to our cultural heritage.
(c) "Antique" shall refer to a cultural property found locally which is 
one hundred (100) years in age, more or less, the production of 
which has ceased.
(d) "Archaeological area" shall refer to any place, whether above or 
underground, underwater or at sea level, containing fossils.
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artifacts and other cultural, geological, botanical, and zoological 
materials which depict and document culturally relevant 
paleontological, prehistoric, and/ or historic events.
(e) "Archives" shall refer to public and private records in any format 
which have been selected for permanent preservation because of 
their evidential, historical informational value; otherwise known as 
archival materials collections or archival holdings; the place 
(building/room/storage area) where archival materials are kept 
and preserved; and an organization or agency or part thereof 
whose main responsibility is to appraise, arrange, describe, 
conserve, promote and make archival materials available for 
reference and research, also known as archival agency
(f) "Built heritage/TANGIBLE HERITAGE" shall refer to 
arcliitectural and engineering structures such as, but not limited to, 
bridges, government buildings, houses of ancestry, traditional 
dwellings, quartels, train stations, lighthouses, small ports, 
educational, technological, and industrial complexes, and their 
settings, and landscapes with notable historical and cultural 
significance. PROTECTION OF THESE STRUCTURES SHALL 
ALSO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE MAINTENANCE 
OF THE INTEGRITY OF ITS VISUAL CORRIDOR AND/OR 
LINE OF SIGHT.
(g) "Collector" shall refer to any person or institution that acquires 
cultural property for purposes other than sale.
(h) "Commission" shall refer to the National Commission for Culture 
and the Arts (NCCA).
(i) "Consei’vation" shall lefer to all the processes and measures of 
maintaining the cultural significance of cultural property, 
including but not limited to the preservation, restoration, 
reconstruction, protection, adaptation, or any combination thereof.
(j) "Cultural agencies" shall refer to the following national 
government agencies with their specific areas of responsibility:


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National Museum (cultural propert}); the National Library 
(books); National Historical Institute (Philippine history); National 
Archives (documents); Cultural Center of the Philippines (culture 
and the arts); and Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (language).
(k) "Cultural education" shall refer to the teaching and learning of 
cultural concepts and processes.
(l) "Cultural heritage" shall refer to the totality of cultural property 
preserved and developed through time and passed on to posterity.
(M) "CULTURAL HERITAGE MAPPING" SHALL REFER TO THE 
APPROACH USED TO IDENTIFY, RECORD, AND USE 
CULTURAL RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES FOR BUILDING 
COMMUNITIES. IT IS A SET OF ACTIVITIES AND 
PROCESSES FOR EXPLORING, DISCOVERING, 
DOCUMENTING, 
EXAMINING, 
ANALYZING,
INTERPRETING, PRESENTING AND SHARING 
INFORMATION RELATED TO PEOPLE, COMMUNITIES, 
SOCIETIES, PLACES AND THE MATERIAL PRODUCTS AND 
PRACTICES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PEOPLE AND PLACES.
[(m)] (N) "Cultural heritage worker" shall refer to an individual 
undertaking cultural heritage work.
[(n)] (O) "Cultural institution" shall refer to entities engaged primarily 
in cultural work.
[(o)] (P) "Cultural property" shall refer to all products of human 
creativity by which a people and a nation reveal their identity, 
including 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.
[(p)] (Q) " Dealers" shall refer to natural or juridical persons who 
acquire cultural property for the purpose of engaging in the 
acquisition and disposition of the same.


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[(q)] (R) //Heritage zone" shall refer to historical, anthropological, 
archaeological, artistic geographical areas and settings that are 
culturally significant to the country, as declared by the National 
Museum and/ or the National Historical Institute.
[(r)] (S) "History" shall refer to a written record of past events relating 
to Philippine history.
[(s)] (T) "Historical landmarks" shall refer to sites or structures that are 
associated with events or achievements significant to Philippine 
history as declared by the National Historical Institute.
[(t)] (U) "Historical monuments" shall refer to structures that honor 
illustrious persons or commemorate events of historical value as 
declared by the National Historical Institute.
[(u)] (V) "Historical shrines" shall refer to historical sites or structures 
hallowed and revered for their history or association as declared by 
the National Historical Institute.
[(v)] (W) "Historical street name" shall refer to a street name that has 
been in existence for at least fifty (50) years and over time has been 
considered historic.
[(w)] (X) "Important cultural property" shall refer to a cultural property 
having exceptional cultural, artistic, and historical significance to 
the Philippines, as shall be determined by the National Museum 
and/ or National Historical Institute.
[(x)] (Y) "Intangible cultural heritage" shall refer to the practices, 
representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills, as well as the 
instruments, objects, and artifacts associated therewith, that 
communities, groups, and individuals recognize as part of their 
cultural heritage, such as: (1) oral traditions, languages and 
expressions; (2) performing arts; (3) social practices, rituals, and 
festive events; (4) knowledge and practices concerning nature and 
the universe; and (5) traditional craftsmanship.
[(y)] (Z) "Intangible cultural property" shall refer to the peoples" 
learned processes along with the knowledge, skills and creativity


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that infomi and are developed by them, the products they create 
and the resources, spaces, and other aspects of social and natural 
context necessary for their sustainability.
[(z)] (AA) Library shall refer to an institution where the collection of 
books, manuscripts, computerized information, and other materials 
are organized to provide physical, bibliographic and/ or intellectual 
access to the public, with a librarian that is trained to provide 
services and programs related to the information needs of its 
clientele.
[(aa)] (BB) "Museum" shall refer to a permanent institution that 
researches, acquires, conserves, communicates, and exhibits the 
material evidence of humans and their environment for purposes 
of education or leisure.
[(bb)] (CC) National cultural treasure" shall refer to a unique cultural 
property found locally, possessing outstanding historical, cultural, 
artistic and/ or scientific value which is highly significant and 
important to the country and nation, and officially declared as such 
by the pertinent cultural agency.
[(cc)] (DD) "Nationally significant" shall refer to historical, aesthetic, 
scientific, technical, social and/ or spiritual values that unify the 
nation by a deep sense of pride in their various yet common 
identities, cultural hericage, and national patrimony.
(EE) "NATURAL HERITAGE" SHALL REFER TO THE FLORA AND 
FAUNA, THE NATURAL BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL 
COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT, AND OTHER 
RELATED ECOSYSTEMS AND BIODIVERSITY, WTiETHER 
TERRESTRIAL, WETLAND, OR MARINE.
[(dd)] (FF) "Natural property of cultural significance" shall refer to 
areas possessing outstanding ecosystems with flora and fauna of 
national scientific importance under the National Integrated 
Protected Areas System.


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[(ee)] (GG) "NCCA Portal Cultural Databank" refers to the specific 
domain in the Commission's intranet for cultural information that 
is accessed only internally with control and confidentiality. It 
includes die registry of national cultural property 
[(ff)] (HH) "Prehistory" shall refer to the period of human history before 
the introduction of the forms of writing.
[(gg)] (II) "Registry" shall refer to the Philippine Registry of Cultural 
Property which is the registry of all cultural property of the country 
deemed of significant importance to our cultural heritage.
[(Wi)] 0J) "Restoration" shall refer to the action taken or the technical 
intervention to correct deterioration and alterations.
[(ii)] (KK) "Tangible cultural property" shall refer to a cultural property 
with historical, archival, anthropological, archaeological, artistic, 
and architectural value, and with exceptional or traditional 
production, whether of Philippine origin or not, including antiques 
and natural history specimens with significant value."
Sec. 2. A new Section 14 of R. A. No. 10066 is hereby inserted to read as follows:
"ARTICLE V 
CULTURAL MAPPING
SEC. 14. CULTURAL MAPPING BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT 
UNITS. - LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS ARE HEREBY MANDATED 
TO CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE CULTURAL HERITAGE 
MAPPING OF THEIR AREAS, INCLUDING TANGIBLE AND 
INTANGIBLE HERITAGE AND NATURAL AND BUILT HERITAGE 
STRUCTURES. THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS SHALL 
MOBILIZE AND PARTNEil WITH CONCERNED AGENCIES TO 
ENSURE PROMPT AND EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS 
ACT. ALL FINDINGS AND OUTPUTS SHALL BE SUBMITTED AND 
REGISTERED IN THE PHILIPPINE REGISTRY OF CULTURAL 
PROPERTY.
APART FROM CULTURAL AGENCIES, LOCAL 
GOVERNMENT UNITS ARE ALSO ENJOINED TO WORK WITH


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THE FOLLOWING AGENCIES FOR THE CONDUCT OF CULTURAL 
MAPPING:
(A) COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION (CHED) FOR 
INSTITUTING CULTURAL AWARENESS IN STATE 
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES;
(B) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (DA) FOR THE 
INVENTORY OF NATURAL FIBER IN THE COUNTRY;
(C) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DEPED) FOR INSTITUTING 
CULTUR.4L AWARENESS IN BASIC EDUCATION;
(D) DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL 
RESOURCES (DENR) FOR THE INVENTORY OF NATURAL 
PARKS, BIODIVERSITY AND ENDEMICITY;
(E) DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS 
(DPWH) FOR ITS PROGRAMS ON HERITAGE ZONES AND 
SITES AND PLACES OF SIGNIFICANCE;
(F) DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (DOST) 
FOR ITS INVENTORY OF NATURAL SOURCES OF DYES 
AND OTHER PERTINENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
FOR THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY SECTOR IN THE COUNTRY;
(G) DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM (DOT) FOR THEIR EXISTING 
TOURISM PLANS FOR DECLARED NATIONAL AND 
WORLD tIERITAGE SITES."
The succeeding sections shall be renumbered accordingly.
Sec. 3. Section 39 of R.A. No. 10066 is hereby amended to read as follows:
"SEC. 39. Cultural Heritage Education Programs. - Within one (1) year 
from the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Education, the Technical 
Education and Skills Development Authority and the Commission on 
Higher Education, in consultation with the Commission, shall set forth in 
its teaching programs nationwide the following cultural heritage 
education programs with emphasis at the provincial, city and municipal 
levels:


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(a) Protection, conservation and preservation of cultural heritage 
properties;
(b) Instructional materials in print, film, and broadcast media on the 
cultural and historical significance of cultural properties; [and]
(C) INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS, SKILLS, AND 
PRACTICES (IKSSP) THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE 
"SCHOOLS OF LMNG TRADITIONS (SLTS)" MODELS; AND 
[(c)] (D) Visitation, public accessibility, and information dissemination 
on designated local cultural properties."
Sec. 4. Separability Clause, - If any provision of this Act shall be declared 
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions or parts thereof not otherwise 
affected shall remain in full force and effect.
Sec. 5. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, or rules and 
regulations contrary to or inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended or 
modified accordingly.
Sec. 6. Ejfectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
complete publication either in the Ofticial Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of 
general circulation.
Approved,