Opening Statement of Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda: Committee on Culture and the Arts

OPENING STATEMENT

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren B. Legarda

Committee on Culture and the Arts

Senator G.T. Pecson Room and via Cisco Webex

10 January 2023, 10:30 A.M.

Isang luntiang umaga po sa ating lahat!

Kulturang Pilipino – isang konsepto na paulit-ulit na hinuhubog at binubuo; isang aspeto ng ating pagkakakilanlan na buhay at ating inaalagaan.

Sa kabila ng pagkakaiba-iba ng ating relihiyon, kasarian, etnisidad, at uring panlipunan, naniniwala ako na mayroon tayong karaniwang istorya na nagpapahiwatig kung sino tayo bilang tao, at bilang nasyon.

I believe that culture is the narrative that binds us as a nation, and it is something we owe to our ancestors and heroes who built the Philippines as it is today.

It is important to give meaning to what being a Filipino means. It is also important to protect our way of living and our heritage that we will also pass on to our children, and our children’s children.

This is why for the past decades of public service; we have always advocated for the protection of cultural communities and practices. We have seen this in the weaving centers, the galleries, cultural performances, our consistent support to our cultural agencies, and other organizations that seek to preserve, protect, and enrich our country’s material and non-material customs. All of which must be supported with institutional and legal strength.

Today, we seek to adjust and adapt to the challenges of the modern times and respond to the needs of our evolving identity.

It has been more than a decade since we passed RA 10066 or the “National Cultural Heritage act of 2009.” We are now revisiting this law with the integration of cultural mapping at all levels of our government. For this reason, we filed Senate Bill No. 622, Senator Binay’s Senate Bill No. 117, Senator Revilla’s Senate Bill No. 1094, and House Bill No. 5110 of Representatives De Venecia, Villafuerte, Horibata, Enciso, et. al. amending the said act.

We filed Senate Bill No. 624 – Establishing the Linangan ng Likhang-Bayan (Institute for Living Traditions) to serve as an important center and laboratory for the protection, promotion, and development of Philippine communal traditions.

We also filed Senate Bill No. 242, or the Cultural Education Program Act seeking to develop, integrate, and institutionalize cultural education across our educational system.

We believe that these steps are crucial in our goal of harmonizing our diverse identities and building a nation that is rich and proud which is why I thank all of you for being here today.