Legarda Bats for Integration of Phl Arts and Culture in Educational System

“Our culture is our story as a nation,” said Senator Loren Legarda as she proposed the integration and mainstreaming of Philippine arts and culture in the country’s educational system.

In filing Senate Bill No. 387, Legarda proposed the creation of a cultural education program that will integrate arts and culture in the curricula for basic and tertiary education and technical-vocational courses.

“Our 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 our identity and, therefore, must be preserved and passed on to the next generation,” said Legarda.

“The government has already taken concrete steps to address the need to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage of the country through the establishment of schools of living traditions (SLTs). However, we need a major leap in making sure the country’s unique and diverse cultural heritage will flourish,” she stressed.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) instituted and managed the growth of SLTs to create and nurture the talents of culture specialists/masters and to preserve and transmit indigenous skills and techniques to the young.

Under the proposed measure, the country’s key educational agencies—the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skill Development Authority (TESDA), will collaborate and work with the NCCA in formulating and implementing plans and programs that will integrate and mainstream Philippine arts and culture in the national education system.

These agencies will create a cultural education program (CEP) that will develop and implement an enhanced Special Program for the Arts (SPA); mainstream indigenous knowledge systems, skills and practices through the institutionalization of an appropriate SLT model in the formal education system; and support the K-12 program of DepEd, both in the formal and informal systems, particularly the subjects on heritage, culture and the arts through teacher training, resource materials and by formulating competencies for arts-related careers.

The CEP will also institutionalize the training of students and teachers on arts and culture for both in-service and degree programs under the NCCA Philippine Cultural Education Program (PCEP) and execute cultural enrichment activities.