Legarda: Culture is the strength that sustains Filipino identity and nation’s recovery

Senator Loren Legarda emphasized that safeguarding culture is inseparable from rebuilding the nation, declaring it the living strength that preserves Filipino identity, empowers resilience, and sustains recovery in times of crisis.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts and has championed cultural preservation for nearly three decades, delivered this message at BANTAY KULTURA: National Retooling of Cultural Education Scholars and Faculty on May 9, 2026, at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila, organized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) through the Philippine Cultural Education Program (PCEP). The event honored former PCEP scholars, Master’s and Doctoral graduates, and faculty members past and present.

“Hindi natin pinoprotektahan ang kultura para lamang alalahanin ang nakaraan. Ang pangangalaga sa kultura ay hindi hiwalay sa pagbangon ng bansa, dahil ito mismo ang isa sa mga paraan para hindi tayo mabuwag habang tayo ay dumaraan sa hirap,” she declared.

In her keynote, Legarda warned that culture and history are vulnerable to distortion and neglect if not actively protected, stressing that memory, traditions, and inherited knowledge must be safeguarded to prevent the erosion of national identity.

“Kung hindi natin babantayan ang alaala, ang mga tradisyon, ang mga kuwento, at ang mga kaalamang minana natin, may panganib na ang mga ito’y hindi lamang mapawi, kundi mabigyan pa ng ibang anyo na malayo sa kanilang tunay na saysay. At ang mas nakakalungkot ay kasabay ng pagkawala nito ay mabura na din ang ating pagkakakilanlan bilang mga Pilipino,” she said.

The four-term senator reaffirmed her legislative and advocacy work in support of culture, citing initiatives, such as the strengthening of the Schools of Living Traditions, and the passage of laws such as the National Cultural Heritage Act, and the Cultural Mapping Law.

“Sa kasalukuyang Kongreso, may ilang panukala pa tayong isinusulong upang mas mapatibay ang ating pagpapahalaga sa kultura, kasaysayan, at pamana. Kabilang na dito ang Institutionalization of the Schools of Living Traditions, Culinary Heritage Act, Philippine Indigenous Games Preservation Act at ang ating matagal nang pinapangarap, ang Department of Culture,” she noted.

Legarda further stressed that in the face of economic, climate, and education crises, culture must never be treated as an expendable cost but recognized as an essential force that binds communities, strengthens resilience, and guides the nation’s recovery.

“Ito ang hibla na nag uugnay sa atin sa isa’t isa, nagpapatatag sa komunidad, at nagbibigay ng direksiyon kapag ang mga institusyon at serbisyo ay nasusubok,” she said.

Legarda concluded with a strong challenge to educators, scholars, and cultural workers, urging them to take an active role in safeguarding heritage and identity.

“Kaya maging masigasig na mga bantay tayo ng mga wikang nanganganib manahimik, ng mga tradisyong nanganganib na maisantabi, ng mga kaalamang katutubo na sagot sa mga suliraning hindi kayang lutasin ng teknolohiya lamang, at ng ating pagkakakilanlan bilang Pilipino sa kabila ng mabilis na pagbabago ng mundo,” she concluded. (30)