The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (Filipino: Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining, Cebuano: Nasodnong Komisyon alang sa Budaya ug mga Arte), is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. It is the overall policy making body, coordinating, and grants giving agency for the preservation, development and promotion of Philippine arts and culture; an executing agency for the policies it formulates; and task to administering the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA) -- fund exclusively for the implementation of culture and arts programs and projects.

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History

The successful overthrow of the Marcos administration in 1986 inspired the different sectors of society to rally behind the new government towards the restoration of democracy. In March 12, 1986, the Alliance of Artists for the Creation of a Ministry of Culture (AACMC) drafted and adopted a proposal for the establishment of a Ministry of Culture. The group cited the inability of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports to devote time and attention to cultural planning due to the gargantuan task of addressing the problems of the educational system.

President Corazon Aquino responded by issuing Executive Order 118 on January 30, 1987 which established the Presidential Commission on Culture and the Arts (PCCA). It was a diminutive agency compared to the proposal of AACMC but the said order was cognizant of the existence of specialized cultural agencies and that these should only be placed under the umbrella of one agency to coordinate their efforts.

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Board of Commissioners

As governed by RA 7356, The National Commission for Culture and the Arts is governed by a Board of Commissioners composed of 15 members, namely:

• Hon. Virgilio S. Almario, NCCA Chairman (Concurrent Chairman, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino)

• Hon. Francis Joseph G. Escudero (Chairperson, Senate Committee on Education, Arts, and Culture)

• Hon. Ramon Durano VI (Chairperson, House Committee on Basic Education and Culture)

• Hon. Alberto T. Muyot, Commissioner (Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs, Department of Education)

• Hon. Falconi V. Millar. Undersecretary, Department of Tourism

• Hon. Rene R. Escalante, Commissioner, (Chair, National Historical Commission of the Philippines)

• Hon. Jeremy R. Barns, Commissioner (Director IV, National Museum)

• Hon. Cesar Gilbert Q. Adriano, Commissioner (Director IV, The National Library of the Philippines)

• Hon. Victorino Mapa Manalo, Commissioner (Executive Director, National Archives of the Philippines)

• Hon. Aresenio J. Lizaso, Commissioner (President, Cultural Center of the Philippines)

• Hon. Harold Ll. Rentoria, OSA, Commissioner (Head, Subcommission on Cultural Heritage)

• Hon. Teddy Co, Commissioner (Head, Subcommission on the Arts)

• Hon. Orlando B. Magno, Commissioner (Head, Subcommission on Cultural Dissemination)

• Hon. Alphonsus Tesoro, Commissioner (Head, Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts)

• Hon. Rico S. Pableo, Jr. (Executive Director, National Commission for Culture and the Arts)

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Activities

It is also responsible for the annual celebration of the National Arts Month (February), UNESCO-ITI World Theatre Week (March 21-27), National Heritage Month (May), National Dance Week (Fourth Week of April), National Literature Month (April), Linggo ng Musikang Pilipino (Last Week of July), Indigenous Peoples Month (October), Museums and Galleries Month (October), and Library and Information Services Month (November).

 

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Logo

The NCCA logo is the Alab ng Haraya (The Flame of Imagination), which symbolizes the spring of Filipino art and culture. It is composed of two basic elements – the fire and the censer. The fire is a stylized character "ka" of the Philippine indigenous script Baybayin, that stands for kadakilaan or greatness. The fire represents the highest level of imagination and emanates from a three-tiered censer. The three tiers stand for organization, economic support, and an orientation rooted on a thorough grasp of tradition and history, which the NCCA provides. It is done in gold to symbolize the immense wealth of Philippine culture.

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Department of Culture

In 2016, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and its partners in Congress have announced that they will seek to establish a Department of Culture. However, political factors hindered its initial pace. In January 2017, the filing of a bill which seeks to formally establish a holistic Department of Culture was completed. The bill is a priority legislation, which is expected to pass into law in late 2018 or early 2019. The Secretary of the proposed Department of Culture should be an expert in the field of culture and the arts, according to the bill.If the bill passes into law, the Department of Culture will be the only department in government where the head should possess the expertise of the field as a qualification for the job. Some conservationists are also proposing for the enactment of a bill where each city and town shall have a singular architectural and landscaping style, like the ordinance in the Heritage City of Vigan, other international UNESCO-recognized cities, and some countries in Europe. Through this, a new renaissance of Filipino architecture and landscaping arts 'shall be inevitable'.

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