Arts & International Affairs Volume 5, Number 1, Summer 2020 | Page 61

ARTS & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
This Plan was continued in the Estrada Administration where continuous funding for
culture and the arts was given by the state through the General Appropriations Act
(GAA) and the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA), a fund
established exclusively for Philippine arts and culture programs, projects, and activities
all over the country. It was also during the Estrada Administration that six other cultural
agencies were attached to the NCCA for better policy and program coordination and
collaboration through Executive Order 80.
In its second phase, the MTPDP-CA of 2004 to 2010 was approved by the Arroyo Administration.
The rationale behind the MTPDP-CA was the recognition of the government
of the potentials of culture as a catalyst for the promotion of peace and economic
development. Its general strategy was the use of culture as a catalyst for values formation
and human rights education, promoting a culture of peace, social justice, and sustainable
development.
Two of the seven thrusts of MTPDP-CA were on these priorities: first, efforts directed
to “mainstream culture and development in plans, policies, programs, and projects providing
cultural services for the poor particularly the marginalized, the minorities and the
migrants”; and second, the continued “implementation of programs for the promotions
of cultural liberty and excellence in artistic development that forges the identity, memory,
vision, and conscience of our nation” (MTPDP-CA 2011).
One of the most recent developments in the cultural policy of the Philippines is the proposed
establishment of a Department of Culture sought by the NCCA and its partners
in Congress in 2016. In 2017, the proposed establishment of a Department of Culture
was filed as a priority bill, and was expected to be passed into law in 2019. With the Department
of Culture is the creation of several bureaus: the Bureau of Cultural Communities
and Traditional Arts Development, Bureau of Cultural Properties Protection and
Regulation, Bureau of Cultural Properties Preservation, Bureau of Artistic Resources
Development, Bureau of Cultural Research Education and Dissemination, and the Bureau
of Cultural and Creative Industries.
How the creation of these bureaus will work towards a better policy and program coordination
and collaboration remains to be seen in the next couple of years. Before investigating
the outcomes of the new Department of Culture and the results and impact of the
programs under each bureau, it is critical to look closely into the role of the NCCA this
past decade. How, in its capacity, has it encouraged and allowed a democratic participation
and governance of culture in the Philippines?
The NCCA has five major types of grants: competitive, institutional, outreach, Speakers
Bureau Program, and grants that provide automatic financial assistance to affiliated agencies
as governmental inter-agency support to promote synergy of efforts. These grants
are dependent on the priority of the Office of the President�his/her vision and goals
for the country's culture and the arts, in consultation with the Executive Director of the
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