Arts & International Affairs Volume 5, Number 1, Summer 2020 | Page 64

WHOSE GOVERNANCE, WHOSE GOOD?
What has the NCCA done in this regard? In its work on cultural governance, has it created
a system or mechanism that truly supports the arts and cultural projects of the various
communities in the Philippines, regardless of language and location or proximity to
central Manila?
The answer to this may be a resounding ‘yes’. Constitutionally through Republic Act
7356, the NCCA is bound to uphold the following governing principles: culture as human
rights, national identity, culture of the people, culture by the people, culture for the
people, and preservation of Filipino heritage. It is important to highlight that the NCCA
was created to safeguard the culture of the people. Section four of R.A.7356 states that
the Filipino national culture shall be independent, equitable, dynamic, progressive, and
humanistic (NCCA 1994). Culture, being independent, should be free of any political
and economic structures, which inhibit cultural sovereignty. Equitability is defined
as providing opportunities to the poor and marginalized sectors. The Filipino national
culture, defined to be dynamic, means that it must continuously develop in pace with
scientific, technological, social, economic, and political changes both on national and
international levels. Therefore, the NCCA must create avenues or means for these sectors
to grow, and for their culture to develop amidst the social and economic changes.
Moreover, it must ensure the creative and artistic freedom of every Filipino to achieve
his or her potential.
Section five of this Act expresses that the Filipino national culture shall evolve and be
developed by the people themselves in a climate of freedom and responsibility (NCCA
1994). Therefore, the national cultural policies and programs must be for the benefit of
all. The Philippines is a country of diverse culture, having mentioned earlier that it has
over a hundred ethnolinguistic communities. Therefore, the NCCA must acknowledge
and respect the diversity of cultural identities, and needs to adopt or use a pluralistic
approach to respond to the said diversity of culture. Furthermore, national cultural policies
and programs must also be democratic and non-partisan. Bernan Joseph Corpuz
(2010), the Head of the Planning and Policy Office of the NCCA, states, “We have to
cater to all. We cannot favor contemporary and modern art and artists or only indigenous
communities.” He further asserts that “[It] is a conscious effort in the sense that as
much as possible we [NCCA] want to give equal funding to all aspects of culture and
the arts.” Thus, reinforcing that the policy of the NCCA encourages and supports the
individual or group, regardless of creed, affiliation, ideology, ethnic origin, age, gender,
or class�including the marginalized sectors. State support cannot be monopolized by
any group or sector.
For the NCCA to achieve what it is mandated to do, it created a Secretariat to do the administrative
and legal work of extending and disbursing financial and technical support
to arts and cultural organizations, institutions, and communities. As discussed previously,
the NCCA created the four subcommissions and the national committees to aid
the national office and fulfill its pluralistic mandate. The pluralistic approach is further
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