<P><B><U>The Mandate</U></B></P>
<P>The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) was established by legislation in 1992 (Republic Act No. 7356). The Commission was established to: formulate policies for the development of culture and arts; implement these policies in coordination with affiliated cultural agencies; coordinate the implementation of programs of these affiliated agencies; administer the National Endowment Fund for Culture and Arts (NEFCA); encourage artistic creation within a climate of artistic freedom; develop and promote the Filipino national culture and arts; and preserve Filipino cultural heritage. </P>
<P>The Act states that Commission shall:&nbsp; </P>
<OL type=a>
<OL type=a>
<LI>Encourage the continuing and balance development of a pluralistic culture by the people themselves;
<LI>Conserve and promote the nation’s historical and cultural heritage;
<LI>Ensure the widest dissemination of artistic and cultural products among the greatest number across the country and overseas for their appreciation and enjoyment, with the cooperation of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, Tourism, Interior and Local Government, Foreign Affairs and all other concerned agencies, public and private;
<LI>Preserve and integrate traditional culture and its various creative expressions as a dynamic part of the national cultural mainstream; and
<LI>Ensure that standards of excellence are pursued in programs and activities implementing policies herein stated, it shall encourage and support continuing discussion and debate, through symposia, workshop, publications, etc., on the highest norms available in the matrix of Philippine culture. </LI></OL></OL>
<P>The Commission serves and facilitates the development of professional arts, community arts, amateur arts, music, theatre, dance, literary arts, visual arts, crafts, cultural animation, heritage, folk or traditional culture, museums and galleries, libraries archives, archaeology, preservation and conservation of artifacts, language preservation, training of artists and/or cultural workers, cultural industries, book publishing, magazine publishing, translations, media arts, film, video and television, multi-media, broadcasting, arts education, architecture and historical research.</P>
<P><B><U>The NCCA</U></B></P>
<P>The NCCA is a government agency under the Office of the President. It:</P>
<UL>
<LI>Provides financial support to arts/cultural organisations
<LI>Provides financial support to individuals in the arts/culture
<LI>Advises the national government on matters related to the arts/culture
<LI>Has responsibility for government legislation related to the arts/culture
<LI>Develops national arts/cultural policies
<LI>Implements national arts/cultural policies
<LI>Evaluates national arts/cultural policies
<LI>Conducts research in the arts/culture
<LI>Compiles and maintains the national cultural statistics and databases
<LI>Promotes public understanding and appreciation of the arts/culture
<LI>Has lead responsibility at the national level for coordinating international cultural relations and exchanges
<LI>Organises and manages cultural activities or events
<LI>Awards prizes/honours in the arts/culture
<LI>Provides training and professional development in artistic/cultural fields
<LI>Publishes books and/or magazines
<LI>Administers the National Endowment Fund for Culture and Arts (NEFCA)
<LI>Formulates plans for the culture and arts sector.
<LI>Prepare the annual budget of the Commission and submit the same to the President for inclusion in the annual General Appropriations Act.
<LI>Coordinates with Local Government Units, government and non-government and cultural institutions and agencies for assistance in any form regarding implementation of cultural and arts programs and projects.
<LI>Exercises administrative supervision over the Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Historical Institute, National Library, National Museum and Records Management and Archives Office </LI></UL>
<P>The NCCA has four Sub-commissions:&nbsp;</P>
<UL>
<LI>Cultural Heritage - libraries and information services, archives, museums, galleries, monuments and sites, and historical research;
<LI>Arts - literary arts, visual arts, architecture, dramatic arts, music, dance and cinema;
<LI>Cultural Dissemination - language and translation, communication, cultural education, cultural information and special events; and
<LI>Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts - Agta/Ayta culture and arts, cultures and arts of Northern cultural communities, Southern cultural communities, Muslim cultural communities and lowland cultural communities. </LI></UL>
<P><B><U>The Governing Body</U></B></P>
<P>The Commission was founded to exercise the following powers and functions:&nbsp;</P>
<UL>
<LI>encourage and facilitate the organization of a network of regional and local councils for culture and the arts to ensure broad nationwide, people-based participation in the formulation of plans, the enforcement of culture-related laws and regulations, the implementation of programs/ projects, and the review of funding requirements;
<LI>establish a Secretariat under an Executive Director for the administrative and day-to-day operations of the Commission;
<LI>set up a system of networking and coordination with and among all existing government cultural agencies for the effective implementation of programs and activities and to avoid unnecessary duplication of functions therein;
<LI>create committees and other mechanisms to help expedite the implementation&nbsp; of plans and strategies;
<LI>call upon and coordinate with other government and non-government&nbsp; art and cultural institutions and agencies in assistance in any form;
<LI>generate resources,&nbsp; both from the Government and private sectors, local, national and international, for its operation, as well as for the National Endowment Fund for Culture and Arts;
<LI>receive and accept donations and other conveyances including funds, materials and other conveyances including funds, materials and services, by gratuitous title;
<LI>administer the National Endowment Fund for Culture and Arts, through a Comptroller, and give grants for the development, protection, preservation and dissemination of Philippine culture and the arts;
<LI>cause the preparation of the annual budget of the NCCA, approve and submit the same to the President for inclusion in the annual General Appropriations Act;
<LI>advise the President on matters pertaining to culture and the arts, including the creation of a special decoration or award, for persons who have significantly contributed to the development and promotion of Philippine culture and arts;
<LI>regulate activities inimical to preservation / conservation of national cultural heritage/ properties;
<LI>institute a body to investigate such inimical activities in conjunction with the proper government agencies, such as the Department of Interior and Local Governments, the National Historical Institute, the National Museum and other such agencies, with the aim of prosecuting such activities and recommending other action such as legislation, or pursuant to the next succeeding provision, the use of good offices of the Commission. The said body shall be organized under the Legal Services Offices;
<LI>may make available the NCCA’s good offices for the settlement of disputes concerning issues affecting artist and cultural workers, including issues arising from the activities of various government agencies which may implicate cultural heritage properties if such activities are potentially inimical to their preservation and conservation; and
<LI>promulgate other rules, regulations and undertake any and all measures as may be necessary to implement R.A. No.&nbsp;&nbsp; 7356. </LI></UL>
<P>The NCCA Board has 15 members. The board is made up of the heads of various government cultural agencies and heads of the four Sub-commissions. Thus, the governing body is composed of:</P>
<P>1) Officials from the Legislative and Executive Branches of Government, who serve in an ex-officio capacity: </P>
<OL type=a>
<LI>Undersecretary, Department of Education;
<LI>Undersecretary, Department of Tourism;&nbsp;
<LI>Chairman, Committee on Basic Education and Culture, House of Representatives;
<LI>Chairman, Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, Senate of the Philippines;&nbsp;
<LI>President, Cultural Center of the Philippines;&nbsp;
<LI>Executive Director, National Historical Institute;
<LI>Director, National Museum;&nbsp;
<LI>Director, The National Library;
<LI>Chairman, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (Commission on Filipino Language);
<LI>Director, Records Management and Archives Office; and
<LI>Executive Director, National Commission for Culture and the Arts. </LI></OL>
<P>2)&nbsp;Heads of the National Committees of the four Sub-commissions, who are representatives of associations of artists and cultural workers and members of other non-government organizations.</P>
<P>The Chairman of the NCCA board is elected by the members of the board from among themselves. </P>
<P>The term of the officials from the Legislative and Executive Branches of Government depends on their respective offices. As long as they remain to be the officials of their respective offices, they are considered as members of the NCCA Board. The Chairman and the heads of Sub-commissions have terms of three years.&nbsp; No person may be Head of a Sub-commission for more than two successive terms of three years. </P>
<P><B><U>The Staff</U></B></P>
<P>The Executive Director of the NCCA is appointed by the Commission based on open nominations. Appointments are made after meeting and due deliberation of the Commission sitting as a collegial body.</P><FONT face=Arial></FONT>
<P>The Commission employs 128 people. All staff are public servants. Staff with direct program responsibilities (ie those who manage programs of support to organisations and/or individuals) "come from the field", that is, they have usually had experience working directly in the arts or culture sector. The organisation does not have regional offices.</P>
<P><B><U>Budget and Revenue Sources</U></B></P>
<P>The Commission was set up with an initial endowment from the government. However, it also receives additional annual funding from the government and revenues from a government travel tax. The Commission also receives donations from non-government sources (individuals, corporations, and/or foundations) and can provide tax benefits for contributions.</P>
<P>In 2001/02 the Commission’s total budget was Php373 m (approx. US$7.2 m). Most of this (71 percent) was from interest on investments/endowments, the remaining 29 percent was from national government revenues. Over the last five years, funding from government has decreased on average 8 percent per annum. </P>
<P><B><U>Programmes of Financial Support for the Arts/Cultural Community</U></B></P>
<P>The Commission provides financial support to organisations, individuals and to lower levels of government. Its financial support programmes are largely organised by function (eg preservation, creation, audience development, etc.). Funds can be used for:</P>
<UL>
<LI>Creation
<LI>Research and development
<LI>Production, presentation and exhibition
<LI>Publication
<LI>Operations of an organisation
<LI>Conservation and preservation
<LI>Capital expenses </LI></UL>
<P>There are no specific laws defining purposes to which funds <U>cannot</U> be used. However, the Commission follows the general Philippine government accounting and auditing rules and regulations in the implementation of its grants program.</P>
<P>The Commission’s financial support programs are classified as follows:</P>
<UL>
<LI>Cultural Education
<LI>Culture and Diplomacy
<LI>Culture and Development
<LI>Program for Artistic Excellence
<LI>Promotion of Culture and the Arts
<LI>Conservation of Cultural Heritage </LI></UL>
<P>The Commission also provides:</P>
<UL>
<LI>yearly stipends and other hospital benefits to national artists
<LI>monthly stipends/allowance to our <I>Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) </I>or National Living Treasures.
<LI>support in the implementation of cultural agreements with other countries.&nbsp; </LI></UL>
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<P><B><U>Assessment of Applications for Financial Support</U></B></P>
<P>Eligible applicants are individuals with endorsements from institutions/organisations with legal personality; registered non-government organisations (non-stock/non-profit), people’s organisations, and local government organisations.</P>
<P>The Commission uses peer assessment to evaluate applications. Peer assessors are referred to as the Executive Council. There are 22 Executive Councils representing 22 different National Committees. The National Committee members are volunteers who are invited or accepted to become members on consideration of their qualifications, national reputation, and their ability to represent the viewpoint of their sector or constituency. </P>
<P>Members of the Executive Council: assist in the evaluation of the worthiness of project proposals and make opinions and recommendations on Committee Grants for consideration of the Sub-commission and the Commission; evaluate project terminal reports submitted by proponents whose projects have been funded by the NCCA; and assist in identifying individual artists and cultural workers, non-government organisations, academic institutions and other organisations that may be able to contribute to the work of the NCCA.</P>
<P>Peer assessors serve for a minimum of three years and a maximum of six years and are bound by conflict of interest regulations.</P>
<P><STRONG><U>Unique or Special Features of the Organisation</U></STRONG></P>
<P>The National Commission for Culture and the Arts is a government agency under the Office of the President whose members come from the public and private sector.&nbsp; It is a government agency providing financial support to private or non-governmental organisations as well as other government agencies for their culture and arts programs.&nbsp; </P>
<P>One of its unique features is the organisation of the Committees under the Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts.&nbsp; Under this subcommission, the committees are organised according to ethnicity (Agta/Ayta Committee covering all Aytas in the country); geographical location (Northern Committee covering the northern part of the Philippines, Southern Committee covering largely the southern part of the Philippines, a little of the central and northern part and Lowland Communities covering non-ethnic and non-Muslim communities from north to south); and religion (Muslim Committee covering all the Muslim communities in the country).</P>
<P><B><U>Greatest Current Challenges</U></B></P>
<P><B>Globalisation:</B> ensuring Philippine culture and arts, especially that of traditional culture and Philippine heritage, are promoted and conserved.&nbsp; It is essential that the inherant cultural diversity/character of the Filipino people is preserved while developing cultural industries that could provide economic benefits.&nbsp; There is little appreciation or regard for the indigenous knowledge, systems and proactices of the various cultural communities, resulting in their displacement and marginalisation.</P>
<P><B>Cultural integrity & industrialisation:</B> It is essential that cultural industries be developed towards providing economic benefits, while sustaining the inherent cultural diversity/character of the Filipino people. </P>
<P><B>Gathering/consolidating cultural information:</B> A lack of cultural data is a frequently encountered problem. Data is often unreliable and difficult to access, and this is compounded by weak institutional networking and a lack of monitoring. The NCCA has been working to improve the situation with its database of culture and arts information. However, due to the wide coverage of culture sector, it has remained a challenge to consolidate all the information. Likewise, among the priorities being pursued by the Commission is the establishment of cultural indicators that will aid in assessing the extent to which national development efforts are impacting on the cultural conditions of the people.</P>
<P><B>Cultural education:</B> Plays a vital part in the promotion of culture and arts. A significant task of the NCCA is to develop a cultural literacy program for young people. &nbsp;</P>
<P>There is also a threat to world heritage sites, some of which are fast deteriorating due to lack of financial as well as technical resources to restore and maintain them.&nbsp; The NCCA experiences instability of financial support</P>
<P><B><U>Greatest Current Strength</U></B></P>
<P>The NCCA has already started establishing stronger links with local government units, non-government organisations, schools/colleges and universities, who are all key partners for effective implementation of culture and arts programs/projects. </P>
<P>The Local Government Units (LGUs) are coming forward to respond to NCCA’s call for the establishment of a stronger network to promote and enhance Philippine culture and arts activities at the local level through the establishment of Culture and Arts Councils and other channels of cultural development. </P>
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