Cultural agencies appeal for more budget in 2022

The country's cultural agencies on Thursday appealed for more funds in 2022 after their proposed budgets were not granted.

During a Senate finance committee hearing, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) appealed for reconsideration after its P168 million request was not allowed.

“We have some important programs that we are hoping we can charge to the GAA because our NEFCA cannot anymore take care of this amount. That is… P125 million, which is lesser than the original than we proposed,” NCCA deputy executive director Marichu Tellano said.

NEFCA refers to the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts.

Of this, P60 million will be for the Metropolitan Theater, P50 million for the Philippine Arts in Venice Biennale, P10 million for the implementation of Sentro Rizal, and P5 million for the Likha-an Resource Center.

She also requested the restoration of the P67.8 million budget for the NEFCA.

Of the requested amount, Tellano said P55 million will be allocated for the implementation of cultural response and resiliency plan while P12.8 million will be to support the implementation of the Heritage Law and the National Museum Law.

Meanwhile, the National Historic Commission of the Philippines chair Rene Escalante requested an additional P29 million after its proposed budget was cut down to P258 million in the National Expenditure Program.

Escalante said the budget will be used for the maintenance and administration of museums, celebration of the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day, and closing activities of the 2021 Quincentennial Commemoration in the Philippines.

A total of P181 million was approved for the National Library of the Philippines. Its director Cesar Adriano requested P56 million more for the library's other programs.

Meanwhile, the National Archives of the Philippines (NAP) requested an additional P529 million after its proposed P942 million budget was cut to P171 million.

NAP executive director Victorino Manalo said P352 million will be used for the restoration and conservation of the Intendencia NAP HQ Project while P100 million will be used for the acquisition of lot and building planning for the Visayas Records and Archives Center.

Manalo said the agency also needs P71 million for the first integrated records center and archival repository while the remaining funds will be used for the development of an e-learning system for the national electronic records training as well as computer hardware.

The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, meanwhile, was allotted P73 million, lower than than its proposed budget of P97 million.

Cultural Center of the Philippines president Arsenio Lizaso requested an additional P200 million for the rehabilitation of the CCP main building, P60 million for the implementation of RA 11392, and P85 million for the promotion and development of Philippine arts and culture.

The CCP’s proposed 1 billion budget was slashed to P572 million.

Meanwhile, the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) requested for additional P385 million after its proposed budget of P1.614 billion was cut down to P554 million.

DAP president Engelbert Caronan Jr. said the budget will be used for education and training programs, locally funded projects, and research and technical assistance on the public sector productivity program.—LDF, GMA News