The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) urged the local government units in Palawan to formulate their respective cultural development plans and allocate funds for their identified projects and programs aimed to promote arts and culture.
Speaking before the municipal tourism officers, culture and arts coordinators, municipal planning and development coordinators, and culture and arts coordinators from the different municipalities in the province during the Cultural Development Planning Workshop recently, Urbana Cadiz, Planning Officer III of the NCCA, said that with the presence of the cultural development plan will ensure that the towns’ cultural treasures will be preserved.
The Provincial Government of Palawan through the Provincial Culture and Arts Council and the Culture and Arts Program headed by Sammy Magbanua partnered with the NCCA for the conduct of the workshop.
“Kinakailangan natin ma-guide ang mga LGUs on how to prepare cultural development plan, and of course kailangan din natin ito for our Philippine Development Plan. Kailangan din kasi na functional ang kanilang culture and arts council para sila ang mangunguna sa implementation ng nga plans na kanilang ginawa for the enrichment of our culture and arts programs,” said Cadiz.
Part of the workshop was on identifying cultural properties and on how to preserve and maintain these sites. There were also tangible cultural heritage that are still present in the respective towns such as monuments, visual arts such as paintings, sculpture, old buildings and forts, etc. Apart from the tangible ones is the intangible cultural heritage such as oral traditions, writings, songs, folk dances and rituals.
The formulation of cultural and arts development plan is in line with the newly issued circular from the national government.
“Ang pagsasakatuparan ng mga culture and arts programs ay alinsunod sa inilabas na Memorandum Circular No. 78 ng Department of Budget and Management (DBM) noong ika- 15 ng Mayo, taong kasalukuyan kung saan inaatasan ang lahat ng pamahalaang lokal sa buong bansa na maglaan ng pondo para sa pagtataguyod ng mga programa at proyekto mula sa binuong culture and arts development plan,” the Provincial Government of Palawan said in a statement.
“Inaasahan na mas lalo pang magkakaroon ng mga programa at proyekto ang lalawigan ng Palawan para sa 23 munisipyo nito upang maitaguyod ang sining at kultura ng lahing Palaweño katuwang ang National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA),” further read the provincial government statement.