Año tells LGUs to put up councils for arts and culture

FILE: DILG Officer-in-Charge Eduardo M. Año. (Photo: DILG)

MANILA — In celebration of National Arts Month and Valentine’s season, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Officer-in-Charge Secretary Eduardo M. Año has called on all provinces, cities, and municipalities to promote appreciation for their local culture and arts by creating or strengthening their local culture and arts councils.

“Culture and arts are the heart and soul of our nation. They preserve our history and act as a conduit to our present and future. They showcase what real Filipino talent is,” Año said in a statement Wednesday.

“Each region in the country has its own unique culture and arts that promote local tourism, as well as educate the people of their heritage,” he added.

According to the DILG, a Local Culture and Arts Council (LCAC) is to be chaired by a local chief executive, while its members are composed, among others, of representatives of local historical society, artists groups, business sector and academe, indigenous peoples, as well as a local office of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

The LCAC prepares an annual plan on culture, arts, and cultural heritage consonant with the Philippine Development Plan for Culture and the Arts and further integrated into the local development plan and in the annual appropriation ordinances.

It also spearheads cultural events, such as cultural festivals, competition, lectures, seminars, and symposia.

Likewise, the LCAC declares and maintains a heritage zone in its local government unit (LGU) as mandated by Republic Act No. 10066 or the “National Cultural Heritage Act”.
RA 10066 defines heritage zones as historical, anthropological, archaeological, artistic geographical areas and settings that are culturally significant to the country.

 (DILG)