Legarda champions cultural preservation as a national investment at 'Cultural Thoughts and Trajectories'
February 26, 2025
Legarda champions cultural preservation as a national investment at 'Cultural Thoughts and Trajectories'
Senator Loren Legarda called on embracing cultural preservation as an indispensable investment in the nation's future during her keynote address at Cultural Thoughts and Trajectories, held at Manila House on Monday, February 26, 2025.
The event, organized in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in celebration of National Arts Month, brought together policymakers, diplomats, cultural leaders, and academics for a thought-provoking exchange on safeguarding and advancing Filipino identity in an era of rapid global change.
"We cannot possibly fully grasp the world that awaits two thousand years ahead, but what we choose to preserve today--our knowledge, our traditions, our stories--will ripple through time, shaping lives long after we are gone, just as the wisdom of the past continues to guide us now," Legarda declared.
The four-term senator opened her address with a vivid image of the ancient Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, emphasizing how ancestral ingenuity offers solutions to contemporary challenges. "These terraces endure because of the quiet brilliance of a people who, long before the world had the language for it, understood sustainability, engineering, and balance," she explained. "Now, as modern societies grapple with climate crises, food insecurity, and ecological resilience, the world looks back to these ancient marvels--to learn."
A recipient of the prestigious Dangal ng Haraya Award, Legarda reframed cultural preservation as both a pillar of national resilience and a source of innovation. "In an era where power is measured in economic might, the Philippines carries a different wealth: a soft power that endures rather than conquers, that inspires rather than imposes," she asserted. "Within the lessons of our ancestors may be found the answers to questions future generations have yet to ask. And in that, perhaps, lies our greatest advantage."
A staunch advocate for cultural preservation, Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, has authored landmark legislation such as the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 (RA 10066) and the Cultural Mapping Law (RA 11961), mandating a comprehensive inventory of Filipino tangible and intangible heritage. Her advocacy extends beyond policy into tangible impact: from community-driven programs, sustainable livelihood projects, and international cultural diplomacy. From publications and media productions to museums, galleries, gastronomy, music, built heritage, and indigenous languages, her work has elevated cultural preservation into a national development strategy.
"But let me be clear about our purpose: culture is not mere adornment; it is a vital engine of livelihood and economic growth. The hands that keep it alive must be equipped with the necessary infrastructure, resources, and market access to sustain their craft as a viable profession. Anything less is a betrayal of the very legacy we seek to protect," Legarda stressed.
The event also highlighted how Legarda's cultural diplomacy has elevated the Philippines on the world stage. From leading the country's triumphant return to the Venice Biennale in 2015 after a 51-year absence to securing its role as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2025, she has ensured global recognition for Filipino artistry and scholarship. Her initiatives, such as Sentro Rizal, a global network of cultural centers in Philippine embassies, and the Philippine Studies Program, now housed in over 20 universities worldwide, have institutionalized the academic study of Filipino culture and history across continents.
An internationally recognized champion for climate resilience and disaster risk reduction, Legarda, who serves as UNDRR Global Champion for Resilience, also underscored the urgent intersection of culture and climate action.
"For a nation consistently ranked among the most vulnerable in the World Risk Index, the stakes are nothing less than survival. Integrating the wisdom of our cultural heritage into climate action may very well be the key to climate resilience."
Legarda's collaborations with state universities have already shaped national conservation policies, informing sustainable approaches to forest management, coastal stewardship, and upland resource governance. By merging indigenous knowledge with modern science, these initiatives offer forward-looking solutions to environmental challenges.
Following her keynote, the program featured two in-depth lectures delivered by National Artist Virgilio Almario and NCCA Chair Victorino Mapa Manalo. The event concluded with a dynamic open forum, facilitating cross-sectoral dialogue and reinforcing a collective resolve to embed cultural preservation as an integral pillar of national development.
Legarda: Kultura ang pundasyon ng kaunlaran
Pinagtibay ni Senadora Loren Legarda ang kaniyang matagal ng panawagan na ituring ang kultura na mahalagang puhunan para sa pag-unlad ng bansa. Sa kaniyang keynote speech sa Cultural Thoughts and Trajectories na ginanap sa Manila House nitong Lunes, February 26, 2025, ipinunto ng senadora ang kahalagahan ng pagpapahalaga at pangangalaga sa ating kultura dahil hindi lamang umano ito bahagi ng ating pagkakakilanlan, kundi isang pundasyon ng pambansang kaunlaran.
Bilang bahagi ng pagdiriwang ng National Arts Month, pinangunahan ng National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) ang naturang event kung saan nagtipon-tipon ang mga policymaker, diplomat, cultural leader, mga eksperto at academe upang talakayin ang kahalagahan ng pagpapalakas ng identidad ng Pilipino sa gitna ng mabilis na pagbabago ng mundo.
"Hindi natin kayang hulaan kung ano ang itsura ng mundo dalawang libong taon sa hinaharap, pero ang mga bagay na ating pangangalagaan ngayon--ang ating kaalaman, tradisyon, kultura, at kwento-- ay mananatili, itatatak, at maghuhubog sa hinaharap. Ang mga ito ay magiging gabay sa mga susunod na henerasyon, tulad kung paano tayo ginagabayan ng ating nakaraan," ayon kay Legarda.
Ibinahagi ni Legarda ang imahe ng Banaue Rice Terraces--isang patunay ng likas na talino ng ating mga ninuno na may mahalagang aral para sa kasalukuyan.
"Nanatili ang mga hagdang palayan na ito dahil sa matalinong pagdisenyo ng ating mga ninuno. Nagawa na nila ito bago pa man natin ginamit at nakonsepto ang mga salitang sustainability at ecological balance," paliwanag niya. "Ngayon, habang ang mundo ay nahaharap sa climate crisis, kakapusan sa pagkain, at banta sa kalikasan, ang sagot ay nasa nakaraan natin--nasa kaalaman ng ating mga ninuno."
Bilang Dangal ng Haraya Awardee, ipinunto rin ni Legarda na hindi lang simpleng alaala ang kultura kundi isang pambansang yaman at sandata para sa hinaharap.
"Sa panahon ngayon kung saan ang kapangyarihan ay sinusukat sa ekonomiya, iba ang yaman ng Pilipinas--hindi ito nasusukat sa pera kundi sa kakayahan nating magbigay ng inspirasyon sa mundo. Ang ating kultura ang magbibigay ng sagot sa mga problemang hindi pa tinatanong ng susunod na henerasyon," dagdag niya.
Bilang Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, si Legarda ay nanguna sa mga batas na naglalayong protektahan ang ating kultura, kabilang na ang National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 (RA 10066) at ang Cultural Mapping Law (RA 11961), na nag-uutos ng malawakang pag-iimbentaryo ng mga yamang pangkultura ng bansa.
Pero higit sa mga batas, binigyan din ni Legarda ng konkretong aksyon ang pagpapayaman at pangangalaga sa ating kultura.
Mula sa mga community-driven programs, sustainable livelihood projects, hanggang sa pagpapalakas ng kultura sa pandaigdigang entablado, tinutulak ni Legarda na gawing estratehiya para sa pambansang kaunlaran ang pangangalaga ng kultura.
"Pero linawin natin--ang kultura ay hindi lang palamuti. Isa itong makapangyarihang kasangkapan para sa kabuhayan at kaunlaran. Kailangang bigyan natin ng tamang suporta, pondo, at oportunidad ang mga Pilipinong tagapagtaguyod ng ating sining at kultura. Kung hindi, para na rin nating pinabayaan ang yaman na pilit nating pinoprotektahan," mariing pahayag ng senadora.
Dahil sa kanyang masigasig na adbokasiya, naiangat ni Legarda ang Pilipinas sa pandaigdigang eksena ng sining at kultura. Mula sa matagumpay na pagbabalik ng bansa sa Venice Biennale noong 2015 matapos ang 51-taong pagkawala, hanggang sa pagiging Guest of Honour sa Frankfurter Buchmesse 2025, hindi tumitigil si Legarda sa pagbibigay ng pagkilala sa galing ng Pilipino.
Bukod dito, pinasimulan din niya ang Sentro Rizal, isang pandaigdigang network ng mga cultural center sa mga embahada ng Pilipinas, pati na rin ang Philippine Studies Program na ngayon ay itinuturo na sa mahigit 20 unibersidad sa iba't ibang panig ng mundo.
Bilang kinikilalang tagapagtaguyod ng climate resilience at disaster risk reduction, hindi rin nakaligtaan ni Legarda ang koneksyon ng kultura at kalikasan.
"Ang kulturang Pilipino ay hindi lang bahagi ng ating identity--ito rin ang susi sa ating kaligtasan. Bilang isa sa pinaka-apektadong bansa sa mundo pagdating sa climate change, hindi tayo dapat magpabaya. Ang pagsasama ng tradisyunal na kaalaman sa makabagong agham ay maaaring maging daan para sa mas matibay na pagtugon sa hamon ng panahon," paliwanag niya.
Matapos ang kanyang talumpati, itinampok din sa programa ang panayam nina National Artist Virgilio Almario at NCCA Chair Victorino Mapa Manalo, na sinundan ng isang open forum kung saan nagpalitan ng pananaw ang iba't ibang sektor sa kung paano tunay na maisasama ang kultura bilang pundasyon ng pambansang kaunlaran.
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