Senate breathes life to National Museum

The Senate approved today on third and final reading a bill seeking to enhance the role of the National Museum as the primary keeper of Filipino heritage by boosting its operation requirements.

Senate Bill No. 1529, sponsored by Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero, chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, was approved with 21 affirmative votes, zero negative vote, and no abstention.

The measure was co-sponsored by Senators Loren Legarda and Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito, and co-authored by Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri.

Escudero said the bill seeks to allow the National Museum to retain and use all of its income derived from all sources of its operations nationwide and overseas.

"The Museum will be given more flexibility in generating and spending its income, which comes from donations from the private sector and the national government in order to fund its redevelopment," he explained.

He said collectible items acquired through donations shall also qualify for income or inheritance tax deductions based on their estimated market value, particularly items that are considered to be of national significance and those considered as important cultural properties and/or national cultural treasures under existing laws.

These funds shall be used for the purchase of needed equipment and collections items. With the exception of special activities, programs or activities, the museum shall also continue its practice of not charging admission fees, he added.

For her part, Legarda expressed her hope that with the strengthening of the mandate of the National Museum, the Anti-Forgery Unit would now be able to employ people of integrity, expertise and know-how to be able to solve the problem of syndicates preying on national artists and Filipino artists whose works are being forged.

"Whether it is a Amorsolo or Ben Cabrera, or any Filipino artists, their art works and masterpieces must be protected, both in law and practice. As Finance Committee Chair, I will make sure that the necessary funds for the Anti-Forgery Unit will be in place," Legarda said.

Considered as the premier repository of the country's heritage, the National Museum is tasked to acquire documents, preserve, exhibit, and foster scholarly study and appreciation of works of art specimens, cultural and historical artifacts representing the heritage of the Filipino people and the natural history of the country.

Under the measure, structures housing the old Congress or Legislative Building, the Department of Finance and the Department of Tourism, all located on Agrifina Circle in Manila, shall be the permanent site of the museum and shall form the core of the National Museum of the Philippines Complex.

Included within the Museum Complex are the entirety of Rizal Park, the National Planetarium, the Gomburza monument and its plaza, and the existing golf course of Intramuros, according to the bill.

The museum shall maintain its existing regional museums and satellite offices with the assistance of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and establish a regional museum and satellite office where there is none, the bill said.

The measure also clarifies the functions and organization of the museum's board of trustees and the expansion of its membership, as well as strengthens management by upgrading and expanding management positions to better oversee the operations of the National Museum, particularly in the regions.

The museum, as a general rule, shall also be allowed to procure collections items by means of direct negotiation with the owners of such items, or their duly designated agents or representatives in the Philippines and abroad.

To enable the National Museum to focus exclusively on its operations and services as the premier museum institution and repository of the country, and to improve governance by removing conflicts of interest between the agency's present mandate as both a collecting and regulatory institution, all regulatory functions to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and from there to the future Department of Culture. (AYA)