By providing more incentives for artists’ works, establishing a Department of Culture will open more opportunities for book productions, which means more books for everybody. It will institutionalize government help for literary practitioners and ultimately help individuals improve their writing (or any artistic) abilities. —Cirilo Bautista, writer and National Artist for Literature I would like to see a Department of Culture that will create more projects to promote art even just in a local capacity. Setting up more “Art Fair”-type events can help new artists get exposure that they need. —Michelline Syjuco, jewelry designer A campaign we’ve long been fighting for is to spread branches of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) all over the country. We cannot do that now because of the commission’s lack of funding and staff. NCCA needs to go to the artists from the regions and have centers and offices that will cater to them, which will cultivate all their potential. We always say that our culture is diverse, but where is that diversity? We cannot project it properly if NCCA is just in Manila, if the attention is all here in the capital. We need to help the new and undiscovered talents, educate everyone, and utilize our culturally rich regions. And to do all these we need a bigger operation. My solution? A Department of Culture. —Virgilio S. Almario, National Artist for Literature and NCCA chairman Culture is a major part of life that most people deem unimportant, which is the main reason it needs funding and major support. What we need to realize is that culture is more than operas and paintings. Culture is food, literature. Culture is everything. It’s a part of life that needs to be appreciated and developed. For me, to show its real importance, the government should give it its own department. Agriculture is important, education is important, health is important, and, for me, culture should be on that same level. —Ambeth Occampo, historian and professor The Department of Culture can create programs to educate the broader public on the importance of culture building, culture promotion, and the role that culture can play in nation building.  My passions lie in design culture. I'd like to increase the awareness of how design can be transformative and progressive, and the role culture plays in defining a nation’s design identity. I believe that culture is the foundation of many positives and negatives in any organization, business, and of course nation. If you want change and progress, there must be a change in culture. Culture also involves our belief systems, values, and traditions. —Amina Aranaz-Alunan, accessories designer and owner of Aranaz A Department of Culture should provide artists with sustainable programs to cultivate their talent.  Right now, there seems to be a self-imposed barrier that inhibits the artist even with potential help from such a department. The artist should remove any uncertainty he has about his work being Filipino or representative of Filipino culture because culture is kinetic. Anything we do, anything we make, and anything we say, if we believe that we are Filipino, is Filipino. If we have this kind of certainty and confidence as artists, an ideal Department of Culture will be more than fired up to collaborate and promote the Filipino artist to the world. —Jinggoy Buensuceso, visual artist and sculptor Forget about the non-existent Filipino Department of Culture. Let’s go back to basics. Start with education. And start with teachers who are passionate with what they are teaching—be it the arts, mathematics, sciences. My classmates and I were very lucky to have teachers who loved literature, world history, and the humanities. A question that we should ask, however, is how do we rid our psyche of the “puwede na ’yan” syndrome. I think this is the number one pitfall afflicting our Pinoy mindset, the arts programs included. We pride ourselves with the “quick fix.” We pride ourselves with what we achieve with the quick solutions, the band aids, forgetting that if we had probed deeper, we would have achieved something far richer. . —Loy Arcenas, stage and film director Mentorship programs and continuing education workshops could bridge gaps between generations, communities, and practices. Subsidized and well-curated shows help. A well-appointed hub for design that people could converge in would be cool. Traveling mentorship and educational programs for different communities around the country would be fantastic. These and more will all be possible through the government’s full support. —Rita Nazareno, former TV producer, accessories designer, and creative director of S.C. Vizcarra and Zacarias 1925 A film is a cultural hub in itself. It’s a projection or depiction of how a filmmaker sees the world. And all it takes is just one person to relate to the filmmaker’s vision for it to spread, and from there it goes on and shapes new ideals and ways of thinking in people. It’s a slow-burning domino effect. Before you know it, a new subculture is born, which causes society to evolve. But I don’t believe this honor is limited to us filmmakers. It’s for everyone that creates something. In fact, we don’t just shape society—we help create its identity. The government’s duty is to help people who create to keep creating. —Gino Santos, film director What I understand from the proposal to create a Department of Culture is that it will take the lead in organizing and supervising cultural activities nationwide, ensuring that activities of the different cultural agencies are in sync as well as avoiding duplication of functions. As an artist and an arts manager, I can see how this can help a company like Ballet Manila network more effectively with institutions across the archipelago and create more opportunities for collaboration, not only with other dancers but with artists and cultural workers from various disciplines. Topping my wish list for this proposed department is to see a cultural arts center, properly and adequately equipped, constructed in every key city of the country. With the growing clamor for live performances, building these theaters will encourage the staging of more productions that will benefit both artists and audiences nationwide.  —Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, prima ballerina and CEO and artistic director of Ballet Manila Now that it’s becoming apparent to the world how Filipinos excel in the arts, our nation is now becoming a hub for talents. I’ve always advocated building theater schools, which are not just for actors but also for people on the production side of things and backstage. I think we will benefit from masterclasses by the experts, too. Most important, the government should really see how this will help our nation thrive even more, therefore more funding is necessary. —Joanna Ampil, theater actress The government needs to set aside ample spaces for public art, promote art education, and support artists that have the vision in shaping the Filipino identity. But first, they should allocate more budget in order for us to have bigger art fairs and cultural events. Art is a collection of people’s thoughts, feelings, experiences, hopes, and fears presented in a visual manner—Philippine art is a reflection of the Filipino spirit. They should realize that the arts could help to push Filipinos to work together as one in building a better and more beautiful Philippines —Ferdinand Cacnio, visual artist The government should protect, preserve, and reuse historic buildings, as we did, renovating and retrofitting the Manila Polo Club and Novartis Building in Makati. Abandoned and then turned into a bodega, the Army Navy Club got a new lease on life when we maintained its architectural facade, reinforced the structure vulnerable to collapse, and transformed it to a boutique hotel in keeping with the principles of adaptive reuse. —Jun Palafox, architect and urban planner Movies are very essential in shaping Filipino identity as it is an art form that is accessible to everyone. A movie may run for only two hours but the impact it will leave in the hearts and minds of the viewer can last for a lifetime. The government must strongly support movies that present images of Filipinos that best represent who we are as a people. For example, a special funding could be allocated for high quality movies that will represent the country in international film festivals; or there could be a special film festival locally, whose aim is to celebrate Filipino identity. A specific example would be to celebrate events like Linggo Ng Wika by allowing young students to work with members of the film industry on-cam and off-cam, to both challenge them and teach them the value of conveying the right message through their creativity. —Gary Valenciano, singer, actor