Senator Loren Legarda
Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda has filed Senate Bill (SB) No.1340, which seeks to protect and promote indigenous sports and games. The filling comes as the country commemorates Cultural Communities Week. "Under Senate Bill 1340, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), in coordination with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the local government units (LGUs), shall conduct annual regional and national indigenous sports competitions," Legarda said. ”It also mandates other government agencies to initiate measures to preserve indigenous games in the country," she added. The four-term senator, concurrently the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, said her bill wiped be filed the be deliberated upon the opening of the second regular session of the 19th Congress on July 24. The proposed law mandates the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) to initiate measures to preserve and propagate indigenous games. "I hope that more policies and programs will be instituted to protect and preserve their culture," she remarked. "It is also my hope that more people generate deeper awareness, appreciation, and recognition of our cultural heritage," Legarda continued. Legarda has passed various laws, including Republic Act (RA) No. 10908, or the Integrated History Act of 2016, which mandates concerned agencies to consult recognized experts on Filipino muslims and indigenous people's (IP) history for integration into the curriculum. On the other hand, RA No.10066, or the National Cultural Heritage Act, paved the way for categorizing cultural property in the Philippines. Legarda seeks to amend the law through SB No.1841, or the Cultural Mapping Bill, which mandates local government units (LGGs) to conduct cultural heritage mapping to heed the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) call. The measure was passed on third reading and ratified by both chambers of Congress. It is now for transmission to Malacañang for the President's signature.