NCCA, PNP Reinforce Partnership to Protect Cultural Heritage

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) strengthened their partnership to protect the country’s cultural properties and heritage resources through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed Thursday, September 10, at Camp BGen Rafael T. Crame in Quezon City.

The agreement establishes closer coordination between the two institutions in addressing threats to cultural properties, heritage sites, and other cultural resources, including damage, theft, and other unlawful activities, while supporting efforts to safeguard the country’s cultural heritage.

“At first glance, the NCCA and the PNP may seem to have very different responsibilities. One works primarily in the field of culture and the arts, while the other is entrusted with protecting our communities and maintaining peace and order. But at the heart of both institutions is a shared responsibility: to protect what matters to the Filipino people,” NCCA Deputy Executive Director for Operations Bernan Joseph Corpuz said in his message.

NCCA officials and secretariat, together with the PNP delegation, during the MOU signing. Photo by Jonathan Vergara/NCCA Public Affairs and Information Office.

PBGEN Jovencio Badua Jr. likewise underscored the importance of closer coordination between the two institutions, particularly in strengthening the protection of cultural properties and supporting appropriate action against activities that threaten the country’s cultural heritage.

The MOU brings the NCCA’s cultural expertise and the PNP’s law enforcement capabilities into closer coordination, providing a framework for cooperation in protecting cultural properties and heritage sites. It also opens opportunities for both institutions to work together on initiatives that promote greater awareness of cultural heritage and reinforce its protection at the community level.

Representing the NCCA during the signing were Deputy Executive Director for Operations Bernan Joseph Corpuz and Cultural Properties Regulation Division Chief Administrative Officer Patrick Joseph Lee. The PNP was represented by PBGEN Jovencio Badua Jr., OIC, Directorate for Police Community Relations (DPCR), and PBGEN Vina Guzman, Director of the Police Community Affairs and Development Group.

A meeting between the NCCA and PNP representatives followed the signing to discuss areas for further coordination and possible joint initiatives related to the protection and safeguarding of cultural properties.

Photo by Jonathan Vergara/NCCA Public Affairs and Information Office.

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that the country’s cultural properties are properly protected and that efforts to preserve them are supported by effective coordination and enforcement.

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For details on this press release, contact Mr. Rene S. Napeñas, Chief Administrative Officer and Head, Public Affairs and Information Office, through paio@ncca.gov.ph or 0945 788 5698. Visit www.ncca.gov.ph and the Facebook page @NCCAOfficial.

Pressenza Philippines