At the height of the pandemic and working from home, my biggest question was ‘what is the relevance of archaeology during this pandemic and beyond?’. Many archaeologists and heritage scholars have started engaging with the world outside academia and that the pursuit of education and research is not exclusive to those with archaeology degrees. In the Philippines, archaeology originated with Europeans collecting archaeological materials that ended up in museums. Since the beginning of the 20th century, archaeology was regulated by a national agency, and after the 1950s, it eventually made academia its home. In an ivory tower, where actual relevance to and in contemporary society is difficult to identify, rethinking how Philippine archaeology should be practiced was due to the frustration in explaining why archaeology is not treasure hunting.  In this presentation, I will discuss how recent works in Philippine archaeology can create meaningful narratives for the communities and the public, highlight inclusivity, and assert identity. Enriching the practice of archaeology through creating unique, ethical, and legal approaches evaluates power relations that empowers Indigenous Peoples communities, Southeast Asian archaeologists, and younger archaeologists; and include non-academics in the practice and interpretation. A former student asked, ‘what is the measure of success?’. I still do not know the answer, but what I do know is that we should make it relevant to others, and not just to archaeologists. My aim is to encourage archaeologists to address contemporary global issues such as food security, peace, climate change, and human rights.