Protecting Cultural Properties in the Philippines: Accidental Archaeological Finds Procedure of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts

Gabrielle Anne B. Gascon* and Ian Carlos V. Lipardo

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts is the government agency that implements policies and programmes to preserve, develop, and protect cultural properties and heritage in the Philippines. The regulatory functions regarding cultural properties (CP) were assigned to the NCCA in 2021, with full implementation in 2022. The Cultural Properties Regulation Division (CPRD) of the NCCA oversees the licensing, registration, and declaration of CPs, as well as the enforcement of heritage protection laws such as R.A. 10066, or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, and the like. The cultural properties that the agency protects encompass both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, including archaeological sites and artefacts, some of which are accidentally discovered by laypeople and locals. How are these incidents reported? What are the protocols when artefacts are accidentally found? What can be done by individuals and local government units when archaeological sites and finds are at risk? What actions are taken by the Commission in these incidents where rescue archaeology is necessary? What are the violations of the heritage protection laws? In this paper, we present the Commission’s procedures and case studies of the reported sites and accidental finds of archaeological materials in the Philippines. The preservation and protection of archaeological sites and materials are crucial to a country with such a deep and rich cultural heritage, and it is with the involvement and cooperation of the public that we can tackle this daunting task.