Senators on Friday weighed in on the importance of cultural heritage and raised concerns about funding for a key institution during a budget hearing.

Senator Loren Legarda, speaking at a Senate committee hearing on the proposed budgets for the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the Commission on Filipino Language, argued that culture is not a luxury but a necessity for national identity and development.

“The question is always: Is culture edible?” Legarda said, addressing the common misconception that culture and the arts are secondary to other needs like food and housing. “We must understand that culture and the arts are not just luxuries; they are essential components of our national identity, unity, and development.”

As the author and co-sponsor of the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, Legarda highlighted the role of cultural agencies as partners in tourism, economic growth, and education.