Legarda opens National Arts Month 2026, urges stronger support for Filipino creatives

Loren Legarda on Wednesday formally opened National Arts Month 2026, urging stronger and sustained investment in Filipino artists, artisans, and creative communities whom she said play a vital role in preserving culture and driving innovation nationwide.

Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, said this year’s celebration, themed “Ani ng Sining: Katotohanan at Giting,” highlights how artists and cultural workers confront contemporary challenges with courage and creative integrity, while shaping communities, governance, and sustainable societies.

“Every February, we celebrate the soul of our nation through the arts. This year’s theme reminds us that truth and courage are lived through the creativity of our people. The arts continue to guide us toward justice, cultural strength, and progress,” Legarda said.

The senator highlighted two key measures she authored and sponsored that recently passed on third and final reading in the Senate: Senate Bill No. 1425, or the Aklan Piña Conservation and Innovation Center Act, and Senate Bill No. 1507, or the Schools of Living Traditions Act.

“Through SBN 1425, we will establish the Aklan Piña Conservation and Innovation Center in Kalibo to expand the planting of Red Spanish pineapple, build facilities for research and innovation, and strengthen cooperation among weavers, farmers, and educational institutions,” Legarda said.

She added that Senate Bill No. 1507 institutionalizes Schools of Living Traditions as community-based and intergenerational cultural education mechanisms.

“SBN 1507 institutionalizes our Schools of Living Traditions (SLTs) as community based, intergenerational cultural education mechanisms. SLTs are sanctuaries of wisdom where cultural masters transmit knowledge to younger generations, ensuring that oral traditions, crafts, and rituals continue to inspire our future,” she said.

Legarda’s legislative work in culture and heritage spans major laws such as the National Cultural Heritage Act, the National Museum of the Philippines Act, the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, the Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law, and the Cultural Mapping Act, among others. These measures, she said, aim to position the cultural sector as a driver of employment, innovation, and inclusive development.

She also cited the National Arts and Crafts Fair, which she initiated in 2016, as a platform that continues to give local artisans national exposure and market opportunities. The 2025 edition, held at SM Megamall, featured more than 300 exhibitors from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Legarda also recalled her role in bringing Philippine literature and culture to the global stage during the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025, where the Philippines served as Guest of Honour.

“When the Philippines stood as Guest of Honour in Frankfurter Buchmesse last year, we showed the world that our imagination and literary excellence articulate the Filipino identity and situate our stories at the heart of the global stage,” she said.

“My vision is to continue opening doors for Filipino ingenuity to flourish and be celebrated at home and across continents,” Legarda added.

She said National Arts Month 2026 is both a celebration and a call to action to uphold truth and courage through the arts and to ensure that culture remains central to building a fair and sustainable society.

“Every work of art and every piece of culture is part of the larger story of who we are as a people. When we stand beside the artists and cultural workers who keep that story alive, we also keep our future more imaginative, more just, and more humane,” Legarda said.

On 4 February, Legarda also presided over a Senate committee hearing on proposed cultural measures, including the Department of Culture Act, the Philippine Music Industry Act, the Filipino Music Promotion and Usage Act, and the proposal declaring the waling-waling orchid as the country’s second national flower.