Philippine legislation rarely addresses archaeology, a gap that prompted attorney Kathleen Tantuico to launch her new book, “Archaeology and the Law: Legal Awareness and Advocacy in Philippine Archaeology.”
The book, launched 22 May at the University of the Philippines Diliman, offers a comprehensive compilation of archaeological laws in the country.
It is the first to apply a socio-legal methodology to measure legal awareness among local archaeologists, aiming to advocate for stronger safeguards for historical resources.
“The aim was to first identify all the national, international, and global laws that are relevant to the practice of archaeology in the Philippines, and the second was to measure the level of awareness of those laws among Philippine archaeologists,” Tantuico told DAILY TRIBUNE.
“I would say that my goal was to give legislators no excuse — to compile the laws and relevant provisions for them so that they cannot claim there are no laws protecting archaeological sites and cultural heritage,” she added.
Among the prominent cases discussed in her work is the controversial “photobomber” condominium built behind the Jose Rizal monument at Luneta Park in Manila.
Tantuico resigned from her full-time job to complete the book over six months. The work originally served as her Master of Arts thesis for the University of the Philippines School of Archaeology during the 2022–2023 academic year.
The United Kingdom-based lawyer described the research as difficult and initially slow. She conducted face-to-face interviews with more than 10 officials from government agencies, including the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Museum of the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and maritime authorities.
She also utilized the CDAsia legal database to isolate statutes relevant to archaeology.
Tantuico holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences with a specialization in cultural heritage and a minor in history from Ateneo de Manila University.
She later obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of the Philippines and recently completed a Master of Laws in International Law with Law and Society from the University of Kent, where she graduated with honors and received the Best LLM Dissertation Award.
Tantuico cited that cultural heritage is often sidelined in the legislative process.
“In a developing country like the Philippines, especially now, priorities shift toward pressing social and political issues. But when it comes to heritage, that’s the first thing where the budget is cut,” she said.
“Legislators tend to prioritize basic needs. But I would argue that cultural heritage or the right to culture is a basic need because it gives people identity and a sense of purpose,” she added.
Meantime, DivinaLaw founder and DAILY TRIBUNE columnist Nilo Divina attended the launch to support Tantuico, who previously worked at his firm.
The book is published by CentralBooks and is available on the publisher’s website.
