MANILA – Senator Loren Legarda filed Senate Bill No. 1860, proposing the repeal of Presidential Decree No. 1726-A and the removal of the treasure-hunting permit provision in the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, aiming to safeguard the Philippines’ archaeological sites and cultural heritage from commercial exploitation.

“Our cultural heritage is not a commodity to be traded or exploited. It is a shared legacy that defines who we are and gives tangible expression to the historical experiences, ideas, and exchanges that have shaped our communities. It demands our collective effort to protect, preserve, and pass on to future generations,” Legarda said.

The senator criticized the treasure-hunting permit system, introduced during Martial Law and later retained in the 2009 law, for contributing to the destruction of archaeological sites and facilitating commercial exploitation of national patrimony.

“When the very law meant to protect our heritage becomes an instrument for its exploitation, we must act decisively to repeal it,” she added.

The bill mandates the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to oversee all archaeological activities, both on land and underwater, and to develop comprehensive rules and regulations. It also requires that no excavation or digging be carried out without the supervision of a certified archaeologist, ensuring that all activities are properly documented, scientific, and for public benefit rather than private gain.

Legarda said the measure would align Philippine laws with international conventions, including the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention and the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which obligate states to protect heritage sites from commercial exploitation.

“Every artifact, every historical site, every archaeological find tells the story of who we are as a people. When these are destroyed or taken for profit, we lose more than objects; we lose our identity, our history, and our shared heritage,” Legarda said.

She added that the bill closes the contradiction between defending cultural heritage and permitting treasure hunting. “This bill closes that contradiction and asserts that our laws stand firmly on the side of protection, not extraction for profit,” she said.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, has previously championed landmark measures including the National Cultural Heritage Act and the Cultural Mapping Law, which mandates a comprehensive inventory of Filipino heritage.