Section 15Sec./Art. 15

Cultural Mapping by LGUs. - LGUs are hereby mandated to conduct a comprehensive cultural mapping of their areas of jurisdiction. They shall mobilize and establish partnerships with concerned government agencies to ensure the prompt and effective implementation of the provision of this Act. They may seek assistance from nongovernment organizations, cultural organizations, and academic and private institutions in undertaking cultural mapping activities: Provided, That said institutions adhere to the guidelines set forth by the Commission. All relevant data must be submitted for registration in the Philippine Registry of Heritage for purpose of research, regulations, planning, and policy-making of the Commission, among other.

The results of cultural mapping projects shall be submitted to the Commission and copies thereof shall be furnished to the NAP and the community's local archives for access and safekeeping.

LGUs shall coordinate with the Commission and with cultural organizations and agencies for the conduct of cultural mapping, including the following:

(a) Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the institution of cultural awareness in state universities and colleges and the strengthening of their research programs and culture, heritage, arts, and history courses that impact on community development;

(b) Department of Agriculture (DA) for the documentation of heritage crops, products, technologies, agricultural heritage systems, and food sources that sustain the local indigenous communities, and inventory of natural and non-traditional fibers and their processes and utilization;

(c) Department of Education (DepEd) for the institution of cultural awareness in basic education; capacity-building program for teachers in mapping the heritage resources of locl communities and cultural pedagogy; and localization and contextualization of educational material and content based on the locality's cultural profile to cultivate awareness and priced in a community's cultural identity;

(d) Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the inventory of national parks and areas that are habitats of endemic species and unique biodiversity; enforcement for the protection and conservation of natural heritage sites; research on the ecosystem services of the environment to the lives of the people; and promotion of the concept of cultural landscape for sustainable development;

(e) Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for the enhancement of Philippine cultural diplomacy, participation in the conventions and programs of UNESCO possible technical assistance from bilateral and multilateral partners;

(f) Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for the development of information and communications technology suitable for improving public access, resource sharing, and dissemination of cultural heritage information;

(g) Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the promotion among local governments of the value of preserving the country's heritage sites and zones through the provision of capacity-building programs for local chief executives and sanggunian members on culture-based governance;

(h) Department of National Defense (DND) for building awareness on Philippine culture, heritage, and history as basis for conflict settlement; the institution of a culture-based approach in the trauma counseling process; and documentation of resiliency-related activities of communities during disasters and calamities;

(i) Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for building awareness on cultural heritage sensitivity, and institution of guidelines for its programs as they impact heritage zones and sites;

(j) Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for application of research in conservation of materials and structures; inventory on natural resources of dyes; traditional textiles and apparel materials, designs, techniques, processes and machines; and the conduct of pertinent research on and development of innovations for the country's textile industry;

(k) Department of Tourism (DOT) for the formulation and implementation of tourism development plan, culture-based programs and creative industry-based programs for tourism sites, in compliance with Republic Act No. 11904 or the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, and National and World Heritage-declared sites, and capacity-building programs designed to develop cultural sensitivity and competence in the tourism sector;

(l) Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for the inventory and development of cultural heritage-based products, creative industry-based goods and services, and entrepreneurship programs, and the adoption of culturally-sensitive trade fairs and promotion programs;

(m) Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) for the protection, preservation, and digitalization of film negatives and prints, audiovisual content and elements and non-film archival materials, including story outlines, screenplays, sets, photos, posters, and documents on the creation and distribution of cinematic works;

(n) National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) for the provision of support for IP-driven documentation, inventory, and publication of all information about the origin and history of ICCs/IPs, settlement patterns and ancestral domains, population and social diaspora, governance and political systems including customary laws, indigenous political structures, justice and peace pact systems, conflict resolution and decision-making mechanisms, social organization and kinship, economy and technology, spiritual beliefs and rituals, life cycle customs and traditions, material culture, medicinal knowledge and sciences, indigenous climate change mitigation and adaptation, and other attributes of their ethnicity, life situations, and worldviews on the interrelationships with the Creator, land and environment, and other people, utilization of cultural heritage resources and activities for the empowerment of ICCs/IPs; and for the integration of indigenous knowledge systems, skills and practices in the national development agenda.

In all cases where cultural mapping activity affects ancestral domain, the ICC/IP concerned shall be consulted in accordance with existing laws, rules and regulations and Section 16 of this Act;

(o) UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines (UNACOM) of the DFA for the monitoring of properties in the World Heritage List, World Heritage Tentative List, Lists of intangible cultural heritage, World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and global geoparks;

(p) Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural heritage - Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BCPCH-BARMM) for the history, culture, arts traditions, and the rich cultural heritage of the Bangsamoro people and the non-Moro indigenous peoples of the BARMM; and

(q) Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) of the Department of Health for the research, documentation, and inventory of Philippine traditional medicine and practices in health; and for the research on and further development of traditional herbal medicine and herbal products.