AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY CULTURAL CENTER AND

MUSEUM IN CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, PROVINCE OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL, AND

APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

(SENATE BILL NO. 2117, 18th Congress, March 24, 2021)

SECTION 1. There is hereby established the Cagayan de Oro City Cultural Center
and Museum in Cagayan de Oro City, Province of Misamis Oriental to promote culture and
the arts. It shall serve as the institutional medium for the collection, preservation, and
enhancement of the cultural, artistic, archeological, social, historical and religious heritage of
the city and its environs. The Cagayan de Oro City Cultural Center and Museum shall be
supervised by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Section 17 of Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that “The State
shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster
patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation
and development.”
Section 14 of Article XIV further provides that “The State shall foster the preservation,
enrichment, and dynamic evolution of a Filipino national culture based on the principle of
unity in diversity in a climate of free artistic and intellectual expression.”
The City of Cagayan De Oro is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of
Northern Mindanao which metamorphosed from being a town of Cagayan de Misamis during
the Spanish era to the seat of the Spanish government in Mindanao in 1883. The then town
of Cagayan de Misamis was officially granted the status of a charter city on 115 June 1950
by virtue of Republic Act No. 521 and was named Cagayan de Oro City.
Cagayan De Oro City was declared by the Ministry of Local Government as a highly
urbanized city on 22 November 1983 during the presidency of President Ferdinand Marcos
because of its blooming city and developing economy.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers Business Services Philippines calls Cagayan De Oro
City as the happiest place in the country giving emphasis to its famous alias as the “City of
Golden Friendship” because of the friendly, hospitable and accommodating treatment of
Kagay-anon people in which they treat their visitors like a family.
According to an article of the Business World, Cagayan de Oro City is a home of
cultural heritage and recreational destinations that attract local and foreign tourists and has
significantly contributed to the growth of the city as a whole. With a very rich 2 culture and
irreplaceable history, it is but fitting to preserve both to hand down to the future Kagay-
anons.
According to the Golden Lotus foundation, cultural center is a prime way to bring
communities together through learning. While, museums are created to engage visitors
foster deeper understanding and promote the enjoyment and sharing of authentic cultural
and natural heritage. Both will enable the locals to showcase their historical artifacts, relics,
and other works of art.
This bill therefore seeks to establish a cultural center and museum in Cagayan de
Oro City to serve as an institutional haven for the massive collection, efficient preservation
and development of the cultural heritage of Kagay-anons for the benefit of the future
generations not just in their locality but worldwide. In view of the foregoing, the expeditious
passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
 AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY CULTURAL CENTER AND
MUSEUM IN CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, PROVINCE OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL, DEFINING
ITS PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

(REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11771, May 24, 2022)

SEC. 2. The Cagayan de Oro City Cultural Center and Museum shall be a
collaboration between the City Government of Cagayan de Oro and the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) with its concerned affiliated cultural agencies
and pertinent academic and private sector partners, and members of the community, with its
site, structures, governance, organization, operations, and development to be provided for
by mutual agreement between the parties, to be executed and published within one (1) year
from the effectivity of this Act.
SEC. 3. To fulfill its purposes and achieve its objectives, the Cagayan de Oro City
Cultural Center and Museum shall:
 Complete musical notes and lyrics of Higaonon and other tribes' ancestral songs,
traditional songs and ballads, and modern and contemporary music compositions,
and collect samples of musical instruments of local origin, design, and creation;
 Publish and disseminate Cagayan de Oro's literary works, epics, stories, and
historical accounts;
a. literature, film, or audio-visual recordings of cultural performances in music,
dance, oral literature, and festival celebrations;
b. epigrams, proverbs, legends, and the origin and etymology of the city, its
words, names of barangays, municipalities and other places of interests and
their respective histories;
c. Gather and document Cagayan de Oro City's religious practices and
traditions, and the background and origin of the local fiestas and festivals;
d. Compile photographs of and showcase by appropriate exhibits, local
landmarks, historical sites and scenic views, and acquire and display varied
range of local arts and artifacts;
e. Gather specimens of archaeological findings, collect stones, rocks, and other
geological materials, and preserve by appropriate methods samples of flora
and fauna indigenous to the city and its environs;
f. Conduct performances on local music, dances, arts, literary works, epics,
stories, historical accounts and legends; and
g. Carry out any other relevant and appropriate activities.
SEC. 4. The City Government of Cagayan de Oro shall provide the land necessary for
the construction or establishment, or both of the main venue and ancillary offices and
facilities of the Cagayan de Oro City Cultural Center and Museum.
SEC. 5. The amount necessary for the implementation of this Act shall be charged
against the current year's budget of the NCCA (Proper). Thereafter, such amount as may be
necessary for its continued implementation shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.
SEC. 6. Within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, the NCCA, in coordination
with the City Government of Cagayan de Oro, other concerned agencies of the government,
and private stakeholders, shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the
effective implementation of this Act.
Establishment of the Cagayan de Oro City Cultural Center and Museum
Republic Act No. 11771, enacted on May 24, 2022, mandates the creation of the Cagayan
de Oro City Cultural Center and Museum in Misamis Oriental. This initiative aims to promote
and preserve the city's rich cultural, artistic, and historical heritage.
 Enacted on May 24, 2022
 Located in Misamis Oriental
 Focus on promoting and preserving cultural, artistic, and historical heritage
Collaborative Effort
The establishment of the center will be a collaborative effort involving the City Government
of Cagayan de Oro, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and other
relevant stakeholders. This partnership ensures a comprehensive approach to documenting
and showcasing the city's cultural assets.
 Collaboration between:
 City Government of Cagayan de Oro
 National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
 Other stakeholders
Documentation and Showcasing
The center will document and showcase various aspects of local culture, including music,
literature, traditions, landmarks, and artifacts. This will provide a platform for the community
to engage with and appreciate their cultural heritage.
 Focus areas for documentation and showcasing:
 Local music
 Literature
 Traditions
 Landmarks
 Artifacts
Provision of Land and Funding
The City Government of Cagayan de Oro will provide the land for the center. Funding will be
sourced from the NCCA's budget and future appropriations, ensuring the financial
sustainability of the project.
 Land provided by the City Government of Cagayan de Oro
 Funding sources:
 NCCA's budget
 Future appropriations
Effectivity and Rule Establishment
The Act will take effect 15 days after its publication. Within 60 days of its effectivity, rules and
regulations necessary for the implementation of the Act will be established.
 Act takes effect 15 days after publication
 Rules and regulations to be established within 60 days
 DUTERTE SIGNS LAW ESTABLISHING CULTURAL CENTER, MUSEUM IN CAGAYAN
DE ORO

(May 27, 2022 | 10:03 AM)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte signed a

new law to put in place a new repository for Cagayan de Oro’s culture, art, historical,
and religious heritage.
Signed on Tuesday, May 24, Republic Act No. 11771 seeks to establish a cultural
center and museum in Cagayan de Oro City.
Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez, Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative, said
the envisaged Cagayan de Oro Cultural Center and Museum would serve as an “institutional
medium for the collection, preservation, and enhancement” of local heritage and history.
Based on the measure which he authored in 2021, Rodriguez said the funds for the
construction of the cultural center and museum would come from the annual budget of the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
He said the succeeding budget for the project would be included in the General
Appropriations Act (GAA).
“The local government of Cagayan de Oro is also mandated to provide the land for
the construction of the cultural center, museum, and offices,” Rodriguez said.
At present, the city’s main repository for its heritage and historical artifacts is a
century-old structure near Gaston Park that once served as a water reservoir for the old
Cagayan de Oro. It was turned into a museum a few years ago.
Constructed in 1921 during the American occupation of the Philippines, the “Water
Tower” is the oldest public structure in the city.
Jesus Christopher Salon of the City Museum said the structure was used to store
and distribute water coming from the mountains to Cagayan de Oro, which was then known
as Cagayan de Misamis.
Salon said old photographs of Cagayan de Oro, as well as some archeological finds,
are stored in the three-story structure.
Aside from the Water Tower, the city hosts two other museums established by Xavier
University and Capitol University.
Meanwhile, President Duterte also signed Republic Act 11770, creating the
Kalinga Cultural Center and Museum in Kalinga province, and Republic Act 11772,
creating the Biliran Cultural Center and Museum in Biliran province.
 AN ACT DECLARING CAGAYAN DE ORO RIVER AND ITS IMMEDIATE ENVIRONS
LOCATED IN CAGAYAN DE ORO, PROVINCE OF MISAMIS ORIENRAL A CULTURAL
HERITAGE ZONE

Senate Bill 2130, 19th Congress

May 4, 2023