MANILA, Philippines — If Thailand has Tuk Tuk and Vietnam has Cyclos, what would the Philippines have as “king of the road” if Jeepneys are to be totally phased out?
Even Joseph Patrick Lee, National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) Cultural Properties Regulation Division Chief, is sad about the government’s gradual phase-out of traditional Jeepneys.
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“Ako, maybe I could speak for my personal opinion, well, growing up as a Millennial, kinalakhan natin s’ya. It really saddens me na i-phe-phaseout s’ya,” Lee told Philstar.com at a recent exclusive interview in NCCA office in Intramuros, Manila.
“’Di lang naman ‘yung hitsura ang phini-phaseout. I think, ‘yung presence.”
NCCA, said Lee and his fellow officials, including Executive Director Dr. Eric Zerrudo, might be the official government agency for culture in the country, but it has only been mandated to bestow grants and provide assistance for the preservation of the legacies of the country’s National Artists, National Living Treasures and other arts, culture and heritage components that have been officially declared as important on a national level.
“What we regulate are cultural properties that are declared,” Lee clarified.
“Hindi po s’ya (Jeepney) kasama sa nireregulate ng NCCA bilang ito nga po ay hindi work ng National Artist and wala pong alam na Jeepney na 50 years and above for NHCP (National Historical Commission of the Philippines) to regulate.”
As popular art, the Jeepney has not been “declared” as a cultural property, said Lee.
“Wala s’yang declaration kasi iba-iba naman ‘yung hitsura ng Jeepney, ‘no? Parang wala s’yang affiliation sa any of our National Artists, ‘no?” he pointed out.
Lee, however, noted that it is not yet too late to have the Jeepney declared as a cultural “icon.”
“Pero sa tingin ko, sa field po s’ya ng icons, ‘no? At kung ma-preserve man po s’ya, siguro kung pwede sa mga medium po ng iba’t ibang artforms like visual arts or pwede s’yang maging design po sa mga industrial arts. Siguro ‘yung preservation n’ya sa ganu’ng paraan,” he explained.
“Pero I believe naman na over the years, ‘yung jeepney naman ay well-documented sa ating literature, comic books, books for children, TV shows, so in that way, parang na-preserve naman natin s’ya. But preservation of it na parang nand’yan pa rin s’ya is really out of our (NCCA) hands. Kasi kung sasabihin ng DOTR (Department of Transportation) na hindi na pupwede…”
Related: The lasting legacy of Jeepneys in Filipino pop culture
To preserve the Jeepney’s presence, he suggested the following:
Collaboration between different government agencies
According to Lee, different government agencies, and not only DOTR, should work together to keep Jeepneys alive for more generations to enjoy.
“Kaya siguro nga, magandang pagnilay-nilayan, pag-isipan din ng iba’t ibang ahensya, ng DepEd (Department of Education), cultural agencies kung papaano nga mapre-preserve ‘yung memory. Kung baga, makaisip tayo through government agencies kung papaano ma-u-utilize ‘yung jeepney,” he suggested.
Jeepney museum/s
“Baka, maybe a museum could help,” Lee noted.
NCCA, he said, could work in partnership with National Museum for a possible Jeepney museum.
“Strict din sila (National Museum) to establish different museums in different parts of the country. But we also have our own National Committee on Museums, which we can send to them kung sakaling may isang LGU (local government unit) na mag-create ng ganu’n for consultation.”
LGUs should initiate Jeepney preservation
Lee also encouraged LGUs and Jeepney manufacturers to work together in creating a museum.
“Baka pwedeng magkaroon ng sariling museum. Kasi ‘di ba… iba’t iba rin ‘yung kilalang jeepney manufacturers? Merong Sarao, Malagueña. Mga LGUs nila, pwedeng mag-initiate,” he enthused.
Lee invited those interested to create a Jeepney museum or other cultural projects to submit a proposal to NCCA’s recently launched Competitive Grants Program 2025, where a total of P133 million would be distributed to chosen applicants. Deadline of submissions is on August 31.
Section 12.a.4 of Republic Act 7356 [NCCA Charter] authorizes the Commission to give grants to artists and cultural groups that contribute significantly to the Filipino’s cultural legacy to extend artistic achievement. Further, Section 13.h of the same law mandates the Commission to administer the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA) and give grants for the development, protection, preservation, and dissemination of Philippine culture and arts. The Program is open to non-government organizations (NGOs), people's organizations (POs), Indigenous Peoples’ organizations (IPOs), individuals, LGUs, government agencies (GAs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and public schools.
Proposal should have a focus on four strategic outcomes under the Philippine Development Plan for Culture and the Arts 2024 to 2029:
- Filipino Identity Reaffirmed;
- Filipino Creativity and Innovativeness Harnessed;
- Humane, Inclusive, and Sustainable Communities Established;
- and Culture and Disaster Responsive Governance Enhanced.
The NCCA Competitive Grants Program is competitive in nature since the approval of project proposals passes through a rigorous and confidential evaluation process based on merit such as quality and relevance to Commission priorities. The projects are categorized under the four Subcommissions (composed of 19 national committees)—Subcommission on the Arts (SCA); Subcommission on Cultural and Traditional Arts (SCCTA); Subcommission on Cultural Dissemination (SCD); and Subcommission on Cultural Heritage (SCH). Proponents interested in implementing projects in each category should submit a project proposal following the requirements and shall be addressed and submitted to:
Program Management Division (PMD)
National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Room 5B, Fifth Floor, NCCA Building
633 General Luna Street, Intramuros 1002 Manila, Philippines
Telephone Nos: (02) 8527-5535 (Trunk Line) locals 524, 541, and 507
E-mail: pmd@ncca.gov.ph
Interested proponents should:
- only submit one project proposal;
- fully accomplish the prescribed NCCA Project Proposal Form;
- indicate and identify the corresponding category where his/her project will fall;
- submit the documentary requirements;
- be accredited by the Commission as a pre-requisite to the approval of their project proposal; may be accomplished in Filipino or English.
Officials, employees, and Executive Council (ExeCon) Members and their relatives up to the fourth civil degree of affinity and consanguinity, as well as organizations and institutions where ExeCon Members serve as officers and incorporators, are disqualified from submitting proposals.
For more information on the 2025 NCCA Competitive Grants Program, you may coordinate with the Program Management Division Secretariat at telephone number (02) 8527-2192 (TL) loc. 509, fax numbers (02) 8527-2198 / (02) 8527-2209 / (02) 8527-2194, or through e-mail at ppmd@ncca.gov.ph. You may also visit https://ncca.gov.ph/ncca-competitive-grants-program/and Facebook page for more details.