Mandate

To encourage the continuing and balanced development of a pluralistic culture by the people themselves;
To conserve, promote and protect the nation’s historical and cultural heritage;
To ensure the widest dissemination of artistic and cultural products among the greatest number of people across the country and overseas for their appreciation and enjoyment;
To preserve and integrate traditional culture and its various creative expressions as a dynamic part of the national cultural mainstream; and,
To ensure that standards of excellence are pursued in programs and activities implementing policies herein stated, it shall encourage and support continuing discussion and debate through symposia, workshops, publications, etc., on the highest norms available in the matrix of Philippine culture.

Functions

In general, the Commission shall undertake the functions of policy formulation, coordination, and grants assistance. It shall also be an executing agency for the policies formulated. Further, it shall exercise the following powers and functions pursuant to RA 7356:

Encourage and facilitate the organization of a network of regional and local councils for culture and the arts, hereunder described, to ensure a broad nationwide, people-based participation in the formulation of plans, the enforcement of culture-related laws and regulations, the implementation of programs/ projects and the review of funding requirements
Establish a Secretariat under an Executive Director for the administrative and day-to-day operations of the Commission;
Set up a system of networking and coordination with and among all existing government cultural agencies for the effective implementation of plans, strategies, programs and activities, and to avoid unnecessary duplication of functions therein;
Create committees and other mechanisms to help expedite the implementation of plans and strategies;
Call upon and coordinate with other government and non-government and cultural institutions and agencies for assistance in any form;
Generate resources both from the Government and private sectors, local, national and international, for its operations as well as for the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA);
Receive and accept donations and other conveyances including funds, materials and other services, by gratuitous title;
Administer the NEFCA and give grants for the development, protection, preservation and dissemination of Philippine culture and the arts, and designate a comptroller;
Prepare an annual budget of the Commission and submit the same to the President for inclusion in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA);
Advise the President on matters pertaining to culture and the arts, including the creation of a special decoration or award, for persons who have significantly contributed to the development and promotion of Philippine culture and arts;
Regulate activities inimical to the preservation / conservation of national cultural heritage/ properties, which shall be contained in a separate document;
Investigate such inimical activities in conjunction with the proper government agencies, such as the Department of Interior and Local Government, the National Historical Institute, the National Museum and other such agencies, with the aim of prosecuting such activities and recommending other actions such as legislation, executive issuances and other appropriate actions;
May delegate decision making on specific cases to the Chairperson, the Executive Director and the Secretariat as it sees fit. Matters for decision that are not explicitly delegated by resolution shall require Commission action; and,
Promulgate other rules and regulations and undertake any and all measures as may be necessary to implement R.A. No. 7356.