To grant tax relief and credit benefits to private owners of heritage buildings and ancestral houses, Sen. Loren Legarda introduced a measure amending the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.
Senate Bill 1852, also known as the proposed “Act Strengthening the Conservation and Protection of Philippine Cultural Heritage Through Heritage Incentives,” seeks to address the high costs of conservation, restoration, and maintenance that have contributed to the deterioration and loss of historic structures.
The bill establishes a Cultural Property Incentive Program covering declared heritage structures and ancestral homes and provides fiscal incentives, including grants and access to financing and loan windows from government financial institutions.
“Our heritage is often lost not because of neglect but because of the high cost of maintenance. This measure reduces the tax burden and expenses of property owners who comply with conservation standards to make restoration more feasible,” Legarda said.
Under the proposal, tax credits would be granted for the transfer of ownership and restoration of Grade I structures, including World Heritage Sites, National Cultural Treasures, National Historical Landmarks, National Historical Shrines and National Historical Monuments, as well as Grade II properties such as Important Cultural Properties, natural properties of cultural significance within protected areas under the ENIPAS Act, declared archaeological sites, Heritage Houses, Historic Sites, Heritage Trees, Heritage Zones, other marked structures and all Gabaldon school buildings, alongside exemptions from real property tax.
The measure further provides exemptions from income tax, import duties, and value-added tax for qualified conservation activities.
Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, previously authored and sponsored landmark heritage measures, including the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 and the Cultural Mapping Law.
