Letter from a Reader: NCCA Used Public Money to Send Its Secretariat Officials to Venice Biennale 2015?

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Dear Fashion Pulis,

Allow me to share through your blog about the current events and issues at NCCA also known as National Commission for Culture and the Arts, hoping that it reaches more people concerned.

We hope that something immediate is done about this recent issue.

1. The NCCA sent a delegation headed by its Chairman, Felipe M. De Leon, Jr., to grace the opening of the Venice Biennale on May 5, 2015. The duration of Official Travel of said delegation to Venice is May 5-13, 2015.

2. The NCCA delegation is composed of top-level management officers: Adelina Suemith (OIC Executive Director), Marichu Tellano (Head, Plan/Policy Formulation and Programming Division), Myla Buan (Board Secretary), Herence Llapitan (Head, National Endownment Fund for Culture and the Arts Division), Susan Dayao (Head, Administrative and Finance Division), Bernan Joseph Corpuz (Head, Subcommission on Cultural Heritage Section), Ferdinand Isleta (Head, Arts Section), Renee Talavera (Head, Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts Section).

3. NCCA’s top management (heads of divisions and sections) is on travel EN MASSE overseas at the same time for more than a week.

Questions:

Is the NCCA then left supervised by designated officers-in-charge during the duration of travel? Is this practice (top positions filled in by OICs while head honchos all are on travel together for one event only) considered ethical by government?

What was the rationale for the selection of the composition of NCCA’s delegation? Do their official tasks and terms of reference really entail travel? Were they invited to attend the opening and were offered to be hosted prior to their selection as part of the NCCA delegation?

If this travel was authorized and considered official business, where did their Travel Authorities come from? The NCCA is under the Office of the President, so the Malacañang should be aware of such delegation?  If not, why shouldn’t the OP be informed?

If the NCCA fully funded the travel of its officials (airfare, local accommodations, allowances, etc.), is NCCA, therefore, in violation of the austerity measure (AO 103) being implemented by the government that is not yet lifted?

Aside from its top officers and the featured artists (Jose Tence Ruiz, Manny Montelibano, and curator Patrick Flores), did the NCCA delegation include artists, gallery operators, and art critiques, who could have been benefitted from the most prestigious and oldest contemporary art exposition in the world?  If not, why were NCCA administrators prioritized?

What do we expect from NCCA’s delegation? Would the NCCA Chairman, as Commissioner of the Philippines Pavilion have an official itinerary during the duration of his travel? How about the rest of his delegation? If merely part of the delegation, how incompetent could the Head be that he would need 8 or so assistants?

How much is the total fund allocation for the Philippine participation in the Venice Biennale 2015 and sources of funding? How much was allocated for the NCCA delegation?

The NCCA, according to its Implementing Rules and Regulation of Republic Act 7356 (Law Creating the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, April 3, 1992), is to administer the National Endowment for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA) for cultural programs, projects, and activities (Rule XIV: NEFCA).

Is the agency allowed to give grants to its own employees?

If the NCCA funded its own delegation through its NEFCA, is this not a clear violation of the law?

Would not RA 7356, Rule XVII: Code of Ethics, prohibit the NCCA officers and employees of the Secretariat from getting funded though the NEFCA which is established for grants for artists and cultural workers?

Why did the NCCA Board of Commissioners approve the funding of such through NEFCA? Was there a project proposal from its employees that was evaluated and approved through channels? Being the final approving body, why did the NCCA Board allow the members of its Secretariat to get grants?

How can the NCCA delegation to Venice have concurrent contracts as grantees and regular full time government employees at the same time?

Should NEFCA be used for the NCCA officials and secretariat’s projects, personal development, trainings, local and international travels, and other similar undertakings? What are the requirements and formal rules being implemented by the NCCA to ensure the legal utilization of NEFCA for such?

It should be noted that this is already the second time the NCCA did send delegation under the NEFCA funding. In 2014, NCCA sent another delegation of employees to attend the exhibit opening of “Philippines, Archipelago of Exchange” at the Paris Musee Du Quai Branly.

Hoping that these questions and concerns will be addressed accordingly.

Thank you , Fashion Pulis for accommodating this letter.

Respectfully,
Anton

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