Manila, May 6 -- May as National Heritage Month is the perfect time for Filipinos to honor the country's rich cultural legacy and embrace their shared responsibility in preserving it for future generations.

"It is a perfect time to pay homage to the rich legacy of the Filipino people, for our forebearers have given us countless traditions in various forms that we could be proud of," Senator Loren Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, said in a news release Tuesday.

Legarda said National Heritage Month, through Presidential Proclamation No. 439 signed in 2003, is a reminder that the country's past provides valuable lessons and a path forward.

The proclamation encourages public consciousness and support for pr...