Section 6. Establishment, Mandate and Functions. —

1. There is hereby established a National Archives of the Philippines where public archives shall be stored, preserved, conserved and made available to the public. The National Archives of the Philippines shall be attached to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for budgetary purposes.

2. The National Archives of the Philippines shall be primarily responsible for the implementation of the objectives and provisions of this Act. It shall plan, develop, prescribe, disseminate and enforce policies, rules and regulations and coordinate government-wide programs governing the creation, general protection, use, storage and disposition of public records including the acquisition, storage and preservation of public archives and providing facilities for reference, research or other purposes.

3. The National Archives of the Philippines shall have the following functions:

   1. Conduct archival researches using archival materials here and abroad and cause the publication and dissemination of valuable archival information subject to the open access provisions of this Act and other existing laws;

   2. Facilitate the acquisition of a permanent and suitable building for the National Archives to house the country's archival holdings and public records;

   3. Plan, formulate and implement a records management and archival administration program for the efficient creation, utilization, maintenance, retention, preservation, conservation and disposal of public records including the adoption of security measures and vital records protection program for the government;

   4. Give technical assistance to all branches of government, whether national or local, constitutional offices, GOCCs, government financial institutions, state universities and colleges, Philippine embassies, consulates and other Philippine offices abroad in the planning, implementation and evaluation of their public records management and archives administration programs;

   5. Conduct training programs on records and archives management including the establishment of an archival system of both public and private sectors;

   6. Acquire through transfer, donation, purchase or any other means public records and private archives which in the judgment of the executive director has enduring archival value;

   7. Ensure the preservation and conservation of existing and future archival resources of the government;

   8. Issue, transmit and/or authenticate reproduced copies, certified true copies or certifications on public archives and/or extracts thereof;

   9. Keep a registry of all public records under the custody and control of the National Archives of the Philippines which shall be made available for public inspection, to include among others:

      (9.1) All public records transferred to regional archives, records center and the National Archives;

      (9.2) Public records disposed of under Sections 18 and 19;

      (9.3) A public access register that contains information on:

      1. Restrictions on public access to public records imposed under Section 34;

      2. Prohibitions imposed under Section 36 on public access to public archives or protected records in the control of the executive director;

      3. The grounds for the prohibitions and restrictions recorded under this paragraph; and

      4. The conditions agreed to under Section 23 as to public access for protected records transferred to the control of the executive director.

   10. Obtain, recover, transfer and have custody and management of all the public archives not in the custody of the National Archives;

   11. Accept, store, preserve and conserve any public archive transferred to the National Archives;

   12. Establish, maintain, operate regional archives and records centers and/or provide technical assistance to government agencies on the establishment of agency records centers;

   13. Identify and make copies of vital public records which are essential to the continuous operation or reconstruction of an organization during and after an emergency and also those records essential to the protection of rights and interests of that organization and of the individuals directly affected by its activities; and

   14. Publish any public archives or any part of the archives subject to the terms and conditions on which they are obtained and subject to copyright laws.