arts
pro m o tion
preservation
Art is a national heritage that is essential in building the
nation and ensuring democracy. Paintings, sculptures,
songs, dances, poetry, and other art forms remind people
of the origins, histories, struggles, and triumphs of the
nation. When people, for example, look at the Rizal
monument in Luneta or sing the national anthem, they
are participating in the expression of the country's
nationhood. When citizens are conscious and proud of
their cultural heritage, they became active agents in
nation-building. As part of the democratic thrust of
the Corazon Aquino administration, Executive Order
No. 118 created the Presidential Commission on
Culture and the Arts in 1987. Five years later,
Republic Act 7356 established the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Art gives citizens
consciousness and
idea p r i d e t h a t is
big
necessary for
nation-building.
National Commission for
Cultureand theArts
The NCCA is the country's "overall policy making
body, coordinating, and grants giving agency for
the preservation, development, and promotion of
Philippine arts and culture." The creation of the
NCCA serves as the state's initiative to promote
and develop art and culture awareness in the country.
The need for a government institution for culture and
arts dissemination is imperative because the Philippines
is composed of many regions. The NCCA, through its
committees and subcommittees, ensures that the
interests of the various regions are represented.
There are six arts and cultural government agencies
under the NCCA.
The N C C A is t h e
state agency
idea responsible for the
big
promotion of arts
and culture from
various regions.
Cultur al Center of the
Philippines (CCP)
For almost 50 years, CCP has been
serving as the premier venue in the
Philippines for culture and the arts.
It has hosted numerous shows and exhibitions on both
performance and visual arts. CCP is also responsible for
bringing together the different arts from various regions to
the entire country and the whole world. It is home to nine
artistic resident companies such as the National Music
Competition for Young Artists Foundation (NAMCYA),
Ballet Philippines, Philippine Madrigal Singers, Philippine
Ballet Theater, UST Symphony Orchestra, Tanghalang
Pilipino, Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance
Company, and Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group. These
companies regularly stage productions, conduct
workshops, and provide outreach to the community.
National Historical
Commission of thePhilippines
(NHCP)
The NHCP was created with a vision of "a Filipino society with
citizens informed of their history, who love their country and are
proud of their cultural heritage." The NHCP carries out its
mandate by promoting "Philippine history and cultural heritage
through research, dissemination, conservation, sites
management, and heraldry works." Much of the work done by
the NHCP is the identification, conservation, and restoration of
historical sites around the different regions of the country.
Through the efforts of the NHCP, Filipinos may have "awareness
and appreciation of the noble deeds and ideals of our heroes
and other illustrious Filipinos, to instill pride in the Filipino
race and to rekindle the Filipino spirit through the lessons of
history," to have a nation whose people value the past
looking into the future.
History makes the
idea citizens aware a n d
appreciative of the
big
country's struggles
and triumphs.
Recently, the NHCP erected and dedicated a
monument in Parang, Maguindanao, in honor of
Salipada K. Pendatun, to honor his invaluable
contribution in Philippine history.
Here is the marker that stands on-site:
SALIPADA K. PENDATUN
(1921-1985)
ISINILANG SA PIKIT, COTABATO, 3 DISYEMBRE 1912. NAGTAPOS
NG ABOGASYA SA UNIBERSIDAD NG PILIPINAS AT PUMASA SA
PHILIPPINE BAR, 1938. HINIRANG BILANG KASAPI NG LUPONG
PANLALAWIGAN NG COTABATO, 1938; NAHALAL, 1940.
NAKOMISYON BILANG 3RD LIEUTENANT, PHILIPPINE ARMY
RESERVE FORCE AT NAPABILANG SA USAFFE BAGO SUMIKLAB
ANG IKALAWANG DIGMAANG PANDAIGDIG. KASAMA SI DATU
UDTOG MATALAM, NAGTATAG NG ISANG PUWERSANG GERILYA
LABAN SA MGA HAPON SA COTABATO. HINIRANG BILANG
GOBERNADOR NG COTABATO PAGKATAPOS NG DIGMAAN.
NAHALAL BILANG SENADOR, 1946-1949; TAGAPAYO,
ADMINISTRASYONG QUIRINO, 1950 1953; KINATAWAN NG
LALAWIGAN NG COTABATO SA KONGRESO, 1958-1961; 1962-1965;
1966-1969; 1970-1972; SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE, 1962-1967;
KINATAWAN NG MANGUINDANAO SA REGULAR BATASANG
PAMBANSA AT SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE, 1984-1985. YUMAO, 27
ENERO 1985.
National Museumof
thePhilippines
Located in the heart of Manila, the National Museum of the
Philippines is the country's repository of archaeological artifacts,
national treasures, and rare specimens found and produced in the
country. The main task of this institution is to solicit, document,
preserve, exhibit, and promote the natural and artificial wonders
of the Philippines. The National Museum is also responsible for
putting up a network of museums around the country to serve as
a local destination of the diverse natural and cultural heritage of
the country. The National Museum has two main divisions the
Natural History Museum and the National Art Gallery.
Perhaps the most valuable artwork housed in the National
Museum is Juan Luna's opus, Spoliarium. It is the largest
painting in the Philippines (4.22 meters x 7.675 meters); it is a
winning masterpiece at the Exposicion de Bellas Artes in
Madrid, Spain, in 1884.
Juan Luna's opus, Spoliarium
National Libr ar y of the
Philippines (NLP)
Established in 1901, the NLP was then called the
American Circulating Library to serve as "memorial
to American servicemen who died in Philippine soil."
Today, the NLP has the mandate of serving as a
"repository of the printed and recorded cultural
heritage of the country and other intellectual literary
and information sources" and providing "access to
these resources for our people's intellectual growth,
citizenship building, lifelong learning and
enlightenment." The NLP is home to rare books and
documents such as Acta de la Proclamacion de la
Independencia del Pueblo Filipino and the
manuscript of the trial of Andres Bonifacio.
Hereis a look of thecover
page of theActa dela
Proclamacion dela
Independencia Pueblo Filipino:
TheNational Archives
of thePhilippines
The history of the National Archives goes back to the
Treaty of Paris in 1898 "which stipulated the
relinquishment or cession of documents from Spanish
to American authorities and provided for the
preservation of documents." Today, the National
Archives of the Philippines is guardian to over 400
documents from the Spanish era dating 1552-1900 and
various records from the American period to the
Republic. To be seen at the National Archives of the
Philippines is a map and plan dating 1883 for the
Archbishop's Palace of Nueva Segovia as
approved by the Governor General of the
Philippines.
Geographical map of thePalacio Episcopal deNueva
Segovia in 1883 (with modifications) also known as
theArchdioceseof Vigan in Ilocos Sur
KOMISYON SA WIKANG FILIPINO
(KWF)
The KWF or the Commission on the Filipino Language
was created via Republic Act No. 7104: "Congress shall
establish a national language commission composed
of representatives of various regions and disciplines
which shall undertake, coordinate and promote
researches for the development, propagation, and
preservation of Filipino and other Philippine
languages." To promote and develop our national
language, the KWF has annually given the Talaang
Ginto: Makata ng Taon for Filipino poetry, Aklat ng
Bayan, and other grants or programs on fundings,
awards, and projects.
