2. The Cultural Center of the Philippines,
shortened to CCP, was established in 1969
through Executive Order No. 303. Its goal was
“to preserve, develop, and promote arts and
culture in the Philippines.” Regarded as the
premier showcase of the arts, it houses several
companies some of which are the Philippine
Philharmonic Orchestra, UST Symphony
Orchestra, and Tanghalang Filipino.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines
3. The Cultural Center of the Philippines
It also provides a venue for concerts, theatres performances, and art exhibits here and abroad. It also holds
festivals like the Pasinaya CCP’s Open House Festival, the largest multi-arts festival for the Filipino public.
In 2010, CCP embarked on an outreach program called Ugnayan sa
Sining that promotes regional arts through cultural interactions and
exchange tours of accomplished artists and art groups in the regions. In
started with four groups: Sining Bulakeño (SIBUL) from Malolos,
Bulacan; St. Louis University from Baguio City; CPU Handbell Choir from
Iloilo City; and Tagum City Comprehensive National High School
Rondalla from Davao del Norte. Theses groups hosted other groups in
their respective localities. SIBUL hosted St. Louis University and vice
versa. The same went Theater Arts of Dumaguete (YATTA) and
Mindanao State University in General Santos City exchanged cultural
visits. Another followed suit.
4. The Cultural Center of the Philippines
CCP launched Kaisa sa Sining: The Regional Arts Center in 2014,
expanding public participation in the arts. Its goals was “to further
strengthen its linkages and cooperation with local organizations in
the regions.” The program established ten pilot sites.
The CCP is also in charge of the National Art Center in Mt.
Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna, which is the home of the Philippine
High School for the Arts. The school was established in 1976 for
young and aspiring artists. Entrance to the school is highly
competitive and the student population is limited to ensure the
quality of instruction. The students are given full scholarship and
living assistance. The school has produced many Filipino artists of
note such as Grace Nono, Sharmaine C. Buencamino, Nick Pichay,
Gerry Leonardo, among others.
5. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Like CCP, NCCA is responsible for “preserving, promoting, and developing culture and
the arts in the Philippines.” It was formed under Republic Act No. 7356 in 1992.
Serving as the main organizational body for art development, NCCA is the overall
policy-making body and coordinator among cultural agencies, including the CCP. As
one of its mandates says, NCCA aims “to encourage artistic creation within a climate
of artistic freedom.”
NCCA has four subcomissions:
● Subcommission on the Arts (SCA) - facilitates the committees on Architecture and
the Allied Arts, Cinema, Dance, Dramatic Arts, Literary Arts, Music and the Visual
Arts;
● Subcommission on Cultural Heritage (SCH): Committees on Archives, Art Galleries,
Historical Research, Libraries and Information Services, Monuments and Sites, and
Museums.
● Subcommission on Cultural Dissemination (SCD): Committees on Communication,
Cultural Education, and Language and Translation.
● Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts (SCCTA):
Committees on Northern Cultural Communities, Central Cultural Communities,
Southern Cultural Communities.
6. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts
NCCA-SCA, with the help of the 19 national committees under it, facilitates most art-related events and
projects in the country. Artists and art groups propose projects which are featured every February. NCCA
then offers grants to deserving artists and art groups. With this, February now has been known as the
National Arts Month.
7. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts
In celebration of the NAM, NCCA organization has come up with the annual Philippine Arts Festival. This
festival consists of a number of activities to highlight the artistic and brilliance of the Filipinos. The result is
enjoyment of the Filipino people.
Seven of the 19 national committees of NCCA-SCA — architecture, cinema, dance, literature, music,
theater, and the visual arts — prepare the following programs for the Philippine Arts Festival.
Cinema Rehiyon
National Committee on Cinema
This activity focuses on film
production from the regions
where independent filmmakers
showcase their latest films.
8. Sayaw Pinoy
National Committee on Dance
It is a tour dance concert
showcasing different types of
dances such as ballet, hip-hop,
contemporary, and folk dance.
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Literary Arts
Festival
National Committee on Literary Arts
For this event, writers, publishers,
teachers, and students gather for
literary talks and lectures. There are
also book fairs and exhibits.
9. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Tunog-tunugan
National Committee on Music
This is a week-long musical
ensemble that uses musical
instruments made from traditional
instruments like gong, bamboo, or
recycled materials to promote
Philippine culture and ingenuity.
Tanghal
National Committee on Dramatic Arts
This is a festival featuring the works
of community- and university-based
theater groups.
10. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Philippine Visual
Arts Festival
National Committee on Visual Arts
To celebrate the visual arts of the regions. National Committee on Visual Arts holds conferences, workshop,
exhibits, tours, and painting sessions and competitions.
11. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Aside from being the mastermind of the NAM celebration, NCCA provites other activities and projects all
throughout the year. One of the good examples to note is the Committee on Visual Arts (NCCA-CVA), a
committee under SCA. NCCA-CVA held several visual arts congresses in the regions since the 1990s and a
Philippine Arts Festival (Sambavan) in 2000. Among its other projects are the Luzon Arts Festival,
Art/Writing/Training Workshop in the Visayas, and the Mindanao Visual Arts Traino of Visual Arts entitled
"Pananaw."
NCCA also provides support to community-based theater groups, together with government agencies like
the Department of Education, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, NGOs, and private
sponsors because they know that these groups can make a difference. They know that community-based
theaters, because of their involvement in national issues, help fortify the spirit of nationalism, patriotism
thereby becoming agents of change.
Through NCCA and other organizations, community-based theater has been widespread in the regions.
They have become part of the Filipino way of life because the ordinary person relates with them.
12. Integrative Art Applied to Philippine Contemporary Arts
The arts are classified in distinct forms: architecture, visual arts, music, literary arts, dance, damaratic arts,
cinema and broadcast arts, and new media. However, the arts in the regions have evolved and have taken a
new form. They are no longer what they were several years ago. The arts in the regions have combined to
create integrative art. Because of this, there is now an interconnection among the arts, resulting in the
combination of arts.
Contemporary art forms in the region now include the following: choreography, musical instruments,
literary and music composition, visual design, theatrical performance, and cinema.
13. Contemporary Art Forms
Choreography
Choreography is an arrangement or design for dance of as accompanied by music. It is the art of dancing
that is composed a series of dance steps and movements to create a story. It has become an integrated art,
for it incorporates both dance and music.
In the regions, there is a minimal number of
contemporary dances because the traditional dances
are still being widely practiced. However, the
choreography of these traditional dances have varied
through generations. Modifications are done to
adapt to contemporary times.
Contemporary choreography are mostly seen in the
productions of street dancing for regional festivals.
14. Contemporary Art Forms
Musical Instruments
A musical instrument is any tool or device that produces sound. It consists of an array of shapes and styles
from the simple to the complex. One interacts with a musical instrument in a way that it produces a sound,
like a guitarist plucking the strings of his guitar or a drummer beating his gong. Examples of traditional
musical instruments in the Philippines are the kulintang, gangsa, and the kutyapi.
Integration of arts is seen through the intricate
designs of musical instruments, representing visual
arts; and their function, which is primarily to create
music. A musical instrument alone is an example of
integrated art.
One notable Filipino, National Artist for Music
Lucresia Kasilag, infused the sounds of native
instruments on new forms, such as theater and
pictures.
15. Literary and Musical Compositions
Literary works are written works meant to be read, sung, or delivered in a play. They can be written in
prose or in poetry form. Musical compositions, on the other hand, are not written but notated (represented
by musical symbols). Since they use symbols particular to their field, they must be learned.
Literary Compositions Musical Compositions
● Poems
● Novels
● Songs
● Journalism
● Classical Music
● Folk Songs
● Early Jazz
● Traditional Music
16. Literary and Musical Compositions
How are literary and musical compositions integrated then?
These two types of compositions are some of the easiest art forms to integrate with another form. Literary
pieces, such as novels, short stories, and epics are the most common bases of other forms like theater and
cinema. A theater without a playwright is nothing, so is a cinema without a scriptwriter.
It is the same with musical compositions. A notated work must be performed to appreciated. Aside from
recitals, compositions are now being enjoyed in dance, these cinema and broadcast arts, and even in new
media.
17. Visual Design
Visual design is a composition or layout of lines, shapes, and color to form pattern on paper, textile, or any
piece for that matter. It can be found in either two-dimensional works like painting and drawing: or three-
dimensional works like installation and sculpture.
Integration of arts in visual design happens in several hybrid art forms like installation videos and the like.
18. Theatrical Performance
The staging and execution of a production, like drama, opera, festivals, and the like fall under the form
called theatrical performance. It pertains to a public presentation of a dramatic or musical entertainment. It
involves a lot of teamwork that includes producer, the director, the cast, and the crew of workers.
Technology, whether tradition digital, multimedia, innovative, or alternative, is a vital part of any
performance.
Contemporary theatrical performance is experimental, innovative,
controversial. and interdisciplinary, going beyond theater and other
art forms, like puppetry, cinema, and sculpture. It also goes out to
the other disciplines like psychology, and the social and political
sciences.
One specific example of a contemporary theatrical performance is
PETA's Rak of Aegis, a musical tribute to the Filipino 90s band,
Aegis. It used the integration of music, theater, and dance to create a
hybrid piece of art.
19. Cinema
The cinema is the most popular of the art forms, yet, it is the youngest
of all. It appeared only in the early 1900s in Manila and later spread in
the regions. It has gained public acceptance since then. The
characteristics of the cinema is similar to the theater, except that it is
not a live performance and the action is seen on a flat screen.
However, in the advent of technology, even the theater known to
produce live performances has been brought to the cinema. One recent
example is the 2012 comedy-musical, I Do Bidoo Bidoo: Heto nAPO
Sila!, a movie tribute to the prized trio of the 80s, the Apo Hiking
Society.
A lot has happened in the contemporary art scene since its onset in the
70s. In the regions, art forms are now collaborative and community-
based, fostering values of camaraderie, cooperation, team-building, and
pride of place.
