Department of Culture, ‘intangible heritage’ are Rio Alma’s targets for NCCA
AS THE newly elected chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), poet and National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario — also known by his pen name Rio Alma — noted two things to prioritize during his term: the establishment of a Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA) and setting direction for “intangible heritage.”
At his oath taking on Jan. 12 at the NCCA Office in Intramuros, Manila, Mr. Almario said that with the help of Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts, and Culture, and Senator Loren Legarda, the bill creating the DCA and other similar proposals is already in the legislative process.
“I was part of the group who conceptualized this way back, during the University of the Philippines’ centennial year. It’s Senator Bam Aquino’s precedence and I know Senator Legarda will leverage it in a matter of a year,” he said.
Mr. Almario also said he would be grateful if it happens within his term, as it means there would be a transition and preparation for all cultural agencies.
Asked what the difference between the NCCA and the department would be, he said the latter will help reach out and represent regional sectors.
“The NCCA do not have branches in regions even though we’ve been coordinating with them since [ before]. They usually complain that it’s always those in Manila who gets the grants, which is not true,” he said.
Ms. Legarda, who administered the oath, said in her speech that the creation of the DCA is already given importance in the Senate.
“Senator Bam Aquino, who chairs the education committee agreed to give priority on hearings and enactment [of the bill], hopefully this year,” she said.
Her Senate Bill No. 31 aims to reorganize the NCCA into a DCA, under which the functions of other cultural agencies like the National Museum, the National Library, the National Archives, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) will be included.
Mr. Aquino’s parallel proposal — Senate Bill No. 664 — seeks to reorganize the NCCA into the DCA, defining its power and functions, appropriating funds for it, and for other purposes.
Both bills are still pending in committee in the 17th Congress.
Besides the DCA, Mr. Almario emphasized the importance of preserving the Philippines’ “intangible heritage,” which includes native language and literature.
“Ang bawat wika natin ay isang kamalig, isang bodega ng karunungan (Each of our languages is a granary, a warehouse of knowledge),” he said. “If we study our language further, we will know who our cultural bearers are.”
The chairman pointed out that the country even has more epics than the European region. “We have to have a common repository — an archive — for all the epics. We need to find a way to reintroduce these to the millennials, whether through literary context, novels and theater, or lecture series.”
Mr. Almario was elected for a term stretching from 2017 to 2019. He will lead the NCCA Board of Commissioners which is composed of representatives from the legislative, executive, and the private sectors. He also concurrently holds chairmanship for the KWF.
Also in the roster of the NCCA Board for 2017 are Mr. Aquino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts, and Culture; Evelina G. Escudero, chairwoman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture; Alberto T. Muyot, undersecretary of the Department of Education; Falconi V. Millar, undersecretary of the Department of Tourism; Rene R. Escalante, OIC chairman of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines; Jeremy R. Barns, director of the National Museum; Yolanda E. Jacinto, OIC/ assistant director of the National Library of the Philippines; Victorino M. Manalo, executive director of the National Archives of the Philippines; Raul M. Sunico, president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines; Teddy O. Co, commissioner of the Subcommission on the Arts; Alphonsus D. Tesoro, commissioner of the Subcommission of Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts; Orlando B. Magno, commissioner of the Subcommission on Cultural Dissemination; Fr. Harold Ll. Rentoria, OSA, commissioner of the Subcommission on Cultural Heritage; and Marichu G. Tellano, OIC-executive director of the NCCA. —