TO TAKE A STAND
We have very good researchers and writers who have written a lot to improve our appreciation of our history but they are seldom quoted in popular media and unheard of in social media.
disappointed, as I compared the way the biographies of our famous Filipinos and our heroes are researched and presented compared to those coming from the US, Europe, and other parts of Asia. It seems that many, if not most, of local biography come closer to hagiography!
We need a strong department of history, culture & arts, mandated to correct the anomalies in our nation’s narratives.
If not that, a well-staffed revitalized Permanent Commission on History, Culture and the Arts with appropriate powers and funding worthy of a key department to ensure the continuing and thorough gathering, processing, rendering (in writing or video) of, and extensive publication ( I like the Indonesian use of the word “socialization” to designate the same process) of verified, more extensive, and intensive exposition of Philippine history; the complete continuing recording of our different (sub) cultures — from what have heretofore been perceived as quaint old tribal artifacts, to popular “street art,” to the events that are given extensive coverage by high glossy paper publications, as the academicians, the intelligentsia, the cognoscenti, and the propagators “high culture” understand the concept.
The Permanent Commission need not be big organization, but it must have the people and the funds that will allow it to collaborate productively and smoothly with universities, schools and other relevant organizations throughout the country groups to work on a more thorough accounting of our different regions’, provinces’ and tribes’ histories, cultures and arts. These updated and more complete narratives can be the bases for a continuing documentation of our history, culture, and arts as a nation aborning.
Such a body must also have the funds to bring their work to different regions in the country. National Artist Gilopez Kabayao once suggested that instead of a physical cultural center that we create a virtual one, by taking artists and their work throughout the country so our people may enjoy witnessing these. I think that is a great idea. We can use the resources of our different government agencies in collaboration with local governments and business associations and community organizations to make these happen. Imagine concerts in local halls, parks, and malls by symphony and/or chamber orchestras, military bands and other musicians. Imagine art exhibits on navy ships. Imagine plays as regular features of a town’s cultural life. IMAGINE!
The works should be properly integrated into school materials in appropriate form at all levels, from kindergarten to graduate school. This will mean not only rewriting our teaching materials but also re- educating our teachers, professors, and school leaders on the new materials. Such a step must be reinforced by securing from our major media companies the commitment to provide adequate coverage of these materials to educate the general population and to reinforce what schools will now offer.
These we need to for our people in general, but more so for our young, the future of our nation and country. This is our responsibility.