This February, the Philippines celebrates National Arts Month (NAM), and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) spearheads the celebration with a series of events, and invites the public to honor the transformative power of the arts in our communities, and to recognize the brilliance of Filipino artists.

This year, NCCA’s NAM celebration banners the theme “Ani ng Sining: Diwa at Damdamin” (Harvest of the Arts: Soul and Passion), emphasizing that creativity of a nation springs forth from the spirit and passion of its people. Diwa is a Filipino word that means several things — spirit, essence, soul — and damdamin means emotion and also denotes passion, both propel creation, expression and development. NCCA’s series of events aims to celebrate the expressions of creativity that exemplify the spirit and passion of the nation.

Leading the NAM celebration is NCCA’s Subcommission on the Arts (SCA), led by commissioner Arvin Manuel Villalon, and its seven national committees — National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts (NCAAA), headed by Cathe Desiree S. Nadal; National Committee on Cinema (NCC), headed by Mahar Sulayman “Butch” L. Ibañez; National Committee on Dance (NCD), headed by Dr. Lordinio A. Vergara; National Committee on Dramatic Arts (NCDA), headed by Eduardo P. Perez; National Committee on Literary Arts (NCLA), headed by Niles Jordan D. Breis; and National Committee on Visual Arts (NCVA), headed by Dr. Dennis E. Montera.

The national committee’s flagship projects form the core of the celebration, presenting a range of events, workshops, and performances happening across the country.

National Arts Month opening

NCCA will kick off its celebration of NAM on 3 February at the NCCA Building in Intramuros. The opening ceremony will start with the unveiling of a façade decoration inspired by the singkaban, the traditional decorative arch of Bulacan.

Miss Universe 2018 and Arts and NCCA Ambassador for the Arts Catriona Gray will grace the occasion, which will also be attended by officials from the NCCA, other cultural agencies, and the Intramuros Administration.

There will be a parade going around Intramuros including a marching band and street performers and ending at the Museo de Intramuros courtyard, where a free museum tour is offered by the Intramuros Administration.

‘Saan Ka Lulugar 2025: Resiliency in the Built and Design Environment’

Since 2021, NCAAA has been holding “Saan Ka Lulugar 2025: Resiliency in the Built and Design Environment” to spark and enhance discourses on architecture and allied arts (AAA) through a series of activities such as talks, workshops and tours. This year, with the theme “Bayan Ko, Saan Ka Lulugar sa Aming Diwa’t Damdamin?” “Saan Ka Lulugar” (SKL) continues to highlight the importance of architecture and the allied arts.

Talks and workshop series on AAA and its role in cultural identity and nation building will be held in Tabuk, Kalinga, from 11 to 13 February, and Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte, from 13 to 16 February, with a walking tour to showcase the influences of locals and of Jose Rizal in Dapitan’s AAA character.

From 20 to 23 February, the talks and workshops series will tackle modern architectural innovations in the Central Visayas region that builds the new style of the nation at. Plaza Gorordo, Cebu City, with walking tour around the Cebu Central District showcasing the Visayan contributions to Filipino AAA.

Talks and workshop series on architecture will also be held in Matina Square, Davao City, from 16 to 28 February, while there will be architectural walking tour of Rizal Park as part of the Arts Buffet of SCA in Manila on 28 February.

‘Diwa’t Damdamin sa Pelikula Natin’

The NCCA organizes a lineup of events including the launch of Cinema Rehiyon Film Festival, which is dedicated to regional films, on 8 February in Butuan City; “Paano Magbasa ng Pelikula” (How to Read a Film), a film education initiative, on 8 February in Butuan City, on 12 February in Alaminos in Pangasinan, and 18 February in Bulacan; Solar Shorts Flix, screenings of regional films on SolarTV, on 12 February and from 17 to 21 February; and open-air screenings for the communities in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, from 22 to 28 February.