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.
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.
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.
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.
NCD’s series of long-running dance concert tour, Sayaw Pinoy, will be held again this year. This year, shows with workshops will be held from the second until the fourth week of the month in the provinces of Batangas, Pampanga, Samar and Aklan.
Additionally, NCD will hold the Sayaw Pinoy 2025 National Tiktok Dance Challenge to popularize the new Sayaw Pinoy theme song. Winners will be selected from the National Capital Region and the three island clusters of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
On the other hand, in Sayaw Pinoy Online Dance Education Lecture Series, dance educators and experts will discuss and engage in discourse about dance in the K-12 MATATAG program.
NCDA will hold Tanghalang Bayan, which will feature performances and workshops. The lineup includes the staging of the musical Maryang Kalabasa at the Canossa Academy in Calamba City, Laguna, on 15 February; a theater workshop culminating with a performance based on a local folktale in Batanes from 21 to 23 February; workshops and performances of different local theater organizations in Los Baños, Laguna, on 2 February; the staging of Tabi Tabi Po, about the environment and culture, in Tiaong, Quezon, on 27 February; and a gathering of theater organizations with workshops and performances at the Manila Metropolitan Theater on 27 February.
NCLA will mount a literary caravan, called PANITIKaravan, with three components — Pampublikong Panayam (public lecture), Mabilisang Palihan (quick workshop), and Malikhaing Pagtatanghal (creative performance). The caravan will be in Guinobatan, Albay, on 19 February; Iloilo City, Iloilo, on 20 February; Maramag, Bukidnon, on 21 February; Los Baños, Laguna, on 23 February; in Manila (Araullo High School and Department of Education) on 24 February; and Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan, on 26 February.
The NCM will again hold Musikapuluan, a series of workshops and performances, aimed at providing venues for musical groups and artists and offering a wide spectrum of music cultures in the Philippines. It will be held in three legs in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
For the Luzon leg, Musikapuluan will feature traditional Cordilleran music with interactive workshops that highlight indigenous musical instruments and traditional vocal techniques. It will be held in Mountain Province from 25 to 26 February.
The Visayas leg, in Roxas City, Capiz, from 15 to 16 February, will focus on Visayan musical styles, and will include performances of traditional folk songs and rondalla music as well as workshops.
For the Mindanao leg, Musikapuluan will feature kulintang performances, chants and dances of the island cluster, with workshops on traditional Mindanaoan music, from 17 to 18 February in Lamitan, Basilan.
The NCVA project for NAM is Bagong Biswal, which has four components — art workshops (Sining Sanayan), art exhibitions (Sining Sinag), town hall meetings (Sining Biswal Scene), and documentation of artists and art practices (Sineng Sining). It will be held from 6 to 8 February in Cebu City, Cebu; 11 to 14 February in Baler, Aurora; 19 to 20 February in Cataingan, Masbate; 22 to 23 February in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat; and 25 to 26 February in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte.
Annually, NCCA bestows the Ani ng Dangal awards as a highlight of NCCA’s celebration of NAM, honoring artists who have received the international awards and recognition in the different fields for the past year, and brought pride to the country.