PGMA's Speech during the Culture and the Arts Conference 2002

PGMA's Speech during the Culture and the Arts Conference 2002

Ballroom, Pearl Manila Hotel, Taft Avenue, Manila (13 June 2002)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER LETTY RAMOS SHAHANI. I WOULD LIKE
EVERYONE TO REMEMBER THAT IT WAS LETTY SHAHANI WHO AUTHORED THE LAW THAT
CREATED THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON CULTURE AND THE ARTS. I
WOULD LIKE ALSO EVERYONE TO REALIZE THAT IT WAS SHE WHO WORKED HARD SO THAT
THIS COMMISSION WOULD HAVE AN ENDOWMENT FUND OF 900 MILLION PESOS FROM THE
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT.

CHAIRPERSON EVELYN PANTIG OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CULTURE AND THE
ARTS. I AM ALSO VERY HAPPY THAT EVELYN IS THE CHAIRPERSON OF NCCA.
I HAVE KNOWN EVELYN FOR A LONG TIME NOW FROM THE TIME WHEN WE
WERE BOTH IN OUR EARLY STAGES OF OUR PROFESSIONAL CAREER. I WAS A
PROFESSIONAL ECONOMIST DOING WORK FOR NEDA-PIDS, A FOREIGN FUNDED PROJECT
ON TOURISM AND ITS SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACT, AND NECESSARILY I HAD TO DEAL WITH
THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM AND EVELYN WASN'T EVEN A DIVISION CHIEF YET AT
THAT TIME BUT SHE WAS MY MAIN RESOURCE PERSON IN THE D.O.T.; AND THEN
EVENTUALLY WE BOTH WENT UP OUR RESPECTIVE CAREER LADDERS. AND I'M VERY
GLAD THAT SHE IS HERE AS CHAIRMAN OF NCCA BECAUSE I CAN ATTEST,
AS YOU ALL KNOW BY NOW, TO HER GREAT PROFESSIONALISM AND DEDICATION TO
WORK.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO GREET THE OTHER OFFICERS OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION
FOR CULTURE AND THE ARTS STARTING WITH AMBETH OCAMPO WHO IS HERE AS
CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL HISTORICAL INSTITUTE, AND I AM ALSO VERY HAPPY
BECAUSE IT WAS I WHO APPOINTED AMBETH OCAMPO TO N.H.I.
YESTERDAY, I SAW AMBETH IN THE INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS, AND I SAID,
"AMBETH, I'M SURE YOU WERE SHOCKED THAT I APPOINTED YOU." HE NEVER
APPLIED, IT WAS I WHO THOUGHT OF PUTTING HIM THERE AND I SAID ITS BECAUSE
I'M AN ARDENT READER OF YOUR COLUMN AND I FEEL THAT AMBETH MAKES
HISTORY SO APPROACHABLE. WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT THE VARIOUS HISTORICAL
FIGURES AND GIVES VIGNETTES THAT ARE RESULT OF HIS PAINSTAKING RESEARCH,
THEN HE MAKES THEM FAMILIAR TO US AS IF THEY WERE A PROMINENT UNCLE IN OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WE CAN BE PROUD OF. AND THIS WHAT I WANT HIM TO DO TO
HISTORY FOR THE WHOLE PHILIPPINES: MAKE IT PART OF OUR HOME PARLOR, MAKE IT
PART OF OUR HOME, MAKE IT PART OF OUR LIVES. AND I AM GLAD THAT HE IS HERE
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT CULTURE TO BE: A PART OF OUR HOME, A PART OF OUR LIVES.

I GREET THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS, DR. RAMON SANTOS, ROD CORNEJO, MR. RONELIO
DELA CRUZ; DEAN KASILAG, OUR NATIONAL ARTIST FOR MUSIC; PARTICIPANTS OF
THIS CULTURE AND ARTS CONFERENCE; DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN:

I MUST ALSO GREET, SHE'S NOT INCLUDED HERE BECAUSE SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE
WORKHORSE BUT I WILL ACKNOWLEDGE, MUFFIN YANZON. I AM ALSO
VERY HAPPY THAT MUFFIN IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NCCA. MUFFIN'S NAME
CAME TO MY DESK AS A NOMINEE OF THE SEARCH COMMITTEE AND THIS JUST SHOWS
HOW GOOD, HOW WELL THE SEARCH COMMITTEE DOES ITS WORK BECAUSE I READILY
ACCEPTED MUFFIN AS THE NOMINEE OF THE SEARCH COMMITTEE BECAUSE I TOO HAVE
KNOWN HER FOR A VERY LONG TIME IN MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER. SHE WAS ONE OF
THE LEADING MIDDLE LEVEL OFFICERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY
AND SHE WAS SO GOOD IN HER JOB THAT SEF JOLLOSCO, WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF
REGIONAL OPERATIONS WHICH IS THE HEART OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND
INDUSTRY, GOT HER AS HIS ALTER EGO AND SO MUFFIN DID A GREAT JOB THERE AND
I KNOW SHE'LL DO A GREAT JOB IN PUTTING ORDER AND STRUCTURE IN AN AGENCY,
AN ORGANIZATION WHERE MANY OF THE DECISION MAKERS ARE ARTISTS AND THEREFORE
HAVE AN ARTISTIC TEMPERAMENT (LAUGHTER) AND THEREFORE HAVE THE FAMOUS LACK
OF ... I MEAN, ARTISTS ARE MORE INTUITIVE THAN STRUCTURED SO ALL YOUR GREAT
IDEAS MUST BE TRANSLATED INTO SOMETHING WORKABLE BY SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS HOW
TO PENCIL PUSH AND SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS HOW TO DO THE NITTY GRITTY -- AND
THAT'S THE WORK THAT MUFFIN YANZON WILL DO FOR CULTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

SO I AM GLAD TO BE HERE IN THIS CONFERENCE ON CULTURE AND THE ARTS. I WAS ASKED TO BE A KEYNOTE SPEAKER, I SAID, NO, I WILL NOT BE A
KEYNOTE SPEAKER BECAUSE NCCA IS NOT DEPARTMENT WHERE, I AS YOUR PRESIDENT,
AND YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE JUST MY ALTER EGOS, I'M SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU
WHAT OUR POLICY IS. NCCA WAS MADE BY MANANG LETTY AS A COMMISSION
PRECISELY BECAUSE IT IS NOT A DEPARTMENT TO BE REGULATED BY THE NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT OR, TO PUT IT THIS WAY, NOT TO BE UNDER THE SUPERVISION AND
CONTROL OF THE PRESIDENT.

NONETHELESS, WE DO HAVE THE 900 MILLION ENDOWMENT, (LAUGHTER) AND IT IS
THE JOB OF THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT IS WELL SPENT. WE HAVE AN
OBLIGATION.

SO THIS IS THE SPECIFIC UNIQUE CHARACTERISTIC OF NCCA: THERE IS THE FREEDOM
FROM OVER REGULATION, OR FREEDOM FROM SUPERVISION AND CONTROL. BUT ON THE
OTHER HAND THE OBLIGATION TO ACCOUNT FOR TAXPAYERS' MONEY AND THAT IS WHY
THE COMMISSION ITSELF HAS REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT.

SO I DID NOT WANT TO DELIVER A KEYNOTE SPEECH BECAUSE OF THAT UNIQUE
CHARACTER OF NCCA BECAUSE IF I GIVE YOU THE KEYNOTE SPEECH THEN I WOULD BE
DICTATING CULTURE POLICY BY PREEMPTING THE IDEAS OF THE CULTURAL COMMUNITY.
AND I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT. I PREFERRED INSTEAD TO LISTEN TO THE
MEDIUM-TERM CULTURAL PLAN, AS PUT TOGETHER BY THE COMMISSION, AND THEN GIVE
MY INPUTS TO IT AS I SHALL NOW BE DOING. SO I HAVE SUGGESTED TO EVELYN
PANTIG THAT WHAT WAS PRESENTED NOW BY MUFFIN IS THE DRAFT CULTURAL
DEVELOPMENT PLAN TO BE REFINED BY WHAT I WILL SAY AND WHAT WILL EMERGE FROM
THE CONSULTATIONS THAT WILL BE HELD IN THIS CONFERENCE IN THE NEXT TWO
DAYS.

AND SO LET ME THEREFORE GIVE MY INPUTS.

WHEN I FIRST BECAME PRESIDENT A YEAR-AND-A-HALF AGO, I TOLD THE FILIPINO
PEOPLE ABOUT MY FOUR CORE BELIEFS:

FIRST, WE MUST BE BOLD IN OUR NATIONAL AMBITIONS, SO THAT OUR CHALLENGE
MUST BE THAT WITHIN THIS DECADE, WE WILL WIN THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY.

SECOND, WE MUST IMPROVE MORAL STANDARDS IN GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY, IN ORDER
TO PROVIDE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE.

THIRD, WE MUST CHANGE THE CHARACTER OF OUR POLITICS, IN ORDER TO CREATE A
FERTILE GROUND FOR TRUE REFORMS. OUR POLITICS OF PERSONALITY AND PATRONAGE
MUST GIVE WAY TO A NEW POLITICS OF PARTY PROGRAMS AND PROCESS OF DIALOGUE
WITH THE PEOPLE.

FINALLY, AND FOURTH, I BELIEVE IN LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE. WE SHOULD PROMOTE
SOLID TRAITS SUCH AS WORK ETHIC AND A DIGNIFIED LIFESTYLE, MATCHING ACTION
TO RHETORIC, PERFORMING RATHER THAT GRANDSTANDING.

THIS IS THE FRAMEWORK WHERE I FEEL CULTURE HAS A PLACE. TO ME, THE PLACE
OF CULTURE IN MY FOUR CORE BELIEFS IS IN THE SECOND OF THOSE CORE BELIEFS:
THE NEED TO IMPROVE MORAL STANDARDS IN SOCIETY. I BELIEVE THAT CULTURE
REFLECTS MORAL STANDARDS, BUT CULTURE ALSO MOLDS MORAL STANDARDS. AND THIS
IS WHY GOVERNMENT MUST HAVE A POLICY ON CULTURE, IF IT WANTS TO BE ABLE TO
IMPROVE MORAL STANDARDS IN SOCIETY. THUS, MY OVERARCHING VISION OF CULTURE
POLICY IS TO MOBILIZE CULTURE TO IMPROVE MORAL STANDARDS IN SOCIETY.

IN MY STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS LAST YEAR, AGAIN I SPOKE ABOUT MORAL
STANDARDS AS PART OF THE FOUR COMPONENTS OF OUR NATIONAL AGENDA TO FIGHT
POVERTY. OUR NATIONAL AGENDA REVOLVES AROUND THE FIRST OF MY CORE BELIEFS,
THE CONVICTION THAT WE MUST WIN THE BATTLE AGAINST POVERTY WITHIN THE
DECADE.

AND AS I HAVE REPEATED MANY TIMES, AGAIN FOUR COMPONENTS OF OUR NATIONAL
AGENDA ARE THERE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY. THE FIRST IS AN ECONOMIC
PHILOSOPHY OF FREE ENTERPRISE APPROPRIATE TO THE 21st CENTURY. THE SECOND
IS A MODERNIZED AGRICULTURAL SECTOR FOUNDED ON SOCIAL EQUITY. THE THIRD IS
A SOCIAL BIAS TOWARD THE DISADVANTAGED TO BALANCE OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
PLAN. AND THE FOURTH COMPONENT, AGAIN, IS TO RAISE THE MORAL STANDARDS OF
GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY.

IF WE ARE TO RAISE MORAL STANDARDS, FIRST WE MUST STRENGTHEN JUSTICE AND
THE ENFORCEMENT OF LAW AND ORDER.

THIS PERTAINS TO TWO LEVELS. AT THE LEVEL OF PRINCIPLE, THIS
ADMINISTRATION MUST AFFIRM ITS COMMITMENT TO THE PRINCIPLE THAT NO ONE IS
ABOVE THE LAW. THE SECOND LEVEL PERTAINS TO OUR SENSE THAT JUSTICE
PREVAILS AND THE RULE OF LAW WORKS INOUR DAILY LIVES.

THIS IS A GREAT CHALLENGE TO US IN TODAY'S DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL
ENVIRONMENT WHICH IS CHALLENGED WITH CRIME AND TERRORISM ALL AROUND. IN
THIS CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERIZING THE DAWN OF THE 21st CENTURY,
WE MUST MOBILIZE CULTURE TO FORGE CONSENSUS ON A JUST, LASTING, AND
HONORABLE PEACE IN OUR COUNTRY. IN MOBILIZING CULTURE TO INFLUENCE MORAL
STANDARDS, WE MUST ARRIVE AT A NATIONAL CONSENSUS ON THE PRINCIPLES TO
GUIDE OUR SEARCH FOR PEACE.

AS A START, I OFFER THE FOLLOWING FOR OUR PEOPLE IN LIEU THE CULTURAL
COMMUNITY TO CONSIDER. ONE PRINCIPLE IS THAT OUR ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE SHOULD
BE BOTH PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT. A SECOND PRINCIPLE IS THAT OUR FRAMEWORK
MUST BE BASED ON CONSTITUTIONALITY, NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY, AND TERRITORIAL
INTEGRITY. AND THE THIRD PRINCIPLE WHICH IS RELEVANT DIRECTLY TO THIS BODY
IS THAT WE MUST RECOGNIZE, THE PHILIPPINES MUST RECOGNIZE THAT OUR SOCIETY
IS A MULTI-ETHNIC ONE WHICH SHOULD BE FOUNDED ON SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR ALL,
AND THE INSTITUTIONALIZED ACCOMMODATION OF ETHNIC TRADITIONS.

CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM, CHINESE AND SPANISH, TAGALOG AND CEBUANO, THESE ARE
BUT A FEW OF THE NAMES TO WHICH THE FILIPINO RESPONDS, IN A WONDROUS
TESTIMONY TO OUR RICH AND VARIED HERITAGE AS A NATION.

THUS, I BELIEVE THAT OUR MEDIUM-TERM PLAN FOR CULTURE AND THE ARTS, THE
MEDIUM-TERM PLAN FOR CULTURE AND THE ARTS OF THE ARROYO ADMINISTRATION
SHOULD REVOLVE AROUND THE VISION OF THE INSTITUTIONALIZED ACCOMMODATION OF
ETHNIC TRADITIONS. THIS SHOULD BE OUR UNIFYING VISION FOR OUR MEDIUM-TERM
PLAN FOR CULTURE AND THE ARTS.

MANY HAVE EXPRESSED UNEASE OVER AN EMERGING MONOCULTURE AS A RESULT OF
GLOBALIZATION -- THAT WAS THE THEME OF EVELYN'S REMARKS. THE FEAR IS THAT
THE CULTURES OF DEVELOPING NATIONS WILL BE SLOWLY ERADICATED AS THE
CULTURES OF MORE ADVANCED NATIONS EXERCISE THEIR HEGEMONY.

BUT THE REALITY IS THAT OUR CULTURE CAN ONLY BE SWAMPED BY GLOBAL FORCES IF
WE DO NOT TAKE MEASURES TO PRESERVE AND DEFEND IT. TO PRESERVE AND DEFEND
OUR CULTURE NEEDS PLANNING AND PREPAREDNESS. THAT'S WHY I HAVE PLANNERS AS
CHAIRMAN AND AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THESE TWO GIRLS ARE GREAT IN PLANNING,
THEY ARE GREAT IN PREPAREDNESS. SO THE NCCA MUST BE IN THE LEAD.

WE MUST ENSURE THAT OUR CULTURE IS STRONG, VIBRANT, ATTRACTIVE. THAT'S WHY
I HAVE AMBETH OCAMPO WHO CAN MAKE HISTORY ATTRACTIVE, HE CAN ALSO MAKE
CULTURE ATTRACTIVE. HE CAN GIVE US THAT SPIRIT THAT CULTURE IS NOT FAR
AWAY BUT RIGHT THERE IN OUR LIVING ROOM. CULTURE MUST NOT BE MORIBUND,
MUST NOT BE LACKING IN CREATIVITY.

THUS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE VISION STATEMENT OF THE MEDIUM-TERM PLAN
FOR CULTURE AND THE ARTS, THE VISION OF A FILIPINO PEOPLE INSPIRED BY ITS
CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC LIFE AND HERITAGE TO IMPROVE MORAL STANDARDS IN
SOCIETY.

TO ACHIEVE THIS VISION, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT THE FIRST AND PRIMARY
APPROACH IS TO HEIGHTEN THE INSTITUTIONALIZED ACCOMMODATION OF ETHNIC
TRADITIONS.

THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE MANDATE OF THE NCCA AS PROVIDED BY LAW BECAUSE
THE LAW SAYS THAT THE NCCA MUST HAVE THE MANDATE TO ENCOURAGE THE
CONTINUING AND BALANCED DEVELOPMENT OF A PLURALISTIC CULTURE BY THE PEOPLE
THEMSELVES, TO CONSERVE AND PROMOTE THE NATION'S HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE, AND TO PRESERVE AND INTEGRATE TRADITIONAL CULTURE AND ITS VARIOUS
CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS AS A DYNAMIC PART OF THE NATIONAL CULTURAL MAINSTREAM.

AS A NATION OF MORE THAN 70 ETHNO-LINGUISTIC GROUPS, THE CULTURES THAT
CONTRIBUTE TO OUR NATIONAL HERITAGE ARE MANY AND DIVERSE. THIS DIVERSITY
HAS MADE THE FILIPINO HERITAGE RICHER IN ITS IMPACT, BUT MORE PROFOUND.
HOWEVER, THIS DIVERSITY HAS ALSO CREATED SOME DIFFICULTIES IN ACHIEVING
PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT SINCE WHAT ARE ACCEPTABLE NORMS FOR SOME ARE NOT
ACCEPTABLE FOR OTHERS. IT IS IMPERATIVE, THEREFORE, THAT WE PLACE
TOLERANCE AT THE CENTER OF ALL OUR EFFORTS. ALL THE CULTURES THAT MAKE UP
THE FILIPINO NATION ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT AND SHOULD BE ACCORDED RESPECT IF
WE WANT HARMONY AND SOLIDARITY.

FOR INSTANCE, THE TERRORISM PLAGUE THAT IS UPON US IN SOUTHWESTERN
PHILIPPINES. THE TERRORISTS SEEK TO MAKE THEIR ACTIVITY RELIGIOUS WARFARE. ON THE CONTRARY, WE MUST
MAKE OUR RESPONSE AN OCCASION FOR RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING. AND WE KNOW
THAT RELIGION DRIVES CULTURE. RELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING MEANS CULTURAL
UNDERSTANDING; INSTITUTIONALIZED ACCOMMODATION OF VARIOUS ETHNIC TRADITIONS.

I WAS TALKING ABOUT AMBETH ON HOW HE CAN MAKE HISTORY SO FOLKSY, I THINK WE
SHOULD DO THAT TO CULTURE TOO. YES, THERE ARE GREAT INTELLECTUAL
INITIATIVES THAT ONLY A FEW MAY UNDERSTAND IN THE BEGINNING, AND WE MUST
ALLOW THAT CREATIVITY TO HAPPEN. BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE MUST HAVE MASS
CULTURE. WE MUST MAKE CULTURE AVAILABLE TO THE MASSES. WE MUST MAKE
CULTURE ATTRACTIVE TO THE MASSES.

MANY YEARS AGO WHEN THE CULTURAL CENTER WAS BUILT, I TOLD MYSELF IF I WERE
PRESIDENT I WOULDN'T SPEND ALL THAT MONEY ON THE CULTURAL CENTER OF THE
PHILIPPINES. IT'S AN IMPOSING BUILDING NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE MASSES AND
ITS VERY ARCHITECTURE, ITS VERY APPROACH, PHYSICAL APPROACH IS NOT
ACCESSIBLE TO THE MASSES. IT IS FORBIDDING. IT IS FAR AWAY. IT IS NOT
FOLKSY. I SAID IF I HAD THAT MONEY I WOULD RATHER HAVE SPENT THAT MONEY ON
CULTURAL CENTERS ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY SO THAT WE CAN BRING CULTURE TO THE
MASSES.

YOU KNOW I'LL JUST GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. WHEN I WAS
YOUNG, STUDYING IN ASSUMPTION I WOULD GO TO JAPAN WITH THE NUNS AND WE
WOULD WATCH KABUKI. OF COURSE WE HAD TO STUDY SO THAT WE COULD APPRECIATE
IT. BUT IF SOME FILIPINO, OVERSEAS WORKER STRAIGHT FROM THE PROVINCE WERE
TO GO THERE, YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO GO TO A KABUKI PLAY BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO
STUDY IT FIRST TO UNDERSTAND IT. WHEN I HAD MY OWN FAMILY AND I BROUGHT MY
OWN CHILDREN TO THE KABUKI PLAY THEY HAD THEIR EARPHONES EXPLAINING
EVERYTHING THAT WAS HAPPENING AND THEY APPRECIATED IT WITHOUT ANY
BACKGROUND STUDY ABOUT KABUKI.

IN OTHER WORDS, ADVANCED CULTURES LIKE JAPAN BRING THEIR CULTURE TO THE
MASSES. WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT IF WE WANT CULTURE TO MOLD, TO
MOLD OUR MORAL STANDARDS.

NOW, THAT MONEY FOR CULTURAL CENTER HAS BEEN SPENT. AND I HATE TO SAY IT
BUT THAT MONEY FOR THE CULTURAL CENTER ACTUALLY CAME FROM AN EDUCATION
FUND, ODA FROM THE U.S. THAT WAS INTENDED FOR EDUCATION BUT EDUCATION FOR
LAND REFORM EXTENSION. SO IT WAS EVEN BUILT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE SUCCESS
OF LAND REFORM.

ANYWAY, IT'S BEEN SPENT 30 YEARS AGO, I MENTION IT ONLY BECAUSE I WANT TO
TALK ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD SPEND OUR MONEY NOW. OUR 900 MILLION ENDOWMENT
WHICH CAN'T BE SPENT BUT ITS FRUITS CAN BE SPENT, A 900 MILLION ENDOWMENT
IS AT THE VERY LEAST ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION A YEAR. AND HOW DO WE SPEND
THIS HUNDRED MILLION A YEAR? HOW DO WE PRIORITIZE? THAT'S WHY IT'S
IMPORTANT TO HAVE A CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A
FRAMEWORK. IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A VISION. IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE
PRIMARY APPROACHES.

AND THE APPROACH IS WHERE WILL THE SUPPLY COME FROM, SO TO SPEAK AS AN
ECONOMIST, THE VARIOUS ETHNIC TRADITIONS. WHERE IS THE DEMAND THAT WILL BE
MET AND FED THE MASSES? LET US FEED THE MASSES WITH THE CULTURE OF OUR
VARIOUS ETHNIC TRADITIONS ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY. AND THEREFORE A
METHOD OF DISTRIBUTION MUST BE SOMETHING APPROACHABLE TO THE MASSES. IT'S
TOO EXPENSIVE NOW TO BUILD MANY CULTURAL CENTERS FROM SCRATCH. BUT THERE
ARE MAYBE EXISTING STRUCTURES WE SHOULD LOOK FOR THAT WE CAN DEVELOP SO
THAT THEY CAN BE THE REPOSITORY OF CULTURE AND THE ARTS WHERE THE MASSES
CAN GO AND APPRECIATE THEM AND BE ATTRACTED TO THEM.

TWENTY PERCENT OF THE POPULATION LIVES IN METRO MANILA, ANOTHER 20 PERCENT
FROM REGION III AND REGION IV FIND METRO MANILA ACCESSIBLE. SO IT IS RIGHT
TO HAVE A CULTURAL CENTER IN METRO MANILA, IT WILL CATER TO 40 PERCENT OF
THE POPULATION, BUT I DON'T THINK THE CULTURAL CENTER IS IT BECAUSE IT IS
IMPOSING; IT IS UNAPPROACHABLE; IT IS INACCESSIBLE; IT IS ELITIST. I
BELIEVE THE ONE THAT WILL MAKE -- I'M TALKING ABOUT THE BUILDING HA,
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE BUILDING -- THE ONE THAT THE POOR WILL
FIND APPROACHABLE, PHYSICALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY IS THE METROPOLITAN THEATER
OF THE PHILIPPINES, MANILA. AND I FEEL THAT WE SHOULD REVIVE THE METROPOLITAN
THEATER AND MAKE IT THE NEW HOME OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR
CULTURE AND THE ARTS.

THE METROPOLITAN THEATER IS JOINTLY OWNED BY GSIS AND MANILA, THE CITY OF
MANILA. ALONG TIME AGO I ASKED LITO ATIENZA, "LITO, IF THE NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT REPAIRS THE METROPOLITAN THEATER, CAN YOU SPEND MONEY TO RUN
IT?" HE SAID, "I HAVE NO MONEY TO REBUILD IT BUT I CAN HAVE MONEY TO RUN
IT." SO THEREFORE I BELIEVE IT IS A GOOD INVESTMENT FOR NCCA TO USE A PART
OF THE FRUITS OF THE ENDOWMENT TO REVIVE THE METROPOLITAN THEATER.
AND THAT IS ONE SPECIFIC OPERATIONAL INSTRUCTION I WOULD LIKE
TO GIVE TO OUR GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES.

MASS CULTURE IS ALSO ABOUT MOVIES. I'M A GREAT MOVIE FAN BECAUSE I GREW
UP IN ILIGAN AND THAT WAS THE CULTURE AVAILABLE TO US AND I LOVED WATCHING
ALL THOSE MOVIES OF NIDA BLANCA AND NESTOR DE VILLA WHEN I WAS A CHILD
THERE IN ILIGAN. MY LOLA WOULD BRING ME TO THE THEATER -- NOT AIR
CONDITIONED PERO MAY LODGE, MAY ORCHESTRA -- SO MY LOLA AND I WOULD GO TO
THE LODGE AND OUR DRIVER WOULD GO TO THE ORCHESTRA 'CAUSE HE'D ALSO HAVING
PAID HIS WAY ALSO TO GO TO THE ORCHESTRA. BUT, YOU KNOW WE WOULD WATCH IT
OVER AND OVER THE SCREENING, OVER AND OVER SO THE DRIVER NEVER KNEW WHEN
WE'RE GONNA GET OUT. SO AFTER AWHILE WHEN WE ARE READY TO GO HOME AFTER
SEEING THE SHOW, MAYBE ONE TIME AND A HALF OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW ONE WHOLE
SHOW AND THEN THE FAVORITE, WE WAIT FOR THE FAVORITE SCENE, THEN MY LOLA
WOULD GO DOWN TO THE ORCHESTRA OPEN THE DOOR AND SAY, "ROMEO, UUWI NA
TAYO." THAT'S MASS CULTURE. LET'S MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO
EVERYONE.

SO THAT'S WHAT I WANT METROPOLITAN THEATER TO BE. ALSO I WANT WE MUST
RECOGNIZE THAT THE FILIPINOS LOVE MOVIES IT WAS NOT ONLY ME AS A CHILD.
PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE CULTURAL OUTLET OF ANYTHING IS THE MOVIES. AND IF
CULTURE REFLECTS, NO, IF ART REFLECTS, CULTURAL REFLECT STANDARDS, BUT
CULTURE MUST ALSO MOLD STANDARDS, THEN MOVIES MUST ALSO MOLD MORAL
STANDARDS; AND WE MUST USE OUR RESOURCES IN OUR CULTURAL ESTABLISHMENT TO
BE ABLE TO BRING MOVIES TOWARDS THOSE BEAUTIFUL VALUES THAT WE MUST
PRESERVE IN OUR SOCIETY.

THAT IS WHY I BEGAN BY ADVANCING MONEY FROM THE PRESIDENT'S SOCIAL FUND NOT
TO GIVE AN AWARD TO THE BEST MOVIES AT THE END OF THE METROPOLITAN FILM
FESTIVAL, BUT NEAR THE START. IN OTHER WORDS THERE'S A PRELIMINARY JUDGING
ON THE BEST SCRIPTS. AND I'VE RELEASED, I'VE ALLOCATED AN INITIAL 50
MILLION PESOS TO SPREAD OUT AS SUBSIDY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE BEST
SCRIPTS THAT WILL BE CHOSEN BY THE METRO MANILA FILM FESTIVAL COMMITTEE.

I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IDEA WAS GIVEN TO ME BY MAYOR REY
MALONZO. SO I HAD ASKED HIM ALSO TO HELP ME WORK OUT THE IMPLEMENTING
GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF THIS SUBSIDY.

NOW, THE METRO MANILA FILM FESTIVAL GETS A LOT OF INCOME. AND IF I SAID, I
HAVE ADVANCED THE MONEY BUT I THINK THAT THE NCCA SHOULD MAKE A STATEMENT
AND PARTICIPATE IN THIS SUBSIDY, BUT BECAUSE NCCA WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE
SUBSIDY IT MUST ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THE FRUITS OF THE METRO MANILA FILM
FESTIVAL.

THE METRO MANILA FILM FESTIVAL'S FUND BENEFICIARIES ARE NOT PROVIDED BY
LAW. THEY ARE JUST DETERMINED BY THE COMMITTEE USUALLY ACTING ON THE
INSTRUCTIONS OF THE PRESIDENT. SO, I WILL BE ASKING THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF
THE METRO MANILA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY -- 'DI BA HE'S THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
FILM FESTIVAL? -- THAT HE WILL REVIEW THE ALLOCATION OF THE PROCEEDS OF THE
FILM FESTIVAL AND IN THE REVIEW OF THE ALLOCATION THEY SHOULD ENSURE THAT
THE ENDOWMENT OR THE PRODUCTION SUBSIDY CONTRIBUTED BY THE NCCA TO THE WHAT
YOU WOULD CALL THE SEMI-FINALIST OR THE QUALIFYING SCRIPTS SHOULD BECOME A
PERMANENT FUND. SO THEREFORE IT SHOULD KEEP RETURNING -- IT SHOULD KEEP
RETURNING, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, TO THE NCCA SO THAT YOU HAVE MONEY AGAIN
FOR NEXT YEAR'S SUBSIDY.

INCIDENTALLY, YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW TO WHOM I WILL GIVE THE INSTRUCTIONS.
YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO WILL BE THE NEW METRO MANILA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY CHAIRMAN. IT IS BAYANI FERNANDO, THE FORMER MAYOR OF
MARIKINA CITY. YOU KNOW WHEN I ASKED DICK GORDON TO BE SECRETARY OF
TOURISM I SAID, "DICK, WHAT YOU DID IN SUBIC YOU'VE GOT TO DO FOR THE WHOLE
COUNTRY." WHEN I CALLED BAYANI, I SAID, "BF WHAT YOU DID FOR MARIKINA YOU
MUST DO FOR THE WHOLE METRO MANILA." BAYANI IS IN THE MOLD OF
EVELYN AND MUFFIN -- HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL, NO FRILLS, JUST STRAIGHT TO THE
POINT, NO-NONSENSE. WELL, THAT'S MY STYLE TOO.

AND SO CULTURE AND ART BY NATURE THERE ARE MANY FRILLS AND I APPRECIATE THE
FRILLS. THAT'S WHY ON MY DAY OFF, MY NIGHT OFF I EVEN GO TO A PLAY IN U.P.
AND THE STUDENTS THERE DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE HAND, SUDDENLY I JUST SHOW UP. I
LOVE THE PHILIPPINE VERSION OF "A WINTER'S TALE" OR I'LL FIND OUT THAT
THERE'S A SHOWING, EVEN IF I HAVE SEEN IT ALREADY TEN TIMES, OF "PORTRAIT
OF THE FILIPINO AS AN ARTIST" BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN.

AND THEN I PUT THE THREE PAINTING OF BOTONG FRANCISCO IN MALACA�ANG RIGHT
ON TOP OF STAIRCASE SO THAT EVERY TIME I LEAVE THE PALACE I LOOK AT THE
THREE PAINTINGS FIRST AND SOMETIMES THAT'S MYSTIC MOMENT FOR ME.

AND FELT THE PAIN WHEN I SAW THE BLOOD COMPACT THAT WAS PLACED THERE WHEN I
WAS A CHILD IN MALACA�ANG. I SAW IT WAS MOLDY AND SCRATCHED WHEN I GOT
THERE. AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I WANTED, NOT FIRST THINGS, I MEAN I'VE
BEEN WANTING TO DO IT IS TO HAVE IT RESTORED. AND I BELIEVE THAT WELL,
THERE ARE ALSO A COUPLE OF OTHERS, ANOTHER AMORSOLO IS ALSO KIND OF
SCRATCHED THERE, AND I PUT IT FIRST IN THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT. WE
HAVE, WE HAVE, THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT WILLING TO HELP IN THE RESTORATION,
WE HAVE ALSO SOME ARTISTS THAT ARE CONNECTED WITH THE SOTHEBY'S WILLING TO
MAKE ONE RESTORATION FOR FREE AND THINGS LIKE THIS.

BUT EVENTUALLY TOO I WOULD LIKE ALL THOSE BEAUTIFUL ART WORKS OF MALACA�ANG
TO BE MADE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PEOPLE. I WOULD LIKE THAT PART OF THE NCCA'S
JOB TO BE TO CATALOG ALL THE ART THAT IS IN MALACA�ANG AND THEN LET'S PUT
THEM ON EXHIBIT SOMETIMES, BUT LET'S PUT THEM ALSO IN A COFFEETABLE BOOK
WHERE EVERYONE, ALL THE CHILDREN ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TO BE ABLE TO
APPRECIATE.

SO THESE ARE SOME OF MY SPECIFIC OPERATIONAL PROJECT LEVEL IDEAS. I'M ALSO
VERY HAPPY THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE PRESERVING THE IFUGAO RICE TERRACES.
WHEN I WAS STILL VICE PRESIDENT THERE WAS AN IFUGAO RICE TERRACES TASK
FORCE THAT WAS ORGANIZED, I WAS A MEMBER OF THE TASK FORCE. BUT AFTER A
WHILE THAT I WAS THE ONLY ONE TAKING IT SERIOUSLY. I WAS ORGANIZING IN THE
VARIOUS TOWNS THAT HAD RICE TERRACES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR THE
POOREST OF THE POOR: FOOD FOR WORK BUT THE WORK IS TO WORK ON THE RICE
TERRACES. BUT THAT WAS THE ONLY SPECIFIC ACTIVITY THAT WAS BEING PUT
FORWARD.

SO WHEN I BECAME PRESIDENT WE ABOLISHED THE TASK FORCE BECAUSE COMMITTEES
DON'T WORK. TASK FORCES WORK FOR A SPECIFIC PERIOD WITH A DEADLINE. BUT
IF IT IS WITHIN A PARTICULAR GEOGRAPHICAL JURISDICTION I BELIEVE THAT THE
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY, AS EVELYN HAS TOLD ME, SHOULD BE ON THE LOCAL
GOVERNMENT OF IFUGAO. AND LET US SUPPORT THE GOVERNOR OF IFUGAO -- A VERY
YOUNG IFUGAO, EDUCATED, DYNAMIC, DEDICATED. LET'S EMPOWER THE PEOPLE OF
IFUGAO TO PRESERVE THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE.

SO I HAVE GIVEN YOU A FRAMEWORK, THE OVERARCHING VISION: MOBILIZE CULTURE
TO IMPROVE MORAL STANDARDS.

I HAVE GIVEN YOU A PRIMARY APPROACH: INSTITUTIONALIZE ACCOMMODATION OF
ETHNIC TRADITIONS.

I HAVE GIVEN ALSO ANOTHER APPROACH: MAKE CULTURE ATTRACTIVE TO THE MASSES.

AND I HAVE GIVEN YOU SOME SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT COMPLY WITH THOSE
APPROACHES, THAT COMPLY WITH THE VISION. I HOPE THAT THE CONTINUING
CONFERENCE THAT WE HAVE HERE WILL REINFORCE WHAT I HAVE SAID: LET US ENRICH
NCCA ITSELF; LET US ENRICH OUR OWN MEDIUM-TERM PLAN ITSELF; AND LET US
BRING CULTURE INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF HOW WE WANT THE PHILIPPINES TO BE IN
THE 21st CENTURY.

THANK YOU.

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