National Commission For Culture and The Arts

National Commission for Culture and the Arts
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (Filipino: Pambansang
Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining, Cebuano: Nasodnong Komisyon alang sa Budaya ug
mga Arte), is the official arts council for the Philippines. It is the overall policy making body,
coordinating, and grants giving agency for the preservation, development and promotion of
Philippine arts and culture; an executing agency for the policies it formulates; and task to
administering the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA) -- fund
exclusively for the implementation of culture and arts programs and projects.
History
The successful overthrow of the Marcos administration in 1986 inspired the different sectors of
society to rally behind the new government towards the restoration of democracy. In March 12,
1986, the Alliance of Artists for the Creation of a Ministry of Culture (AACMC) drafted and
adopted a proposal for the establishment of a Ministry of Culture. The group cited the inability of
the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports to devote time and attention to cultural planning
due to the gargantuan task of addressing the problems of the educational system.
President Corazon Aquino responded by issuing Executive Order 118 on January 30, 1987 which
established the Presidential Commission on Culture and the Arts (PCCA). It was a diminutive
agency compared to the proposal of AACMC but the said order was cognizant of the existence of
specialized cultural agencies and that these should only be placed under the umbrella of one agency
to coordinate their efforts.
In 1992, under the new constitution, Congress enacted Republic Act No. 7356 which
institutionalized the establishment of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
replacing PCCA. This said law mandated the formulation of national cultural policies and
programs according to the following principles:
a) pluralistic, fostering deep respect for the cultural identity of each locality, region or ethno-
linguistic locality, as well as elements assimilated from other cultures through the natural process
of acculturation;
b) democratic, encouraging and supporting the participation of the vast masses of our people in
its programs and projects;
c) non-partisan, open to all people and institution, regardless of creed, affiliation, ideology, ethnic
origin, age, gender or class, with no organized group or sector having monopoly of its services;
and
d) liberative, having concern for the decolonization and emancipation of the Filipino psyche in
order to ensure the full flowering of Filipino culture.[1]
The establishment of the NCCA prompted the cultural agencies that were attached to it, by virtue
of the same law, to review its existing mandates and programs to harmonize the delivery of cultural
services. CCP, for its part, transformed itself to become the national coordinating center for the
performing arts. It also sought to remove its “elitist” image by strengthening its outreach programs
and developing partnerships with local arts councils.[2]
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
As governed by RA 7356, The National Commission for Culture and the Arts is governed by a
Board of Commissioners composed of 15 members, namely:
 Hon. Virgilio S. Almario, NCCA Chairman (Concurrent Chairman, Komisyon sa Wikang

Filipino)
 Hon. Francis Joseph G. Escudero (Chairperson, Senate Committee on Education, Arts,
and Culture)
 Hon. Ramon Durano VI (Chairperson, House Committee on Basic Education and
Culture)
 Hon. Alberto T. Muyot, Commissioner (Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs,
Department of Education)
 Hon. Falconi V. Millar. Undersecretary, Department of Tourism
 Hon. Rene R. Escalante, Commissioner, (Chair, National Historical Commission of the
Philippines)
 Hon. Jeremy R. Barns, Commissioner (Director IV, National Museum)
 Hon. Cesar Gilbert Q. Adriano, Commissioner (Director IV, The National Library of the
Philippines)
 Hon. Victorino Mapa Manalo, Commissioner (Executive Director, National Archives of
the Philippines)
 Hon. Aresenio J. Lizaso, Commissioner (President, Cultural Center of the Philippines)
 Hon. Harold Ll. Rentoria, OSA, Commissioner (Head, Subcommission on Cultural
Heritage)
 Hon. Teddy Co, Commissioner (Head, Subcommission on the Arts)
 Hon. Orlando B. Magno, Commissioner (Head, Subcommission on Cultural
Dissemination)
 Hon. Alphonsus Tesoro, Commissioner (Head, Subcommission on Cultural Communities
and Traditional Arts)
 Hon. Rico S. Pableo, Jr. (Executive Director, National Commission for Culture and the
Arts)
16th to 19th Century Church Architecture in the Philippines
AUGUSTO F. VILLALON
While the Philippines was under Spanish rule (1521 – 1898), Spanish friars joined
the Philippine missions to Christianize the population.
The friar, a man of god and not an architect, used skilled Filipino artisans who were
unaware of Western construction and artistic techniques to build a church following the
friar’s faint recollection of European baroque churches that he had seen before his making
the long journey to the Philippines. The typical architecture in the tropical, island
environment was a dwelling, built of wood, bamboo, rattan and palm (nipa) thatch or
grass, usually raised from the ground on stilts that was totally adapted to the environment.
The houses were susceptible to fire, yearly typhoons or eathquakes. The unexpected
result of the mixture of Filipino, Chinese, European and Mexican influences was the
creation of a distinctively Filipino adaption of the baroque style.
The uniqueness of Filipino church architecture was honored by the UNESCO World
Heritage Committee by inscribing four churches in the UNESCO World Heritage List as
the “Baroque Churches of the Philippines.”
Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion (Sta. Maria, province of Ilocos Sur)
Built in 1765 under the direction of the Agustinian order, the ensemble resembles a citadel
sited on the crest of a solitary hill rising above one side of the Santa Maria town plaza.
The architectural ensemble presents its side and detached pagoda-like bell tower rather
than its façade to the town. Thick contrafuetes (buttresses) are attached to the walls,
reinforcing the structure against earthquake damage. The bell tower is constructed a
distance away, protecting the main church structure from possible earthquake damage.
Approached on foot by ascending a long, wide flight of piedra china, steps that rising from
the edge of the town plaza, the small, cramped plaza at the top of the steps is bounded
by the church façade that faces the convento, enclosed by an arcaded bridge that
connects both structures.
Church of San Agustin (Intramuros, Manila)
Built in 1587 under the direction of the Augustinian order, this is the oldest existing
Philippine Church and one of the few examples of an ecclesiastical complex specifically
conceived for an urban setting. Originally built as the Agustinian Mother House, the
complex includes the church, monasteries, cloisters and botanical gardens
encompassing an entire city block in the walled city of Intramuros, Manila. The austere
architecture is framed by a small plaza facing the principal church entrance that is
perpendicular to the street. Structurally well protected against earthquake damage, the
thick buttresses do not extend outwards from the exterior walls in the manner of most
Philippine Colonial Churches. Instead, they are incorporated into the interior, forming a
series of magnificent side chapels that line both sides of the church. San Agustin houses
one of the country’s leading collections of ecclesiastical art and rare books.
Church of San Agustin (Paoay, province of Ilocos Norte)
Built in 1710 under the direction of the Agustinian order, the ensemble of the church
and detached bell towers are truly majestic in scale when viewed from the edge of the
plaza that faces the ensemble. Detached from the church façade the bell tower tapers as
it rises from the ground in a fashion reminiscent of a pagoda. The stone façade is plain at
the bottom. Light, elegant decorative carving is applied close to the top of the pediment.
A row of feathery stone finials that seem to gently brush the sky with delicate Oriental
strokes accentuate the triangular top of the pediment. The earthquake protection system
in this structure is probably its most dramatic feature. Exaggeratedly thick buttresses
protrude quite a distance from the ground to be countered by a smaller volute near roof
level topped by a stone finial. Swirling upwards to the sky, the massive stone buttresses
take on a magical lightness.
Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva (Miag-ao, province of Iloilo)
Built in 1797 under the direction of the Augustinian order, the church is one of the
most successful examples of the exuberant Philippine Translation of western baroque
design principles into a hybrid local style. The church’s architectural composition follows
the box-like structure attached to the rear of a pediment façade. Non-symmetrical bell
towers, squat at the bottom but tapering upwards solidly anchor each side of the façade.
The deeply incised relief carving gives the façade a remarkable three-dimensional quality.
The nalf carving depicts Saint Christopher dressed as a Filipino farmer, carrying the
young Christ on his shoulders across a river set within a luxuriant field of primitively
carved, out of scale representations of Filipino flora and fauna. In keeping with the nalf
character of the ensemble, the architectural details are likewise very exaggerated in
scale.

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National Commission for Culture and the Arts

 Hon. Virgilio S. Almario, NCCA Chairman (Concurrent Chairman, Komisyon sa Wikang

Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion (Sta. Maria, province of Ilocos Sur)

Church of San Agustin (Intramuros, Manila)

Church of San Agustin (Paoay, province of Ilocos Norte)

Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva (Miag-ao, province of Iloilo)

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