The arts of the Philippines reflect a society with diverse

cultural influences and traditions. The Malayan peoples had

early contact with traders who introduced Chinese and Indian
influences. Islamic traditions were first introduced to the
Malays of the southern Philippine Islands in the 14th century.
Most modern aspects of Philippine cultural life evolved under
the foreign rule of Spain and, later, the United States. In the
16th century the Spanish imposed a foreign culture based in
Catholicism. While the lowland peoples were acculturated
through religious conversion, the Muslims and some upland
tribal groups maintained cultural independence. Among those
who were assimilated arose an educated elite who began to
establish a modern Filipino literary tradition. During the first
half of the 20th century, American influence made the
Philippines one of the most Westernized nations in Southeast
Asia. The cultural movements of Europe and the United
States profoundly influenced Filipino artists, even
after independence in 1946. While drawing on Western
forms, however, the works of Filipino painters, writers, and
musicians are imbued with distinctly Philippine themes. By
expressing the cultural richness of the archipelago in all its
diversity, Filipino artists have helped to shape a sense of
national identity. Many Malay cultural traditions have
survived despite centuries of foreign rule. Muslims and
upland tribal groups maintain distinct traditions in music,
dance, and sculpture. In addition, many Filipino artists
incorporate indigenous folk motifs into modern forms.
A. LITERATURE

The indigenous literature of the Philippines developed

primarily in the oral tradition in poetic and narrative forms.
Epic poems, legends, proverbs, songs, and riddles were
passed from generation to generation through oral recitation
and incantation in the various languages and dialects of the
islands. The epics were the most complex of these early
literary forms. Most of the major tribal groups developed an
original epic that was chanted in episodic segments during a
variety of social rituals. One common theme of the epics is a
hero who is aided by benevolent spirits. The epics that have
survived are important records of the ancient customs of
tribal society before the arrival of Islam and Christianity.
After the arrival of the Spanish, Catholic missionaries
employed indigenous peoples as translators, creating a
bilingual class known as ladinos. These individuals, notably
poet-translator Gaspar Aquino de Belen,
produced devotional poetry written in the Roman script,
primarily in the Tagalog language. Later, the Spanish ballad
of chivalry, the corridor, provided a model for secular
(nonreligious) literature. Verse narratives, or komedya, were
performed in the regional languages for the illiterate
majority. They were also written in the Roman alphabet in
the principal languages and widely circulated. Francisco
Balagtas Baltazar, generally considered the first major
Filipino poet, wrote poems in Tagalog. His best-known work,
Florante at Laura (Florante and Laura), probably written
between 1835 and 1842, is an epic poem that subversively
criticizes Spanish tyranny. This poem inspired a generation of
young Filipino writers of the new educated class, or
ilustrados, who used their literary talents to call for political
and social reform under the colonial system. These writers,
most notably Jose Rizal, produced a small but high-quality
body of Philippine literature in Spanish. Rizal's novel Noli Me
Tangere (Touch Me Not), published in 1886, and its sequel,
El Filibusterismo (The Subversive), published in 1891, helped
to shape a new, nationalist identity during the last years of
the 19th century.The transfer of the Philippines to United
States control in 1898 resulted in a dramatic increase in
literacy and, consequently, literary production. A variety of
new literary journals began to be published. English-
language Filipino novels, short stories, and poems were first
published in book form in the 1920s. Many Filipino authors
have had distinguished writing careers. Their works typically
explore the Filipino cultural identity in the context of social
and political issues. Filipino authors often write in more than
one literary form and in more than one language. Major
English-language works include Winds of April (1940) and
The Bamboo Dancers (1959) by N. V. M. Gonzalez; Many
Voices (1939) and Have Come, Am Here (1942) by Jose
Garcia Villa; You Lovely People (1955) and Scent of Apples
and Other Stories (1980) by Bienvenido N. Santos; The
Laughter of My Father (1944) and America Is in the Heart
(1946) by Carlos Bulosan; Bitter Country and Other Stories
(1970) by Rosca Ninotchka; The Woman Who Had Two
Navels (1972) and A Question of Heroes (1977) by Nick
Joaquin; The God Stealer and Other Stories (1968) and Tree
(1978) by Francisco Sionil Jose A Question of Identity (1973)
by Carmen Guerrero Nakpil; and His Native Coast (1979) by
Edith L. Tiempo.

B. ART AND ARCHITECTURE

During most of the Spanish colonial period, the art and

architecture of the Philippines were strongly influenced by
the patronage of the Roman Catholic Church. Most art
emphasized religious iconography. The church commissioned
local craftspeople, often skilled Chinese artisans, to construct
provincial stone churches with bas-relief sculpture and
to carve santos, or statues of saints, and
other devotional icons in wood and ivory. The edifices,
statues, and paintings of the period show Chinese and Malay
modifications of Spanish baroque, an elaborate and detailed
style.Philippine painters began to explore secular themes in
the mid-1800s. The painters Juan Luna and Felix
Resurreccien Hidalgo produced works in the romantic and
early impressionist styles, achieving recognition in Europe.
Painters of the early 1900s-notably Fernando Amorsolo,
Fabien de la Rosa, and Jorge Pineda-produced romanticized
landscapes, genre scenes, and portraits. In the late 1920s
Victorio Edades, an American-trained painter, infused
modernism into the Philippine art world. Many Philippine
painters who were influenced
by American and European modernism also experimented
with it to reflect Philippine realities, such as Carlos Francisco,
Arturo Luz, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Vicente Manansala, and
Hernando Ocampo. Lee Aguinaldo and Fernando Zobel de
Ayala achieved international recognition in the 1960s and
1970s.Sculpture took on secular themes in the early 1900s.
The major Filipino sculptor of the American colonial period
was Guillermo Tolentino, who trained in classical sculpture in
Rome. In the 1950s Napoleon Abueva pioneered modernism
in Philippine sculpture. Many talented sculptors were active in
the following decades, notably Eduardo Castrillo, whose large
welded-metal sculptures are displayed in Manila's Memorial
Park; Solomon Saprid, noted for his expressionist series of
mythical figures titled Tikbalang; and Abdulmari Imao, who
produced contemporary interpretations of traditional Muslim
designs. More recently, sculptors have tended to utilize
ethnic artifacts and natural materials to produce assemblages
with social themes.In remote areas, tribal groups have
preserved traditional art forms such as woodcarving, textile
weaving, bamboo and rattan weaving, and metalsmithing.
Artistic body adornments such as bead jewelry, body tattoos,
and headdresses are important indications of social status. In
the northern Philippines, the Ifugao people are known for
their sculptural wood carvings of bulul figures, which
represent guardian deities. The figures are ritually placed in
rice granaries to bring a plentiful harvest. The terraced rice
fields of the Ifugao are considered a major architectural feat.
The Ifugao built them over a period of centuries by carving
terraces into the mountainsides and reinforcing each level
with stone walls.The Muslim peoples in the south practice
okir, a design tradition that shows evidence of Indian and
Islamic influences. Rendered in hardwood and brass, the okir
designs are mostly figurative, depicting animals, plants, and
mythical figures. The style is highly decorative, with long
curvilinear lines and secondary arabesques. The designs are
based in the ancient epics and serve as significant cultural
symbols. An important motif of the Maranaos is the
sarimanok design, depicting a bird holding a fish in its beak
or talons. Many okir designs are used as decorative elements
in architecture. The Muslim peoples of the Philippines are
noted for their metalworking skills, producing weaponry such
as swords and decorative containers in brass and silver.

C. MUSIC AND DANCE

Filipino classical musical compositions in many ways

epitomize the blending of multicultural influences. The
compositions often embody indigenous themes and rhythms
in Western forms, such as symphonies, sonatas, and
concertos. Several composers and conductors in classical
music have achieved international recognition, including
Antonio Molina, Felipe Padilla de Leon, and Eliseo Pajaro.
Jose Maceda is considered the first Filipino avant-garde
composer, liberating Philippine classical music from the
traditional constructs of Western forms. Traditional types of
music are played on wind, string, and percussion instruments
made from local materials. These include the kulibit, a zither
with bamboo strings and tubular bamboo resonators; wooden
lutes and guitars; and the git-git, a wooden three-string
bowed instrument. The Muslim peoples use these and other
instruments to play complex musical compositions that have
been passed by memory from generation to generation. Most
Filipino communities remember the tunes and lyrics of
traditional folk songs. Tagalogs, for example, have more than
a dozen folk songs for various occasions, including the uyayi
or hele, a lullaby; the talindaw, a seafaring song; the
kumintang, a warrior song; the kundiman, a love song; and
the panambitan, a courtship song. Some songs are
accompanied by a specific folk dance.Formal training in
classical dance has been available in the Philippines since the
1930s. The first noted Filipino choreographers in classical
ballet were Leonor Orosa-Goquingco, Remedios Totoy de
Oteyza, and Rosalia Merino-Santos. Orosa-Goquingco is most
noted for her staging of Filipinescas: Philippine Life, Legend
and Lore in Dance, which toured the world in the 1960s.
Merino-Santos later turned to modern dance and founded the
Far Eastern University Modern Experimental Dance Troupe.
Other dance companies include Ballet Philippines (formerly
the Modern Dance Company), Hariraya Ballet Company,
Dance Theater Philippines, and Pamana Ballet (formerly the
Anita Kane Ballet Company). Several Filipino ballet dancers
have achieved international fame, including Maribel Aboitiz,
Eddie Elejar, Lisa Macuja, and Anna Villadolid.Choreographer
Francisca Reyes-Aquino is recognized for pioneering research
in the documentation of Philippine folk dances and founding
the Philippine Folk Dance Society. She codified the folk
dances into steps, directions, and musical arrangements that
are taught in physical education classes in most schools.
Among other folk dance troupes, the Bayanihan Philippine
Dance Company (formerly the Bayanihan Folk Arts Center)
and the Far Eastern University Folk Dance Group perform
stylized adaptations of folk dances in local and international
tours. Informal folk dancing is performed for a variety of
occasions, such as harvests, weddings, and religious
celebrations. The Manila Symphony Orchestra accompanies
many dance performances. The Philippine Cultural Center in
Manila provides an important venue for the performing and
applied arts.
D. LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS

In addition to the university libraries, the major libraries of

the country are the Manila City Library, the National Library,
and the library of the Science and Technology Information
Institute, all in Manila. The Lopez Memorial Museum and
Library, in Pasay, has collections of paintings by major
Filipino artists, as well as the letters and manuscripts of Jose
Rizal. The Santo Tomas Museum, in Manila, has major
archaeological and natural-history collections, illustrating the
history of the islands. The National Museum, in Manila, has
divisions of anthropology, botany, geology, and zoology,
along with art collections and a planetarium.

Culture and Arts

The arts of the Philippines reflect a society with diverse

cultural influences and traditions. The Malayan peoples had
early contact with traders who introduced Chinese and Indian
influences. Islamic traditions were first introduced to the
Malays of the southern Philippine Islands in the 14th century.
Most modern aspects of Philippine cultural life evolved under
the foreign rule of Spain and, later, the United States.

In the 16th century the Spanish imposed a foreign culture

based in Catholicism. While the lowland peoples were
acculturated through religious conversion, the Muslims and
some upland tribal groups maintained cultural independence.
Among those who were assimilated arose an educated elite
who began to establish a modern Filipino literary tradition.

During the first half of the 20th century, American influence

made the Philippines one of the most Westernized nations in
Southeast Asia. The cultural movements of Europe and the
United States profoundly influenced Filipino artists, even
after independence in 1946. While drawing on Western
forms, however, the works of Filipino painters, writers, and
musicians are imbued with distinctly Philippine themes. By
expressing the cultural richness of the archipelago in all its
diversity, Filipino artists have helped to shape a sense of
national identity.

Many Malay cultural traditions have survived despite

centuries of foreign rule. Muslims and upland tribal groups
maintain distinct traditions in music, dance, and sculpture. In
addition, many Filipino artists incorporate indigenous folk
motifs into modern forms.

A. LITERATURE

The indigenous literature of the Philippines developed

primarily in the oral tradition in poetic and narrative forms.
Epic poems, legends, proverbs, songs, and riddles were
passed from generation to generation through oral recitation
and incantation in the various languages and dialects of the
islands. The epics were the most complex of these early
literary forms. Most of the major tribal groups developed an
original epic that was chanted in episodic segments during a
variety of social rituals. One common theme of the epics is a
hero who is aided by benevolent spirits. The epics that have
survived are important records of the ancient customs of
tribal society before the arrival of Islam and Christianity.

After the arrival of the Spanish, Catholic missionaries

employed indigenous peoples as translators, creating a
bilingual class known as ladinos. These individuals, notably
poet-translator Gaspar Aquino de Belen, produced devotional
poetry written in the Roman script, primarily in the Tagalog
language. Later, the Spanish ballad of chivalry, the corridor,
provided a model for secular (nonreligious) literature. Verse
narratives, or komedya, were performed in the regional
languages for the illiterate majority. They were also written
in the Roman alphabet in the principal languages and widely
circulated.

Francisco Balagtas Baltazar, generally considered the first

major Filipino poet, wrote poems in Tagalog. His best-known
work, Florante at Laura (Florante and Laura), probably
written between 1835 and 1842, is an epic poem that
subversively criticizes Spanish tyranny. This poem inspired a
generation of young Filipino writers of the new educated
class, or ilustrados, who used their literary talents to call for
political and social reform under the colonial system. These
writers, most notably Jose Rizal, produced a small but high-
quality body of Philippine literature in Spanish. Rizal's novel
Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not), published in 1886, and its
sequel, El Filibusterismo (The Subversive), published in
1891, helped to shape a new, nationalist identity during the
last years of the 19th century.

The transfer of the Philippines to United States control in

1898 resulted in a dramatic increase in literacy and,
consequently, literary production. A variety of new literary
journals began to be published. English-language Filipino
novels, short stories, and poems were first published in book
form in the 1920s. Many Filipino authors have had
distinguished writing careers. Their works typically explore
the Filipino cultural identity in the context of social and
political issues. Filipino authors often write in more than one
literary form and in more than one language. Major English-
language works include Winds of April (1940) and The
Bamboo Dancers (1959) by N. V. M. Gonzalez; Many Voices
(1939) and Have Come, Am Here (1942) by Jose Garcia
Villa; You Lovely People (1955) and Scent of Apples and
Other Stories (1980) by Bienvenido N. Santos; The Laughter
of My Father (1944) and America Is in the Heart (1946) by
Carlos Bulosan; Bitter Country and Other Stories (1970) by
Rosca Ninotchka; The Woman Who Had Two Navels (1972)
and A Question of Heroes (1977) by Nick Joaquin; The God
Stealer and Other Stories (1968) and Tree (1978) by
Francisco Sionil Jose A Question of Identity (1973) by
Carmen Guerrero Nakpil; and His Native Coast (1979) by
Edith L. Tiempo.

B. ART AND ARCHITECTURE

During most of the Spanish colonial period, the art and

architecture of the Philippines were strongly influenced by
the patronage of the Roman Catholic Church. Most art
emphasized religious iconography. The church commissioned
local craftspeople, often skilled Chinese artisans, to construct
provincial stone churches with bas-relief sculpture and to
carve santos, or statues of saints, and other devotional icons
in wood and ivory. The edifices, statues, and paintings of the
period show Chinese and Malay modifications of Spanish
baroque, an elaborate and detailed style.

Philippine painters began to explore secular themes in the

mid-1800s. The painters Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccien
Hidalgo produced works in the romantic and early
impressionist styles, achieving recognition in Europe. Painters
of the early 1900s-notably Fernando Amorsolo, Fabian de la
Rosa, and Jorge Pineda-produced romanticized landscapes,
genre scenes, and portraits. In the late 1920s Victorio
Edades, an American-trained painter, infused modernism into
the Philippine art world. Many Philippine painters who were
influenced by American and European modernism also
experimented with it to reflect Philippine realities, such as
Carlos Francisco, Arturo Luz, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Vicente
Manansala, and Hernando Ocampo. Lee Aguinaldo and
Fernando Zobel de Ayala achieved international recognition in
the 1960s and 1970s.

Sculpture took on secular themes in the early 1900s. The

major Filipino sculptor of the American colonial period was
Guillermo Tolentino, who trained in classical sculpture in
Rome. In the 1950s Napoleon Abueva pioneered modernism
in Philippine sculpture. Many talented sculptors were active in
the following decades, notably Eduardo Castrillo, whose large
welded-metal sculptures are displayed in Manila Memorial
Park; Solomon Saprid, noted for his expressionist series of
mythical figures titled Tikbalang; and Abdulmari Imao, who
produced contemporary interpretations of traditional Muslim
designs. More recently, sculptors have tended to utilize
ethnic artifacts and natural materials to produce assemblages
with social themes.

In remote areas, tribal groups have preserved traditional art

forms such as woodcarving, textile weaving, bamboo and
rattan weaving, and metalsmithing. Artistic body adornments
such as bead jewelry, body tattoos, and headdresses are
important indications of social status. In the northern
Philippines, the Ifugao people are known for their sculptural
wood carvings of bulul figures, which represent guardian
deities. The figures are ritually placed in rice granaries to
bring a plentiful harvest. The terraced rice fields of the Ifugao
are considered a major architectural feat. The Ifugao built
them over a period of centuries by carving terraces into the
mountainsides and reinforcing each level with stone walls.

The Muslim peoples in the south practice okir, a design

tradition that shows evidence of Indian and Islamic
influences. Rendered in hardwood and brass, the okir designs
are mostly figurative, depicting animals, plants, and mythical
figures. The style is highly decorative, with long curvilinear
lines and secondary arabesques. The designs are based in
the ancient epics and serve as significant cultural symbols.
An important motif of the Maranaos is the sarimanok design,
depicting a bird holding a fish in its beak or talons. Many okir
designs are used as decorative elements in architecture. The
Muslim peoples of the Philippines are noted for their
metalworking skills, producing weaponry such as swords and
decorative containers in brass and silver.

C. MUSIC DANCE

Filipino classical musical compositions in many ways

epitomize the blending of multicultural influences. The
compositions often embody indigenous themes and rhythms
in Western forms, such as symphonies, sonatas, and
concertos. Several composers and conductors in classical
music have achieved international recognition, including
Antonio Molina, Felipe Padilla de Leon, and Eliseo P Jaro. Jose
Maceda is considered the first Filipino avant-garde composer,
liberating Philippine classical music from the traditional
constructs of Western forms.

Traditional types of music are played on wind, string, and

percussion instruments made from local materials. These
include the kulibit, a zither with bamboo strings and tubular
bamboo resonators; wooden lutes and guitars; and the git-
git, a wooden three-string bowed instrument. The Muslim
peoples use these and other instruments to play complex
musical compositions that have been passed by memory
from generation to generation.

Most Filipino communities remember the tunes and lyrics of

traditional folk songs. Tagalogs, for example, have more than
a dozen folk songs for various occasions, including the uyayi
or hele, a lullaby; the talindaw, a seafaring song; the
kumintang, a warrior song; the kundiman, a love song; and
the panambitan, a courtship song. Some songs are
accompanied by a specific folk dance.

Formal training in classical dance has been available in the

Philippines since the 1930s. The first noted Filipino
choreographers in classical ballet were Leonor Orosa-
Goquingco, Remedios Totoy de Oteyza, and Rosalia Merino-
Santos. Orosa-Goquingco is most noted for her staging of
Filipinescas: Philippine Life, Legend and Lore in Dance, which
toured the world in the 1960s. Merino-Santos later turned to
modern dance and founded the Far Eastern University
Modern Experimental Dance Troupe. Other dance companies
include Ballet Philippines (formerly the Modern Dance
Company), Hariraya Ballet Company, Dance Theater
Philippines, and Pamana Ballet (formerly the Anita Kane
Ballet Company). Several Filipino ballet dancers have
achieved international fame, including Maribel Aboitiz, Eddie
Elejar, Lisa Macuja, and Anna Villadolid.

Choreographer Francisca Reyes-Aquino is recognized for

pioneering research in the documentation of Philippine folk
dances and founding the Philippine Folk Dance Society. She
codified the folk dances into steps, directions, and musical
arrangements that are taught in physical education classes in
most schools. Among other folk dance troupes, the
Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company (formerly the
Bayanihan Folk Arts Center) and the Far Eastern University
Folk Dance Group perform stylized adaptations of folk dances
in local and international tours. Informal folk dancing is
performed for a variety of occasions, such as harvests,
weddings, and religious celebrations.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra accompanies many dance

performances. The Philippine Cultural Center in Manila
provides an important venue for the performing and applied
arts.

D. LIBRARIES MUSEUMS

In addition to the university libraries, the major libraries of

the country are the Manila City Library, the National Library,
and the library of the Science and Technology Information
Institute, all in Manila. The Lopez Memorial Museum and
Library, in Pasay, has collections of paintings by major
Filipino artists, as well as the letters and manuscripts of Jose
Rizal. The Santo Toms Museum, in Manila, has major
archaeological and natural-history collections, illustrating the
history of the islands. The National Museum, in Manila, has
divisions of anthropology, botany, geology, and zoology,
along with art collections and a planetarium.

Branches[edit]

 (A) Traditional arts[1] - bearers of traditional arts can be

nominated as Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA),
equal to National Artist.
o Folk architecture - including, but not limited to, stilt
houses, land houses, and aerial houses
o Maritime transport - boat houses, boat-making,
and maritime traditions
o Weaving - including, but not limited to, basket
weaving, back-strap loom weaving, headgear weaving,
fishnet weaving, and other forms of weaving
o Carving - including, but not limited to, woodcarving
and folk non-clay sculpture
 o Folk performing arts - including, but not limited to,
dances, plays, and dramas
o Folk (oral) literature - including, but not limited to,
epics, songs, and myths
o Folk graphic and plastic arts - including, but not
limited to, calligraphy, tattooing, folk writing, folk
drawing, and folk painting
o Ornament, textile, or fiber art - hat-making, mask-
making, accessory-making, ornamental metal crafts
o Pottery - including, but not limited to, ceramic
making, clay pot-making, and folk clay sculpture
o Other artistic expressions of traditional culture -
including, but not limited to, non-ornamental metal
crafts, martial arts, supernatural healing arts, medicinal
arts, and constellation traditions
 (B) Non-traditional arts[2] - bearers of non-traditional arts
can be nominated as National Artist, equal to Gawad
Manlilika ng Bayan.
o Dance - including, but not limited to, dance
choreography, dance direction, and dance
performance
o Music - including, but not limited to, musical
composition, musical direction, and musical
performance
o Theater - including, but not limited to, theatrical
direction, theatrical performance, theatrical production
design, theatrical light and sound design, and theatrical
playwriting
o Visual arts - including, but not limited to painting,
non-folk sculpture, printmaking, photography,
 installation art, mixed media works, illustration, graphic
arts, performance art, and imaging
o Literature - including, but not limited to, poetry,
fiction, essay, and literary/art criticism
o Film and broadcast arts - including, but not limited
to, film and broadcast direction, film and broadcast
writing, film and broadcast production design, film and
broadcast cinematography, film and broadcast editing,
film and broadcast animation, film and broadcast
performance, and film and broadcast new media
o Architecture and allied arts - including, but not
limited to, non-folk architecture, interior design,
landscape architecture, and urban design
o Design - including, but not limited to, industrial
design, and fashion design
Functional art[edit]

Kut-kut is a technique combining ancient Oriental and European art

process. Considered lost art and highly collectible art form. Very few
known art pieces existed today. The technique was practiced by the
indigenous people of Samar Island between early 1600 and late
1800 AD. Kut-kut is an exotic Philippine art form based on early
century techniques—sgraffito, encaustic and layering. The merging
of these ancient styles produces a unique artwork characterized by
delicate swirling interwoven lines, multi-layered texture and an
illusion of three-dimensional space.
Hindu-Buddhist iconography[edit]
See also: Indian cultural influences in early Philippine
polities
The Golden Tara of Agusan.
Many of historians believe that the various cultures of the
Philippine archipelago first encountered Hindu and/or
Buddhist beliefs as early as the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE,
[3]
 but some recent scholars suggest that these cultural
influences filtered in mostly during the 10th through the early
14th centuries. Present-day scholars believe these religious
and cultural influences came mostly through trade with
Southeast Asian thassalocratic empires such as
the Srivijaya and Majapahit, which in turn had trade
relationships with India.[3][4][5][6]
Scholars such as Milton Osborne emphasize that despite
these beliefs being originally from India, they reached the
Philippines through Southeast Asian cultures with
Austronesian roots.[7]
The artifacts reflect the iconography of the Vajrayana
Buddhism and its influences on the Philippines' early states.
[8]

The copper Buddha's of Ma-i (metal relics) – "The

gentleness of Tagalog customs that the first Spaniards
found, very different from those of other provinces of the
same race and in Luzon itself, can very well be the effect of
Buddhism "There are copper Buddha's" images.[9] the
people in Ma-i sound like newcomers [to this port] since they
don't know where those metal statues in the jungle come
from."[10]
Archaeological findings show that before the settlement of
the Spaniards in the country, the Tagalogs, especially
the Batangueños, had attained a semblance of high
civilization. This was shown by certain jewelry, made from a
chambered nautilus' shell, where tiny holes were created by
a drill-like tool. The ancient Batangueños were influenced
by India as shown in the origin of most languages from
Sanskrit and certain ancient potteries. A Buddhist image
was reproduced in mould on a clay medallion in bas-relief
from the municipality of Calatagan. According to experts, the
image in the pot strongly resembles the iconographic
portrayal of Buddha in Siam, India, and Nepal. The pot
shows Buddha Amithaba in the tribhanga[11] pose inside an
oval nimbus. Scholars also noted that there is a
strong Mahayanic orientation in the image, since the
Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara was also depicted.[12]
The archipelagos of Southeast Asia were under the
influence of Hindu Tamil, Gujarati and Indonesian traders
through the ports of Malay-Indonesian islands. Indian
religions, possibly an amalgamated version of Hindu-
Buddhist arrived in the Philippine archipelago in the 1st
millennium, through the Indonesian kingdom of Srivijaya,
followed by Majapahit. Archaeological evidence suggesting
exchange of ancient spiritual ideas from India to the
Philippines includes the 1.79 kilogram, 21 carat gold Hindu
goddess Agusan (sometimes referred to as Golden Tara),
found in Mindanao in 1917 after a storm and flood exposed
its location.[13] The statue now sits in the Field Museum of
Natural History in Chicago, and is dated from the period
13th to early 14th centuries.
A study of this image was made by Dr. F. D. K. Bosch, of
Batavia, in 1920, who came to the conclusion that it was
made by local workmen in Mindanao, copying a Ngandjuk
image of the early Majapahit period – except that the local
artist overlooked the distinguishing attributes held in the
hand. It probably had some connection with the Javanese
miners who are known to have been mining gold in the
Agusan-Surigao area in the middle or late 14th century. The
image is apparently that of a Sivaite goddess, and fits in well
with the name "Butuan" (signifying "phallus").
— H. Otley Beyer, 1947[14]
Juan Francisco suggests that the golden Agusan statue
may be a representation of goddess Sakti of the Siva-
Buddha (Bhairava) tradition found in Java, in which the
religious aspect of Shiva is integrated with those found in
Buddhism of Java and Sumatra. The Rajahnate of Butuan,
in present-day Agusan del Norte and Butuan City, used
Hinduism as its main religion along with
indigenous Lumad nature-worships. A Hindu Tamil King of
the Rajahnate of Cebu was also recorded.[15] Another gold
artifact, from the Tabon Caves in the island of Palawan, is
an image of Garuda, the bird who is the mount of Vishnu.
The discovery of sophisticated Hindu imagery and gold
artifacts in Tabon Caves has been linked to those found
from Oc Eo, in the Mekong Delta in Southern Vietnam.
[16]
 These archaeological evidence suggests an active trade
of many specialized goods and gold between India and
Philippines and coastal regions of Vietnam and China.
Golden jewelry found so far include rings, some surmounted
by images of Nandi – the sacred bull, linked chains,
inscribed gold sheets, gold plaques decorated with
repoussé images of Hindu deities.[16][17]
In 1989, a laborer working in a sand mine at the mouth of
Lumbang River near Laguna de Bay found a copper plate in
Barangay Wawa, Lumban.[13] This discovery, is now known
as the Laguna Copperplate Inscription by scholars. It is the
earliest known written document found in the Philippines,
dated to be from the late 9th century CE, and was
deciphered in 1992 by Dutch anthropologist Antoon Postma.
The copperplate inscription suggests economic and cultural
links between the Tagalog people of Philippines with the
Javanese Medang Kingdom, the Srivijaya empire, and the
Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms of India. Hinduism in the country
declined when Islam was introduced by traders
from Arabia which was then followed by Christianity from
Spain.[13] This is an active area of research as little is known
about the scale and depth of Philippine history from the 1st
millennium and before.
Lingling-o[edit]

Three designs of Lingling-o at the Musée du quai

Branly in Paris, France.
The Lingling-o (sometimes also spelled "ling-ling-o") are an
"omega shaped"[18] type of pendant or amulet that has been
associated with various indigenous cultures of the
Philippines since the early metal age.[19] The earliest
surviving examples of lingling-o, dating back to the metal
age, were made out of Nephrite jade, but many later
examples were made of shell, gold, copper, and wood; [19] the
kind of material suggests differences in the social standing
of its wearer.[19] The term was first popularized by H. Otley
Beyer, who adapted it from the Southern Ifugao name for
such ornaments.[20] The term has since also come to be used
as a blanket term for various metal age ornaments found in
the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.[20]
Batanes workshop site[edit]
Earlier historians have posited that the earliest lingling-o
artifacts found in the Philippines were created outside of the
archipelago, but an expedition to the northern Philippine
province of Batanes, led by archeologist Peter Bellwood in
the early 2000s, led to the discovery of a lingling-o
workshop, complete with construction tools and fragments.
The find provides evidence of indigenous Philippine
manufacture of lingling-o as early as 2,500 years ago. [18]
Architecture[edit]
Further information: Nipa hut, Bahay na bato,
and Earthquake Baroque
Main article: Architecture of the Philippines

A Nipa hut (bahay kubo) from Mabini Shrine in Manila.

The vernacular architecture of the Philippines is diverse and
developed according to the traditions, history and influences
exposure experienced by each culture or society. They
ranged from simple Bahay Kubo which is the basis of all
Filipino cultural architecture which gave way to houses
like Bahay na bato, up to the palaces such as Torogans,
fortifications like the Classical Kota's and Idjangs, Colonial
Forts and mega structure such as Banaue Rice
Terraces which is built from carving of the mountain walls,
and Mosques in Mindanao. Architectures like Baroque was
adopted to the Filipino culture, making their own
interpretation through the Filipino culture climate and
environment. One of the product of Filipino Baroque is
the Earthquake Baroque, which is especially designed to
adapt to the earthquake prone environment of the
Philippines.
Weaving[edit]

A Filipino loom for weaving rough fabrics of abaka fiber, 1905.

Philippine weaving involves many threads being measured,
cut, and mounted on a wooden platform. The threads are
dyed and weaved on a loom.[21]
Before Spanish colonization, native Filipinos weaved using
fibers from abaca, cotton, and bark cloth. Textiles, clothes,
rugs, and hats were weaved. Baskets were also weaved
and used as vessels of transport and storage, and for
hunting. These baskets were used to transport grain, store
food, and catching fish.[22] They also used weaving to make
just about all of the clothing that was worn. They weaved
rugs that they used for quilts and bedding. The quality of the
quilt/bedding was based on how soft, how tight together,
and the clean pattern. The patterns were usually thick
stripes with different colors and with a nice pattern.
However, during Spanish colonization, Filipinos used fabric
called nipis to weave white clothing. These were weaved
with decorative, flower designs.[22]
Visual arts[edit]
Painting[edit]
Main article: List of Filipino painters
Prehistoric cave drawings were discovered in a number of
sites in the Philippines. A notable set is the Angono
Petroglyphs, found in a shallow rock shelter. It measures 63
meters wide, 8 meters deep, and a maximum height of 5
meters. These were formed in volcanic soil during the
Quaternary period. There are 127 drawings in forms of
animate and static figures with circular or dome-like heads
on top of a 'V' shaped torso. The drawings are distributed on
a horizontal plane on a rock wall area measuring 25 meters
by 3 meters. Only 51 of the total 127 drawings are distinct.
Due to the complexity and plurality of the drawings, it is
suggested that the drawings were not only created by a
single individual. the figures engraved on the rockwall were
probably carved during the late Neolithic, or before 2000
BC.[23] These inscriptions clearly show stylized human
figures, frogs and lizards, along with other designs that may
have depicted other interesting figures. Erosion may have
caused some to become indistinguishable. The engravings
are mostly symbolic representations and are associated with
healing and sympathetic magic.[24]
Artistic paintings were introduced to Filipinos in the 16th
century when the Spaniards arrived. During this time, the
Spaniards used paintings as visual aids for their religious
propaganda of spreading Catholicism. These paintings,
appearing mostly on church walls, featured religious figures
that appear in Catholic teachings. The purpose of most
paintings in the Philippines from the 16th to the 19th century
were to aid the Catholic Church.[25]
In the early 19th century, wealthier, educated Filipinos
introduced more secular Filipino art, causing art in the
Philippines to deviate from religious motifs. The use of
watercolour paintings increased and the subject matter of
paintings began to include landscapes, Filipino inhabitants,
Philippine fashion, and government officials. Portrait
paintings featured the painters themselves, Filipino jewelry,
and native furniture. Landscape paintings portrayed scenes
of average Filipinos partaking in their daily tasks. These
paintings often showcased ornately painted artists' names.
These paintings were done on canvas, wood, and a variety
of metals.[25]
During World War II, some painters focused their artwork on
the effects of the war. Common themes included battle
scenes, destruction, and the suffering of the Filipino people.

 Ceiling paintings of Argao Church by Canuto Avila and
Raymundo Francia
 


Tampuhan by Juan Luna
 
 Las virgenes Cristianas expuestas al populacho by Félix
Hidalgo
Calligraphy[edit]
Main articles: Suyat and Calligraphy
The Philippines has numerous indigenous scripts
collectively called as suyat. Various ethno-linguistic groups
in the Philippines prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th
century up to the independence era in the 21st century have
used the scripts with various mediums. By the end of
colonialism, only four of the suyat scripts survived and
continue to be used by certain communities in everyday life.
These four scripts are hanunó'o/hanunoo of the
Hanuno'o Mangyan people, buhid/build of the
Buhid Mangyan people, apurahuano/tagbanwa of
the Tagbanwa people, and palaw'an/pala'wan of
the Palaw'an people. All four scripts were inscribed in
the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, under the
name Philippine Paleographs (Hanunoo, Buid, Tagbanua
and Pala’wan), in 1999.[26]
Due to dissent from colonialism, many artists and cultural
experts have revived the usage of suyat scripts that went
extinct due to Spanish persecution. These scripts being
revived include the kulitan script of the Kapampangan
people, the badlit script of various Visayan ethnic groups,
the iniskaya script of the Eskaya people, the baybayin script
of the Tagalog people, and the kur-itan script of the Ilocano
people, among many others.[27][28][29] Calligraphy using the
Western alphabet and the Arabic alphabet are also
prevalent in the Philippines due to its colonial past, but the
Western alphabet and the Arabic alphabet are not
considered as suyat, and therefore Western alphabet and
Arabic calligraphy are not considered as suyat calligraphy. [30]
[31][32][33]

Kulitan calligraphy
 


Baybayin calligraphy
 
 

Tagbanwa musical instrument with Apurahuano calligraphy

 


Buhid calligraphy
 


Bow with Hanunó'o calligraphy

Sealing and Papermaking[edit]
Main article: Seal (East Asia)

The Butuan Ivory Seal, dated 1002 AD, housed and displayed at

the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila.
Like Mongolia, Taiwan, China, Japan and Korea, the
Philippines also had a sealing culture prior to Spanish era.
However, when the Spaniards succeeded in colonizing the
islands, they abolished the practice and burned all
documents they captured from the natives while forcefully
establishing a Roman Catholic-based rule. Records on
Philippine seals were forgotten until in the 1970s when
actual ancient seals made of ivory were found in an
archaeological site in Butuan.[34] The seal, now known as
the Butuan Ivory Seal, has been declared as a National
Cultural Treasure. The seal is inscribed with the word
"Butwan" through a native Suyat script. The discovery of the
seal proved the theory that pre-colonial Filipinos, or at least
in coastal areas, used seals on paper. Before the discovery
of the seal, it was only thought that ancient Filipinos used
bamboo, metal, bark, and palm leaves (lontar) for writing.
The presence of paper documents in the classical era of the
Philippines is also backed by a research of Dr. H. Otley
Beyer, father of Philippine anthropology, stating that
Spanish friars 'boasted' about burning ancient Philippine
documents with suyat inscriptions, one of the reasons why
ancient documents from the Philippines are almost non-
existent in present time. The ivory seal is now housed at
the National Museum of the Philippines. Nowadays, younger
generations are trying to revive the usage of seals, notably
in signing pieces of art such as drawings, paintings,
calligraphy, and literary works. Additionally, traditional
handmade paper-making practices using native fibers, such
as abaca, cogon, and pina have been revived by numerous
organizations throughout the country.[35][36]
Sculpture[edit]
The religion of the Ifugao people is based on ancestor
worship and the veneration of spirits and gods of nature.
Rice deities are particularly revered. These bululs are
activated through ritual, the bulol guardian figures are
believed to contain spirits capable of ensuring abundant
harvests, increasing rice yields and protecting against
catastrophe. Shaped like a rice mortar, the distinctive base
of the sculpture is a visual link to its spiritual purpose. The
pairing of male with female is a fundamental feature of
Cordilleras ancestral art. These Bulul guardians represent
the harmonious union of opposing elements, the protection
of communities from malevolent spirits and the promise of
good fortune. Carved from auspicious red sandalwood,
these sculptures are differentiated by their distinct genitalia,
alluding to fertility and abundance. The figures have a rich
patina of sacrificial blood and smoke resulting from their use
in religious practice and life-cycle ceremonies. [37] A Bul-ul is
a carved wooden figure used to guard the rice crop by
the Ifugao (and their sub-tribe Kalanguya) peoples of
northern Luzon. The sculptures are highly stylized
representations of ancestors, and are thought to gain power
from the presence of the ancestral spirit.[38] The Ifugao are
particularly noted for their skill in carving bululs. Bul-uls are
used in ceremonies associated with rice production and with
healing. Creation of a bul-ul involves alwen bul-ul ritual by a
priest to ensure that the statue gains power. The bul-ul is
treated with care and respect to avoid the risk of the spirits
of the ancestors bringing sickness. The figures are placed
together with the rice in the house or granaries to bring a
plentiful harvest. Bul-ul is important to Ifugaos because they
believe they can protect and multiply the rice and help make
the harvest abundant.
The Sarimanok is a legendary bird of the Maranao
people who originate from Mindanao. It comes from the
words sari and manok. Sari means cloth or garment, which
is generally of assorted colors. Manok means "chicken". The
Sarimanok is the legendary bird that has become an
ubiquitous symbol of Maranao art. It is depicted as a fowl
with colorful wings and feathered tail, holding a fish on its
beak or talons. The head is profusely decorated with scroll,
leaf, and spiral motifs. It is said to be a symbol of good
fortune.[39][40][41] And another example of Maranao sculpture
was in the Islamic tradition; the Buraq is often described as
"a white animal, half-mule, half-donkey, with wings". The
Prophet Muhammad rode the Buraq to fly through the
heavens in a single night, a journey known as Mir'aj. Only in
certain regions, such as Mindanao, is the animal depicted
with a human face. Although the Buraq is not uncommon in
Islamic art, sculptures of the creature seem to be unique to
the Philippines. It is possible that the flourishing carving
industry of religious images for Catholic Filipinos may have
encouraged the making of such sculptures.[42]


A bulul guardian figure. Wine server of the Ifugao people.

Wood and sacrificial remains, northern Luzon, c. 15th century.
 
 

Vega Ancestral House, carvings

 


Sculpture of Buraq unique to Mindanao Muslims in the

Philippines.
 


La Madre Filipina
 
 

Carvings in Miagao Church in Iloilo describes daily life, culture

and nature of the Filipinos. A fine example of Filipino baroque
art.
Performing arts[edit]
Dance[edit]
Main article: Philippine dance

Filipino folk dancers performing at the Pistahan Festival in San

Francisco, California.
There are numerous types of Filipino dances, varying in
influence, from the country's regions. Types of Filipino
dance include Cordillera, Muslim, tribal, rural, and Spanish
style dances. Jerrah is the most well known kind of dance in
the cordillera region. Within the Cordilleras' dances, there
are the Banga, Bendayan, Lumagen/Tachok, Manmanok,
Ragragsakan, Salisid, Talip, Tarektek, and Uyaoy/Uyauy.
The Banga dance shows the grace and strength of women
in the Kalinga tribe. Women performing the Banga balance
heavy pots on their heads while dancing to beat of wind
chimes. This mimics Kalinga women collecting and
transporting water. Another dance, called Lumagen or
Tachok, is performed to celebrate happy occasions. When
Lumagen is performed, it is meant to symbolize flying birds
and is musically paired to the beat of gongs. Another
cordillera dance, Salisid, is the dance to show courtship. In
the Salisid dance, a male and a female performer represent
a rooster attempting to attract a hen. [43]

Igorot men performing a war dance, c. 1909.

Tribal dances include Malakas at Maganda, Kadal Blelah,
Kadal Tahaw, Binaylan, Bagobo Rice Cycle, and Dugso.
Malakas at Maganda is a national folklore dance. It tells the
story of the origin of the Filipino people on the islands.
Another dance, called the Binaylan dance, tells the story of
a hen, the hen's baby, and a hawk. In this dance, the hawk
is said to control a tribe's well-being, and is killed by hunters
after attempting to harm the hen's baby.[44]
Two examples of traditional Filipino dances
are Tinikling and Binasuan and many more. Filipinos have
unique folk dances like tinikling where assistants take two
long bamboo sticks rapidly and in rhythm, clap sticks for
dancers to artistically and daringly try to avoid getting their
feet caught between them. Also in the southern part of the
Philippines, there is another dance called Singkil using long
bamboo poles found in tinikling; however, it is primarily a
dance showing off lavish Muslim royalty. In this dance, there
are four bamboo sticks arranged in a tic-tac-toe pattern in
which the dancers exploit every position of these clashing
sticks. Dancers can be found trying to avoid all 4 bamboo
sticks all together in the middle. They can also try to dance
an entire rotation around the middle avoiding all sticks.
Usually these stick dances performed in teamwork fashion
not solo. The Singkil dance is identifiable with the use of
umbrellas and silk clothing.[45]


Sagayan, a war dance of

the Maguindanaon and Maranao peoples.
 


Kappa Malong Malong (also called Sambi sa Malong), a

traditional Maranao dance showing many ways of wearing
a malong.
 
 

Panderetas, a María Clara dance originated from Tanza, Iloilo.

 


Tinikling, a Filipino folk dance with its origins from Leyte.

 


Jota Cagayana dance from Enrile, Cagayan.

Dramas[edit]
Main article: Holy Week in the Philippines
Many towns have their own versions of the Senakulo, using
traditional scripts that are decades or centuries old. A
version is held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines,
sponsored by the Department of Tourism. Popular film and
televisions stars often join the cast of the play. In Taguig,
they popularize the modern version of Jesus Christ
Superstar reshown at the Fort Santiago Amphitheater for
the benefit of Manileños. In Mexico,
Pampanga and Dinalupihan, Bataan, the actor portraying
Jesus has been actually nailed to the cross to simulate
Christ's passion as best and as painfully possible. Similar
shows are also held in Makati and in the Santa Ana
district of Manila.
Martial arts[edit]

Arnis, a well known Filipino martial art which emphasize weapon-

based fighting with the use of sticks.
The Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima, is the national
sport and martial art of the Philippines. The three are
roughly interchangeable umbrella terms for the
traditional martial arts of the Philippines ("Filipino Martial
Arts", or FMA) that emphasize weapon-based
fighting with sticks, knives, bladed weapons and
various improvised weapons as well as "open hand" or
techniques without weapons. It is also known
as Estoque (Spanish for rapier), Estocada (Spanish for
thrust or stab) and Garrote (Spanish for club). In Luzon they
may go by the name of Arnis de Mano. The indigenous
martial art that the Spanish encountered in 1610 was not yet
called "Eskrima" at that time. During those times, this martial
art was known as Paccalicali-t to the Ibanags,[46] Didya (later
changed to Kabaroan) to
the Ilocanos, Sitbatan or Kalirongan to Pangasinenses, Sina
wali ("to weave") to
the Kapampangans, Calis or Pananandata (use of
weapons) to the Tagalogs, Pagaradman to
the Ilonggos and Kaliradman to
the Cebuanos. Kuntaw and Silat are separate martial arts
that are also practiced in the Philippine archipelago.
Pottery[edit]
Main articles: Philippine ceramics and Tapayan

The late Neolithic Manunggul Jar (c. 890–710 BC) used for burial,

was found in the Manunggul Cave. This elaborate burial jar is
topped with two figures. The front figure is the deceased man. The
rear figure is holding a steering paddle directing the boat and soul of
the man to the afterlife.
Traditional pot-making in certain areas of the Philippines
would use clay found near the Sibalom River. Molding the
clay required the use of wooden paddles, and the clay had
to be kept away from sunlight.[47]
Native Filipinos created pottery since 3500 years ago.
[47]
 They used these ceramic jars to hold the deceased. [48]
Other pottery used to hold remains of the deceased were
decorated with anthropomorphic designs. These
anthropomorphic earthenware pots date back to 5 BC. - 225
A.D and had pot covers shaped like human heads. [48]
Filipino pottery had other uses as well. During the Neolithic
period of the Philippines, pottery was made for water
vessels, plates, cups, and for many other uses. [49]
Kalinga Pottery[50]
Ceramic vessels of Kalinga are divided into three types: rice
cooking (ittoyom), vegetable/meat cooking (oppaya), and
water storage (immosso) pots. According to Skibo, the rice
cooking pots are usually larger, thinner and have a smaller
opening than vegetable/meat pots. On the other hand, water
storage pots have an average and uniform size and a
smaller neck size.
Except for water storage pots, which have a uniform size,
the other two kinds can come in three different sizes, large,
medium and small. Although this is true in some cases,
another larger type of vegetable/meat pot and smaller water
storage pot exists.
• Manufacture of Kalinga potteries
A group of Igorot pottery makers from Samoki, Mountain
Province (c. 1910).
The first step in the manufacture of pots is the acquisition of
the starting material, clay. The clay is then pounded, added
with enough amount of water, to reach the wanted flexibility,
and placed in a rotating plate. Using the hand-modeling and
coil-and-scrape techniques, the height, thickness and shape
of the pot is established. After this, the rim is designed by
placing a wet rag on top of it and then rotating it in the other
direction. Furthermore, scraping of the walls can also be
done if the walls produced are too thick.
The pot, after the modeling stage, is then dried for a short
period of time before the base is shaped. Also, after
additional heating, small amounts of clay are added inside
and outside the clay to maintain the evenness of the
surface. A polishing step can also be done through the use
of a polishing stone. In some cases, pots are also painted
with red hematite paint for some stylized design.
Pottery Functions [50]
Pots are ceramic vessels that are made by molding clay into
its wanted shape and then leaving it in an environment with
an elevated temperature thereby making it solid and sturdy.
It is widely recognized as one of better tools that humans
invented since it managed to store the surplus of food
Neolithic humans gathered.
In the book Pottery Function: A Use-Alteration Perspective,
the author, James Skibo, reasoned out why the use of pots
is far more advantageous than baskets and other organic
containers. He said that since potteries are commonly made
in clay, heat has little to none effect on the container, and its
contents, and that it protects the food from moisture and
pests. Furthermore, its range of storable contents is far
wider than baskets and animal skins since it can store both
liquid and dry goods.
Also, Rice, in his book Pottery Analysis, classified ceramic
vessels into 17 categories depending on various factors that
concern the use and production of the tool. One of these is
the content wherein he further divided a type of pot into four
depending on the state (liquid or solid) and temperature (hot
or cold) of the food inside it. He also said that a ceramic has
three main uses. These three are storage, processing, and
transfer.
Based from these three uses that Rice gave, Skibo further
characterized the usage of ceramic vessels by dividing the
tool's function into two, (1) intended use and (2) actual use.
Intended use, as the name implies, is how the tool's
supposed to be used. This is the basis of the manufacture of
the ceramic vessel since the form follows the function. On
the other hand, actual use is how the tool was used. This
sometimes disregards the pot's form as long it can do a
specific function.
Kalinga Pottery and its Uses[50]
Burnay (tapayan) jars used as lawn ornaments.
In Kalinga, ceramic vessels can be used for two situations:
daily life use and ceremonial use. Daily life uses include the
making of rice from the pots and the transfer of water from
nearby water bodies to their homes.
• Determining actual function of Kalinga pots
As said, a pottery sometimes has a different actual use than
intended use. This is the reason why when archaeologists
study the function of a pottery, they tend to focus on how the
tool was actually used. They do this by studying the
alterations that the pottery has. These alterations, accretion
and attrition, are commonly the abrasions and scratches on
the vessel. In Skibo's study of Kalinga potteries functions,
he relied on three main tests, namely (1) dissolved residue,
(2) surface attrition and (3) carbon deposition.
1.Dissolved residue – This test was done to determine
the organic matters that were once placed in the
vessel. Through the combination of a gas
chromatograph and a mass spectrophotometer, the
 composition of the fatty acids inside the vessel was
determined. Although a complete identification of the
species of plant and animals was not possible, Skibo
managed to know which pots were used for rice and
vegetable/ meat cooking.
2.Surface Attrition – Skibo's study on the attrition of the
pots showed how the pot was used. By looking at the
trace attritions inside the vessel, the type, frequency,
angle and direction of stirring for each pot was
determined. Furthermore, Skibo also concluded that
two pots can be differentiated from each other, on the
basis of what type of food it cooks, from the abrasions.
He said that rice pots will have a little amount of stirring
while the vegetable/meat pots will have numerous
marks.
3.Carbon Deposition – This test, as said by Skibo, can
determine the type of food cooked, how it was cooked
and how the pot was placed on the flame. From this,
another distinction between rice and vegetable/meat
pots was established.
Iron Age pottery[51]
There are three major complexes in Philippine Iron Age
according to Solheim, Kalanay, Novaliches and Bau pottery
complexes. Kalanay pottery complex pertains to Beyer's
Early Iron Age pottery of the Visayan Islands found in
Negros and Mindoro; novaliches pottery complex to Beyer's
Early Iron Age pottery from Rizal province. Bau pottery, on
the other hand, does not fit into the two previous complexes
and could correspond instead to the Late Iron Age pottery.
Kalanay Pottery Complex[51]
A double ikat weaving from Sulu, made of banana leaf stalk fiber
(Abacá).
The type site of the Kalanay pottery complex is the Kalanay
Cave found in Masbate. From this site, the pottery is further
subdivided into pottery types Kalanay and Bagupantao.
Specific varieties of decoration are as follows:

 Paired diagonals and borders, with variations including

single diagonals or verticals and borders, or wavy lines
and borders
 Curvilinear scrolls and triangles
 Rectangular scroll
 Triangles, with variations including alternating triangles
and borders or running triangles
 Rectangles and diagonals
 Zoomorphs
 Punctate fieldwhere areas bonded by incised lines are
emphasized by punctuations or dashes
 Diagonals without borders, including a band of
horizontal V's and alternating diagonals off a center line
 Impressed crenelations
 Impressed or carved scallop design
 Impressed tool
 Carved cutouts in ring stands
Kalanay complex pottery can be divided into 16 groups
according to Solheim.
1.Large jars with wide necks
2.Large jars with narrow necks
3.Small jars
4.Deep bowls
5.Shallow bowls
6.Very shallow bowls
7.Lids
8.Shallow bowls with ring stands
9.Tetrapods
10. Jars with angle between side and bottom
11. Spherical jars with small mouths, without angle at
rim
12. Angular Vessels
Bau Pottery Complex[51]

Fabric weaved from Ifugao.

It has less variation in both form and decoration compared
to the Kalanay pottery complex.
Specific varieties of decoration are as follows:

 Paddle Impressed
 Tool Impressed, including simple-tool and compound-
tool impressed
 Stamp Impressed
 Applique ribbons of clay
In terms of forms:

 Small jars with everted rims

 Small jars without everted rim
 Small heavy jars with flat bottom
 Cups with ring feet
 Jars with ring feet
Novaliches Pottery Complex[51]
Most of Novaliches pottery can be distinguished from Bau
pottery and Kalanay pottery. While it shares form and
decoration with Kalanay pottery, it contains more variability
compared to Bau pottery. According to Solheim (2002), “it is
the most sophisticated pottery that has yet been found in the
Philippines”
Novaliches pottery can be diagnosed by its form being a
shallow bowl with a high right-foot. The shallow bowl is
generally plain but the feet are highly decorated. Majority of
Novaliches pottery were well polished. The form is so
symmetrical that it looks as if it was made in a potter wheel,
however, examinations showed that it wasn't.
Specific varieties of decoration are as follows:

 Cutouts
 Narrow vertical elements; carved, tool impressed, or
running impressed lines
 Horizontal and diagonal elements, including simple tool
impressions, compound tool impressions and carved
elements
 Horizontal broadline impressed lines
Vessel forms are as follows:

 Shallow bowls with high ring stands

 Shallow bowls with low-ring stands
 Jars with low-ring stands
 Angle jars
 Jars with short necks and everted rims
Kalanay Cave Site[51]
The Kalanay cave site is a small burial cave. It is located at
the northwest coast of Masbate.
• Kalanay Pottery

 Kalanay Plain
 Majority (80 per cent) of the excavated vessels.
 Variations in size and shape
 Technique used in the manufacture: Paddle-and-anvil
technique
 Differences in the base of the vessels (some have
rounded bottom while some use a ring foot or a tetrapod
for support).
 Large observable differences in color that is associated
with the inability of the potter to control the fire, causing
the uneven distribution of the heat.
• Kalanay Incised

 Incised around the neck, rim of a jar or the outside of a

bowl in a band of repeating elements
 Little care was given so the jars appear poorly made
despite its well thought out designs. This can be
attributed to the possibility that the certain tradition of this
pot was no longer significant to the manufacturer
 Kalanay-Impressed: simple tool and simple and
compound tool
 Simple tool impressing found around the jar or bowl
with a flange
• Kalanay slipped

 Forms: jars, large with wide mouth and everted rim, or

small with everted rim; bowls, deep with inslanting sides,
or very shallow which turned out lip
 Some were polished, some were not.
Bagupantao Pottery[51]
• Bagupantao Plain

 Majority of the pots’ paste is red-brown in color, with

gray or black as the minority. Its texture ranges from fine
to medium and its thickness is usually 5–8 mm in length.
The common forms of the pots are jars with wide to
narrow mouths and its normally large (a body diameter of
24 to 35 cm).
 Difference between Kalanay Plain: Evenness of color
and cleanness of clay
• Bagupantao Impressed
 The type of paste is the same as Bagupantao plain,
red-brown in color. It is also highly decorated on its rim
with circles, punctuations and crenellations.
 Larger (28 –31 cm body diameter) and thicker (9-14
thickness) than Bagupantao plain.
• Bagupantao Painted

 The paste used is the same as Bagupantao impressed

and plain but it is covered with heavy red hematite slip
inside and outside of the neck.
 Thinner (2–7 mm) and smaller than Bagupantao plain.
• Extraneous Pottery - Three vessels that did not belong to
the Bagupantao and Kalanay style were also found.
First pot

 Similar clay used as the Bagupantao and Kalanay

vessels. The color, red-brown, was also the same, inside
and out.
 Ornamented with small crystals on the paste and black
flakes on the surface.
 As thin (3–8 mm) as the Bagupantao painted vessel.
Second pot

 Same size and structure as the Bagupantao pots.

 Used a different paste (fibrous texture and contained
mineral inclusions)
 Heavily polished and the surface color ranges from red-
brown to light gray.
 As thick as the Bagupantao plain jars (5–12 mm).
Third pot
 The paste used is chocolate-brown in color and its
texture is fine.
 It is very thick (15–20 mm) when compared to the other
pots.
 Poorly made because of the uneven distribution of heat
to the pot (pieces break longitudinally).
Culinary art[edit]
Main article: Filipino cuisine

A bowl of Halo-halo.
Filipino cuisine is composed of the cuisines of 144 distinct
ethnolinguistic groups found within the Philippine
archipelago. The majority of mainstream Filipino dishes that
compose Filipino cuisine are from the cuisines of the Bikol,
Chavacano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Maranao,
Pangasinan, Cebuano (or Bisaya), Tagalog, and Waray
ethnolinguistic tribes. The style of cooking and the food
associated with it have evolved over many centuries from
their Austronesian origins to a mixed cuisine
of Indian, Chinese, Spanish, and American influences, in
line with the major waves of influence that had enriched the
cultures of the archipelago, as well as others adapted to
indigenous ingredients and the local palate. [52] Dishes range
from the very simple, like a meal of fried salted fish and rice,
to the complex paellas and cocidos created for fiestas of
Spanish origin. Popular dishes include: lechón[53] (whole
roasted pig), longganisa (Philippine sausage), tapa (cured
beef), torta (omelette), adobo (chicken or pork braised in
garlic, vinegar, oil and soy sauce, or cooked until
dry), kaldereta (meat in tomato sauce
stew), mechado (larded beef in soy and tomato
sauce), puchero (beef in bananas and tomato
sauce), afritada (chicken or pork simmered in tomato sauce
with vegetables), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked
in peanut sauce), pinakbet (kabocha squash, eggplant,
beans, okra, and tomato stew flavored with shrimp
paste), crispy pata (deep-fried pig's leg), hamonado (pork
sweetened in pineapple sauce), sinigang (meat or seafood
in sour broth), pancit (noodles), and lumpia (fresh or fried
spring rolls).
Other art forms[edit]

Whang-od, the 'last' mambabatok and a national icon, performing

the batek tattoo art of the Butbut Kalinga. She has passed on
the batek art to at least three of her apprentices who she trained for
8 years, thus preserving the last living tattoo tradition of the
Philippines.

 The term indigenous art is sometimes used to refer to

the utility of indigenous materials as a medium for the
creation of different kinds of artworks, as with the
 paintings by Elito Circa, a famous folk artist of
Pantabangan and a pioneer in using indigenous materials
as well as natural raw materials including human blood.
[54]
 Many Filipino painters and foreign artists were
influenced by Filipino indigenous art and started using
these indigenous materials, which include extracts from
onion, tomato, tuba (palm wine), coffee, rust, molasses
and other materials available anywhere to be used as
paint.
 Jewelry design. In 2015/16, the Asia Society in New
York presented an exhibit called Philippine Gold:
Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms. The exhibition
presents spectacular works of gold primarily discovered
over the past forty years on the Philippine islands of
Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The regalia, jewelry,
ceremonial weapons, and ritualistic and funerary objects
attest to the recently uncovered evidence of prosperity
and achievement of Philippine polities that flourished
between the tenth and thirteenth centuries, long before
the Spanish discovered and colonized the region.
Although the forms and styles of the majority of these
works developed locally, some indicate that Philippine
craftsmen had been exposed to objects from beyond their
borders through the robust cultural connections and
maritime trade in Southeast Asia during what was an
early Asian economic boom.
 Kut-kut is a painting technique combining ancient
Oriental and European art process. Considered lost art
and highly collectible art form. Very few known art pieces
existed today. The technique was practiced by the
indigenous people of Samar Island between early 1600
 and late 1800 AD. Kut-kut is an exotic Philippine art form
based on early century techniques—sgraffito, encaustic
and layering. The merging of these ancient styles
produces a unique artwork characterized by delicate
swirling interwoven lines, multi-layered texture and an
illusion of three-dimensional space.
 The tanaga is a type of Filipino poetry.
 The batek or batok is a form of indigenous tattooing of
the Kalinga people in the Cordilleras. The most prominent
tattoo artist in the country is Whang-od, who has been
known as the last mambabatok until has started
mentoring her niece on the art so that the tattoo artistry of
the Kalinga will continue. The art form has been critically
acclaimed internationally in the United States, Germany,
France, Canada, and many others.
Filipino art housed outside the Philippines[edit]

The bells of Balangiga on display at the Philippine Air Force

Aerospace Museum in Pasay.
Various artifacts and art pieces have either been looted or
directly bought from the Philippines by various foreign
entities since the Spanish colonial period. The majority of
stolen or bought Philippine artifacts and art pieces were
shipped into foreign hands during the American period,
World War II, and post-war era, where the economy was
crippled. During the post-war era, Philippine artifacts and art
pieces became easy pickings for foreigners as Filipinos
were forced to sell the items in extremely low prices
because of the immediate need for money during an era
marred with high inflation and high cost of living. These
pieces include the Golden Tara (in United States
possession), the Balangiga bells (formerly in United States
possession), the two remaining copies of Doctrina
Christiana (in United States and Spain's possession),
the Boxer Codex (in United States possession), and many
others. Most pieces are currently under the possession of
the United States and Spain. Various attempts to return
stolen or looted Philippine artifacts and art pieces have been
made by the Philippine government since the 1990s. The
most recent is the national call to return the Balangiga bells
in 2017 and the Golden Tara in 2018.[55][56][57] The Balangiga
bells have been repatriated to the Philippines on 11
December 2018.[58]
Notable Filipino artists[edit]
Past notable Filipino artists include Juan Luna, Fernando
Amorsolo, Augusto Arbizo, Félix Hidalgo, Ang Kiukok, Anita
Magsaysay-Ho, Lito Mayo, Mauro Malang Santos, Santiago
Bosé, Rey Paz Contreras and David Cortés Medalla.
Present-day Filipino artists featuring Filipino culture
include Benedicto Cabrera, Elito Circa, Fred DeAsis, Daniel
Coquilla, Francisco Viri, and Nunelucio Alvarado. [59] The art
or paintings by Zóbel, Amorsolo and many more could be
seen in most of the art museums in the Philippines. Zobel's
paintings can be seen in the Ayala Museum.

History
People have lived in the Philippines since the dawn of human history.
Originally, the various islands were populated by competing tribes, each
with their own king or queen. In 1521, the explorer Magellan claimed the
islands for Spain and colonization began in 1565. Manila was established
as the capital of what was then known was the Spanish East Indies in
1571.

Spanish rule brought Catholicism to the area, with missionaries

establishing churches, schools, hospitals, universities and largely
displacing the previously entrenched Hindu, Islamic and Buddhist faiths.
Free education was introduced in 1863, but did not take off until much later.

Residents were obligated to defend against internal revolts by indigenous

groups, as well as attacks from the Dutch and Portuguese. Free trade was
introduced during the 19th century which brought wealth to the population.
Evidence of Spanish rule can be seen across the Philippines, particularly in
the plentiful Baroque churches and the walled Intramuros district of Manila.

In 1872, three priests were executed at Bagumbayum (now Rizal Park) for
sedition, which sparked a movement for political reform. Early lobbyists
were executed, which prompted Andrés Bonifacio to establish a secret
society for independence known as the Katipunan, in 1892. The
organization gained many members, and Emilio Aguinaldo became leader.
1896 saw the execution of Dr José Rizal which prompted an uprising by the
revolutionaries. The Philippines was briefly declared independent by
Aguinaldo in 1898, but this was not recognized by America, as it asserted a
claim to the islands as a result of the 1898 Treaty of Paris that ended the
Spanish-American war.

The Philippine-American war between American soldiers and Filipino

revolutionaries lasted from 1899-1902 and resulted in US control of the
region, during which literacy increased and freedom of religion was
introduced, removing Catholicism’s status as the state religion. America’s
promises of independence in 1916 led to the Philippines being granted
Commonwealth status in 1935.

However, the Philippines were invaded by Japan during WWII, which was a
dark time when over a million Filipinos died. The nation finally regained its
independence on July 4, 1946. The challenge of rebuilding was
compounded by frequent challenges from rebel groups and communists. In
1965, Ferdinand Marcos was elected president. He introduced martial law
to retain power in 1972, from which time he persecuted rivals and ruled by
decree.

The assassination of the opposition leader, Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino, Jr. in

1983 increased political pressure for reform. Marcos called a presidential
election in 1986, in which he defeated Benigno Aquino’s widow, Corazon
Aquino in what was widely believed to be a rigged result. The People
Power revolution followed and resulted in the defeat and exile of Marcos
and his allies. Tourists can visit Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA),
which was the site of mass protests in support of the rebel leaders. After
the departure of Marcos, Corazon Aquino was recognized as president of
the Philippines.

From 1986 onwards, progress was hampered by corruption, national debt,

attempted coups and ongoing insurgency by communist and Islamic
groups. The economy improved between 1992 and 1997, until the East
Asian Financial Crisis, internal corruption and another revolution in 2001
caused further difficulties for the nation. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became
president after the revolution but her nine-year administration was marred
by scandal and corruption. Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III was elected
president in May 2010 and shortly after in September, secured a US $434
million agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation to help fund
programs for infrastructure development, revenue generation and poverty
reduction.

Rizal Park in Manila is one of the most politically significant sites in the
Philippines. It was the location for the executions of early revolutionaries,
the 1946 declaration of independence, and the 1986 rallies of Marcos and
Corazon Aquino that led to the EDSA revolution.

Culture
The culture of the Philippines comprises a blend of traditional Filipino and
Spanish Catholic traditions, with influences from America and other parts of
Asia. The Filipinos are family oriented and often religious with an
appreciation for art, fashion, music and food.
Filipinos are also hospitable people who love to have a good time. This
often includes getting together to sing, dance, and eat. The annual
calendar is packed with festivals, many of which combine costumes and
rituals from the nation’s pre-Christian past with the Catholic beliefs and
ideology of present day.

The Culture Of
The Philippines
The culture of the Philippines is
influenced by both the east and the
west.
The Philippines is commonly referred to
as a melting pot of western and eastern
cultures. The traditional culture of the
Philippines is heavily influenced by the
traditions of the indigenous Austronesian
people. The cultural landscape also features
Spanish, American, Japanese, Arabic, and
Indonesian influence. The
major religions in the country are
Christianity and Islam which have played a
significant role in shaping the culture of the
Philippines.
7. Social Beliefs And Customs
The social beliefs and customs
practiced in the Philippines are
primarily influenced by the religion and
demographics of the region where they
are practiced. The traditional customs
of the indigenous Filipinos are based
on the beliefs of the Austronesian
inhabitants of the Philippines.
6. Religion, Festivals, And
Holidays
The Constitution of the Philippines provides
for the freedom of religion. The Philippines is
one of the few Asian countries to have a
Christian majority. About 90.07% of
Philippines residents identify as Christians
with 80.58% of the population being
followers of the Roman Catholic Church and
about 11% being other Christian
denominations. Islam is the second largest
religion in the country with about 5.6% of
citizens identifying as Muslim. The majority
of the Muslim Filipinos are Sunni Muslims,
but there is also a small number of
Ahmadiyya Muslims. The cultural diversity in
the Philippines is showcased in numerous
festivals, locally known as fiestas, which are
celebrated in the country. All of the festivals
have religious or cultural significance. Due to
the predominance of the Roman Catholic
faith, most cities and towns in the Philippines
have patron saints who are honored through
festivals. For instance, the Silmugi Festival
(held in honor of Saint Sebastian), the
Sinulog Festival (held in honor of Santo Nino
de Cebu), and the Kuraldal Festival (held in
honor of Saint Lucy). While most festivals
are only observed in particular regions or
towns, some are public holidays which are
celebrated all over the country. Some public
holidays observed in the Philippines include
New Year’s Day (observed on January 1st),
the Holy Week (observed between March
and April), Independence Day (observed on
June 12th), Christmas Day (observed on
December 25th), and Rizal Day (observed
on December 30th).
5. Music And Dance
The music composed in the Philippines is
influenced by all the cultures in the country.
The traditional folk songs are primarily
inspired by the indigenous customs and
beliefs. Some notable composers of Filipino
folk music include Lucio San Pedro from the
National Artist for Music as well as Antonio
Buenaventura, a renowned patriotic music
composer. The music composed in the
urban regions of the Philippines, particularly
targeted to the youth is known as original
pinoy music or Philippine pop music. Popular
musicians from this genre include Christian
Bautista, Sarah Geronimo, Yeng
Constantino, and groups such as True Faith,
Yano, The Teeth, and Neocolours among
others. Other popular genres include jazz,
hip hop, reggae, and Latino music. Dance in
the Philippines ranges from traditional
indigenous-inspired dances to modern
“western-inspired” dances. Tinikling is an
example of a traditional dance with
nationwide appeal.
4. Literature And Arts
Ancient Filipino literature was primarily made
up of legends and folklore which were the
main forms of literature before the Spanish
colonization of the country. These folktales
were based on specific themes and aimed to
pass down traditions and cultural beliefs
through generations. While most of these
folktales existed as oral literature, written
publications did exist particularly during the
Spanish colonial era. One such publication is
the “Ibong Adarna,” a story written by Jose
de la Cruz. Other famed writers of this period
include Francisco Balagtas, famed for his
publication “Florante at Laura” as well as
Jose Rizal. The earliest form of art is traced
back to 5000 BC through pottery discovered
in the Sanga-Sanga Cave. Ancient Filipinos
were also gifted tattoo artists who decorated
their bodies in multi-colored pigmentation
with environment-inspired designs. The
tattoo work on these ancient Filipinos was
done so well that Portuguese explorers
called them the “Painted People” or the
“Pintados.” Modern artists in the Philippines
include Damian Domingo, Juan Luna,
Fernando Amorsolo, and Elito Circa who is
known world-wide for painting using his
blood. There are numerous museums in the
Philippines which showcase the artistry in
the country which include the National Art
Gallery as well as the Metropolitan Museum
of Art located in Manila.
3. Cuisine
An excellent way that the cultural diversity in
the Philippines is portrayed is through the
local cuisine. The cuisine in the Philippines
is influenced by local and foreign cultures.
Rice is the staple meal in the country and is
usually prepared through steaming and is
served together with other foods. Rice is
also ground to rice flour which is used in the
preparation of pastries and sweets. The
abundance of fish in the country makes
seafood another common food item in most
households with tilapia, clams, mussels, cod,
squid, and catfish being salted, fried, and
served with rice and vegetables. Other
popular food items in the Philippines include
lechon (roasting of a whole pig common
during festivals), mechado (larded beef with
tomato sauce), and afritada (pork or chicken
prepared with vegetables and tomato sauce)
among others. The country is also home to
many “western” fast food franchises
including Pizza Hut, KFC, and McDonald’s.
2. Clothing
The Maria Clara is a traditional dress worn
by Filipino women. The traditional attire gets
its name from a famous character known as
Maria Clara in the epic 19th-century
narrative, “Noli me tangere” written by Jose
Rizal. The Maria Clara is made of four
components namely; the saya (a long
dress), the tapis (a knee-long skirt), the
camisa (a collarless chemise), and the
panuelo (a stiff scarf). In recent years, the
Maria Clara has been modernized to
produce a modern version known as the
terno which was popularized by President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who wore the terno
during the 2008 State of the Nation Address.
Another traditional garment of the
Philippines is the Barong Tagalog normally
worn by men during special occasions. Also
known as the Baro, the Barong Tagalog
features a formal long shirt decorated with
embroidery. The attire was popularized by
President Ramon Magsaysay who wore the
Baro in most state functions.
1. Sports
The national sport in the country is Arnis, a
type of martial arts. Boxing is one of the
most popular sports in the Philippines with
the country producing global superstar boxer
and the only eight-division champion in the
world, Manu Pacquiao. Another popular
sport is basketball with the country
producing international basketball players
such as Robert Jaworski and Carlos
Loyzaga.

National Commission for Culture and the Arts

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Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining

Commission overview

Formed 1987
  National Commission on
Preceding
Culture
agencies
 Presidential Commission on
Culture and the Arts
Type Arts council, regulatory
commission, public-benefit agency

Jurisdiction Philippine arts and cultural

development

Headquarters NCCA Building, 633 General Luna

Street, Intramuros, Manila

Coordinates:  14°35′18.41″N 1
20°58′32.40″E

Employees 210

Annual budget 30 million (GAA)

Commission Virgilio Almario, Chairman

executives Rico S. Pableo Jr., Executive
Director
Parent Office of the President of the
department Philippines

Child agencies  National Archives of the

Philippines
 National Library of the
Philippines
 National Museum of the
Philippines
 National Historical
Commission of the Philippines
 Commission on the Filipino
Language
  Cultural Center of the
Philippines
Website www.ncca.gov.ph

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 government agency for culture in 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.

Facade

Contents

 1History
 2Board of Commissioners
 3Activities
 4Logo
 5Agung
 6Sentro Rizal
 7Awards
 8Department of Culture
 9See also
 10References
 11External links

History[edit]
The successful overthrow of the dictatorship in 1986 through the People Power Revolution 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[edit]
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)

Activities[edit]
It is also responsible for the annual celebration of:

 National Arts Month (February)

 UNESCO-ITI World Theatre Week (March 21-27)
 National Heritage Month (May)
 National Dance Week (Fourth Week of April)
 National Literature Month (April)
 Linggo ng Musikang Pilipino (Last Week of July)
 Indigenous Peoples Month (October)
 Museums and Galleries Month (October)
 Library and Information Services Month (November)

Logo[edit]
The NCCA logo is the Alab ng Haraya (The Flame of Imagination), which
symbolizes the spring of Filipino art and culture. It is composed of two basic
elements – the fire and the censer. The fire is a stylized character "ka" of the
Philippine indigenous script Baybayin, that stands for kadakilaan or greatness. The
fire represents the highest level of imagination and emanates from a three-tiered
censer. The three tiers stand for organization, economic support, and an orientation
rooted on a thorough grasp of tradition and history, which the NCCA provides. It is
done in gold to symbolize the immense wealth of Philippine culture.

Agung[edit]
The agung is a knobbed metal gong of the Philippines used in various communal
rituals. Suspended in the air by rope or metal chains, the musical instrument is also
employed by some indigenous groups as a means to announce community events,
and as an indicator of the passage of time.
Agung, the official newsletter of the NCCA is published on a bimonthly basis. [3]

Sentro Rizal[edit]
In celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal, The National Commission
for Culture and the Arts formally established the Philippine’s very first Sentro
Rizal at the NCCA Building in Intramuros, Manila on June 28, 2011. Sentro Rizal
was recognized by virtue of Section 42 of Republic Act 10066 known as the
National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 which specifies a center “ whose main
purpose is the promotion of Philippine arts, culture and language throughout the
world.”
Moreover, Section 43 of the same law, states that the SR “shall be a repository,
inter alia, of materials on Philippine arts, culture and language: books, digital video
discs, compact discs, films, magazines, artworks, tourism promotion materials,
information materials, etc. that shall be made available to the public, both Filipino
and foreign”. SR shall also organize cultural programs and activities for Filipinos,
especially for children overseas, to promote appreciation and understanding of
Philippine culture and the arts.
The purpose of Sentrol Rizal is to educate overseas Filipinos about the culture and
arts of the Philippines. Since May 2016, 18 Sentro Rizal offices around the world
have been established.[4]

Awards[edit]
The Commission is responsible for bestowing significant awards reflecting Filipino
culture and the arts. These awards are the Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng
Sining (Order of National Artists), Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living
Treasures Award), Gawad Alab ng Haraya (Alab ng Haraya Awards), Dangal ng
Haraya (Achievement Award), Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honors), and the
Philippine Heritage Awards.

 Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining  (Order of National Artists) is the

highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made
significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts; namely, Music,
Dance, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Broadcast Arts, and Architecture
and Allied Arts. The order is jointly administered by the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)
and conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both
institutions.[5]
 Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures Award) was
institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355. The NCCA, through the Gawad
sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee and an Ad Hoc Panel of Experts, conducts
the search for the finest traditional artists of the land, adopts a program that will
ensure the transfer of their skills to others and undertakes measures to promote
a genuine appreciation of and instill pride among our people about the genius of
the Manlilikha ng Bayan.[6]
 Gawad Alab ng Haraya (Alab ng Haraya Awards) honors outstanding
achievements in the performing arts, cultural conservation, arts management,
library and information services program, theater production, cultural journalism
and documentation, and other fields.[7]
 Dangal ng Haraya (Achievement Award) is given to living Filipino artists, cultural
workers and historians; artistic or cultural groups, historical societies,
institutions, foundations and councils, to recognize their outstanding
achievements in relevant fields that have made an impact and significant
contribution to Philippine culture and arts.[7]
 Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honors) is a state recognition given by the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts under the Office of the President of the
Republic of the Philippines. It is an annual event in the Philippines celebrated as
a highlight and concluding rite of the Philippine Arts Festival. [8][circular reference]
 Philippine Heritage Awards is an annual conservation recognition program
under which monetary prizes, awards, and citations will be given by the
President of the Philippines, upon the recommendation of the NCCA, for special
achievements and important contributions and services in the area of heritage
preservation and conservation efforts. This is pursuant to Section 37 of
Republic Act No. 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009. [9]

Department of Culture[edit]
In 2016, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and its partners in
Congress have announced that they will seek to establish a Department of Culture.
However, political factors hindered its initial pace. In January 2017, the filing of a bill
which seeks to formally establish a holistic Department of Culture was completed.
The bill is a priority legislation, which was expected to pass into law in early 2019.
The Secretary of the proposed Department of Culture should be an expert in the
field of culture and the arts, according to the bill. If the bill passes into law, the
Department of Culture will be the only department in government where the head
should possess the expertise of the field as a qualification for the job. [10]
The creation of the culture department is backed by the country's science and
technology department.[11] The Senate version of the bill is being pushed by
senators Escudero, Angara, Aquino, Binay, Ejercito, Gatchalian, Hontiveros,
Legarda, Villanueva, and Zubiri - with no senators expressing dissent. The House
version of the bill is being pushed by representatives Escudero and De Venecia -
with one representative expressing dissent (Atienza). [12]
The bureaus that will be established under the department are the following: Bureau
of Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts Development, Bureau of Cultural
Properties Protection and Regulation, Bureau of Cultural Properties Preservation,
Bureau of Artistic Resources Development, Bureau of Cultural Research,
Education, and Dissemination; and Bureau of Cultural and Creative Industries. [12]
The bill also establishes three national institutes on culture, namely, National
Institute of Living Traditions, which would form programs to safeguard, sustain and
propagate cultural heritage, particularly for indigenous communities, National
Institute of Cultural Heritage Preservation, which would form programs and projects
in conservation arts, sciences, trades with focus on the preservation of cultural
property and vocational training for the youth, and National Institute of Culture and
Arts Management, which would form programs related to the education, training,
and certification of cultural officers. The current Sentro Rizal program of the NCCA
is upheld and retained in the bill. [12]
Under the proposed bill, the following cultural agencies will be under the
department: Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Museum of the Philippines,
National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Library of the
Philippines, National Archives of the Philippines, Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino,
Intramuros Administration, National Parks Development Committee, Nayong Filipino
Foundation, Film Development Council of the Philippines, National Book
Development Board, and Design Center of the Philippines. [13] However, the
Department of Tourism has expressed their 'wish' to retain Intramuros
Administration, National Parks Development Committee, and Nayong Filipino
Foundation, while the Department of Trade and Industry expressed its 'wish' to
retain the Design Center of the Philippines.[12]
Some conservationists are also proposing for the enactment of a bill where each
city and town shall have a singular architectural and landscaping style, like the
ordinance in the Heritage City of Vigan, other international UNESCO-recognized
cities, and some countries in Europe. Through this, a new renaissance of Filipino
architecture and landscaping arts 'shall be inevitable'. [14]