AGUNG 3 May-June 2017

Volume XX • Number 3 • May-June 2017 • For Artists and Cultural Workers • ISSN 0119-5948

A Legacy of Reverence, A Reverence of Legacy Official Newsletter of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts

Vol.ume XX, Number 3 May-June 2017 ISSN 0119-5948 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 is published bimonthly by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

VIRGILIO S. ALMARIO chairman

About the cover

RICO S. PABLEO, JR. executive director

Wilfredo Offemaria, Jr.’s Dismayado (Inspired

by Guido Reni’s “Ecce Homo”), acrylic on canvas, 2017, from his exhibit at the NCCA Gallery

MARICHU G. TELLANO deputy executive director Rene Sanchez Napeñas editor-in-chief Roel Hoang Manipon managing editor Mervin Concepcion Vergara art director

Leihdee Anne Cabrera Manny Arawe May Corre Tuazon Roezielle Joy Iglesia Christine Sarah Sy Arcie Millare public affairs and information office staff

Celebrating Legacies, Caring for Heritage

Faith L. Yangyang photographer

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts As the government arm for culture and the arts, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is the overall policy-making, coordinating, and grants-giving agency for the preservation, development and promotion of Philippine arts and culture; and executing agency for the policies it formulates; and an agency tasked to administer the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA). The NCCA traces its roots to the Presidential Commission for Culture and the Arts (PCCA), which was created when President Corazon Aquino signed Executive Order No. 118 on January 30, 1987, “mindful of the fact that there is a need for a national body to articulate a national policy on culture, to conserve and promote national heritage, and to guarantee a climate of freedom, support and dissemination for all forms of artistic and cultural expression.”

On April 3, 1992, President Aquino signed Republic Act No. 7356 creating the NCCA and establishing the NEFCA, a result of over two years of legislative consultations among government and private sector representatives. The bill was sponsored by senators Edgardo J. Angara, Leticia Ramos-Shahani, Heherson T. Alvarez and congressman Carlos Padilla.

The NCCA Secretariat, headed by the executive director and headquartered at the historic district of Intramuros, provides administrative and technical support to the NCCA and other units, and delivers assistance to the culture and arts community and the public.

Philippine Ballet Theater’s restaging of Pilipino Komiks at the Cultural Center of the Philippines was one of the highlights of the celebration of the National Heritage Month

T

he NCCA celebrated National Heritage Month in May 2017 with the Filipino Heritage Festival, co-organized with the Filipino Heritage Foundation, Inc. (FHFI) headed by its president Armita B. Rufino and finance officer Araceli R. Salas.

National Heritage Month came about with the signing of Proclamation No. 439 on August 11, 2003, declaring the month of May as National Heritage Month “in recognition of the need to create among the people a consciousness, respect, and pride for the legacies of Filipino cultural history, and love of country.”

The Filipino Heritage Festival started in 2003 to celebrate National Heritage Month with an array of events “to bring the Filipino people to a new awareness of age-old traditions, cultural practices, song, dance and centuries-old architectural wonders.”

“The past years have been a significant upswing of heritage awareness in our nation. The persistent initiatives of cultural agencies, non-governmental organizations, and individual cultural advocates and workers are bearing fruits. Among the most heartening headways are the increasing number of young cultural advocates and the consistent initiatives of local government units to integrate the protection and proper use of cultural heritage in their development plans,” said Fr. Rentoria. “Awareness is but a step to a higher goal, which is to cultivate in very Filipino the genuine care for our heritage. Thus, the theme of the 2017 National Heritage Month this May is ‘Malasakit para sa Pamana’ (care for heritage).”

The Filipino Heritage Festival featured cultural performances, lecture-workshops on heritage, visual arts exhibits, heritage exhibitions, heritage tours, and other events that emphasize Filipino traditions and customs. Many of the events were held in heritage sites, museums, and public areas in various parts of the country.

Opening in Ormoc City, Leyte In partnership with the city government of Ormoc and the Ormoc Festival and Cultural Foundation, NCCA and FHFI held an opening ceremony for National Heritage Month on May 3, 2017, in Ormoc City, Leyte.

NCCA and FHFI officials, led by Fr. Rentoria and Salas, met with local officials, led by Ormoc City mayor Richard Gomez, congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez, and board member Mesias P. Arevalo, representing governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, at Ormoc’s New City Hall. They discussed various culture and heritage projects the LGU is planning for the city, including Gomez’s plan of converting the old city hall, damaged by the super typhoon Yolanda, into a museum and cultural center of the city.

The opening ceremony was held at the old city hall. The Samar-Leyte Heritage Society Inc. officers also joined in the activities and the religious sectors were represented by Rev. Father Gilbert Urbina of Leyte-Samar Heritage Society and Rev. Fr. Petillo, representative of Bishop John Du of the Archdiocese of Palo. Speakers highlighted the importance of promoting, preserving and putting value in heritage and encouraging the youth’s involvement in heritage promotion and appreciation.

An exhibit was mounted, featuring 35 images of heritage churches exhibit and works of local artists, as well as the “Paduwa Pinoy Ormocanon,” a demonstration and competition of traditional Filipino games.

The opening was highlighted by the signing of the Covenant in Promoting and Advancing National Heritage Program for undertakings in heritage promotion, and ended with the “Harana sa Ormoc,” a cultural night featuring the performances of the Philippine Opera Company and local choral and dance groups.

Exhibitions Throughout the month, various exhibits were mounted, mostly in malls, with subjects ranging from traditional crafts such as musical instruments and hand-weaving to natural heritage such as rivers and waterfalls.

4 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017 thirty bamboo poles topped by slightly bent salakots painted in the colors of the Philippine flag; Salo Salo, a stylized orange table with white plates, glasses, a pitcher, lamp, and kaldero; Sa Pula Sa Puti, created with red rooster cages and white metal roosters, depicting cockfight; and Hulog ng Langit, which created a golden reflection with oval shaped dried rattan sticks with hundreds of fossilized leaves and flowers.

The signing of the Covenant in Promoting and Advancing National Heritage Program with Ormoc City mayor Richard Gomez, NCCA SCH head Father Harold Ll. Rentoria, OSA, congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez and FHFI finance officer Araceli R. Salas

“Philippine Waterfalls” featured thirty-six photographs of the country’s waterfalls, directing people’s attention to this part of natural heritage and the need for environmental conservation. It toured Starmall branches in Alabang, EDSA-Shaw and Bulacan, and Vista Mall branches in Taguig City, Sta. Rosa City in Laguna, Las Piñas City, and Daang Hari in Cavite.

On the other hand, the traveling exhibit “Philippine Rivers and Lakes” featured forty photographs of the country’s beautiful bodies of water, capturing the grandeur of the natural landscapes. The photos were showcased at SM City Bicutan from May 27 to 30; SM City Clark from June 1 to 15; SM City Calamba from June 25 to 30; and SM City Davao from July 17 to 23.

“Abot-Tanaw: Tracing Local Horizons,” which featured photographs of sunsets taken by photographers of FUNtastic Philippines, was mounted at the White Cube Gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila from May 8 to June 23, 2017. Also, stamps featuring the exhibited photographs were launched.

“Philippine Traditional Musical Instruments” featured photographs of traditional musical instruments from the collections of Lucrecia R. Kasilag and Ramon P. Santos, both National Artists for music, and mounted at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City from May 8 to 10, 2017. It was brought to SM City Marilao from June 5 to 16, 2017 and to SM North EDSA from July 1 to 6, 2017. Aside from photographs, three actual instruments from Dr. Santos were displayed—bandurria, gangsa and dabakan.

“Gusali: Evolution of Philippine Architecture,” at SM City Bacolod, Negros Occidental, from May 22 to 26, featured structures constructed fifty years ago and earlier, reminders of who we are and what we have achieved as a people. SM City Bacolod in-

cluded images of heritage houses found in Negros Occidental.

Originally mounted at the 2014 celebration of National Heritage Month, “Habi: A Journey Through Philippine Handwoven Textiles” was showcased at the SM Seaside City Cebu from May 11 to 19, at SM City Consolacion Cinema Lobby from May 23 to 28, and at SM City Pampanga from June 16 to 30. It featured more than 30 photos of hand-woven items made from various local materials.

Floral architect Rachy Cuna unveiled his installations in “Arte Filipino” at the ground floor of S Maison at Conrad Hotel from May 15 to 31. Highlighting the multi-faceted features of Philippine culture, the exhibit featured nine installations, made of locally woven and handcrafted materials such as bamboo, rattan, and grass leaves, including Pinoy Kami, Bow, consisting of

Shows and Performances Don Bosco Youth Center-Tondo Inc. mounted Sanctissima: Miracle Stories in Tondo at the Little Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines on May 2 and 3.

Written by Fr. Dennis Paez, SDB, spiritual moderator of Don Bosco TVET Center Tondo, and directed by Erick Borromeo, the musical play tells the story of the miraculous intercession of Mary through the lives of Samuel, Isabel, Maxine, Paulo and Bert.

Their stories (of present-day conflicts about family and married life, drug addictions and violence, and problems concerning the youth and pre-marital sex) intersect, and all experience the powerful intercession of Virgin Mary in the three devotions to her that are endemic in the Philippines.

The cast of the play were trainees of Don Bosco TVET Center Tondo together with some of the lay mission partners of the Center.

“Pamana ng Filipino” showcased classical music and traditional love songs (kundiman) on May 28 at the Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium with performances by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of music director and principal conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura and PPO’s associate conductor Herminigildo G. Rane-

Performance of Philippine Opera Company during the opening at the old Ormoc City Hall

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 5 ra; internationally acclaimed Filipino pianist Dr. Raul Sunico; and opera artists Criselda Marie Go, soprano, and Cristiani Rebada, tenor.

Traditional Tausug dance, the pangalay, was enjoyed by a wider audience through Alun Alun Dance Circle’s “Celebrating Women through Dance,” featuring the choreography of Ramon Magsaysay awardee Dr. Ligaya Fernando Amilbangsa, at Robinsons Place Manila on May 9.

Local komiks characters were brought to life through Philippine Ballet Theatre’s restaging of its ballet production Pilipino Komiks, at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the Cultural Center of the Philippines on May 14. The ballet was based on the characters created by Mars Ravelo.

“The comic strips of Mars Ravelo have been etched in the minds of many Filipinos when Darna, Dyesebel, Valentina and Bangenge among others, dominated the pages of Pilipino Komiks. These characters have become icons, not only among children but more so with artists who have drawn inspiration from them and become the central theme of their artistic creations,” said choreographer Gener Caringal. “The Philippine Ballet Theatre has mounted a ballet presentation where these comics characters have been put into one story line and presented in a dance interpretation. Working with me in this ballet are Chino Toledo who composed the music and Arturo Cruz who designed the set and costumes.”

“Truly, this genre of Filipino comics characters will never perish because comics may come and go, but the arts which resurrect them shall never die,” he added.

With komiks as source material, the production made ballet more accessible, understandable, and enjoyable to the general public, especially the younger. Well-applauded scenes were the flying stint of Darna and her fight scene with Valentina and the snake creatures.

The two-hour ballet was brought to Negros Occidental, mounting it at the Talisay City Public Plaza on May 24, the Sagay City Gymnasium on May 25, and the Victorias City Cultural Center on May 26. The show was not only for the Negrenses but also for the benefit of Museo sang Bata sa Negros.

The “Parian sa Binondo” is a regular program of the Filipino Heritage Festival, a collaborative showcase of talents and culture of both the Filipinos and the Chinese.

It recognizes the invaluable contribution of the Chinese to Filipino culture and heritage.

Supported by the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce, “Parian” was held fittingly at the historical Binondo Plaza in Manila on May 20, featuring inter-cultural performances, giving tribute

“Philippine Traditional Musical Instruments” exhibit at SM North EDSA

“Habi: A Journey Through Philippine Handwoven Textiles” at SM City Pampanga’s Event Center

“Philippine Rivers and Lakes” at SM City Clark, Pampanga

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Bongga Bingo, Bulaklakan and Pinoy Kami, Bow in Rachu Cuna’s “Arte Filipino” at the S Maison

to the rich fusion of Filipino and Chinese cultures and heritage. The program included song numbers from both Filipino and Chinese performers, playing of traditional instruments, and many others. Performers included the Filipino-Chinese Theater Dance Troupe, Manila Patriotic School Inc. Dance Troupe, Charity First Foundation Inc. Chorale, D’Melodybelles, Artist’s Network Dance Troupe, flutist Vicente Chua, and the Philippine Women’s University-Jose Abad Santos Memorial School Junior Rondalla with conductor Noli Rodriguez.

Heritage Pilgrimage Tours Heritage Pilgrimage Tours were also held during National Heritage Month, making the appreciation of heritage more intimate and palpable. Each itinerary combines aspects of the spiritual, culture and heritage, tourism and elements of fun and adventure.

With a customized itinerary, participants/ pilgrims enjoyed a well-planned trip with a good combination of history and culture.

Heritage churches were highlighted.

“The Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines created and continues to own, manage, and administer 80 percent of Philippine cultural heritage. These churches are the most emblematic of all heritage expressions on the Philippine archipelagic landscape and in the Filipino psyche,” said Reverend Father Milan Ted D. Torralba, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines’ Episcopal Commission for the

Cultural Heritage of the Church. “These ecclesiastical edifices and their adjacent rectories are not Hispanic or Spanish; they are Filipino! Although built during the Spanish colonial period and manned by the Spanish missionaries, Filipinos labored to build them using Filipino manpower and exploiting the natural resources for the materials with which to erect these temples of worship.”

The Heritage Pilgrimage Tour in Negros Occidental was held from May 25 to 27, covering the cities of Bago, Bacolod, Talisay, Victorias and the town of Manapla.

With Severino E. Pacete as tour guide, the sites visited were Balay ni Tan Juan, Negros Museum, Bacolod Provincial Capitol, the Ruins, Victorias Milling Company, OISCA Silk Showroom and Weaving Center. The Cathedral of San Sebastian; the Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker, declared an Important Cultural Property; Chapel of Cartwheels; and the Virgen San Barangay Chapel in Santa Clara, Bacolod City, were also toured.

The Heritage Pilgrimage Tour in Negros Oriental and Siquijor was held from August 2 to 5, with Jac Señagan from the Negros Oriental Provincial Tourism Office serving as tour guide. In the town of Lazi, Siquijor, the group visited the Parish Church of San Isidro Labrador, a declared National Cultural Treasure; the newly-restored Spanish-era convent of San Isidro Labrador Parish; and the famous three-tiered Cambugahay Falls. In Negros Oriental, areas covered were the cities of Dumaguete and Bais, and

the towns of Bacong and Sibulan. In Bacong, Msgr. Julius Perpetou S. Heruela, PC, toured the group around San Augustine de Hippo Church, declared a National Cultural Treasure.

Traditional Santacruzan The santacruzan is a Filipino tradition in May, a procession depicting Saint Helena’s search for the True Cross. Over the years, the santacruzan has changed and became more of a spectacle. FHFI’s santacruzan attempts to adhere more to the traditional kind, emphasizing the essence and purpose of the procession. Portrayals and interpretations were based on biblical characters and roles as guided by the CBCP Permanent Committee for the Cultural Heritage of the Church.

The santacruzan was held in Intramuros, around Plaza Roma, and at the San Agustin Church on May 21. This year, the participating sagalas came from the Intramuros community, Barangay 657 under its captain Gladys De Jesus and friends of Lito Perez of Camp Suki. Each sagala was accompanied by a male teenager holding a bamboo pole/ banner, identifying each character/sagala.

Before the procession, the participants were introduced to the audience, explaining the importance of the character in the Bible and the meanings of the symbols they carry.

Santa Cruz de Mayo processions were also held at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City on May 12; and Victorias City, Negros Occidental, on May 27.

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 7

Don Bosco Youth Center-Tondo’s Sanctissima: Miracle Stories in Tondo

“Pamana ng Filipino” at the Rizal Park

Alun Alun Dance Circle’s “Celebrating Women through Dance” in Manila

The traditional Santa Cruz de Mayo procession in Intramuros

Traditional Filipino Games Geared towards building the abilities of Filipino children and youth, Pahampang Pinoy aims to keep Filipino traditional games alive in the community and introduce the games to the new generations of Filipinos.

The Paduwa Pinoy Ormocanon was held at the public quadrangle in Ormoc City, Leyte, on May 3, featuring the games luksong tinik, luksong baka, patintero, kadang kadang, piko, hilahan ng lubid, tumba lata, and pokpok palayok.

In other areas, the sipa, jolen, sungka, tiyakad, and tumbang preso were featured.

Pahampang Pinoy events were also implemented in places where the Youth Forum was held. The games catered to grade school students in one of the public schools within the area such as Badas Elementary School in Mati City, Davao Oriental, on June 14; Pilot Elementary School in Virac, Catanduanes, on July 7; and Tagoloan Central School in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, on August 9.

Talks and Meetings The Meeting-Dialogues of Parish Priests of Heritage Churches declared as National Cultural Treasures and National Historical Landmarks were held at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu in Cebu City, on November 7; at the NCCA Building in Intramuros, Manila, on November 20; and at the Saint William Cathedral in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, on December 11.

The gathering of parish priests from different heritage churches in Metro Manila, Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao aimed to introduce and enhance the heritage pilgrimage project for the promotion of the declared heritage sites; intensify the support of parish priests in the project; encourage the church pastors to improve the church environment and facilities for the implementation of the project; and provide capacity building dialogue with the parish priests.

On the other hand, the training session “Gender Awareness and Sensitivity for Artists and Cultural Heritage Workers” was held at the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila on May 11. FHFI invited its partner-institutions to have a gender sensitivity training day with speaker Jaime “Bong” Antonio, Jr. Attendees were from Cultural Center of the Philippines, Philippine Postal Corporation, National Historical

8 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017

Heritage Pilgrimage Tour in Lazi, Siquijor

Commission of the Philippines, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Manila, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Zonta Club of Makati and Environs, Alun Alun Dance Circle, DDB Philippines and the city government of Silay, Negros Occidental.

Youth Forum on Heritage and the Angat Kabataan Camp Recognizing the youth’s vital role as bearers of the country’s rich cultural heritage, the Youth Forum on Heritage was organized to inculcate among the youth knowledge and awareness on the importance of safeguarding our nation’s cultural treasures, particularly those in their respective localities. This is now a continuing program with the NCCA, FHFI and different partners from the government and private sectors, which aims to deepen appreciation and highlight the importance of preserving our cultural heritage and to create a sense pride among the youth particularly of their own local heritage.

This year, forums were held from May 4 to 5 at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the city hall of Ormoc City, Leyte; from May 24 to 25 at Balay Isabela, Isabela Provincial Capitol, Ilagan City, Isabela; from June 13 to 14, Baywalk Hotel, Mati City, Davao Oriental; from July 6 to 7, Rhaj Executive Inn, Virac, Catanduanes; from July 27 to 28, Casa Comunidad de Tayabas, Tayabas, Quezon; and from August 10 to 11, Paula’s Hotel, Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.

The talks on all the forums were “Understanding Filipino Cultural Heritage,” an introduction to Philippine cultural heritage; about the Heritage Law, also known as the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 or the Republic Act 10066, including laws governing the cultural treasures and heritage of the country including its protection and preservation; and “Issues and Concerns on the Local Cultural Heritage,” in which a local speaker talks about heritage sites, cultural icons, heritage practices, and significant events distinctive in their

locality.

Aside from listening to lectures, participants were also asked to identify the significant heritage sites and cultural icons of their localities. They were further asked to identify issues and concerns on the safeguarding and conserving of their local heritage and culture. In the end, participants were expected to come up with recommendations or proposals for the conservation and promotion of heritage and culture.

In Ormoc City, Fr. Harold Rentoria delivered “Understanding Filipino Cultural Heritage” and Grace Villanueva discussed the Heritage Law, while Emil Justimbaste, who served as the local speaker, tackled the issues and concerns on local cultural heritage. Attendees were college students from Eastern Visayas State University, Western Leyte College, Leyte Normal University, Saint Aloysius Institute of Technology, Saint Peter’s College and Systems Technology Institute.

The forum also included visits to heritage sites in Ormoc including Puente de la Riena, Veteran’s and Centennial Park, Philippine-Japan Peace Memorial, the Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church, the old Ormoc City Hall and the ruins of the Congressman Dominador Tan residence.

The Youth Forum on Heritage in Isabela had speakers Dr. Celestina P. Boncan, head of the NCCA National Committee on Historical Research; lawyer Lucille Karen Malilong-Isberto; and Dr. Troy Alexander Miano, provincial tourism officer and acting head of the Isabela Provincial Planning and Development Office. Attendees were students from Isabela State University in Ilagan and University of Perpetual Help System, and representatives from Provincial Social Welfare and Development, Department of Education, ABS-CBN Cagayan Valley, Saint Elizabeth Parish and Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel. Heritage sites visited were San Pablo Church, Santa Victoria Cave, Japanese tunnel and Tumauini Church, declared as a National

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 9

The Puente del Malagonlong was visited during th Youth Forum on Heritage in Tayabas, Quezon

Youth Forum on Heritage in Ilagan, Isabela

Pahampang Pinoy in Virac, Catanduanes

Youth Forum on Heritage in Virac, Catanduanes

Cultural Treasure.

The Youth Forum on Heritage in Mati City, with speakers Fr. Rentoria, Malilong-Isberto, and Portia Quiñones So, in-charge of Mati’s Pasidungog activities under the office of city mayor Carlo Luis Rabat, was attended by students from Matiao Central Elementary School, RR Mati Central School-SPED, Davao Oriental Regional Science High School, Davao National High School, Dawan Central Elementary School, Taguibo Agri-Vocational High School, BGR Executive Elementary School, Mayor Luisito G. Rabat Memorial School, Lawigan National High School, Badas National High School, Don Enrique Lopez National High School, Bobon National High School and Buso National High School; teachers, school representatives and city government officers. Heritage sites visited were the Parola, Pylon, Solidarity Stone and Subangan Museum, and Menzi Beach.

At the Youth Forum on Heritage in Virac, the speakers were John Delan L. Robillos, head of the NCCA National Committee on Art Galleries; Malilong-Isberto; and Dr. Estrella S. Placides, founder/ CEO of Center for Catanduanean Heritage, Inc. and secretary, Catanduanes Sustainable Ecosystems Development, Inc. It was attended by students from Antipolo National High School Buyo Integrated School, Calatagan High School, Catanduanes Colleges High School, Catanduanes National High School, Catanduanes State University Laboratory High School, Hawan National High School, Magnesia National High School, Palta National High School, Christian Polytechnic Institute of Catanduanes, Catanduanes School of Advance Technology, Inc., Catanduanes State University; teachers, school representatives, and provincial and city government officers. Heritage sites visited were Batalay Shrine, Saint John the Baptist Church of Bato, Museo de Catanduanes and Talisoy Beach.

The Youth Forum on Heritage in Tayabas, where Robillos; Malilong-Isberto; and Ryan Palad, a local a heritage advocate, served as speakers, was attended by students from Gumaca National High School, San Roque Parochial School, Dr. Maria D. Pastrana High School, Cagsiay 1 National High School, Cavite State University, Eastern Quezon College, Tayabas City Division Stand Alone Senior High School, Southern Luzon State University in Lucban, Southern Luzon State University in Lucena and Computer Systems Technological College; teachers, school representatives, and local government and barangay officers. Heritage sites visited were Puente del Malagonlong, Puente del Gibanga, Minor Basilica of Saint Michael the Archangel, Casa Comunidad de Tayabas, Puente se Francisco de Asis and Camposanto de Los Indios.

The Youth Forum on Heritage in Tagoloan, with Fr. Rentoria, Malilong-Isberto, Ricardo Vicente C. Lee and Wilfredo Casiño as speakers, was attended by students from Tagoloan Senior High School, Tagoloan Community College and Tagoloan National High School; teachers; school representatives; and local government officers. Heritage sites visited were Museum at St. Mary’s Academy of Tagoloan, eighteenth-century acacia trees, Tagoloan Central School, old Rizal Park, and house of former mayor Antonio and Tecla Cosin which was built in 1922.

On the other hand, Angat Kabataan Camp (AKC) was held from May 31 to June 4 at the Pampanga State Agricultural University in Magalang, Pampanga. The camp was packed with knowledge-sharing sessions, interactive learning through open forums and socialization nights, and heritage and peace appreciation activities through exposure trips and cultural immersions. A highlight was the workshop on the formulation of the Three-Year Plan on Peace Building, which can be implemented in the regions.

AKC 2017 was attended by fifty-nine participants composed of student-delegates from the University of Santo Tomas, Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manaoag, Fo Guang Shan Buddhist School in Manila, and several Aeta students from Mary the Queen College in Pampanga.

Damming the Philippi

Quintana Dam in Trece Martires, CaviteA

ines

The Control of Irrigable Water in the Spanish Colony Text and photos by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano

12 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017 dam is defined as a barrier or a wall constructed to block the flow of water from a river, stream, or a man-made watercourse for impounding to provide water, irrigation, and electric power, among others.

In the Philippines, the local terms for dams include prinsa, prinza, frenza, prenza, paurungan, and pottot. The dams most poeple know today are the ones constructed during the American colonial period such as the Angat and Bustos dams in Bulacan to the Marcos regime such as the Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija and Magat Dam bordering the provinces of Ifugao and Isabela. But many do not know that dams, and the irrigation system as a whole, were built during the Spanish colonial period in many parts of the country such as the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, and Negros Occidental.

Moreover, in the Cordilleras region, for example, different ethnolinguistic groups have mastered the technology of harnessing water from its source called muyong, or the forested area located atop the rice terraces, down to their rice paddies. In Ifugao, in particular, Conklin noted higher pond fields and dammed drainage channels being utilized to gather necessary volumes of water.

He noted that “hundreds of meters of temporary canals and ditches may be dug across house terraces, hillsides, and even through other adjacent pond field so that artificial stream can transport rock and gravel fill as well as earth and soil to new terrace level. Incredible feats of engineering are accomplished every year in this manner.”

Bayan Dam in General Trias

Background Very little has been written about the Spanish colonial irrigation system in the country.

Churches, bridges, lighthouses, and fortifications built by architect-engineers during that period were often researched and written about. Although dam-building may not be new to pre-colonial Filipinos, religious orders spearheaded their construction in the haciendas they owned such as the ones in the provinces of Cavite and Laguna.

When the religious missions eventually expanded in the country, funds coming from Spanish authorities that were initially used to pay for the travel and food of the missionaries

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 13

as well as for the construction of their missions became insufficient. These funds were also delayed at times due to the financial shortcomings of the royal treasury in Spain. To support the missions, the friars opted to venture into agribusiness, thus giving birth to haciendas, vast estates owned and maintained by the different religious orders. These haciendas were either bought by the religious orders or donated by private individuals to cover the friar liabilities of their missions.

In Cavite, three of the earliest towns—Silang, Indang, Maragondon—were established during the late sixteenth to the early seventeenth centuries by the Jesuits who maintained estancias (ranches), forest lands, and pasturelands to increase their income. The beginning of these estancias in Cavite and other parts of the country occurred in the late sixteenth century when the Spanish king Charles II started to give the uncultivated parcels of land to individuals. These areas were later consolidated and became haciendas.

Two kinds of haciendas existed in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period— private haciendas owned by private individuals such as the hacienda owned by Fr. Manuel Trias west of the Hacienda de Imus, and the haciendas owned by the church. Those belonging to the church were owned by the religious orders—the Augustinians, Jesuits, Dominicans, and the Augustinian Recollects plus the Jesuit foundation Colegio San Jose in 1604—by the Archdiocese of Manila in Bulacan and by individual parishes which owned smaller properties.

The friars constructed roads and bridges for easy access to their haciendas and facilitate the movement of people and their products. Each hacienda also had its own Casa Hacienda or the residence of the friar administrator. Other friars assigned with the administrator also lived at the Casa Hacienda. Aside from the friar estate house, the religious orders also constructed dams and irrigation canals to water the vast lands of their hacienda.

It is most likely that dam-building started in the late eighteenth century or even earlier.

Fr. Joaquin Martinez de Zuñiga described, in that period, that dams were built by the friars in rivers and streams located in their respective properties to irrigate the land and make them fertile.

Dasmariñas Dam in Dasmariñas

14 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017

From left: Ligas Dam in Bacoor; Prinsang Bago, Dasmariñas; Casundit Dam, Dasmariñas; and San Cristobal Dam, Calamba

Cavite The Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR) is the last of five religious orders that arrived in the Philippines. In the haciendas the religious orders established, they were able to undertake various infrastructure projects.

Their achievements include founding towns; improving those already in existence; building roads, canals, bridges and dams; constructing churches, bridges and convents; lending a hand in the development of agriculture and industry; and making effective defenses against piracies.

In the town of Imus alone, a total of fifty-four dams were constructed by the Augustinian Recollects, including seventy-nine water or irrigation canals called zanja and twenty-eight water reservoirs.

Recollect historian Father Emilio Quilatan notes that the Imus hacienda, which is now the present-day cities of Bacoor, Imus, and Dasmariñas and portions of Kawit in Cavite, had ample water resources with at least seven rivers supplying water for irrigation. These included the rivers San Pedro, San Agustin, San Nicolas, Imus, Nangcaan, Casundit, and Bucod. Some of the dams constructed between 1780 to 1895 were Casundit, San Agustin, Nangcaan, Pasong-buaya, Sabotan, Julian, Lucsohin, Pasong Castila, Salitran, Molino, and Tansang Luma.

These dams were constructed with tunnels and irrigation canals, and were built of strong materials such as adobe and bricks. Interconnecting tunnels were also built between these dams along rivers and creeks to collect water and save it for irrigation during long droughts.

The earliest dated is the Casundit Dam (1780) on the Casundit River in what is now the barangay of San Jose in Dasmariñas City. This dam, though it underwent some soft intervention before due to the addition of a large sluicegate, is still existing and operating. It is also interesting to note that the last dam—Pasong Santol in the Anabu area of Imus, built in 1898—to be constructed in Imus and maybe the friar lands of Cavite, Laguna, and Bulacan, is also operational. It is an ironic indication that the Recollect friars were still constructing a dam by the end of the Spanish colonial rule.

Most of the dams in the Imus hacienda were constructed in the rivers and gorges of Dasmariñas, a phenomenon that can be explained by the geography of the once-agricultural town being located on higher grounds.

Because of Dasmariñas’s location, the friars faced a heavy task of irrigating the rice fields and farms so they dammed up the rivers and streams to elevate the level of water in order to divert it to the irrigation canals which led to the fields. Some of these dams have bridges and canals made of cut stone.

Recollect lay brothers Lucas de Jesús Maria of Zaragoza from Spain was the man behind the construction of the Casundit Dam while Hilario Bernal designed the Molino Dam, which was completed in 1890. Roman Caballero, meanwhile, repaired and made improvements on the other dams in the hacienda.

One of the notable dams in the Imus Hacienda is Pasong Castila, located on the San Agustín River in the barangay of Malagasang IIC. Although modifications have already been made these past years, such as the addition of a floodgate at the right portion of its labak (facade) and the concrete surfacing added by the National Irrigation Administration, this dam is relatively in good condition and still serves its purpose. It is also the only one to have an extant but crumbling garita-like structure which, at closer inspection, reveals to be its bukete (sluice gate). This particularly significant adobe structure needs immediate attention due to its crumbling state.

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 15

Presa Molino and its wall is perhaps the longest ever constructed in the country with a combined distance of about 350 meters. The top portion of the wall is now a promenade developed by the local government. This dam, located in the barangay of Molino III, must not be confused with another dam in the San Nicolas area of Bacoor, which has long been associated with former Las Piñas parish priest, now Saint Ezekiel Moreno, who is said to have a hand on its improvement.

Aside from the Hacienda de Imus, dams were also built across the province of Cavite, particularly in the neighboring General Trias (Hacienda de San Francisco de Malabon) which then had a portion of Trece Martires as its territory, Indang, Naic, and Tanza which then also had a portion of Trece Martires.

The Matanda Dam or the Presa de la Hacienda was constructed by the Dominicans prior to 1827. This dam has seven irrigation canals spread out to irrigate the fields of the hacienda.

This dam is particularly interesting because aside from adobe it is made of finely cut and well-arranged bricks and piedra china. It is the only dam to use blocks of piedra china on its labak.

Another dated prinsa in Tanza is the Tres Cruces Dam, located at the barangay of Tres Cruces. This massive stone structure was rebuilt in 1886 and repaired in 1915 by the Bureau of Public Works. Currently, it has a sluice gate on its labak which is of later addition.

Other dams in Tanza include Kuminoy in Santol; Pajo, Singo and Patay na Ilat in Amaya; Pasong Baka, Gutieres, Inbubuyog and Lesiderio in Halayhay; Rincon in Bagtas; Man in Bunga; and Nagtaob located near the town’s border with Trece Martires.

In the former Tanza area of Trece Martires, the Quintana dam was constructed in what is now the barangay of De Ocampo. Quintana is the pre-Trece name of that area hence the name of the dam.

General Trias, as mentioned, also has more than a dozen dams scattered all over the city. These structures range from the smaller salaan-type (small dams located on irrigation canals and creeks) to major dams such as those in the barangay of Prinza, Manggahan, and Pinagtipunan.

Dams in General Trias, to name a few, are Bayan, Butas, Vargas, Pricillian Munti, and Marcelo.

A concrete marker on top of the Bayan Dam in the barangay of Prinza has an inscription that reads, “Jorge B. Vargas Director of Lands,” which suggests a project was done on the dam during Vargas’s term as director of Lands from 1921 to 1928. Damaged portion on the other side of the marker reads, “Dam,” with the first half already gone suggesting it could have been an inscription for the name of the dam.

In the barangay of Pinagtipunan, another Spanish colonial dam still stands and serves its purpose. Plucena Dam still has its original form although a floodgate was added as of late for releasing water in times of heavy downpours to minimize the pressure of the water on the structure.

In Naic, at least fifteen dams of various sizes were constructed on rivers and on a number of streams or creeks.

Laguna In Laguna, an 1824 map of the Biñan and Santa Rosa hacienda indicates six dams on Biñan’s Estero de San Antonio and one on the Caloboso River. Of these six dams, one is major while the others are of the salaan type. At least half of these dams still exist, and only two are operational. These are the Presa de Calaboso (now referred to as Timbao Dam) in the

16 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017 Matanda Dam, Tanza

barangay of Timbao and a smaller one on its irrigation canal.

This dam in Timbao still serves the fields of the barangays of Loma, Zapote, Mamplasan, Langkiwa, Santo Tomas and Bungahan. Its water is still cleaner and clearer compared to others in Cavite. Another dam still exists in the barangay of Soro-soro but no longer functions.

Same with the Salang Bago in neigboring Santa Rosa which also used to have “Presa de Santa Rosa” on the Tripa de Gallina River. The only existing and working Spanish colonial dam in this city is the Macabling Dam in the barangay of Macabling.

It is also important to note that water distribution for each farmer before, at least in Biñan and Santa Rosa, was being done through the coded sound of a tambuli. The cabecilla (water distributor) would blow the tambuli on different rhythms, according to the assigned rhythms for each farmer. When a farmer hears his assigned rhythm, he would block the sangha so the water diverts to his rice field. This process is repeated until all farmers get their share of water.

In Calamba, the Dominicans had a dam across the San Cristobal River renovated in 1884.

The dam, which still stands up to this day, has spill gates and an irrigation tunnel which empties into the irrigation canal on the other side of the South Luzon Expressway in the Mamatid area of Calamba.

This structure is also called Campana, because according to local folklore, a golden bell Pasong Castila Dam, Imus

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 17 stolen by the tulisanes (bandits) was dropped into the dam while being chased by authorities, and that bell was said to ring before when there is rain. And when it rings, it was believed that all pregnant women in the community would lose their unborn babies.

Another dam in Calamba, which was built by the Jesuits between 1759 until their expulsion in 1768, is the San Juan Dam on San Juan River between the barangays of Prinza and Real. This dam is structurally significant. It has a canal carved out of the adobe riverbank which has a buttressed adobe wall measuring approximately thirty meters. Four of five buttresses of the canal still exist.

Dam Construction In the construction of the dams and related structures, a site was chosen first. Builders would sometimes choose a site where two to three rivers meet to maximize water storage such as the sites of the Dasmariñas and Hasaan dams in Dasmariñas, Molino Dam in Bacoor, Matanda and Tres Cruces dams in Tanza, and the San Cristobal Dam in Calamba. Then the riverbed would be dug out to create depression to serve as the foundation of the structure. Rocks would then be poured into the depression followed by the palaman (fillings) supported by pegs, most possibly of wood posts. Normally, a diversion canal or tunnel was constructed prior to the building of a dam to divert the flow of water.

Aside from the adobe blocks, which were sourced from the riverbanks—at least in Cavite and Laguna—bricks were also used, most often as a paningit (inserts) between pieces of cut stone. Exceptionally, the Matanda Dam in Tanza is the only one to have adobe, bricks of different sizes and shapes, river stones, and piedra china (granite) as construction materials.

Dam surfaces were also changed through time particularly during the term of Jorge Vargas, the Bureau of Lands director from 1922 to 1928, when modifications and repairs were undertaken. The dams that underwent repairs in the 1920s are the Prinza in General Trias, Pasong Buaya in Imus, Matinik in Pandi, and Prenza in Marilao. It is possible that other dams were also improved during that time but at least in these four, Vargas left his mark by placing a marker and text containing information on the renovation. In Pasong Buaya, for example, the year 1925 can be read on a marker etched on the inner wall of its irrigation canal. The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) also made interventions these past years on dams that urgently needed attention due to damage.

Irrigation System The irrigation of lands starts at the headwaters of various river systems in the provinces of Cavite and Laguna, specifically in the area of Silang and Indang. This is same with other dam sites in the country where the headwaters are located upstream, normally in the mountains or higher portions of the area.

The water flows into the river and is stored into dams. The water from the dam would then enter the bukete or tajadera (sluice gate) then flow into the sanghang malaki (big irriga-

San Juan Dam, Calamba

Dam in Corocor, Bacarra, Ilocos Norte

18 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017 tion canal), stop at a salaan (small dam), flow into the sanghang maliit (small irrigation canal) and then to the sanghilya (small irrigation ditches) located on the rice fields.

In Tanza, a salaan is called timbawan from the root word timbaw, meaning something that is added to balance the scale which could indicate it as a structure where the water is raised and fairly distributed to the two sanghang maliit it serves.

The word can also mean “high” in a broader sense. Thus, this is the place where water rises when blocked for it to be diverted into the sanghang maliit. A place in Biñan called Timbao was possibly named as such because it is located on the higher part of the town called Loma de Calaboso.

From left: Dam in Pandi, Bulacan; Tatalon Dam, Naic; Calaboso Dam, Biñan; Timbugan Dam, Naic

Dams Elsewhere in the Country With the abolition of the galleon trade in 1815, the country opened many ports for international trade including that of Manila in 1834. The growth of Philippine economy resulted in the rise of the middle class and the Filipino ilustrados. With the increase of coffee, tobacco, rice, and hemp exports from 1844 to 1895, the haciendas in the country particularly those in Luzon reaped economic gains.

It is also notable that most of the dams in the provinces of Cavite were built after the galleon trade era but this might just be coincidental since the port of Cavite is not a rice exporting port from the early to mid-nineteenth century or even after that. The rice exporting ports during that time were Currimao, Ilocos Norte; Salomague, Ilocos Sur; Sual, Pangasinan; Pasacao, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon; and Capiz. Cavite and Laguna were not among the rice granaries which were Ilocos, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Camarines, Antique, and Capiz. Rice is the major crop of the haciendas, and it is possible that it was cultivated for local consumption or the local market.

Some of these dams, particularly smaller ones, may have also been built by the inquilinos (land tenants) themselves. In Imus, for example, the total number of dams exceeds those built by the Recollects during its heyday as an hacienda. In Tiaong, Quezon, for example, Ciriaco Nadres constructed a dam in 1872 made of adobe in what is now Villa Escudero to irrigate his farms. This property was sold to Placido Escudero in 1890 by Nadres’s son, Hermenegildo. The dam was reconstructed in 1904 using concrete and was expanded in 1937 by Placido’s son, Arsenio, for irrigation and electrification purposes. José Rizal also built a dam in Dapitan during his exile in the town in Zamboanga del Norte in the late 1890s.

Aside from the Dominican-built dams in Laguna, the Franciscan order constructed at least one dam in the province, specifically in the town of Pakil. Franciscan priest Felix Huerta wrote, “The cultivated land produces very abundant crops [such as] rice, thanks to the industrious and charitable Fr. Juan Valladares that in the year 1801 built a ‘magnificent dam’ which irrigated much of the land. Aside from the dam, four hydraulic machines were also constructed upstream.” In Calauan, the barangay of Prinza has a dam built of mamposteria (rubble-work).

Bulacan has one in Pandi and two in Marilao, although only a third of the Prenzang Matanda in Marilao survives to this day.

Dams were also built—not necessarily by the religious orders—in other parts of the country such as in Albay, Negros Occidental, Pangasinan, Rizal, and Ilocos Norte. In the latter, for example, the word for dam in the town of Bacarra is pottot while the sluice gate is

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 19 called padol. The sangha is called after the name of the cooperative irrigation society (zanjera) it served such as the Zanjera de Pasngal.

Historic Quarries Since it is now known that dams are mostly made of adobe, it would also be important to know the sources of these stones used in their construction.

The prevalent characteristic of dam sites in Cavite and Laguna is the cuts of stones, noticeable on the riverbanks in a number of locations.

In Tres Cruces Dam for example, there is a site where the cut stones were preserved through time as if they were waiting to be raised and hauled to their destination. The same was spotted in the vicinity of Boyang Dam in what is now the barangay of Salitran I in Dasmariñas.

C.R. Bennett, in his 1916 article on the repair of the Tres Cruces Dam, mentioned that this particular structure was “constructed of large cut adobe blocks quarries on site [sic].”

With these evidences, it could be concluded that riverbanks were indeed the source of stones for at least the dams in Cavite and Laguna. In other dam sites in the country, it is yet to be known.

These quarry sites are called pinagsisilyaran in Dasmariñas, and the quarry workers are called magbabato in Dasmariñas and maninibag in Santa Maria, Bulacan.

Quarry sites identified in both Cavite and Laguna include Ligas and Molino in Bacoor; Pasong Buaya in Imus; Lugsojin (now Luksuhin), San Agustin, Hasaan, Pritil (Zone III), Prinsang Bago, Boyang, and Salitran in Dasmariñas; Matanda and Tres Cruces in Tanza; Calaboso in Biñan; and San Cristobal and San Juna in Calamba.

These quarries, however, were not used exclusively for the construction of dams as the stones were also used in the construction of other structures such as churches, cemetery walls, and houses, as evidenced by a quarry site on the Maragondon River in Cavite, which is just a stone’s throw away from its church and cemetery.

Dam and Irrigation-Related Terms Many terms were recorded relating to irrigation. It is notable that words and meanings differ even among adjacent towns and villages. The Spanish word zanja (irrigation canal), for example, is called bambang in most parts of Dasmariñas, while in the Salauag area it is called baraso. Bambang is also the same word used in Imus, Bacoor, General Trias, Biñan, Santa Rosa, Cabuyao and Calamba, while it is called sangha or sanga in Naic. That word sangha evolved into sangka in Pandi and Marilao in Bulacan.

Sanghang malaki is called sanghang mayor in Naic and bambang malaki in Biñan while sanghang maliit is called sanghang munti in Tanza and bambangan in Biñan. Sanghilya is called the same in General Trias, Naic, and Tanza, while in Biñan, it is called sintas ng tubig.

A salaan is also called pritil in Dasmariñas, talon in Imus, timbawan in Tanza, and sala in Biñan, Santa Rosa and Cabuyao. Salaan came from the root word sala, which means “to strain.” A cabecilla is called senador ng tubig or selador in Biñan, while it is called cabecera in Santa Rosa.

The skylight on irrigation tunnels, called balon in Cabuyao and Calamba, is called bintana in Trece Martires. Bukete in Dasmariñas and Marilao is tahadera in General Trias, Naic, and Tanza, and cantirilla in Cabuyao and Calamba.

The Spanish word for dam, presa, Filipinized as prinsa, also has a number of variations.

20 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017

Ligas Dam overflowing

It is called prinsa and paurungan in Dasmariñas; prinsa in Imus, General Trias, and Biñan; prinza also in General Trias, Bacoor, and Calamba; and prenza in Marilao and in Calatagan, Batangas. Meanwhile, the local word for dam in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte is pottot.

In all, more than a hundred dams were built in the country during the Spanish period with Cavite having the most. General Trias and the former Imus Hacienda have most of these dams totaling to more than fifty.

Challenges Most of these dams—in Cavite, Laguna, Ilocos—are still being used at present, although water in most of these dams, particularly in Cavite and Laguna, are already heavily polluted due to the growth of subdivisions and the industrialization. Soon, these will fall into disuse as more agricultural lands are converted.

With the death of the river comes the death of the community’s rituals such as the paglilimas of Dasmariñas.

This ritual, which was praticed on the now polluted streams, would harvest fish from the mini dams constructed across an ilat (stream or creek).

Basically, an ilat will be dammed using materials such as stones, wood, mud, and even sandbags then they would let the water rise, drain the water using anything that they can use as pansalok (dipper) and would use nets or the pansalok and even bare hands in catching the fishes trapped inside the dam.

This possibly extinct ritual was being done every Maundy Thursday because there is a practice among Filipino Catholics that meat and work are prohibited during Holy Week specially Good Friday.

The demise of these structures reflects the demise of the former farmlands and the everyday activities related to farming. Thus, it is important that attention has to be given to these widely unknown edifices which define an era in Philippine history and culture.

These can also be declared National Cultural Treasures, Important Cultural Properties, or historic sites either by the National Museum or the National Historical Commission of the Philippines as they played an important role in the development of the towns and the development of the country in general. However, since these dams and related structures are

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 21

Tres Cruces Dam in 1916 (above, photo from the Bureau of Public Works Quarterly Bulletin) and in present day (below)

22 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017

Blocks of adobe of the Prenza Dam, Marilao

Bayan Dam marker in General Trias

Prenza Dam marker, Marilao

Quarry site at Tres Cruces Dam

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 23

more than fifty years old, these are already considered important cultural properties under Section 3 of the Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.

Structure housing the bukete of Pasong Castila Dam (above, left), and a bukete in Tanza (above)

The Irrigation System Today The dams and the irrigation system constructed during the Spanish period are at present either managed by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) or the different farming communities.

In particular, the NIA Laguna Friar Lands Irrigation System office in Cabuyao manages the irrigation system in the cities of Santa Rosa, Cabuyao, and Calamba while the Cavite-Batangas Irrigation Management Office, formerly the Cavite Friar Lands Irrigation System office, manages not only the irrigation system in Cavite but also in the whole of the province of Batangas. Some are also managed by the different community irrigation organization of farmers such as that of Timbao in Biñan. In Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, the system is managed by its various cooperative irrigation society.

Dam-building in the eighteenth to nineteenth century in the Philippines reveals that irrigation systems during the Spanish colonial period are complex and well-built, most of which are serviceable until today.

Edgar Allan M. Sembrano obtained his Master of Arts in Cultural Heritage Studies degree at the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School and has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Manila. Sembrano is a writer/contributor for The Philippine Daily Inquirer and The Daily Tribune, covering the arts, culture, heritage, and heritage conservation issues. He is the assistant area editor for architecture of the forthcoming revised edition of the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art. He also used to co-anchor “Ang Ating Katipunan” of DZAR Angel Radyo 1026 and “RMN Journalism Hour” of RMN Manila DZXL 558.

This essay is an abridged version of the author’s Master of Arts in Cultural Heritage Studies thesis at the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School entitled “Presa: A Preliminary Documentation on Spanish Colonial Dams in the Provinces of Cavite and Laguna, 1745-1898.” The study was funded in part by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. The author is deeply thankful to Prof. Regalado Trota José for his invaluable support and guidance in the course of the study.

EXAMINING THE FI

The Philippine Pavilion at the 57th Internat

T

he centuries of colonial rule and the decades of continuing diaspora have shaped the Filipino identity—this was the point of discussion in “The Spectre of Comparison,” at the Philippine Pavilion for the 57th International Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia or Venice Biennale in Italy.

“This exhibition questions the processes with which our identity as a nation has been formed, our curious condition as an archipelago of varied languages and ethnicities brought together by this modern construct; that these processes occurred in the context of hundreds of years of colonialism and occupation is not insignificant,” explains Senator Loren Legarda in the official catalogue for “The Spectre of Comparison.”

Joselina Cruz, the curator of the 2017 Philippine Pavilion, explains that “The Spectre of Comparison” is drawn from the novel Noli Me Tángere by Jose Rizal.

The phrase encapsulates the experience of Rizal’s protagonist, Crisostomo Ibarra, when he gazes out at the botanical gardens of Manila and simultaneously sees the gardens of Europe. This point of realization suggests the loss of Ibarra’s (and Rizal’s) political innocence, this double-vision of experiencing events up close and from afar: no longer able to see the Philippines without seeing Europe nor gaze at Europe without seeing the Philippines.

Legarda, the visionary and principal advocate behind the Philippines’ return to the Venice Biennale, said, “‘The Spectre of Comparison’ ensures it is impossible for us to comprehend who we are without the painful hauntings of our history. This was the case for Crisostomo Ibarra, for Rizal, and I am sure for Lani Maestro and Manuel Ocampo. These artists are all immigrants, as so many Filipinos are or have been: the West exists as both perpetrator and refuge; the Philippines as the home suddenly ripe for critique.”

The 2017 Philippine Pavilion features Filipino artists Lani Maestro and Manuel Ocampo, who both have lived and practiced their arts outside of the Philippines, but have maintained active engagement with the country throughout their careers. Their practice and their subject matters are deeply involved with their experiences as immigrants or citizens of a new diaspora that also reflect the complexity of a contemporary Philippine identity.

ILIPINO IDENTITY

tional Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia

“The Spectre of Comparison,� curated by Joselina Cruz, features the works of artists Lani Maestro and Manuel Ocampo for the 2017 Philippine Pavilion at the 57th International Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. It is located at the Artiglierie of the Arsenale.

No Pain Like This Body, installation with ruby-red neon by Lani Maestro

Cruz described the Pavilion as one that puts more focus on the artists’ practices. “I do not want the phrase, ‘the spectre of comparisons,’ to overburden the works of Lani and Manuel, because the works are not about that. The phrase is about their work, not the other way around. It is embodied in their process, in their practice.”

Maestro’s practice moves fluidly through various forms of artistic engagements and installations incorporating a variety of media such as sound, film, text and photographs. Prompted by concerns that simultaneously call attention to and displace her materials and subject matter, her practice produces a shifting ground that makes it difficult to place Maestro as simply politically inclined.

Ocampo’s practice, on the other hand, developed and matured in the

these Hands, installation with blue neon by Lani Maestro

United States in the early 1980s. A painter by trade, he has been decidedly critical of systems across contemporary culture. Most glaring are his figurative works which in no uncertain terms critique power structures that exist in the Philippines, and across other contemporary systems.

Rizal’s experience and understanding of Europe and the connections he continually made as he flipped back and forth between the contexts of home and the foreign crystallized the double-consciousness of a colonial émigré of the nineteenth century.

“The power of art to widen the imagination and sphere of possibilities for human life cannot be underestimated. The anxieties and doubts that ensue when questions of identity arise, as in the predicaments of Maestro and Ocampo, can be fully explored and understood, even if not resolved, through art,” said Legarda. “I celebrate that this year’s Philippine Pavilion argues for the diasporic experience as an intrinsic part of the Filipino identity, as that identity and the nationalism that it fosters continue to shift and remake itself, producing great art in its wake.”

“The Spectre of Comparison” accords this global gaze to Ocampo and Maestro, not just as the simple in-between location or a knowledge of two (or several) worlds, but as a more complex imagining of the local and global as each artist re-define political resistance within their experience of shifting localities throughout their artistic careers. Woven within this twinning of practices is the space of the spectre of comparison that haunts the imagery and making of nationalisms fraught with colonial and imperialist pasts.

Ocampo places emphasis on the power of images and how images are tied to history. His paintings use known images only to reverse their meaning and transform their oppressive appearance into liberatory power.

“The Spectre of Comparison” presents the paintings of Ocam-

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 27 po—Torta Imperiales, Crème de la Crème, Twelfth Station, and Cooks in the Kitchen—vis-a-vis Maestro’s works—No Pain Like This Body, these Hands, and meronmeron.

Maestro often utilizes a streamlined approach to her work, with strong, provocative and sometimes violent propositions. No Pain Like This Body, an installation with ruby red neon, was originally created for an exhibition in the Centre A Gallery in Canada. The words came to Maestro’s mind when she witnessed the poverty, racism, prostitution and drug abuse prevalent in the area.

These Hands, an installation with blue neon, was a commissioned work originally done in an old jewelry factory in France. It was a response to the shutting down of the factory because the owners decided to transfer production to China, resulting to unemployment.

Meanwhile, the site-specific installation meronmeron, a series of benches in variable dimensions, hopes to invite visitors to “pause, to be with oneself alone, or be alone with others.”

Cruz said people were surprised with her selection of artists because of their contrasting styles, but explained that the strong international practices of the artists and their respective experiences as Filipino immigrants were important in bringing them together.

Meanwhile, NCCA chairperson and commissioner for the Philippine Pavilion Virgilio S. Almario said, “It is only fitting that our exhibit for the 57th Venice Biennale is titled ‘The Spectre of Comparison.’ It stirs the conversation to many points of discussions; and one of them is to ask what it means to be Filipino and what being Filipino means to a world that is more fragmented than ever, yet it is connected via technology.”

“The Spectre of Comparison” marks the third participation of the Philippines at the international art exhibition after a fifty-year hiatus Crème de la Crème by Manuel Ocampo

Torta Imperiales by Manuel Ocampo

28 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017 since the country's first and last participation in 1964. In 2015, Patrick D. Flores’s curatorial proposal titled “Tie a String Around the World,” which featured artists Manny Montelibano and Jose Tence Ruiz, was selected to represent the Philippines at the prestigious event.

The following year, the Philippines participated for the first time at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia with its pavilion, “Muhon: Traces of an Adolescent City” at the 18th-century Palazzo Mora, curated by Leandro Y. Locsin, Jr., Sudarshan Khadka, Jr. and Juan Paolo Dela Cruz of the Leandro V. Locsin Partners, which featured the works of six architects/ architectural teams and three contemporary visual artists.

For the 2017 participation, which is a joint project of the NCCA, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, with the support of the Department of Tourism (DoT), the Philippine Arts in Venice Biennale (PAVB) Coordinating Committee announced an open call for curatorial proposals in July 2016. It received twelve proposals, which were deliberated upon by five jurors—Dr. Eugene Tan, director of the National Gallery Singapore; Florentina P. Colayco, president of Metropolitan Museum of Manila and a full professor at the College of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines; Luis “Junyee” E. Yee, Jr., one of the pioneers of installation art in the Philippines; then NCCA chairman and Philippine Pavilion commissioner Felipe M. de Leon, Jr.; and Legarda.

Cruz’s proposal on an exhibit that relates to notions of nationhood, diaspora and identity was chosen for the Venice Biennale.

Established in 1895, the Venice Biennale is one of the most prestigious and oldest cultural exhibitions in the world. The International Art Exhibition, which takes place every other year, is considered by many as “the Olympics of contemporary art” that exhibits global trends and engages in critical discourse, transforming the city of Venice into a Mecca for curators, artists and art pilgrims who traverse the globe to be part of this international spectacle.

The 57th International Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled “Viva Arte Viva,” is curated by Christine Macel and focuses on art and artists. Macel describes “Viva Arte Viva” as “a Biennale designed with artists, by artists and for artists, about the forms they propose, the questions they ask, the practices they develop and the ways of life they choose…Today, in a world full of conflicts and

Twelfth Station by Manuel Ocampo

Manuel Ocampo’s practice developed and matured in the United States in the early 1980s. A painter by trade, he has been decidedly critical of systems across contemporary culture. Most glaring are his figurative works which in no uncertain terms critique power structures that exist in the Philippines, and across other contemporary systems.

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 29

Lani Maestro’s practice moves fluidly through various forms of artistic engagements and installation incorporating a variety of media such as sound, film, text and photographs. Prompted by concerns that simultaneously call attention to and displace her materials and subject matter, her practice produces a shifting ground that makes it difficult to place Maestro as simply politically inclined.

The Artiglierie of the Arsenale, which houses the Philippine Pavilion, is one of the main exhibition spaces of the Venice Biennale. The Arsenale is the largest pre-industrial production center of the world, and was a symbol of the military, economic and political power Venice had back in time. The Venice Biennale first used the Arsenale in 1980 on the occasion of the First International Architecture Exhibition.

Cooks in the Kitchen by Manuel Ocampo

shocks, art bears witness to the most precious part of what makes us human. Art is the ultimate ground for reflection, individual expression, freedom, and for fundamental questions.”

Legarda said “The Spectre of Comparison” is in sync with Macel’s concept for the Biennale exhibition. “‘The Spectre of Comparison’ aims to present the works of Maestro and Ocampo in such a way that the spectator would see more about the artists. The take-off point is Jose Rizal’s protagonist in Noli Me Tangere, Crisostomo Ibarra, who experienced a double vision when he gazed out at the botanical gardens of Manila. The exhibition looks at how the two artists see the events of the Philippines and their adopted countries through an inverted telescope,” she said.

An achievement for the country this year is the transfer of the national pavilion from the eighteenth-century Palazzo Mora, where the 2015 Philippine Pavilion was housed, to the Artiglierie of the Arsenale, one of the main exhibition spaces of the Venice Biennale. The Arsenale is the largest pre-industrial production center of the world, and was a symbol of the military, economic and political power Venice had back in time. The Venice Biennale first used the Arsenale in 1980 on the occasion of the First International Architecture Exhibition.

Renaud Proch, executive director of the Independent Curators International and one of the jurors for the 2015 Philippine pavilion, said, “I think it’s a fantastic move (to be in the Arsenale). It’s a very impressive room in this building right at the center of the main exhibition.”

Adding to the excitement is the growing number of Filipino representation in Venice as the 2017 Biennale Arte director and curator Macel handpicked three Filipino artists to be part of the main exhibit, “Viva Arte Viva”—Filipino avant-garde artist David Medalla, Katherine Nuñez and Issay Rodriguez. Medalla joins the main exhibit with Mondrian Fan Club and A Stitch in Time; while Nuñez and Rodriguez present In Between the Lines 2.0.

National Artist for literature Almario said that the Filipino voice is getting louder in Venice not only because it has staged a national pavilion at the Arsenale but also because of the involvement of other Filipino artists at the main exhibit.

Led by Almario, “The Spectre of Comparison” held its vernissage

The setting up of the works of Lani Maestro and Manuel Ocampo for the 2017 Philippine Pavilion at the Artiglierie of the Arsenale

on May 11, 2017, and opened to the public on May 13. The DFA, represented by Undersecretary Linglingay Lacanlale and Philippine ambassador to Rome Domingo Nolasco, showed support for the project.

Many guests at the vernissage enthused about the participation especially that the country has already found a place in one of the main exhibition platforms of the Venice Biennale.

The Drawing Room Manila founder Cesar Villalon, Jr. even said that it is a wonderful opportunity for Philippine contemporary art to be shown and exposed in a big art event like the Venice Biennale.

“I like the exhibition design. I like the contrast between the very powerful paintings of Manuel Ocampo and the very quiet in-

trospective works of Lani Maestro. It is a wonderful combination that we’ve seen here in the Venice Biennale,” Villalon said.

Joan Young of the Guggenheim museum in New York commented, “It is exciting to have it so centrally located within the Biennale, and the works dramatically lit the spare room.”

The finissage or closing ceremony was held on November 26, 2017, at the Fava Church in Castello where the Filipino community in Venice gathered. As much as 7,000 visitors per day have visited the Philippine Pavilion since it opened.

Legarda announced that “The Spectre of Comparison” will have a homecoming exhibition, just like 2015’s “Tie A String Around

The World,” which had its homecoming exhibition at the Vargas Museum of the University of the Philippines in 2016, and “Muhon: Traces of an Adolescent City,” which is on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila from October 27 to December 29, 2017.

Meanwhile, Legarda ensured that the country will continue to participate in the next exhibitions of the Venice Biennale.

“We hope to be in the Venice Biennale for as long as it is here.

Next year, we will participate in the Architecture Biennale and while we are preparing for that, we will also launch the open call for curatorial proposals for the 2019 Art Biennale. Moreover, to ensure continuity, we hope to enact a law institutionalizing the Philippine participa-

tion in the international exhibitions of the Venice Biennale,” she said.

For the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, the Philippine Pavilion will feature Edson Cabalfin’s curatorial concept, “The City Who Had Two Navels.”

“As we continue to participate in the Venice Biennale, we hope to enlighten more Filipinos on the importance of this endeavor. Art is important in fostering patriotism and nationalism. It is an enabler of development. Through our participation in the Venice Biennale, we hope that more Filipino curators and artists will be encouraged not only in exhibiting their craft but also in promoting the relevance of arts in nation-building,” Legarda concluded.

Structures Nation’s Soul of the

NCCA’s Haligi ng Dangal Award Honors Exemplary Filipino Designs

G

ood design is a major component in exerting a positive influence on the human environment. Our cultural values and identity, and the natural environment can be integrated into the development of the built environment in the Philippines.

There are numerous exemplary structures or sites in the country that show these, manifesting the Filipino imagination and spirit.

With the newly launched Haligi ng Dangal Awards, the NCCA’s National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts recognizes and honors these achievements in architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, and urban and environmental planning.

The Haligi ng Dangal Awards is an annual award conferred upon completed/executed works in architecture and its allied fields, designed by Filipinos and located within the Philippines. It also aims to contribute to the development and improvement of Philippine built environment and to raise awareness on the role of design and designers, particularly those in architecture and its allied professions, in the social, economic and environmental development of the Philippines.

An open call for nominations was made on September 2016, resulting in over sixty nominations from all over the archipelago.

Only licensed Filipino professionals were eligible to be nominated.

A panel of experts, composed of architect Jose Danilo Silvestre, architect Rogelio Caringal, interior designer Rachelle Medina, landscape architect Susan Aquino-Ong, architect Maria Cristina Turalba, and art scholar Dr. Patrick D. Flores, judged the nominations on June 2, 2017. After careful deliberations, they came up with two honorees for the category of Architecture, one honoree for Landscape Architecture, and one for Interior Design.

A special, separate citation for the People’s Choice allowed for public participation in the nomination and decision process by way of online voting, with nominees garnering the highest number of votes being recognized as popular everyday built spaces which resonate with the Filipino.

The awarding ceremony was held on June 17, 2017, at the Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros. The designers received medals, plaques and cash prizes, while the structures would be installed with honorary plaques.

Haligi ng Dangal Award for

ARCHITECTURE Filipino architecture is the product of our reality, our identity, and our time. From its beginnings in the bahay kubo, to the structures of today, Filipino architecture demonstrates a synthesis of built and abstract, embracing the character and identity of the Filipino through physical expressions of space, material, and functionality.

The Ateneo de Manila University’s Church of the Gesu sits on the highest point of the 87 hectare campus, with a commanding view of Bellarmine Field. Its unique tetrahedral form seats 1,000 persons and contains two side chapels. The church features a cupola that is illuminated at night, and in itself is a detail that invokes Filipino character to the structure. The church, with its strong geometric composition, stands as both an artistic and religious landmark by which future generations will remember the Ateneo.

CHURCH OF THE GESU

Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City Designed by architect Jose Pedro Recio (Recio + Casas Architects, Inc.) Completed in 2004

ARNAIZ RESIDENCE

Designed by architect Dan Lichauco (Archion Architects)

The design of the house is a modern interpretation of the traditional Philippine bahay na bato. Built in the city, it achieves the bahay na bato spirit of structure and ventilation creating a naturally ventilated house that is comfortable and cool even in the summer.

Constructed in a trapezoidal corner lot, the ground floor is set to the orthogonal of one street with the second floor rotated parallel to the second street. This makes a natural triangular canopy that acts as a verandah to the whole house. The ground floor is the antithesis of the bahay na bato with modern glass sliding panels that allow it to act like a silong, opening up to the garden and the pool. On the second and third floors, from the floor to the ceiling sliding glass windows complete with stainless steel laser cut ventanillas.

The interior uses traditional materials like narra wood floors reused from the original house in the site, capiz panels, rattan and bamboo. The third floor with its rattan ceiling has windows that open up to the canopy of street trees creating a provincial feel in the center of the city. The house is a collaboration between Archion Architects and Chelo HofileĂąa for the interior design.

Haligi ng Dangal Award for

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Filipino landscape architecture is an application of our identity in outdoor space. A synthesis of pre-colonial, colonial, and contemporary Filipino society, Landscape Architecture transforms, enlivens, and enhances our natural and built environment, bringing together the Filipino culture, people, and a shared stewardship of our land.

Conceptualized as the Arbor Day Plaza, a convergence spot at the UP Town Center exhibits a strong balance of built geometric features and natural elements. The composition also benefits from the existing trees, including endemic malakmalak trees (Palaquium philippense), that serve as an imposing, yet soft focal point.

U.P. TOWN CENTER

Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City Designed by landscape architect Eric Estonido (ASEA Design Group) Completed in 2016

Haligi ng Dangal Award for

INTERIOR DESIGN

Interior design takes identity and expression much closer to our spaces of intimacy through the manipulation of internal volumes, surface treatments, and objects of memory, channeling contemporary ideas and deeply rooted Filipino cultural traits into aesthetics. Woven together, it creates a curated indoor experience of both substance and style that is distinctly Filipino.

LUMOT LAKEHOUSE

Lumot Lake, Cavinti, Laguna Designed by interior designer Budji Layug (Budji + Royal Architecture + Design) Completed in 2014

Comprising three separate units of glass and crushed bamboo, this weekend home, inspired by the vernacular native hut, nestles on a 400-square meter lot by Lumot Lake. The home is reconfigured innovatively according to different functions, starting with the spacious ground floor of the two-level unit on the far edge of the lot. The silong becomes the dining and lounging area, and the suite holds the private quarters. A few steps down and across a water garden is a glass quest house, surrounded by water features, which line up with the lake on the edge of the rise. The kitchen unit stands apart and slightly above the two “lifestyle pavillions.” Budji Layug says, “This house shows the evolution of the whole holistic philosophy, with all its elements and concepts....Now, we have developed an architectural space that organically merges with its lake and sky landscape.”

Haligi ng Dangal Award

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

RONAC ART CENTER

424 Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills North, San Juan City Designed by architects Sonny Sunga and Arnold Austria (Jagnus Design Studio)

Ronac Art Center is a four-storey hub for contemporary art, dining outlets and retail stores. The building stands out for its eye-catching architecture in a busy area along Ortigas Avenue in Greenhills, San Juan City, epitomizing a new urban cool. Designer Jagnus Design Studio believes that “the built environment is man’s natural habitat...A space that is properly planned, well designed and beautifully made can enrich our lives in so many ways. Our goal is to impart this in the projects we undertake whether large or small.”

Reimagining the Retablo

By Mark Louie Lugue

C

onsidered by Jesuit art historian Rene Javellana, S.J. as the “centerpiece of any baroque church interior,” the retablo, commonly known as the altarpiece in Western cultures, houses paintings and sculptures of divine personages in its multi-tiered, oftentimes multileveled, carved wooden panels. Derived from the Latin word retaulus, formed by the merging of the words retro, which means “behind,” and tabula, which means “panel,” the retablo serves as the backdrop of any celebration in a church. Its main functions are to provide a splendid setting for the saints enclosed in it, and to elucidate the liturgy performed in front of it. Aside from being an aid for personal devotion, many of the sacred images within it are said to have healing potential, as well. With its holy purpose, the structure becomes holy, as well.

In the Philippine context, art critic Alice Guillermo described retablos as “upright carved and decorated wooden screen or frame containing ledges and panels behind and above the altar, which displays the patron saint in the center flanked by secondary saints.” The central panel is devoted to the saint upon whom the church is dedicated to, and the other panels are for the auxiliary icons related to the main figure. It also shelters the tabernacle, the receptacle of the holy host. The entire towering structure is crowned at its topmost part with a symbolism associated with God, such as the crucifix, the Holy Spirit, or the All-Seeing Eye. Similar with the other art and furniture in the church, the retablo is packed with Christian iconography, and accordingly, with implied meaning.

In the exhibition “Retablo 2.0: Heritage and Art in Faith,” artist Wilfredo Offemaria, Jr. restaged retablos—and their holy and political role in Christianity—within the contemporary context.

He used these vessels of stories from the scriptures as the springboard to present other narratives that reflect the Filipino society today.

The Critique of Figuration The history of Christian art traces far back from the earliest centuries of Western art. With this long history, Christian art is one that was not left unchallenged. The use of figuration in representing personages was criticized by “iconoclasts” who insisted on a literal interpretation of the ban stated in the Bible against graven images that would bring the faithful closer to idolatry. For them, artists should be restricted from depicting God and other divine personages in earthly forms, undermining their honor, incomprehensibility and immeasurability. Also, such images may tempt the faithful to devote their prayers to the images, instead of the actual personage that they illustrate.

Thus, for them, the depiction should be limited to abstract symbols and patterns alone.

Offemaria stands in between these two schools of thought in an attempt to balance out figuration and abstraction in his set of works. In the Stations of the Cross series, personages depicted in a figurative manner gradually fades out into the elaborate abstraction at the background. By using such technique, he hints on the limitations of the human mind when attempting to box spirituality and God within the boundaries of his comprehension.

In Ang Tatlong Persona, the faces were depicted figuratively, but the body seems to sublimate into abstract forms associated with each of the Trinitarian Gods. The triangular golden halo, which corresponds to the three faces of a singular God, asserts the contemporaneity of the work while keeping the rootedness in the concepts of the Christian tradition. In Dismayado, the figure of the suffering Christ is placed on streams of bright colored geometric forms. The most prominent of these forms is the crown, which resembles sun rays curiously alluding to the sun in the Philippine flag.

In Offemaria’s works, figuration and abstraction were both used as a means to revere the divinity of these personages. In as much as these retablos figuratively narrate stories from the scriptures, the abstraction implemented by Offemaria shrouds some fragments of the narratives into Mystery.

Niño Sugbuanon series, 2016

The Unperceived Idolatries Among other traditions brought ashore by the Spaniards that aimed to promote Christianity, such as the building of churches and cathedrals, the retablo was also utilized by the colonial enterprise.

To fully integrate Christianity into the Philippine culture and society, the Christian traditions were assimilated into the local culture. With the goal of bringing closer Christian figures to the psyche of the Philippine society, several figures, such as the short and young Santo Niño, and the Black Nazarene, adopted—at some levels—some of the physical traits of the locality. Offemaria alludes to this evangelization and colonial tactic through the brown Virgin in Mary Homage to Van Eyck, which clearly references to Hubert and Jan van Eyck’s The Ghent Altarpiece The Virgin Mary.

The images housed within the retablos were used to aid the evangelization of the local people, showing the life that should be aspired for by the faithful. Its towering height, similar to the frescoes up in the church’s ceilings, demands the faithful to look up when gazing at the figures, poetically indicating how the locals should look up to the lives of these people, and the West in general. Mimicking the layout of the church, the exhibition hangs the works at a height, expecting reverence and

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 39

Mother and Child (inspired by William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s Virgin and Child), acrylic on canvas, 2017

40 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017

Pieta (inspired by William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s Our Lady of Sorrows), acrylic on canvas, 2017

respect from the viewers, and arresting them in the ideals the images promote.

In Mother and Child and Dismayado, iconic commercial brands were juxtaposed with the principal figures. In the former, instead of the simple yet majestic and elegant blue velvety robe often worn by the Virgin Mary, the figure was clothed with a gown of extravagance. The child Jesus she is carrying also references to a known canned milk brand in the country. In the latter, the appearance of the logo of a clothing brand seems to question who or which is Supreme—is it Jesus, or is it the brand?

In these obscured references, Offemaria’s retablos challenge the viewer to examine who or what they are venerating and devoting their lives on. Commercialism, brought by the West and thrusted into the society, is a modern idolatry, among others.

The Tradition of Patronage Throughout the history of Christian art, there is a reciprocal relationship between art and the Church. E. H. Gombrich, author of The Story of Art, said paintings are “form of writings in pictures” without which “the teachings of the Church could never have been translated into visible shapes.”

For those who are unable to read, the clarity and simplicity of the images aid in their personal veneration of the icons, and in the delivery of the messages kept in between the words of the Bible. In

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 41 Maria (inspired by Jan Van Eyck’s The Ghent Altarpiece: The Virgin Mary), acrylic on canvas, 2017

return, the Church, with its power and influence, has provided the patronage and support the artists needed, allowing them to pursue their art and push their boundaries further.

This traditional dynamics is what causes the uproar and controversy when the artist deviates from the norm, and offends the sensibilities of the faithful. Wilfredo Offemaria’s crucifix points to the controversial work in the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Virginia, United States.

The churchgoers were outraged by the crucifix that seems to show an image of the male genitalia on Jesus’ abdomen, causing some of them to leave the parish.

In the Philippines, Christianity is the religion practiced by the majority, and is a religion tempered by its deep ingrain into the local culture and its powerful economic and political ties. With the goal of examining how the dynamics between the Church and art have changed, Offemaria offers contemporary and alternative meanings to what the faithful has grown accustomed to, and examines their consequent reactions to it. In this attempt to shake the ground, he is, at the same time, pondering on the freedom an artist has in his artmaking when it comes face to face with a power in a given society. Thus the question: is his art truly free?

In “Retablo 2.0,” Offemaria reimagined traditional Christian iconography while exploring relevant concepts through the assimilation of contemporary ideas and themes. Traditional figuration was curiously mixed with modern abstraction. Images of religious personages and entities were juxtaposed with eclectic elements and strong visual components, such as foreign iconography, and intense textures and colors. This contextualization of the traditional art form within the contemporary era may be seen as a door, opening up to relevant, complicated and sensitive questions on faith, worship, religion, society, and the role and boundaries of the artist, as he is caught between the complexities of these things surrounding him or her.

“Retablo 2.0: Heritage and Art in Faith” was at the NCCA Gallery from May 8 to 31, 2017.

The creation of the NCCA Gallery dedicated to contemporary arts was a joint initiative of the National Committee on Visual Arts (NCVA) and the National Committee on Art Galleries (NCAG). Through the establishment of the gallery, both committees envision to help young artists get their much needed exposure without hampering their zest to explore new tendencies on the edge of current art making. The new gallery is outfitted to accommodate video works and movable panels for installation pieces. Contemporary artists are welcome to submit their exhibit concept along with their portfolio should they wish to exhibit at the gallery. The NCCA Gallery is at the ground floor of the NCCA Building, 633 General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila. It is open 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., Monday to Friday. Visits on weekends and holidays are by appointment. For details, contact 527-2192 loc. 512 and look for Bryan Llapitan or Mimi Santos; or email nccagallery09@gmail.com.

42 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017 Pillars of NCCA awardees with executive director Rico S. Pableo, and deputy executive director Marichu Tellano

T

he NCCA celebrated thirty years of cultural work with the theme, “Lingkod NCCA: Marangal, Malikhain, Mapagbago, Filipino” (NCCA Service: Honorable, Creative, Transformative, Filipino) with a series of events.

It started with a kick-off event on January 30, 2017, where NCCA Secretariat employees held a thanksgiving mass at the San Agustin Church, Filipino fiesta activities, parade around Intramuros and feasting at Father Blanco’s Garden of San Agustin Church. The anniversary celebration culminated on May 17 at the Luzon-Mindanao Ballroom of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila Hotel in Pasay City.

During the grand celebration, NCCA executive director Rico S. Pableo, Jr. delivered the welcome remarks, while NCCA chairman and National Artist Virgilio S. Almario, who was at the Venice Biennale in

Pillars of NCCA awardees

3

NCC

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 43

30

CA

at

Celebrating Three Decades of Transfomative Cultural Work

Italy at that time, gave the closing remarks through a recorded video.

The program scintillated with performances of Joseph “The Sand Artist” Valerio, based on the “marangal” theme; Sinukwan Kapampangan Performing Arts Group, Halili-Cruz Dance Company, Lahing Batangan Dance Troupe and Next to Innocence, collaborating on the “malikhain” theme; Dulce, Bituin Escalante, Ima Castro, Frenchie Dy and Joey Ayala, exemplifying “mapagbago” with their songs.

The NCCA Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) Committee, led by the deputy executive director Marichu G. Tellano, recognized employees, committee members and partners for their support, loyalty, contribution and exemplary work.

The awardees from the NCCA Secretariat included Jason M. Conda, Bernadette A. David, Argentina B. Cavalida-Guiposposa,

Felino R. Joco (five-year Service Award); Minviluz R. Diesta (fifteenyear); Vanny T. Banico and Maria Ida V. Cape (twenty-year); Rulet S. Salgado (Loyalty Award for fifteen years); Edmarie I. Bun-as, Elizabeth B. Cabaya, Angelina R. Carillo, Roman L. Encina and Wilma C. Saputalo (2016 Tipong Pinoy Award); Dinalyn F. De Luna, Encina, Joseph Patrick V. Lee, Maricel C. Malalad and Timothy Jarred F. Pasco (Career and Self Development Award); Mary Anne M. Luis, and the International Affairs Office (Gantimpala Agad Award); Ramon P. De Leon, Abdulnasser M. Kali, Alinor D. Maqueda and Cecilia V. Picache (for perfect attendance); Personnel Selection Board, PRAISE, Public Affairs Information Office (PAIO) and Lupon ng Korespondensya Opisyal (Special Achievement Award); Ryan C. Arengo and Philippine Registry of Cultural Property Program (Most Innovative Award);

44 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017 Maqueda (Special Citation for Outstanding Work Performance); Leon A. Pangilinan, Jr. (Employee of the Year); Tellano (Leader of the Year); Intangible Cultural Heritage Unit (NCCA Pag-asa Award); Gema M. Balot (NCCA Dangal ng Bayan Award); and PAIO (Cost Economy Measure Award).

Division/Units Recognition were given to Administrative and Finance Division, NEFCA Division, Plan/Policy Formulation and Programming Division, Program Monitoring and Evaluation Division, Office of the Executive Director, and Office of the Chairman.

The Pillars of the NCCA awards (NCCA Secretariat Category) were given to Emelita V. Almosara, Emelie V. Tiongco, Marlene Ruth S. Sanchez, Zenaida Jimenez, Tellano, Adelina M. Suemith, Bernan Joseph Guillermo R. Corpuz, Ma. Marilyn C. Estrella, Susan C. Dayao, Herencio Y. Llapitan, Myla T. Buan, Ferdinand P. Isleta, Renee C. Talavera, Picache and Balot.

Executive council heads who served for two terms were also given the Pillars of the NCCA award including Felipe M. de Leon, Jr. (chairman of the NCCA, 2011 to 2013 and 2014 to 2016; head of SCA and National Committee on Music, 2011 to 2013 ad 2014 to 2016; head of SCCTA and National Committee on Southern Cultural Communities, 1992 to 1995 and 1995 to 1998; and member since PCCA, 1987 to 1992); National Artist Dr. Ramon P. Santos, head of SCA and National Committee on Music (1998 to 2001, 2001 to 2004); National Artist Eddie Romero, head of National Committee on Cinema (1992 to 1995, 1995 to 1998); Shirley Halili-Cruz, head of National Committee on Dance (2008 to 2010, 2011 to 2013); Dr. Glecy C. Atienza, head of National Committee on Dramatic Arts (2004 to 2007, 2008 to 2010); Lutgardo Luza Labad, head of National Committee on Dramatic Arts (2001 to 2004, 2011- to 2013); Christopher Rollo, head of National Committee on Visual Arts (2001 to 2004, 2004 to 2007); Dr. Al-Anwar J. Anzar, SCCTA commissioner (2014 to 2016) and head of National Committee on Southern Cultural Communities (2011 to 2013, 2014 to 2016); Consuelo J. Paz, head of National Committee on Agta/Ayta Cultural Communities (1987 to 1992, 1992 to 1995) and member since PCCA (1997 to 1992); Dr. Eufracio Abaya, head of National Committee on Agta/Ayta Cultural Communities (1995 to 1998, 1998 to 2001); Alphonsus D. Tesoro, head of National Committee on Central Cultural Communities (2007 to 2010, 2014 to 2016); Dr. Kate Botengan, head of National Committee on Northern Cultural Communities (1987 to 1992, 1992 - to 1995) and member since PCCA (1997 to 1992); Dr. Alicia P. Magos, head of National Committee on Lowland Cultural Communities (1998 to 2001, 2001 to 2004); Dr. Nagasura Madale, head of National Committee on Muslim Cultural Communities (1998 to 2001, 2001 to 2004); Dr. Norma Sharief, head of National Committee on Muslim Cultural Communities (1992 to 1995, 1995 to 1998); Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, SCH commissioner (1992 to 1995, 1995 to 1998), head of National Committee on Museums (1992 to 1995, 1995 to 1998), and member since PCCA (1997 to 1992); Dr. Jaime C. Laya, NCCA chair (December 1996 to December 2001) and head of National Committee on Monuments and Sites (1996 to 1998, 1998 to 2001, 2008 to 2010, 2011 to 2013); Melquiades dela Cruz, head of National Committee on Archives (1992 to 1995, 1995 to 1998) and member since PCCA (1997 to 1992); Regalado Trota-Jose, SCH commissioner and head of National Committee on Archives (2011 to 2013) and National Committee on Monuments and Sites (2001 to 2004) and member since PCCA (1997 to 1992); Fr. Harold Ll. Rentoria, OSA, head of National Committee on Archives (2008 to 2010, 2014 to 2016); Araceli R. Salas, head of National Committee on Art Galleries (1996 to 1998, 2001 to 2004) and member since PCCA (1997 to 1992); Dr. Maria Luisa T. Camagay, head of National Committee on Historical Research (1995 to 1998, 1998 to 2001);

NCD head Shirley Halili-Cruz with former NCCA chariman Felipe M. de Leon, Jr. and NCCA depuity executive director Marichu Tellano

Former NCCA Secretariat employees

Planning and Policy Office

NCCA Secretariat employees

Celebrating with Joey Ay

Ferdinand Isleta and Renee Talavera

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 45

Public Affairs and Information Office

yala

NCCA Secretariat employees and officials Susan Dayao, Bernan Corpuz and Adelina Suemith Project Monitoring and Evaluation Division

International Affairs Office

NEFCA Division

46 Agung • Number 3 • May-June 2017 Rosa M. Vallejo, head of National Committee on Libraries and Information Services (1992 to 1995, 1995 to 1998) and member since PCCA (1997 to 1992); Antonio M. Santos, head of National Committee on Libraries and Information Services (2008 to 2010, 2011 to 2013); Angel P. Bautista, head of National Committee on Museums (2004 to 2007, 2008 to 2010) and member since PCCA (1997 to 1992); Eustacio B. Orobia, Jr., head of National Committee on Monuments and Sites (1992 to 1995, 1995 to 1996) and member since PCCA (1997 to 1992); Narcissa V. Munasque, SCD commissioner (1992-1995, 1995-1998), head of National Committee on Cultural Education (1992 to 1995, 1995 to1998), head of National Committee on Libraries and Information Services (1987 to 1992) and member since PCCA (1997 to 1992); Alfred G. Gabot, head of National Committee on Communication (2004 to 2007, 2008 to 2010); Dr. Mario I. Miclat, head of National Committee on Language and Translation (2001 to 2004, 2011 to 2013 and 2014 to 2016); Rodrigo G. Cornejo, head of National Committee on Communication (2000 to 2001, 2001 to 2004); and National Artist Virgilio S. Almario, head of National Committee on Language and Translation (1995 to 1998, 2004 to 2007).

NCCA also recognized for media partners (television, print and radio): ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, ABS -CBN News Channel, Eagle Broadcasting Corporation, GMA Network Inc., Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp., Lakbayin ang Magandang Pilipinas in PTV 4, Living Asia Channel, Peoples Television Network, Inc., TV 5, UNTV-Breakthrough and Milestones Productions International (BMPI), Bannawag, Bisaya, Hiligaynon, Liwayway, The Manila Times, The Manila Bulletin, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Sunstar Baguio, The Daily Tribune, Women’s Journal, DZBB, DZMM, DZRB, DZRH, DZRM, Radyo Balintataw (DZRH), and Radyo Singko.

SM Supermalls is cited for its support as private organization.

Citations were bestowed to its celebrity ambassadors Boy Abunda, Dingdong Dantes, Shamcey Supsup, Sarah Geronimo, Lucy Torres-Gomez, Ogie Alcasid, Enchong Dee, Jericho Rosales, Venus Raj, Aiza Seguerra, and Piolo Pascual. Pascual, Alcasid and Dee graced the occasion with Alcasid rendering a couple or songs.

Cited local government units, which have been NCCA partners, were Abra, Albay, Angeles City in Pampanga, Angono and Antipolo in Rizal, Baguio, Bataan, Benguet, Bulacan, Ifugao, Isabela, Legazpi City in Albay, Magdalena in Laguna, Manila, Marikina City, Marinduque, Masbate City and Masbate, Mindoro, Naga City, Orion in Bataan, Pampanga, Pasay City, Pudtol in Apayao, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Quezon City, Romblon, Sorsogon City and Sorsogon, Vigan, Bacolod City, Bohol, Capul in Samar, Cebu, Capiz, Dumaguete City, Limasawa and Southern Leyte, Tacloban City, Ormoc City, Cagayan de Oro City, Dapitan in Zamboanga Del Norte, Davao City, Dipolog City, Glan in Sarangani, Iligan City, Jasaan and Jimenez in Misamis Oriental, Koronadal City, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Tagum City, and Zamboanga City.

Bituin Escalante

Piolo Pascual

Honorees from the print media

Recognition for local government units

A rousing intermission number

Ogie Alcasid

Honorees from

m radio

May-June 2017 • Number 3 • Agung 47

Enchong Dee

Career and Self Development Award recipients

Honorees from television

Filmmaker Peque Gallaga Recognition of celebrity ambassadors

National Artists for literature F. Sionil Jose and Bienvenido Lumbera Ima Castro, Dulce and Frenchie Dy

NCCA Joins Independence Day Celebration

NCCA executive director Rico S. Pableo, Jr., National Committee on Visual Arts head Egai Fernandez and National Library director Cesar Adriano /Photo by Faith Yangyang

A demonstration on the puni /Photo by Faith Yangyang

Live painting session /Photo by Faith Yangyang

The NCCA joined other government agencies in setting up booths, delivering services and giving away freebies at the “Mga Pampamahalaang Programa at Serbisyo” in celebration of the 119th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12, 2017, with the theme, “Kalayaan 2017: Pagbabagong Sama-samang Balikatin.”

The fair of government agencies started on June 11 at the Rizal Park Grounds. The NCCA booth, whose design was inspired by the Manila Metropolitan Theater, one of its major restoration projects, offered numerous activities including a baybayin workshop, an exhibit on the Met’s history, puni demonstration, painting session, and mini performances.

The NCCA also joined the National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ Kalayaan Book Sale, and mounted a cultural show at the Burnham Green.

The two days were brimming with activities highlighted by simultaneous flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremonies in different parts of the country. For the rest of the month, activities were replicated nationwide and in all Philippine embassies abroad.

An exhibit on the history of the Metropolitan Theater /Photo by Faith Yangyang

Performance of Armor Rapista /Photo by Faith Yangyang

Performance of Sindaw Philippines Performing Arts Guild /Photo by Faith Yangyang

Empowering the Filipino Imagination Send your comments and inquiries to The Editor, NCCA, Public Affairs and Information Office

633 General Luna Street, 1002 Intramuros, Manila. Tel. (+63 2) 527-2192 to 96 • Fax (+63 2) 527-2191/94 • E-mail: ncca.paio@gmail.com, info@ncca.gov.ph • Web site: www.ncca.gov.ph BUSINESS MAIL: Entered as third-class mail at Manila Central Post Office under Permit No. 3C-14-10-276, dated October 14, 2014. Subject for postal inspection