Cebu-Visayas National Arts Month Center

In the past years, Metro Manila has always been the site of celebrating National Arts Month (NAM), and the National Commission for Culture & the Arts spearheads this annual event. However, for the first time this year, the celebration of NAM is being deployed through centers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Last February 3 was the opening salvo for the Cebu launch being the Visayas Center for the NAM celebration. There was a parade of artists from Fuente Osmeña to the Capitol Building where the official program was held.

Frontliners were NCCA Chairman Ambeth Ocampo and National Artist for Visual Arts Sculptor Napoleon Abueva who were guests of honor for the Visayas launch. As the keynote speaker, Abueva traced the historical evolution of the various artistic disciplines in the Visayas, citing numerous eminent Cebuanos whose contributions led to the flowering of the arts in the region. By the way, Abueva has his roots in Bohol and Tabuelan, Cebu. Also in the frontlines was PB member Agnes Magpale who represented Governor Gwen Garcia in the welcome address.

With this year's theme ANI sa SINING: Bahandi sa Kaliwat (A Harvest of Art: Wealth of the Nation), the 2007 Sinulog Grand Prize winner in Free Interpretation Tribu Basakanon, performed a harvest ritual. Other numbers presented were: the National Anthem by Arts Council scholar Crystal Esmero; songs by Yentel Ylaya Beltran and the UV Chorale; excerpt from "Peter Pan" by Balletcenter; the Bohol Literary Arts Committee members who read their Visayan poems; USC Dance Troupe; Miss Cebu 2007 and her court led by Loise Angelique Tan.

What was quite significant was the ceremonial lighting of the seven torches representing the various disciplines: Music - Elvis Somosot; Dance - Francita Pacaña of USC Dance Troupe; Drama - Benjie Diola and Allan Jayme Rabaya (NCCA Central Visayas Coordinator for Drama); Visual Arts - Celso Duazo Pepito with Palmy Pe Tudtud (NCCA Central Visayas Coordinator for Visual Arts); Architecture/allied arts - Archt. Lizeta Uy; Literary Arts - Boni Quirog and Prof. Merlie Alunan (NCCA Western Visayas coordinator for literary arts); Cinematic Arts - Director Bien Fernandez.

NCCA National Arts Month Coordinator for the Visayas is The FREEMAN's Marlinda Angbetic Tan (Secretary/Central Visayas coordinator of the National Committee on Literary Arts of NCCA), while the local proponent is the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation led by President Petite Garcia.