MANILA, Philippines - “Nothing can break the Filipino faith,” says Filipino Heritage Festival director Bambi Harper and head of the Intramuros Administration. “It’s the one thing that keeps us going despite the many adversities we encounter. “
The Philippines suffered several blows in the previous year, the most disastrous of which were typhoons Ondoy and Peping. Hundreds of lives were lost and millions worth of property destroyed. Still, the Filipinos’ faith, courage, and resilience shone through, as made evident by the many stories of heroism in the wake of the devastation: neighbors helping their fellowmen despite being victims themselves; students and youth groups foregoing gimiks at the mall to help collect and pack relief goods; business, both large and small, making donations for unfortunate victims.
National Heritage Month 2010 celebrates the Filipinos’ unwavering faith, rich culture and heritage, and deep-rooted traditions. This year’s roster of cultural activities also aims to boost the historical consciousness of Filipinos through dance, song, and visual and culinary arts.
“Viva Intramuros,” the opening revelry in Intramuros, Manila, will kickoff the month-long nationwide celebration until May 2. The festivities will start with a Misa Baclayana at the Manila Cathedral with the Loboc Children’s Choir. The Mass will be officiated by Archbishop Jesus A. Dosado, CM-DD, Archdiocese of Ozamis.
Other activities include the “Intramuros is Forever” photo exhibit and competition, and a heritage lecture for public school teachers to be presented by Prof. Felipe de Leon Jr. of the University of the Philippines.
The Society of Ecclesiastical Archivists of the Philippines Inc., under the CBCP Committee on Cultural Heritage, will hold the Angat Kabataan Camp 2010 in Legaspi City, Albay until May 4. It will feature a workshop about the 33 churches declared National Cultural Treasures by UNESCO.
A wide array of retablos will be showcased in an exhibit from May 8 to 14 at Greenbelt 3 in Makati City. Littered across the archipelago are the religious sculptures — wood bas reliefs as old as four centuries.
The Musikito String Orchestra, an ensemble of musical prodigies ages 11 and 16, will serenade on May 6 at the Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati.
World-class violinist Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata and the renowned children’s ensemble Pundaquit Virtuosi will hold a concert on May 13 at the Ramon L. Corpus Hall of the Center for the Arts in San Antonio (CASA), in San Miguel, Zambales.
The Ifugao epic “Hudhud” will be chanted and danced at the Cultural Center of the Philippines from May 21 to 22. Featuring the Tungngod Elementary School Hudhud chanters and the Haggiyo Traditional Ensemble Group, the production is conceptualized and directed by Floy Quintos, under the musical direction of Jesse Lucas, and the choreography of Gener Caringal. The UNESCO has declared Hudhud one of 43 “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity.”
In Negros Occidental, the Tourism and Performing Arts Society (TAPAS) will stage a tribute to rich Ilonggo music, language, and tradition. “Pasundayag Sang Kultura,” will be held on May 12 at the Pope John Paul Cultural Center, Sacred Heart Seminary in Bacolod City.
In celebration of Vicente S. Manansala’s birth centennial, the National Artist in Visual Arts’ masterpieces will be mounted in exhibits at various museums in Metro Manila. “Mga Gawa ni Mang Enteng,” will be held at the GSIS Museum from May 18 to Oct. 30.
The exhibit “Si Mang Enteng… Encountering Manansala,” will be mounted at the Tall Galleries of the Metropolitan Museum from May 20 to July 31. First-Day stamps featuring a number of Manansala’s masterpieces will be launched and sold by the Philippine Postal Corporation at the opening.
A third exhibit, “Images of a Nation: Vicente Manansala as a Social Realist,” will be held at the Ayala Museum from May 26 to July 4. Manansala’s works will also be featured at the Ateneo Gallery and the Yuchengco Museum.
Indigenous textiles made more contemporary with embroidery, crocheted details and jewel embellishments will be exhibited at the National Museum from May 20 and 21. Capping the event will be a concert mixing the old with the new — Palawan’s Sinika band will perform alongside three of today’s hottest bands: Sinosikat?, Drip, and Up Dharma Down.
The culminating events (from May 28 to 30) in Palawan are the tour of Honda Bay, a food festival serving local delicacies of crocodile meat and tamilok, a worm-like mollusk that lives in mangroves; and a reenactment of war stories with the special participation of Cesar Montano.
The month-long activities will be conducted in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and Arts, and the Department of Tourism. Other partners include Security Bank Corporation, Philippine Airlines, Air Philippines, Titania Wine Cellars Inc., Zest Airways, the Philippine Consulate of Barcelona, and the Philippine Embassies in Germany, London, Mexico and Singapore.
Filipino Heritage Month was born out of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Proclamation No. 439 on Aug. 11, 2003, “declaring the month of May of every year as National Heritage Month. The event is 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.”
For inquiries, call 892-5865 or visit www.heritagemonth.ph.