International Arts Festival / Orlina sculpture for UST / Insular Life restages show

NCCA Art Ambassador Boy Abunda and Youth Ambassador Dingdong Dantes will give impetus to the various activities in the Philippine International Arts Festival (PIAF) this February. Its impressive events are aimed at furthering Philippine arts and deepening the Filipino’s regard for them.

Organizing the celebration is the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) headed by Commissioner Ricardo de Ungria who is assisted by Malou Jacob. The seven arts — architecture, cinema, dance, literature, music, theater and the visual arts — will hold workshops, exhibitions, forums and performances.

With “Ani ng Sining” as PIAF’s tagline, thousands of Filipino artists from all over the country will gather for the biggest cultural celebration, along with artists from Japan, Lithuania, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates.

The Grand Opening for the national capital region is set for Jan. 30 at Rizal Park in Manila; for Mindanao, it will be at the People’s Park in Davao on Feb. 6; in the Visayas, at the Bacolod Provincial Capitol on Feb. 13; for Luzon, at Burnham Park in Baguio City on Feb. 20.

In the capital region, workshops will be followed by a grand parade complete with marching bands, dancing groups and artists led by Ambassadors Abunda and Dantes.

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The eminent international sculptor Ramon Orlina will have his 10-meter high bronze sculpture installed at the UST grounds tomorrow afternoon as part of the university’s quadricentennial celebration.

Famous for his glass sculpture here and abroad, Orlina used bronze this time for his statute which consists of four towering figures holding a globe symboling UST’s world contribution to science and the humanities. Orlina was especially chosen to create the statue in bronze, he being a highly esteemed and distinguished UST alumnus.

Orlina told this columnist at a party hosted by the German “balikbayans” Peter and Mariliese von Brevern that his models Piolo Pascual, Charlene Gonzales, his own daughter and Rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa represent the studentry and the academe, respectively.

The bronze masterpiece will be Orlina’s lasting legacy to the venerable, 400-year old institution which has been hallowed by illustrious personalities who have taught and studied there.

Among the UST academicians was Benedicto de Luna (my great grandfather) whom Rizal describes in the Noli as el habil argumentador (the skilled logician), and who is generally regarded Rizal’s model for Filosofo Tasio. Holder of three doctorates, Luna was the only Filipino member of the Spanish jury which examined candidates for doctorate degrees at the UST.

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The Insular Life Corporation will further mark its centennial with a repeat of the musical “100: A Musical Journey in C Major” which was expressly composed for the celebration by Ed Gatchalian who also serves as arranger and musical director. The musical will be re-staged at the Meralco Theater on Feb. 4 and 5 at 8 p.m.

Ed elaborates: “What the audience will see is more than just a story about the company. What I did was to focus on the stories of the many men and women who made difficult decisions for the benefit of the Filipino. These personalities include Don Antonio Maria Barreto, (1910), Dr. Emeterio Roa (war time), Jose McMcking, Enrique Zobel, Jaime Zobel and Jose Olbes.

Adds Ana Roa Soriano, Insular Life Senior Assist. VP for PR: “The musical also poignantly captures the drama that involved Insular Life when it remained open even during the war years.” Insular Life chairman and CEO Vicente R. Ayllon comments: “The 100-year story is also the story of the Filipino people. Ours was a wholly owned Filipino company that has stood the test of time, and its history is inextricably linked with that of the Filipinos.”

Complementing the centennial celebration is a commemorative coffee table book entitled “1910-2010, A Century Past, A Century Forward” which “offers deep insights into the history of a nation and its people from the point of view of a company founded in the service of the Filipino.”

Insular Life Corporation has also launched a collection of kundimans for the young generation of Filipinos who are quickly being alienated from their roots. Re-arranged by Ed Gatchalian to suite modern taste, the CD is entitled “Bagong Anyong Kundiman.”