Arts & International Affairs Volume 5, Number 1, Summer 2020 | Page 65

ARTS & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
manifested in how the NCCA encourages and facilitates the organization of a network of
regional and local councils for culture and the arts. This is to ensure a broad nationwide,
people-based participation in the formulation of plans, implementation of projects and
programs, and the review of funding requirements.
Advocating for the NCCA, one can argue that it fulfills its mandate through addressing
the needs of various communities, and providing them access to the ‘round table’
where their sentiments and views are heard and considered. One only needs to use the
main programs of the NCCA, coupled with it being an architect and patron in its arts
funding model, to provide evidence to support such an argument. The NCCA Grants
Program has five major types all responding to the different needs of the culture and
arts sector. First, the Competitive Grant has the widest appeal because it caters to individual
or group projects specific to the focus of each national committee. Applications
or proposals usually come from urban or regional artists who have convenient access
to information from the NCCA. Second, the Institutional Grants provide financial resources
for institutionalized programs such as the Philippine International Arts Festival,
Filipino Heritage Month, National Artists Award, and the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
(National Living Treasures) Award. Third, there are also grants for outreach programs,
which are geared towards providing projects for marginalized communities. Lastly, are
the grants for the Speakers Bureau Program, which provides professionals fees and travel
funds for experts who then give capacity building trainings and workshops to communities
across the country. This is to ensure that everyone will have the adequate training
to be able to navigate through the grant schemes of the NCCA and the bureaucratic
process, but more importantly, to be able to effectively and/or efficiently manage arts
and cultural projects.
Furthermore, the NCCA has established the Philippine Cultural Education Program
(PCEP) in 17 project sites in 2002. The PCEP is a comprehensive five-year medium
term plan from 2003 to 2007 formed by government and non-government organization
that lay out the goals, policies, programs, and projects on cultural education through the
formal, non-formal, and informal education systems. The use of both the English and
Filipino languages creates a unique impact on the education system in the Philippines.
Although based on the American system where English is the medium of instruction,
Philippine schools put equal emphasis on academics and social and cultural aspects.
Culture thus becomes the foundation of education, sustainable development, and governance
because of the adoption of a culture-based education. Through a culture-based
education, the NCCA and the Department of Education created an educational system
that nurtures a sense of belonging and identity, and strengthens community participation;
as well as promotes appreciation and understanding of one’s history and cultural
heritage. Moreover, through the PCEP, the NCCA offers the Certificate Program in
Culture-Based Governance to local government units. That is why there are still on-going
projects on cultural and heritage mapping that the NCCA continues to fund and
support. The NCCA recognizes the crucial role of the communities’ culture in teach-
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