The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines is the official arts council

Arts council

An arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad...

 for the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

.

History

In 1987, then President Corazon C. Aquino penned Executive Order No. 118 creating the Presidential Commission on Culture and Arts. Five years later, in 1992, this presidential directive was enacted into law—Republic Act 7356, creating the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). The original bill was jointly authored by Senators Edgardo Angara

Edgardo Angara

Edgardo Javier Angara is a Filipino politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines from 1993-1995. He is currently serving his fourth term in the Senate which ends in 2013.-Early life and career:...

, Heherson Alvarez

Heherson Alvarez

Heherson "Sonny" T. Alvarez was born in Santiago, Isabela on October 26, 1939. He is married to Cecile Gidote, with whom he has two children.He served as Senator for two inextendible terms of 12 years. In May 1998, he was elected as Member of the House of Representatives...

, Leticia Ramos Shahani, and Congressman Carlos Padilla.

Mandate

• Formulate policies for the development of culture and the arts
• To coordinate & implement the overall policies and program of attached agencies on the development of culture and arts as stated under Executive Order No. 80
• Administer the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts
• Encourage artistic creation within a climate of artistic freedom
• Develop and promote the Filipino national culture and arts; and
• Preserve Filipino cultural heritage

Logo

The NCCA logo is the Alab ng Haraya (The Flame of Imagination), which symbolizes the spring of Filipino art and culture. It is composed of two basic elements – the fire and the censer. The fire is a stylized letter K of Philippine indigenous script that stands for kadakilaan or greatness. The fire represents the highest level of imagination and emanates from a three-tiered censer. The three tiers stand for organization, economic support, and an orientation rooted on a thorough grasp of tradition and history, which the NCCA provides. It is done in gold to symbolize the immense wealth of Philippine culture.

External links

• National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines Homepage