By Nestor Cuartero
JUST A THOUGHT: Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant – Robert Louis Stevenson
•
DIRECTING PH ARTS AND CULTURE: A recent article in Panorama, the Bulletin’s Sunday supplement, noted how Sen. Loren Legarda “is singlehandedly steering the direction of Philippine arts and culture.”
For years, Loren has been an advocate for the preservation of Filipino culture. She worked hard for the establishment of the country’s very first Department of Culture.
Culture was one of the subjects mentioned during our recent lunch with Loren at a Chinese restaurant in celebration of her 58th birthday. In the light of more controversial stories and secrets shared among close friends, culture, as usual, took the backseat in the over-all scheme of chats. We make up for that lapse by devoting our Trailer today to one of Loren’s new programs, “Buhay na Buhay.”
•
BUHAY NA BUHAY: The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) launches Buhay na Buhay, an engaging and informative series that introduces the eight living cultures of the Philippines.
Legarda presents the groundbreaking study of former NCCA chairperson, Prof.Felipe de Leon Jr., in this eight-part weekly series written by Floy Quintos, directed by Jeypi Salonga.
The documentary series will be aired on GMA News TV every Saturday, 5:45 p.m., starting Feb. 17, 2018.
“Buhay na Buhay is a product of academic and scholarly work, which will be presented in an engaging manner through an interesting narration and video documentation. It is presented in the Filipino language so that more Filipinos would better grasp the different facets of our culture,” Legarda said.
To allow more Filipinos to understand the eight living cultures of the Philippines, De Leon’s academic work was first staged as a concert titled “Mga Kulturang Filipino…Buhay na Buhay” at Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in 2013 as part of the NCCA’s 25th anniversary celebration.
•
THEMATIC EPISODES: The thematic episodes, which will run for 30 minutes each, will feature discussions between De Leon and Legarda, a longtime advocate for heritage, culture, and the arts and NCCA’s Dangal ng Haraya Patron of Arts and Culture.
The episodes of Buhay na Buhay are as follows: Kultura ng Pagdidiwata (Harmony with the Deities, Creative Forces of Nature, and Ancestral Sprits); Kultura ng Pag-uukir at Pag-uuma (Poetic Mysticism and Devotion to Islam); Kultura ng Pamamanata (Devotion to the Patron Saint and Village Community); Kultura ng Pananahan (Devotion to the Home and Family); Kultura ng Paglilining at Pangangatwiran (Culture of Reflection and Reasoning); Kultura ng Pag-aaliw (Culture of Entertainment or Sensations); Kultura ng Pamumuna at Pagtutol (Culture of Social Criticism, Concern, Protest); and Kultura ng Pagka-Pilipino at Pagkabansa (Devotion to the Nation and Being Filipino).
