The NCCA, the MTRCB and the French

This month will be one of critical reckoning for the National Commission on Culture and the Arts or NCCA.

Committee heads and members who’ve served a couple of terms of three years each are to be replaced. This means having to assemble representatives of various cultural organizations, most especially of the regions outside the NCR, to nominate and elect new members, or re-elect those who’ve only served a single term. It’s all part of a process that’s been hammered into orderly if a mite overly-systematic shape by the commission, which is broken down into sub-commisions and committees, just like one grand bureaucratic party.

But there has to be an orderly process, if only to obviate a reckless tendency to create organized confusion, the way the Barangay Ginebra basketball team under now Senator Jawo used to be run – a legacy by the by that still manifests itself during championship moments.

Add to the Filipino’s fealty to chaos and crabmanship the artist’s and cultural worker’s sense of rugged individualism, and it takes supreme determination to show everyone what efficacious paradigms, parameters and processes are all about.

By the end of June a more crucial turn of events faces the NCCA, in terms of a possible change, or retention of, its top leadership. Chairman Jaime Laya’s term is ending. He may be re-elected, or someone else may take his place. Executive director Virgilio Almario’s retention depends on the luck of the draw for Mr. Laya. From all indications, continuity shoud be the order of the day.

I’ve talked to various artists and cultural workers, including those who have been involved with the NCCA process (and may or may not have benefitted from it). They all say that the dynamic duo should be left undisturbed to carry on.

Now, all these years I’ve only enjoyed one evening of social niceties with Mr. Laya. Other than that I can’t say I know him personally, let alone warmly.

Rio Almario is a fellow poet, writer and critic, which means he already commands my camaraderie and respect. Decades of occasional boozing and geezing together may make me biased in his favor. But let no one say in fact or in fancy that I or any of the numerous literary organizations I’ve been engaged with has ever received any privilege of sort from the NCCA’s not inconsiderable power to apportion its apparent treasure chest of grants and emoluments.

The most I’ve received from the commission’s burgeoning tradition of largesse is a free lunch in the event that I attend a Huntahan or media forum. Oh, and a much-appreciated subscription to its regular publications, led off by the monthly Agung, an eight-page newsletter that bills itself simply as "For Artists and Cultural Workers."

Yes, I appreciate the transparency with which the NCCA spreads the limited wealth around. Each issue carries a list of approved grants and resolutions, along with cultural news, tidbits, calls for papers, announcements on new publications, and an events calendar.

The NCCA under Laya and Almario has in fact energized its publication arm, so that apart from the excellent scholarly journal Bulawan (bilingual, quarterly, and refereed), and Araw, the magazine for Philippine culture and arts, eight new books have recently seen publication.

These are Philippine Cultural and Artistic Landmarks of the Past Millennium; Viva! Kay Señor Santo Niño, Viva!; the second edition of Philippine Archives Directory; Tales From Lake Lanao and Other Essays by Dr. Nagasura Madale; Mandaya by Manuel B. Ompang; Tagabawa Bagobo by Sonia D. Mangune; The Agta of Northeastern Sierra Madre (photographs); and Treasures of the Baguio Mountain Provinces Museum.

Just last week I received a bulging envelope with more invaluable contents, including brochures, a brief on the latest National Artist awards, and most important, a handsome and modestly-sized coffee-table book, Sanghaya 2001: Philippine Arts & Culture Yearbook.

With the venerable Bienvenido L. Lumbera as editor-in-chief, no way the yearbook could do wrong in "reviewing culture and the arts in the year 2000," as well as in paying tribute "to the men and women who had gifted our time with beauty and dignity, thus making our society livable in spite of the moral dross some of our leaders have spread around."

Aye, it’s all a matter of leadership, whether in national governance or getting our arts and culture act together. Unarguably, there has been proof positive that the NCCA under Chairman Jaime Laya has benefitted and can continue to benefit our artists and cultural workers.

I have to hand it to guys like Jimmy and Rio, who are culturati and artists in their own right, but who sacrifice of their creative time to steer an arts and culture organization clear of the usual shoals of cliquishness, and worse, self-emolument, that other leaders in this benighted country can’t be expected to avoid.

I say let them be, and I say here’s to continuity.

I’m also aware that certain NCCA functionaries have been up in arms over Mr. Laya’s often strict application of processing and evaluation rules. But this manner of expectation and accounting can be said to be much better, if not safer, than simply allowing everyone to dip his/her finger into the proverbial pie.

Mr. Laya’s predecessor, Ms. Carmen Padilla, is a fine, gracious lady with a sincere smile. Or so I believe whenever we greet and update one another rather warmly. The little I know of her may not corroborate what’s been said about her former practice of allowing strong personalities to do what they wished with available resources. But I’m sure she’s done her part in strengthening the organization.

As for the current if come-lately, and obviously determined, contender for cultural leadership that is former Senator Leticia Ramos Shahani, she may claim all she wants that she’s "the mother of the NCCA," by virtue of its ennabling law that resulted from a bill she filed. No matter that it’s been pointed out that the bill had practically been written for her by concerned groups. Let’s not even give that any credence. But even if the NCCA did spring from her brow as her pure creation, no logic in the universe says that she has a rightful claim to run it. On the contrary, the purists of reason say.

What Ms. Shahani has going against her is the perception of a sudden personal drive to claim proprietorship over an agency that has gotten along fine without her. The impression given the public is that she cannot quite retire from government service, and that a board membership at MECO is not sufficient when a friendly administration is back in place.

Leave well enough alone, I say.

The way Ms. Shahani has gained membership in the Committe on Libraries, as the groundwork for her campaign to replace Mr. Laya, is believed to be highly irregular. She has claimed membership as a "library user," and now claims the committe’s leadership after its former head was inveigled to resign, presumably to make room for her. Ms. Shahani has not been recognized as head of this committee. She has a long way to go, and many other lobbying efforts to conduct, before she can work her way up to the commission and offer herself as a candidate in the end-of-June election of the chair.

I’m afraid we cannot wish her well in this endeavor.

Sometimes one does not have to have full knowledge of the intricacies of an issue, say, the Power Reform Bill, for one to make a correct judgment on its acceptability. In our ingrown toenail of a society, all one has to do, to make better use of the time, is to know who are the proponents and who are the oppositors or detractors, and one can hazard in an educated fashion which way the wind should correctly blow.

I say Jaime Laya and Virgilio Almario should continue what they’ve started, what they’ve done, and what they’re still spiritedly doing for the sake of artists and culture workers. As I remarked in this space months ago, if it ain’t broke, no need to fix it. It can’t be made much better than it’s been going, the NCCA. And I believe the preponderance of decent, committed artists would back me on this view.

As for the MTRCB, re which I’ve enjoyed an insider’s view since October last year, it’s also a time for change this month. This week, in fact, the board of members is scheduled to be reconstituted. It may be a good thing too, if only so that chairman Alejandro Roces and executive director Racquel Rey can soon confer with the new membership on how best to proceed from the still simmering coals of controversy that attended the Live Show screening and the brouhaha over interim chairman Nic Tiongson’s gallant resignation.

Many people will be surprised that Jose Javier Reyes has in fact been named to the new board. No, it’s not what you think. GMA is not trying to make amends for the ill-advised recall of his allegedly pornographic film. The President has in fact been earlier convinced that Mr. Reyes’ intelligence, sensitivity and sincerity, let alone advice, can stand her in good stead.

There has been an initiative on the part of the current MTRCB leadership to rewrite what’s called the IRR or Implementing Rules and Regulations that was put into place by the board under Ms. Armida Siguion Reyna. It would be interesting to see how the reconstituted board will decide on the matter.

Of late, it’s been reported that a slump has taken over the movie industry, that it’s been a wait-and-see attitude on account of uncertainty over chair Roces’ position on that old hoary argument over the bounds of morality. A reconstituted board that will agree with its chair on a revised set of standards and processes, if at all, may be welcomed by film producers. However, it should be clear that this new board is mandated to serve only until September.

There has also been reported disgruntlement over a possibly questionable position the MTRCB leadership has taken with regards filmfest screenings. A letter addressed to the French Embassy appeared to state that an R-18 rating would mean prohibiting a festival film from being shown for free at a public theater. Of course this can’t stand to reason. In fact it would be a reverse case of double standards, since Filipino or imported films rated R-18 can be shown in any theater, the operators of which are simply held responsible for disallowing minors from viewership.

As explained by Ms. Rey, however, the issue seems to have been entangled with another that had to do with an expected discount in classification fees. Mr. Martin Macalintal, press relations officer and concurrent officer-in-charge for audiovisual affairs of the French Embassy, would do well to meet with chair Roces soon to thresh out what could have been just "a little misunderstanding."

All’s well that should end well. As for beginnings, the "French Spring in Manila 2001" this month certainly came up with a bang with its dinner-concert last Tuesday that featured L’Orchestre de Contrebasses. Never had we seen the double bass pushed to its limits – to the point of inverting the bulky instruments so that its unseen handlers could caress and thump it in adroit if outrageous fashion.

Trust the French to be audacious. The rest of its most welcome offerings for the month – the jazz trumpeteer Alain Brunet jamming with our own Buhay, an exhibit of French figurative paintings, the Junior Ballet of the Conservatory of Paris, baroque music by Trompettes de Versailles, the film festival, programs of chamber music, and Fête de la Musique in Malate on June 23 – will constitute one grand extended party for arts and culture lovers.

Again, it’s been a hallmark of leadership – in this case that of Ambassador Gilles Chouraqui – to lay a disinctive brand on the manner cultural relations are enhanced between friends.

We should be most grateful to our French friends for revivifying our spirits in a season of doldrums and continuing destabilization.

Vive le France!