TV series featuring Ifugao culture survives pandemic
MANILA, Philippines — In celebration of its 35th year as the grant-giving agency of the government, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) produced a TV production - a "valueserye" - that highlights the culture and traditions of the Ifugao people.
"Proclamation No. 933 points out the significance of Filipino compositions in promoting culture and the arts; including the economic dimensions and livelihood aspect of the industry. Corollary to this mandate is the provision for the cultural resiliency and recovery program (CRRP) of artists who were out of work during the height of the pandemic," intimated Marichu Tellano, deputy executive director for administration and support services.
The series aims to explore and investigate Filipino cultural values through the point of view of Andre (Migo Adecer), a 23-year-old Filipino-American, estranged from both his biological family (Yup Servo and Angeli Bayani) and Filipino heritage, who goes on a journey back to the Philippines upon learning of his father's demise. In this journey, he discovers his own personal history, and the cultural and social values that he, despite being brought up in a faraway land, inherently has in his Filipino blood.
"Ito ay isang kuwentong katutubo - kuwentong Ifugao. The production started in 2019 but was stalled by the global pandemic. I wrote the material for the series during the height of the lockdowns. It's a road serye because the locations for the shoot traversed the provinces of Ilocos, Cagayan, Cordillera (Baguio), Banawe, and Pampanga, among other places," shared mini-series director Zig Dulay.
"Project Destination" also topbills Royce Cabrera and Kate Valdez, with the able support of Paul Holmes, Linda Villalobos, Acey Aguilar, Ross Pesigan, Tim Mabalot, Seth Dela Cruz, and Yñigo Delen.
"The CRRP recognizes the mental and physical well-being of cultural workers and artists. It also responds to pandemic and natural disasters and the conservation of heritage zones, with rehabilitation efforts focused on artists who lost their means of livelihood - their craft falling under the "non essential" category. Its aim is to strengthen the sector's resiliency," shared Jaime Antonio Jr., project coordinator for tenure years 2022-2028.
"Project Destination" played every Sunday morning from 11 a.m. to noon on the GTV network. It was also broadcast by GMA News TV. Its theme song, "Dati'y Pangarap Lang Kita," was composed by NCCA Public Affairs and Information head Rene Napeñas and performed by Ice Seguerra.
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