The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) recently celebrated the 55th anniversary of its inauguration. This occasion provides an opportune moment to revisit the purposes for which it was created, and to assess how well these have been achieved.
The CCP as a public trust
As provided in Executive Order No. 30 issued on June 30, 1966, the CCP was created as a public trust to address the need for an effective organization to receive donations and financial commitments for the preservation, promotion, enhancement and development of Philippine culture and the arts.
Th same Executive Order identified the following as the purposes and objectives of the CCP:
“1. To construct, establish and maintain in a single site a national theater, a national music hall, an art gallery and such other buildings and facilities as are necessary or desirable for the holding of conferences, seminars, concerts and the like;
2. To awaken the consciousness of our people to our cultural heritage, and to encourage them to assist in its preservation, promotion, enhancement and development;
3. To cultivate and enhance public interest in, and appreciation of, distinctive Philippine arts in various fields;
4. To discover, assist and develop talents connected with Philippine cultural pursuits and create greater opportunities for individual and national self-expression in cultural affairs; and
5. To encourage the organization of cultural groups, associations or societies and the holding or staging of cultural exhibitions, performances and similar activities.”
Construction of the CCP building, consisting of a Main Theater and a Little Theater, soon began on reclaimed land in the district of Malate previously set aside as part of a naval reservation, and inaugurated on September 8, 1969.
The CCP as a non-municipal public corporation
When martial law was promulgated through Proclamation No. 1081 dated Sept. 21, 1972, there was a pending bill in Congress which would have transformed the CCP into a non-municipal public corporation. Subsequently, Presidential Decree No. 15 was issued, containing essentially the same provisions as the proposed bill.
In the Decree, the Purposes and Objectives contained in Executive Order No. 30 remained the same.
Amendments to the CCP’s mandate came through the promulgation of Presidential Decree No. 1444 in 1978. The first paragraph was modified, as follows:
“(a) To construct, establish and maintain a national theater, a national music hall, an art gallery and such other buildings and facilities as are necessary or desirable for the holding of conference, seminars, concerts and the like;”
An additional paragraph was also added, as follows:
“(f) To bring into the country foreign artists whenever, in the opinion of the Center, performance by such artists would enhance the country’s cultural development.”
Another new provision was included in the corporate powers of the CCP, allowing it to “construct, establish, operate and maintain a trade center, hotel and such other buildings and facilities,” with the proceeds from said facilities to be invested into a Cultural Development Fund.
The CCP’s purposes and objectives
In certain cases, it is easy enough to determine whether the CCP has accomplished its purposes and objectives. In others, the lack of reliable metrics makes assessment less straightforward.
For example, under the first paragraph, it is evident that the CCP has constructed, established and maintained a national theater. The Folk Arts Theater and the Manila Film Center, buildings which were originally constructed separate from the CCP but were later included under the CCP’s administration, could be considered as other facilities that are “necessary or desirable for the holding of conferences, seminars, concerts and the like.” However, the CCP has not yet been able to build a national music hall and an art gallery.
The CCP has also encouraged the organization of cultural groups, associations or societies and the holding or staging of cultural exhibitions, performances and similar activities.
Similarly, the additional paragraph added to the CCP’s purposes would be easy enough to judge, as it has brought into the country foreign artists whose performances were deemed to enhance the country’s cultural development.
It is the other paragraphs where difficulty in assessment arises. While the CCP has undertaken programs, projects and activities intended to accomplish the specific objectives, the question arises in terms of how success in these areas can be measured. What indicators can be used to determine the CCP’s accomplishments in awakening the consciousness of our people to our cultural heritage, cultivating and enhancing public interest in and appreciation of Philippine arts?
And while the CCP has discovered, assisted and developed talents in the arts, how does one judge whether or not “greater opportunities for individual and national self-expression in cultural affairs” has been achieved?
Need for indices for culture
The CCP is resolute in forging ahead towards the achievement of its objectives, despite the relatively low priority given to Philippine culture and the arts. It is, perhaps, safe to say that success and failure in the other pillars of Philippine society – political, economic and social – are easier to assess, and are more easily proven, because there are already proven indicators in these areas.
Beyond the number of structures, projects and activities, the CCP will endeavor to underline the need and push for adequate measures to better evaluate the value and importance of Philippine culture and the arts.
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Dennis Marasigan is vice president and artistic director of the CCP and a multi-awarded writer, actor and director.