Celebrating its 115th founding anniversary, the University of the Philippines (UP) announced the formation of a committee under the Office of the President to coordinate arts and culture initiatives in the entire UP System for greater impact.
“In actively harnessing its vast intellectual, cultural, and creative resources, as President [Angelo] Jimenez augurs, UP is poised to reawaken not only its own soul but also the soul of the nation,” Prof. Raymundo Rovillos, former Chancellor of UP Baguio, said in a concept paper for the proposed President’s Committee on Culture and the Arts (PCCA).
Rovillos has been designated Program Development Officer by Jimenez, whose policy and vision statement when he was nominated for UP presidency highlighted the importance of arts and culture in the growth of the University.
Jimenez talked about “creating synergies and sharing of resources”, which can produce greater and lasting impact. He said that looking deeper into UP’s cultural and artistic assets is not only a method for better self-awareness, but a start in harnessing these for greater engagement with the public, for wellness, and for diplomacy.
“I agree with PAJ that as a national university, UP should open its doors more widely to society. Our culture and arts initiatives should positively impact not only our immediate UP community but also the larger Filipino community,” Rovillos pointed out.
“I realized that there are many arts and culture initiatives already existing in all the campuses, but many of these initiatives are known and experienced only in specific units within UP,” he added.
The main strategy of the PCCA, he said, would be greater cooperation, complementation, and convergence among the CUs. Its vision centers around the long-standing tradition of “kalinangang UP, kalinangang bayan.”
“Layunin ng panawagan at kampanyang ito na maging ‘hub’ o sentro ng kultura at sining ang UP sa lahat ng dako ng Pilipinas. Gagawin nating lugar ang bawa’t kapookan ng UP bilang espasyo ng kalinangan, kagalingan, paguugnayan, pakikipagkapwa-tao at pagkakaisa isa sa loob at labas ng Pamantasan. Bubuwagin ang anumang naging mistulang pader sa pagitan ng ‘tayo’ at ‘sila’. Iwawasto ang mga maling paratang at bansag laban sa UP at ipapadama ang pagmamasakit sa kapwa Pilipino, lalo’t higit sa mga naisantabi ng ating pagkabansa, tulad ng mga Katutubong Pilipino. Palalawakin pa natin ang mga pinakamahuhusay na kasanayan hinggil sa relasyon at ambag ng kalinangan sa pampook at pambansang kaunlaran,” Rovillos said in a written message.
In choosing Rovillos to head the campaign, Jimenez noted the former’s successful effort in bringing UP Baguio closer to the community of Baguio City, making UP Baguio visible in the national and global arenas, and establishing UP Baguio as a hub for culture and arts in the Cordillera and Northern Luzon Region. Rovillos accomplished these through collaborative work and multi-stakeholder partnerships, resulting in cultural infrastructure such as museums, theaters, and archives; creative festivals and art exhibitions; and indigenous studies.
According to the PCCA concept paper, in the next six years, the committee will focus on:
- establishing an organizational/administrative mechanism for inter-CU planning, monitoring and evaluation of culture and arts initiatives;
- building an institutional mechanism for establishing or strengthening the culture and arts ecosystems at the system and CU-community levels;
- developing a culture and arts policy/guidelines at the system and CU levels; and
- organizing culture and arts events to demonstrate “proofs” of concepts/framework.
Watch Professor Rovillos talk about the PCCA in this video.