BONTOC, Mountain Province – The celebration of National Arts Month in Mountain Province culminated with a training workshop on indigenous music held at Governor Leonard G. Mayaen Sports Center.
The activity commenced on February 26, 2025 and it will resume on February 27, 2025. It is an initiative spearheaded by the provincial government through its Provincial Tourism Office, Provincial Youth Development Office and Provincial Planning and Development Office, in partnership with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCAA), in celebration of the National Arts Month, which is being observed during the month of February under Presidential Proclamation No. 683 promulgated by then President Corazon Aquino in 1991.
The theme for this year’s National Arts Month is “Ani ng Sining, Diwa, at Damdamin.” Supervising Tourism Operations Officer Roger U. Sacyaten explained that this theme seeks to encapsulate the notion that the bountiful harvest of a Filipino creative nation is drawn from the heart and soul of not just individuals but of the people as a whole.
“The theme also embodies that art is integrative and holistic as it uses the faculties of emotions and mind, both essential elements in developing citizens,” he added.
The participants of the training were students and MAPEH and IPED teachers and coordinators from different schools in Mountain Province.
During the opening program, the Provincial Administrator, representing Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr., relayed his hopes that the undertaking would serve as an avenue for the participants to remain steadfast in their advocacy for cultural preservation.
“May this day be a reckoning point for us to remain steadfast in our advocacy for the preservation of our cultural practices? May it be instilled in the minds of our young people, for they will be the ones who will use it to the optimum of its relevance in our ever-evolving socio-cultural and economic development,” he said.
Meanwhile, the activities and lectures during the training workshop were facilitated by Professor Jose S. Soliman, Jr., the Vice Head and Secretary of the Performance Sector of the National Committee on Music of the NCCA (for the choir) and Professor Beni Sokkong from the University of Baguio (for the playing of bamboo-made instruments like the 𝑻𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒈 and 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒈, among others).
In closing, Provincial Youth and Development Officer Arthur Leonard B. Odsey, on behalf of the Provincial Government, expressed his appreciation to the speakers and other guests from the NCCA for sharing their knowledge and expertise and to all the participants for their active participation. By MP-PIO
