BAGUIO CITY – ‘It is culture that defines who we, Filipinos, are and as we pursue innovation and development, we should also continue to work for the preservation of our culture as we owe this to our forefathers and our children – the people of the next generation’.
Philippine Information Agency Director General Jose Mari Oquiñena stressed this during the kapihan media forum on Monday at the PIA Regional Office here for launching of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Luzon arts and culture promotions.
Oquiñena pointed out that there are a lot of practices in the Philippine culture that we have learned from our forefathers that we can actually use in our development and that can help bring this country forward, only if all Filipinos, bounded by our culture, unite and work together.
‘We make this country move forward together. No one needs to be left behind if only we decide to employ the teachings of our forefathers and our brothers in the indigenous communities’, he stressed.
Oquiñena attended the forum to also officially witness the Memorandum of Agreement signing between NCCA Deputy Executive Director Marichu Tellano and PIA Cordillera Regional Director Helen Tibaldo for promotions and advocacy project involving all PIA regional offices in Luzon.
For the partnership, Oquiñena stressed his excitement on PIA working for the promotion of culture because aside from informing the people, he also wants the agency to inspire the people with the rich and unique Philippine culture.
Aside from PIA, NCCA also signed a MOA with Sunstar Baguio represented by its general manager, Peter Rey Bautista, for a partnership in information dissemination of the commission’s program and activities.
Other NCCA officials present during event were NCCA National Committee on Communications vice head Rodrigo Cornejo, Executive Committee member on Cinema Archie Adamos, ExeCom member on Communications Francisco Macasa, ExeCom member on Art Galleries Malen Catajan, Arts section head Ferdinand Isleta, and PAIO head Rene Napenas./JDP/CCD & J. Orines –PIA/UCU Intern
