National Arts Month 2025 opens at Singkaban-donned NCCA and MET Theater
OPENING CEREMONIES
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts hosted the opening of the National Arts Month on February 3, 2025 at the NCCA Office Building located within the historic Intramuros. The opening ceremony started from the outskirts of the NCCA building at General Luna Street, where the grand reveal of its new façade inspired by Bulacan’s Singkaban Festival.
Miss Universe 2018 and Arts and Culture Ambassador for the NCCA Catriona Gray joined the festivities on the NAM opening, joined by NCCA Chair Victorino Mapa Manalo, Executive Director Eric B. Zerrudo, and Deputy Executive Directors Marichu Tellano and Bernan Joseph Corpuz, its Secretariat, representatives from the Subcommission on the Arts, Cultural Agencies, the Intramuros Administration, as well as invited students, performers, and guests.
The opening ceremony was followed by a parade around Intramuros accompanied by a marching band and street performers. The parade went around Muralla Street and will pass by schools and universities around the area, as well as the historic Manila Cathedral.
Culminating at the Museo de Intramuros courtyard, the attendees were then given a free museum tour courtesy of the Intramuros Administration, ending the festivities with an enriching activity.
ABOUT THE EVENT
This February, the Philippines celebrates National Arts Month (NAM) under Presidential Proclamation 683, signed in 1991 by President Corazon C. Aquino. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), led by chairman Victorino Mapa Manalo and executive director Eric B. Zerrudo, Ph.D., invites everyone to honor the transformative power of the arts and the brilliance of Filipino artists.
The celebration is spearheaded by NCCA’s Subcommission on the Arts (SCA), led by commissioner Arvin Manuel Villalon, and its seven national committees: National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts (NCAAA) chaired by Cathe Desiree S. Nadal; National Committee on Cinema (NCC) by Mahar Sulayman “Butch” L. Ibañez; National Committee on Dance (NCD) by Dr. Lordinio A. Vergara; National Committee on Dramatic Arts (NCDA) by Eduardo P. Perez; National Committee on Literary Arts (NCLA) by Niles Jordan D. Breis; and National Committee on Visual Arts (NCVA) by Dr. Dennis E. Montera.
For 2025, NAM carries the theme “Ani ng Sining: Diwa at Damdamin” (Harvest of the Arts: Soul and Passion), highlighting the spirit and passion driving Filipino creativity. The NCCA invites everyone to celebrate the richness of Filipino arts and culture.