CCP President Sworn in as New Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)

Arsenio “Nick” J. Lizaso was sworn in as the new Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) by Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta of the Supreme Court on February 4, 2020. Lizaso was elected to the position by the Board of the NCCA in January. He con-currently serves as the President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), a role appointed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in 2017.

AJL Oathtaking as NCCA Chair (Photo Credit: Cultural Center of the Philippines)

The NCCA is the overall policy making body, coordinating, and grants giving agency for the preservation, development and promotion of Philippine arts and culture. Among its tasks is the administering of funds exclusively for the implementation of culture and arts programs and projects.

It coordinates 6 cultural agencies under its umbrella namely the Cultural Center of the Philippines,  National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Museum of the Philippines, National Library of the Philippines, and the National Archives of the Philippines.

As Chairman, Lizaso aims to continue what he has been successfully doing as CCP President but on a more expanded scale – to bring the 7 fields of arts under the NCCA closer to the people, believing that art is a public right, not a privilege.

Enjoying a reputation as an action man, Lizaso recently spearheaded the launch of National Arts Month at the Rizal Park together with Ms. Universe Catriona Gray, who has been designated as Art Ambassador for 2020. The ceremony triggered the start of a month-long series of activities to promote the arts through performances, workshops, lectures, exhibits and tours and a plethora of other activities.

Lizaso plans to enjoin the NCCA Board to support his objective of making the NCCA a more dynamic, pro-active cultural agency. His programme of action is two pronged: promote and support the arts as well as serve the artist, the creator of the arts.

He wants to transform regional communities into culturally empowered centers by invigorating the local arts and cultural heritage of local people. At the same time, he will strive to make project funding for artists more accessible and responsive and hopes to get bigger funding for cultural grants in the coming years. On his future agenda is the enactment of Magna Carta for art workers and legislation to create safety nets for Filipino artists.

“I long to see the day when the arts will come alive in the life of the Filipino, at home, in school, in the public plaza.” This after all is the essence of NCCA’s mandate. In his brief tenure as NCCA Chairman, Lizaso expressed his commitment to work towards seeing future Filipino generations take pride in our arts and cultural heritage as a badge of distinction on the world stage.