The House of Representatives, through the Special Committee on Creative Industry and Performing Arts chaired by Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Christopher "Toff" De Venecia, has called for unity and support for the Philippine Visual Arts sector on Thursday, October 28.
The Lower House committee hearing is based on House Resolution 2035 which seeks to address the issues affecting the Philippine Visual Arts industry and other related industries.
Among the topics discussed during the third and final hearing were local government collaborations, visual artists' welfare and issues, visual arts and tourism.
De Venecia said that the government and stakeholders need to work together to promote and uplift the visual arts sector. He added that the Lower House cannot do it on its own and asked for the support of the visual arts industry.
Miki Monterde of the League of Cities of the Philippines, one of the resource speakers, noted the need to strengthen visual arts in every city of the country but lamented the lack of technical capacity locally and the delayed response from the national government to provide assistance to visual artists.
Monterde added that LCP is willing to support the Lower House in its initiative to help the visual arts sector.
Rights Action Philippines chairman Rey Dulay, on the other hand, suggested the establishment of visual arts councils offices and arts centers in the cities and municipalities around the country.
Dulay also cited the importance of having cultural organizers and coordinators who are trained by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to help empower and promote the visual arts industry.
He added that cultural organizers and coordinators can assist and help visual artists organize themselves and encourage them to be part of arts and cultural promotion of their respective communities. (Melvin Sarangay)