The Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) has vowed to mark its golden anniversary this November with an emphatic promotion of cultural heritage and sustainable tourism.
And the year-long celebration starts, according to NPF Executive Director Gertie Duran-Batocabe, with an online lecture dubbed Noon, NAYON, Bukas: “Pamana at Pagsibol ng Bagong Nayon” which aims to look back on the transformation of the organization, its contribution to Philippine tourism, and its relevance in promoting identity through culture and heritage today.
“Anniversaries and the opportunities to recollect our year-gone memories and cherish them in the end while contemplating the Future. To usher us into this important milestone, we will be organizing a series of activities commencing our 50th anniversary,” said Batocabe in her welcoming message at the Dunong online lecture on Friday, Sept. 16.
The podcast forum focused on what Batocabe described as old glory days of the NPF as a one-stop tourist spot by looking back at the rich institutional history of the foundation.
“The Dunong Nayong Pilipino podcast project aims to highlight the initiative of the NPF programs. We look back on the transformation of the organization, its contribution to Philippine tourism, and its relevance in promoting identity through culture and heritage today,” Batocabe said.
Since its inception in 1972, the NPF has undergone quite a change not just only in its transformation but also in contributing to its stakeholders over the years.
The podcast lecture was presented by Atty. Apolonio Anota Jr., a former NPF Executive Director (1989 to 1993 and 2010 to 2016), and historians from the University of the Philippines.
Anota rejuvenated on his input about the experiential learning process offered by the foundation in the old days. Serra, however, educates on the institutional history of the NFP from the year 1970 to 2015 and its relevance to the revival of cultural practices in the early 70s.
Anota said during the glory days of Nayong Pilipino Parks, one million a year visited the NPF in Pasay to witness numerous adventurous games that can only be played at the park.
“Those are the ‘katutubong laro’ or the native games like Tug of War, Patintero, the Tayakan, or using the bamboo poles while walking around the park. You can only experience this when you are inside the NPF park,” he recalled.
Meanwhile, historian and researcher Patrick James Serra from the UP Diliman Department of History recalls in his discussion how the late president President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, Sr. envision the creation of NPF as becoming the center of cultural rehabilitation.
“The 1970s were marked by President Marcos’ goal of reviving cultural practices. There were social and cultural programs spearheaded by then First Lady Imelda Marcos which were anchored in her dictum to code for the truth, the good, and the beautiful. It was in that context that the NPF was conceived and institutionalized,” Serra further.
The NFP was created as part of the Government-Owned Controlled Corporations (GOCC) on November 6, 1972, under Presidential Decree No. 37 of then President Marcos, Sr.