AFTER a mix up last year when Malacang said it had appointed him to the post even though it had no power to do so, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) elected Arsenio “Nick” Lizaso, the current president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), as its new chairperson, replacing National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario whose term in the post has ended.

The Board of Commissioners of the NCCA elected Mr. Lizaso to the post during a board meeting on Jan. 16.

On Dec. 23, 2019, Malacañang released a list of Presidential Appointees which included Mr. Lizaso as the newly appointed NCCA chairperson. The culture commission quickly clarified that the position is determined through an election, not appointment, and noted that the next election was scheduled in January 2020.

In a Dec. 27 post on its official Facebook page, the NCCA quoted Section 9 of Republic Act 7356, the Act which created the NCCA, that said that “The Chairman of the Commission shall be elected by the members from among themselves.”

According to his official bio, Mr. Lizaso has worked in theater, film, and television for more than 60 years. From 1983 to 1985, he served as president of the Director’s Guild of the Philippines. He had directed films such as Anak ng Dilim (1997) and Ulo ng Gapo (1985). Mr. Lizaso has been a member of the CCP Board of Trustees since 2010.

Mr. Lizaso will hold the position of NCCA Chairperson concurrently with his position as president of the CCP. He had been appointed to the CCP post by President Rodrigo Duterte in June 2017.

Mr. Lizaso noted that like his focus as CCP president, he “wants to bring art to the people.”

“People do not know because it was never brought to them,” he told BusinessWorld at the Hilton Manila on Jan. 17 after a CCP press conference of Lucia di Lammermoor.

Mr. Lizaso cited the example of previously bringing the CCP resident companies such as Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and Philippine Madrigal Singers to perform in various regions in the country.

Likewise, as the new NCCA chairperson he aims to take the agency’s projects to various cities nationwide.

“I want them to see the visual arts, the meaning of culture and heritage,” Mr. Lizaso said. “You cannot go through life without arts and culture. It’s impossible.”

He also noted that the NCCA is a funding institution, while the CCP is a venue grant institution.

In the CCP, Mr. Lizaso said, “We have the theater. If you’re good, we can make you perform.”

Meanwhile, at the NCCA, “If you have something good in your region, in your cities, in your town, let us know about it, give us a proposal. We study it, and tell us how much you need for it. If it is worthwhile, we give you not only the money but the assistance,” Mr. Lizaso said.

Mr. Lizaso will serve as NCCA chairperson from 2020 to 2022.

As an agency focusing on the development of culture and arts, the NCCA mandates includes encouraging “the continuing and balanced development of a pluralistic culture by the people themselves” and ensuring “that standards of excellence are pursued in programs and activities” implementing its policies. “It shall encourage and support continuing discussion and debate through symposia, workshops, publications, etc., on the highest norms available in the matrix of Philippine culture.” — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

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