Last April 23, 2021, the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) solidified its partnership with the Creative Content Creators Association of the Philippines (SIKAP) with a symbolic toast. Held via Zoom and streamed online to both NPF and SIKAP’s social media pages, the event—aptly titled “Brindis”—presented the alignment of the goals and the two organizations and how their collaborative relationship will progress moving forward. 

Aside from NPF and SIKAP, in attendance were also members and officers from different offices and creative sectors. Representing the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) were Ms. Julienne Calugcug and Mr. David Fabros. Lyka Manaloto and Tess Loring from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) were also present, as well as Mr. René B. Misa from the Cordillera School of Digital Arts, Inc.  Additionally, representatives from the Offices of Cong. Christopher de Venecia and Cong. Edward Maceda also attended ng event. 

To put into context, the word “Brindis”—meaning “toast”— is commonly associated with Jose Rizal’s speech in a banquet, wherein he honored the triumph of Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo’s works of art—the Spoliarium and Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho respectively. In his welcoming remarks, SIKAP President Magoo del Mundo detailed how fitting it is to use this term to title the event. Similar to how Rizal recognized the achievements of Filipinos, both young and old, pushing for a better Philippines and the newer generation of dreamers, both NPF and SIKAP are now celebrating the formalization of their partnership in pursuit of supporting and developing local creators and the creative industry.

“The recent pandemic has given us a window of opportunity to show to the world the beauty and intricacy of Filipino-made stories that reveal the heart and soul of our people,” he said.

Mr. Del Mundo closed his spiel by quoting a part of Rizal’s toast: “…because creative genius does not manifest itself solely within the borders of a specific country: it sprouts everywhere; it is like light and air; it belongs to everyone: it is cosmopolitan like space, life, and God.”

Carrying over from this point, Ms. Marla Rausch from SIKAP explained that their organization truly believes in the contribution of the creative industry to the cultural identity of a country. “In growing and developing our creatives, the drive exists and lives,” she said. “But we can’t do it by ourselves, we need the support of our government to help push the idea of Filipino original content creators as true players in the world.” With this, she introduced the Pugad Sining Concept—a nest wherein creatives and creators can learn, grow, and showcase their art, work, and talent not only in the traditional sense but also imbibing them in the new technologies and available mediums. 

“Putting the new and rich history together, we can truly establish our artists and creators as true players in the real world market,” Ms. Rausch said. “With Nayong Pilipino, we are so happy to find kindred spirits who share SIKAP’s dreams.” 

In response to this, NPF Executive Director Atty. Lucille Karen Malilong-Isberto discussed NPF’s vision to be “a recognized hub for research, innovation, and training on cultural heritage through the creation of spaces and platforms for creativity, development, and recreation.” Also using the Pugad Sining analogy, Atty. Malilong-Isberto shared that one of the foundation’s dreams for its future park is to be a nest that nurtures the Filipino creatives. And that nest shall be placed in NPF’s 9.5-hectare property in Parañaque, surrounded by a thriving urban forest. The existence of this space shall allow us to develop bigger dreams and equip individuals to better share these dreams to the world. 

“It shall be a nest, not only for our birds but also for our creatives (…) Obviously, we want our birds—the people we nurture—to be able to fly all around the world when they want to and make money [while doing so,]” she stated.  

Following this, Atty. Malilong-Isberto also shared the foundation’s mission—to celebrate cultural heritage, Filipino diversity, and creativity as a social and economic force for national development. She clarified that these can only be accomplished with the help of dreamers and storytellers. “We know that only creatives can do that,” she emphasized. 

Having established the alignment of the two organizations’ goals, NPF Deputy Executive Director for Admin and Finance Atty. Dexter Dizon lead everyone into a symbolic toast—symbolizing the productive and fruitful partnership between NPF and SIKAP. 

Closing off the ceremony, both organizations shared their projects for the year. 

Ms. Cris Dumlao from SIKAP presented the SIKAP Animation Pitch Lab, an “animation program that takes its participants from idea to pitch-ready deck in nine months.” The program’s aim is to develop more Filipino stories for global consumption. 

Dr. Laya Boquiren then gave an overview of NPF’s programs and projects. She mentioned the Heritage Space Program, the Research Institute Program, and the Cultural Leadership Institute—all of which SIKAP has committed to support.  

“Today, the Nayong Pilipino Foundation and SIKAP drink, to the health of our creatives, the health of persons who will lend creatives a helping hand on the dolorous path of creativity (…) Cheers to us all and we look forward to a wonderful collaboration through Pugad Sining,” she closed.