Visiting Intramuros, I’m reminded once again that its walls hide a vast classroom. Every visit brings new insights. Early this week, I returned to cover the opening of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Gallery’s January exhibition, Enero: Buwan ng Balaang Bata: Devotion to the Holy Child in the Philippines. And once again, I left with fascinating new discoveries.
NCCA Opens 2026 with Santo Niño Exhibit
Balaang Bata Exhibit
The exhibit gathers antique images of the Santo Niño from collectors Claude Tayag, Francis Ong, Jayson Maceo, Jun Fulgencio, Anthony Agustin, and Oliver Obusan. Together, these pieces offer visitors both devotional depth and compelling backstories.
In his welcome message, NCCA Chair and Executive Director Eric B. Zerrudo described the exhibition as a way of “beginning on the right foot” for 2026. “We hope to establish the right network at this time,” he said, emphasizing collaboration among collectors, institutions, and communities in preserving shared cultural memory.
“At the end of the day, why do we collect? We collect to be able to share it back to the community,” said collector Francis Ong. “We’re helping build the narrative, the story, because this is the history of our people.”
“Galing ’yan sa mga bahay-bahay,” said collector Claude Tayag, referring to the works he contributed to the exhibition. “Most of them are made by ordinary farmers or fishermen.” The exhibition also features Tayag’s personal collection of Santo Niño paintings, which he painted himself.
January is a month of devotion across the Philippines, marked by festivals such as the Sinulog in Cebu, Dinagyang in Iloilo, and Ati-Atihan in Kalibo. The exhibit reflects this widespread reverence, showing not only the many forms of the Holy Child but also the regional nuances of devotion and artistry.
From conversations with Tayag and Ong, patterns emerge. Each island has distinct materials and styles. Sculptures from Siquijor, for example, are notable for their expressive faces. The Santo Niño of Bohol is typically carved from hardwood and painted crimson. Panay’s versions, by contrast, are more flamboyant, often made of lightwood and featuring medallions, a telltale marker of origin.
Ong showed us a small Santo Niño, just 13 inches tall (converted to 33 centimeters). According to him, Cebuano scholar Tito Clodoveo Nacorda, explains that the size symbolizes Christ’s life: 33 centimeters for 33 years. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Ong said. “The symbol, the scale, they tell the story of Christ’s life.”
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Tayag shared how his personal collection began. In 1978, at 22, he came across a collection of Santo Niño images being sold at Harrison Plaza. Inspired, he set aside 50 pesos a week, gradually cultivating a lifelong passion. As for his watercolor paintings, Tayag says the process flows naturally: once inspiration strikes, a painting takes only an hour or two to complete.
The exhibition, in this sense, is more than a collection of Santo Niños, it’s a conversation starter that can retell stories across eras, region, and devotion, capturing the many faces of a beloved figure and the communities that cherish him.
Gearing up for the National Arts Month
As February nears, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) ushers in National Arts Month 2026 under the theme “Ani ng Sining: Katotohanan at Giting.” The theme highlights the arts’ power to speak truth, inspire courage, and foster peace and development. Anchored in the Philippine Development Plan for Culture and the Arts and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, the celebration showcases how artistic expression mirrors Filipino realities and aspirations. Across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, NCCA-led programs will spotlight seven disciplines: Architecture, Cinema, Dance, Dramatic Arts, Literature, Music, and Visual Arts, inviting inclusive participation nationwide.
National Arts Month 2026 opens on February 1 at Luneta Park in Manila, where the National Commission for Culture and the Arts will stage a symbolic, performance-driven launch centered on this year’s theme.
At the heart of the program is the lampara, this year’s central emblem, representing light, truth, and resolve. Through a ceremonial passing of the lamp, the opening traces the journey of Philippine art from its roots and institutions to the public, and onward to the next generation. Rituals, regional traditions, music, dance, contemporary performance, fashion, and spoken word converge to reflect indigenous heritage alongside modern creative expression. Participating groups include the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe, UST Singers, Guiguiteno Dance Troupe, Echague tribal performers, the Philippine Ballet Theater, and LGBT community artist Monica Amanda Gana. A Parada ng mga Sining will bring the seven art forms to life through costume and procession.
In Luzon, National Arts Month moves to Los Baños, Laguna, from February 18 to 20, in partnership with ARTIST, Inc., focusing on Dramatic Arts and Architecture and Allied Arts. Workshops and discussions at the ART Center will open the program, followed by a collaborative theater production at the University of the Philippines Los Baños’ D.L. Umali Hall. The regional leg emphasizes community engagement, drawing together artists, students, professionals, and the academe. A weaving performance underscores the interconnectedness of architecture and its allied disciplines in shaping everyday spaces and communal life.
Catriona Gray Makes a Case for the Future of Philippine Arts
Catriona Gray, the 2018 Miss Universe and the current Arts Ambassador of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, spoke with conviction shaped by seven years of taking on the role. In a three-and-a-half-minute address, she reflected on the challenges of making art in a metrics-driven world, arguing that its true impact is not measured in likes or shares, but in the moments that move people.
Gray urged artists to value collaboration and mentorship, and to cultivate spaces that elevate creators, inspire audiences, and carry local art onto the global stage—an aim that resonates as National Arts Month approaches. “There are so many forms of art,” she said, “and this year’s more collaborative approach opens our minds to new experiences and ideas.”
- Discover more inspiring individuals documenting the country's heritage in our People Profiles section.
- Learn about national artists and heritage in our Arts section.
