Legarda, NCCA Launch Docu-Series Buhay na Buhay on GMA News TV

January 30, 2018

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Senator Loren Legarda today officially launched “Buhay na Buhay,” an engaging and informative series that introduces the eight living cultures of the Philippines.

Legarda presents the groundbreaking study of former NCCA Chairperson, Professor Felipe De Leon Jr. in this eight-part weekly series written by Floy Quintos, directed by Jeypi Salonga of Business Unusual Media Solutions (BUMS) Inc., and produced by the NCCA.

The documentary series will be aired on GMA News TV every Saturday, 5:45p.m., starting February 17, 2018.

Buhay na Buhay is a product of academic and scholarly work, which will be presented in an engaging manner through an interesting narration and video documentation. It is presented in the Filipino language so that more Filipinos would better grasp the different facets of our culture,” Legarda said.

To allow more Filipinos to understand the eight living cultures of the Philippines, De Leon’s academic work was first staged as a concert titled “Mga Kulturang Filipino… Buhay na Buhay” at Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in 2013 as part of the NCCA’s 25th anniversary celebration.

Taking a step further to provide better understanding of the eight living cultures to a wider audience, it is now presented to Filipinos through a more popular medium—television.

The thematic episodes, which will run for 30 minutes each, will feature discussions between De Leon and Legarda, a longtime advocate for heritage, culture, and the arts and NCCA’s Dangal ng Haraya Patron of Arts and Culture.

The episodes of Buhay na Buhay are as follows: Kultura ng Pagdidiwata (Harmony with the Deities, Creative Forces of Nature, and Ancestral Sprits); Kultura ng Pag-uukir at Pag-uuma (Poetic Mysticism and Devotion to Islam); Kultura ng Pamamanata (Devotion to the Patron Saint and Village Community); Kultura ng Pananahan (Devotion to the Home and Family); Kultura ng Paglilining at Pangangatwiran (Culture of Reflection and Reasoning); Kultura ng Pag-aaliw (Culture of Entertainment or Sensations); Kultura ng Pamumuna at Pagtutol (Culture of Social Criticism, Concern, Protest); and Kultura ng Pagka-Pilipino at Pagkabansa (Devotion to the Nation and Being Filipino).

“The Philippines is a culturally diverse country. We continue to unravel artifacts and ways of life of our forefathers, and we have been constantly learning about our rich heritage, culture, and the arts. We are always in pursuit of deepening our understanding of the very soul and identity of being a Filipino. Through this series, we will also experience and witness how our culture continues to bebuhay na buhay,” Legarda concluded.