Legarda: The Arts help Filipinos deal with COVID-19 grief

For Deputy Speaker and Antique Congresswoman Loren Legarda, arts and culture are instrumental in helping Filipinos heal together during the COVID-19 crisis. That is why despite the limitations during this pandemic, she and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) are back with the ninth season of the award-winning documentary series “Dayaw.”

“Our arts and culture feed not only our minds, but also our souls. The crisis may have taken us all by surprise, but it has also reminded us of how united and resilient we can be amid challenges. We are more appreciative of our relationships, our sense of self, and our sense of nationhood now more than ever,” she said.

Debuting on November 5 on ANC, the ABS-CBN New Channel, “Dayaw” Season 9’s central theme is “Sagisag,” the symbols of nationhood that Filipinos need to re-discover as these objects and manuscripts provide indications to lost ideals of community and nation.

According to Legarda, the program will enable viewers to reflect on ‘important questions’ as the country continues its battle against COVID-19.

“We can look at this season as a collection of enduring symbols that ask us important questions about who and where we are as a nation. We can look at our resilience and our ability to survive and adapt to changing conditions,” the Representative of the Lone District of Antique and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives said.

In six episodes, “Dayaw” will explore the meanings behind symbols that challenge enduring notions about our identity as a nation. The first episode digs deeper about the story behind the creation of the Philippine flag, while the rest of the series uncovers more about the anting-anting, the legacy ideas of the heroes during the revolution, the country’s rich heritage of textiles, and other important relics, images, and texts that say something about our country’s history before colonization.

Just like other Filipinos, Legarda and her team had to make adjustments in producing this new season due to the pandemic.

“We had to adjust to the new normal through the use of digital technology and online platforms. We were also fortunate to have begun shooting last year. So, we had the primary material already in the can. The biggest challenge was to rethink how this wealth of material was still relevant in these times,” she explained.

In the end, Legarda’s drive to introduce to viewers the deeper meanings behind our country’s many symbols prevailed as she and her team found ways to become innovative just to serve the Filipino.

“Dayaw,” a production of ANC and the NCCA, is a concept of Deputy Speaker and Antique Representative Loren Legarda, NCCA’s Dangal ng Haraya Patron of Arts and Culture awardee.

Get to know more the different symbols that remain relevant in our country with “Dayaw” Season 9 every Thursday at 8:30 pm starting November 5 on ANC on cable and the ANC Facebook page.

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