PRESIDENT RODRIGO Duterte has signed an executive order calling for a “Filipino-centric” point of view in the celebration of the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP).
Duterte signed EO 103 on January 28 to amend EO 55 which created the National Quincentennial Committee last year.
The committee is in charge of coordinating and serving as clearing house of all government initiatives for “the 500th anniversary of the role or the Philippines in the first circumnavigation of the world, the victory of Lapulapu in the Battle of Mactan, and other related events, collectively known as the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP).”
Under the EO, Duterte recognizes the need to “promote local and national tourism, reignite the nationalism of every Filipino, inculcate values for the common good, strengthen social cohesiveness of the community, intensify social awareness, and foster the Filipino creativity and innovation for our socio-economic growth.”
The EO designates Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea as chairperson of the committee while National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) chairperson Rene Escalante will serve as his vice-chair and executive director.
Members of the committee include the secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Tourism, Budget and Management, Interior and Local Government, Public Works and Highways, Education, National Defense, Presidential Communications, the chairperson of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the Presidential Adviser for the Visayas.
In the EO 55 signed last year, the only members stated were the secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Local Government, Tourism, Budget and Management, and other members from the government and private sector.
It includes a section identifying the powers and functions of the vice-chairman and executive director namely to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the projects and activities of the committee; to represent the committee in meetings, as may be authorized or delegated by the committee; to supervise and ensure that the secretariat provides administrative support to the committee, and to perform such other functions as may be assigned by the committee.
Another section enumerates three principles which must be reflected in the 2021 QCP such as Filipino-centric, multidisciplinary, and communicative and transformative.
Under the EO, Filipino-centric means that the 2021 QCP should reflect Filipino viewpoints and highlight our cognizance and pride for our ancestors and rich cultural heritage through literature, languages, art and other cultural outlooks. It must also emphasize the Filipino identity and the values of unity, magnanimity, and sovereignty.
It refers to multidisciplinary as being able to engage scholars from several academic disciplines and professional specializations to facilitate the contribution to the advancements of our historical understanding, as well as encourage historical research and discussion.
Finally, communicative and transformative means that the 2021 QCP should endeavor to increase knowledge of historical education among Filipinos through traditional and new media, and further encourage promotion, restoration, and conservation of historic sites associated with the 2021 QCP.
The EO also tasks the committee to come up with an appropriate QCP branding or logo that will reflect and depict the heroism of Lapulapu in the Battle of Mactan, and highlight the 500th anniversary of the role of Filipinos in the first circumnavigation of the world.
Funding for the implementation of the order will be sourced from the funds of the NHCP and, if necessary, the contingent fund. (By Azer Parrocha)
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