02 October 2014 - The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong SAR conducted a two-part Lecture Series on Philippine culture and heritage last month featuring National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairman Felipe De Leon, Jr., and Heritage Conservation Society of the Philippines President Ivan Henares.  

Mr. Ivan Henares’ lecture titled “Preserving the Philippines' Cultural Heritage: Milestones and Challenges: A Lecture on the Philippines' Cultural Heritage Conservation Initiatives and Discussion on Post-Bohol Earthquake and Post-Haiyan Restoration Efforts,” was held at the following venues:

•              iCafe Activities Room, Hong Kong Baptist University, September 18.  The lecture was the inaugural  lecture to be held at the said venue since its launch on September 01;

•              Delia Memorial School (Hip Wo Campus), September 19.  Mr. Henares presented his lecture to around 260 secondary school students of various nationalities; and

•              Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre Theatre, September 19.  The event was attended by the members of the diplomatic corps, as well as representatives from the Filipino community, media, academe and civil society.

Mr. Henares discussed the progress of restoration efforts on cultural heritage sites, most notably the various churches in the Philippines damaged or destroyed during the Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.  He also noted success stories on heritage preservation such as the Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras and Vigan City.

Chairman De Leon’s lecture, on the other hand, was titled “A Heritage of Well-Being: Connectivity of the Filipino.”  He emphasized that Filipino ethnicity is essentially rooted in the culture of communal sharing.  

Chairman De Leon conducted lectures at the following venues:

•              Lecture for the Filipino Community at the Philippine Consulate General Public Area, September 21;

•              Hong Kong Taoist Association Wun Tsuen School, September 22.  Around 200 primary school students from different ethnic backgrounds attended the lecture, and Chairman De Leon donated books on the Philippines courtesy of NCCA to the school’s Multicultural Department; and

•              iCafe Activities Room, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU),  September 23.  Chairman De Leon also met with Professor Johnny Poon, Head of HKBU’s Music Department.  

Chairman De Leon also participated as panelist in the Asia Society panel discussion, “Road to Recovery: Philippines Ten Months after Haiyan,” on September 21.  Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang was also a panelist at the event.  The discussion focused on the progress of the rehabilitation efforts, as well as the issues and challenges of the Philippine Government, international organizations and non-governmental organizations in implementing programs to assist the areas affected by the typhoon.

The two-part lecture series is an initiative to implement the Philippines-Hong Kong Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation signed on February 14, 2003.  This landmark document aims to promote cultural exchanges, especially on arts and education. END