12 September 2013 – The chairman of the Philippines’ National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) joined his peers in agreeing to strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation at the 1st Korea-Southeast Asia Culture Ministers Meeting in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, on September 06.
NCCA Chairman Prof. Felipe M. de Leon, Jr. joined culture ministers from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as Korea in discussing ways to enhance cultural cooperation among Asian nations, in particular through the use of the “Asia Culture Complex” due to be completed in 2014.
“The NCCA fully supports our collective endeavor towards the fullest realization of the Asian Culture Complex and we are confident that lasting cooperation and unity among our peoples, to say the least, will be a positive outcome of this grand undertaking., Prof. de Leon said in his remarks at the Meeting.
At the meeting, the ministers discussed the promotion of sustainable culture cooperation and the preservation of cultural heritage, sharing of cultural resources, development of culture and artistic expertise, and facilitating joint-creation and –production efforts, and other forms of cooperation for cultural arts, the culture industry, cultural assets, and tourism.
The Meeting’s Record of Discussion specified that the participating nations will keep working to introduce their own rich, diverse cultural assets and arts and bring cultural festivals to the Asia Culture Complex so that the peoples of different cultures can feel and share the diversity of their cultures.
“We, Korea and these ten Southeast Asian nations should work closely to make the Asia Culture Complex an effective cooperation venue to promote mutual understanding, preserve cultural legacies, and enforce professional competency in the culture and arts field,” said Korean Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong during his keynote speech.
The Asia Culture Complex, which is designed to be used in the dissemination and sharing of various Asian cultures and arts, consists of five buildings – the Exchange Center for Democracy and Peace, the Cultural Creation Center, the Asian Culture Information Center, the Asian Arts Theater, and the Cultural Center for Children.
After the meeting, the ministers participated in cultural events including the Asia Tradition Orchestra featuring the traditional musical instruments of Korea and Southeast Asian nations, the 2013 Gwangju World Music Festival, and the Gwangju Design Biennale 2013.
Chairman de Leon also visited to Seoul to discuss areas of possible collaboration between NCCA and the Philippine Embassy in planning next year’s calendar of cultural events to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-South Korea diplomatic relations. They also discussed the process of establishing the Sentro Rizal in the Philippine Embassy building in Seoul. Established by virtue of the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, the Sentro Rizal is a Philippine government-sponsored organization whose main objective is the global promotion of Filipino art, culture and language. END