Balay Pinoy

 November is Values Month celebration

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

Character building truly begins at home. And Filipino values are brought to the fore as the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) celebrates Balay Pinoy for the entire moth of November.

 Balay Pinoy is the NCCA's project to drumbeat its values month celebration. During the launching ceremonies at the Rizal Park open air auditorium, spectators were regaled by performances from several guilds and troupes.

The Philippine Coast Guard Symphony Band gave honors to the Philippine flag as they played Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" and Asin's "Ang Buhay Ko (Musika Ang Buhay Na Aking Tinataglay)".

Tanghalang Bagong Sibol showed the downside of online learning, while Teatro ni Juan presented a chorale number with song-and-dance routines. On the other hand, Dance Ambassadors & Rondalla performed "Magtanim ay di Biro" and the hat dance, "Subli." But it was the performance from the National BMG DanceSport of a paraplegic dancer and his partner who stole the hearts of the audience. Their poignant pas-de-deux to Andra Day's "Rise Up" was both mesmerizing and awe-inspiring.

Program hosts Ate Haraya and Kuya Alab engaged spectators in a series of guessing games by letting them fill in the missing words or phrase from famous quotes (salawikain), riddles (bugtong), and sayings (kasabihan).

The Values Month celebration called to mind some of the outstanding Pinoy traits such as pakikipagkapuwa (shared responsibility for the common good), pagtaguyod sa panuntunan ng batas (upholding the rule of law), pagtiyak sa kabuhayan (ensuring work and livelihood), pag-galang at pagtaguyod sa karapatang pantao (respecting and upholding human rights), as well as kalusugan at kagalingan (health and wellbeing).

The afternoon event saw higantes parading around the Luneta grounds as kids and young teens went into reading sessions, had their portraits done through live sketching, had the alibata written on their arms with henna tattoo, and had their faces painted. Angono, Rizal celebrates the Higantes Festival annually on the last week of November. After the program, everyone was invited to a screening of NCCA's first animation series "Heneral Tuna."

Balay Pinoy suggests that the Filipino home is a wellspring of values handed down throughout the generations and, in the process, making each child a better citizen of this country.