The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) employees attended the lecture on Philippine culture by anthropologist Dr. Jesus Peralta, the first leg of “Sulyap: Sangkatauhan ng Filipinas Noon at Ngayon” NCCA lecture series at the Leandro V. Locsin Auditorium, NCCA Building, Intramuros.
In his lecture, Dr. Peralta said that there are four kinds of anthropology namely: physical, linguistic, cultural, and archeology. He added that all four are interconnected.
In his PowerPoint presentation, Dr. Peralta showed evidence and artifacts that proved the presence of our culture even before the Spaniards came to colonize us. He pointed to pictures of man-made stones, and shells and explained how culture and the science of man are interconnected with each other.
One of the slides shown was the Tabon Skull Cap. It dated 16,000 B.C. and was considered the oldest fossil in the Tabon Cave. The other slide was comprised of the description of Negritos, and the Mamanwas who are considered as two of the ancestors of the Filipinos.
Later in the seminar, Dr. Peralta connected these ancestors to the diversification of Filipino culture. Even outside forces like time, environment, habitat, and location of each family greatly affect the unification of one’s culture. Dr. Peralta said that it is impossible for Filipinos to have a unified culture because of the archipelagic characteristics of our country. “We are divided into 7,107 islands with different tribes, beliefs, and language. We are Filipinos with diversified culture.”
The Sulyap lecture series was conducted to further enhance the knowledge of NCCA personnel and employees about Filipino Culture. The lecture is also aimed at re-educating NCCA employees about Philippine culture.
The second part of the “Sulyap” lecture series will continue on August 1, 2011 after the flag ceremony of NCCA employees. More facts will be unveiled on the second leg of the lecture as it focuses on the journey of Filipino Culture together with the rise of technology.
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