On December 3, 2025, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) gathered 72 culture and arts advocates from the Philippine archipelago for a Research Summit held at the Sedes Sapientiae Auditorium of the Holy Cross of Davao College (HCDC). The gathering marked the first official partnership between the NCCA and HCDC, a collaboration aimed at shaping a renewed and forward-looking research agenda for Filipino culture and the arts.
The summit sought to craft an updated NCCA Research Agenda that responds to both current and emerging culture and arts research trends. As the summit opened, the heads of the Subcommission on the Arts, Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts, Cultural Dissemination, and Cultural Heritage presented their proposed research and creative works agenda intended for 2026 to 2035. Their presentations set the stage for a day of comprehensive intellectual exchange.
In the afternoon, delegates moved into integration sessions, where national committees within each subcommission recalibrated their research and creative works priorities. These conversations brought together artists, cultural workers, academics, community leaders, and policymakers, all working toward unified directions for the next decade of culture and the arts research. The recalibrated priorities were later presented and jointly examined. Through this summit, it ensured that each agenda reflected both national relevance and grassroots realities.
NCCA Commissioner for Cultural Dissemination Hon. Carlo B. Ebeo commended HCDC’s vital role in the summit. “The conference at HCDC brought together the brightest minds from the 19 NCCA committees. HCDC offered exceptional technical support, including annotators and staff, to ensure the diverse intellectual contributions of artists, cultural workers, professionals, and policymakers were effectively documented, resulting in the formulation of the NCCA’s 10-year cultural research agenda,” he said.
For HCDC, the event also marked a significant milestone. Maricel C. Cayas, Head of the Center for Culture and the Arts, emphasized the importance of the partnership. “It is fundamental to discuss from time to time the priority areas in the field of research and creative works, especially for the Philippines’ culture and arts sector. I am very proud that we made history as this is the very first time that the NCCA partnered with HCDC for this important event,” she said.
The summit closed with renewed energy and a shared sense of purpose, affirming the commitment of both the NCCA and HCDC to strengthen cultural research, preserve heritage, and support the creative futures of Filipino communities nationwide. Lagi at lagi, para sa kultura, para sa sining, at para sa Pilipino.
This collaborative effort directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs), particularly SDG (Quality Education), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).