The Kids of Makiling

Taxes have become a burden to the Filipino.  All the political controversies and poor government services have weighed him down.  Is it really that bad?

Somewhere in Laguna, up in the mountain, in the mystical place called Mt. Makiling in Los Baños, is a group of young Filipino artists getting their high school education through a scholarship program - The Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA).  Established in 1977, the PHSA integrates high school education with a special curriculum for the arts - Creative Writing, Folk Dance, Ballet, Music, Theater Arts and Visual Arts.  Through all these years, up to this very day, what sustains this scholarship?  The Filipino taxpayers.  

We have seen, in the news, how our taxes have been scammed.  We also feel that they never really work for our health, education in general, infrastructure, etc.  While the country struggles to correct this malady, it might be refreshing to know that some of our taxes are supporting these gifted young Filipino artists.  Is this to say that this is some kind of perk for the scholars’ families enjoying the free stuff?  

While these kids are up there in the mountain and their parents and guardians have no payments to worry about, they are studying hard, working passionately to hone their craft through the help of the mystical spirit surrounding Mt. Makiling.  At the end of each school year, since it was established, they present what they have worked hard for through a series of recitals, exhibits and launches.  When the months of February-March come around, we can catch them up there at the National Arts Center (NAC) in Mt Makiling, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and in museums and galleries in the metro.

For this school year, 2013-2014, they have the SIMBUYO, Pistang Sining 2014 (Ibarang* Arts Festival). I was privileged to catch “Daloy”, the Ballet recital, last night at the CCP Little Theater.  I am writing this blog in the middle of SIMBUYO when some of the shows and exhibits have been staged.  We can still catch the Theater Arts performances at the CCP and maybe the Creative Writing book launch at the Boston Art Gallery, Quezon City, today at 4:00 PM.

While the remaining good men in the Philippine government are working hard to correct the maladies in our taxes, feel your taxes work for you enjoying the offerings of our very own gifted young Filipino artists.  The Arts have something bewildering.  It can be a good break from all the heavy stuff hounding our country and even our personal lives.  I might be late in this blog post but I hope it can be a starting point for the coming offerings in the following years.

I am attempting to introduce positive information about our country and to spark the good light in the Filipinos’ heart through the Arts.  This might be a tall order for the kids in Mt. Makiling, but they may just be a precipitator for the change we are aiming for in our beloved Philippines. My daughter is one of them, a student of the Visual Arts.

*Ibarang - what the students and alumni of PHSA call themselves