The Cultural Center of the Philippines was created in 1966 with the purpose of promoting and preserving the best of Filipino arts and culture. Since then, the CCP has sought to embody the values of katotohanan (truth), kagandahan (beauty) and kabutihan (goodness). The CCP has been at the forefront of culture and the arts for over 50 years and continues to work with the government, business, academe, and international community for a thriving local creative industry that respects tradition, spurs innovation, increases social awareness, and enriches the Philippine brand and economy.
The best artists from all over the country and around the world have enthralled Filipinos onsite (at the CCP venues), offsite (at regional venues) and online.
Performing companies representing dance, music and theater reside within the CCP. It has four resident dance companies: Ballet Philippines, Philippine Ballet Theatre, the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group and the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company. Tanghalang Pilipino is the CCP’s resident theater company while music is represented by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the UST Symphony Orchestra, the Philippine Madrigal Singers and the National Music Competitions for Young Artists Foundation (NAMCYA).
The CCP also covers the film and broadcast arts, as well as the literary and visual arts, encouraging the growth of aspiring artists in these fields through numerous workshops, seminars, anthologies, exhibits, symposia as well as competitions and awards. In line with its mission to support creative entrepreneurship, the CCP created the Virgin Labfest for untried, untested, and unstaged plays and is a leading force behind The Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. Its Arts Education Program nurtures the next generation of artists and the audiences who will support their work through training, exposure and audience development activities. The Cultural Content Program develops engaging content for digital formats and new technologies.
Through its Cultural Exchange Program, the CCP supports the growth and development of arts councils all over the country through relevant workshops and seminars. Through exchange programs with these organizations and with other institutions, Filipinos have been able to glimpse the beauty of different cultures from various countries, witnessing many a triumphant performance from highly-acclaimed artists all over the world.
The CCP continues to emphasize the Filipino pagmamalasakit (compassion) in its programs that highlight the virtues of galing, galang and dangal (excellence, respect and integrity), reaffirming its commitment to the growth and development of the Filipino nation and its arts and culture.
