August 31, 2025 | 12:20pm
MANILA, Philippines — True to its promise of bringing the nation’s arts and culture closer to the Filipino youth, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) has just partnered with Jose Rizal University (JRU) and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) to harness the power of and nurture art appreciation among Filipino students.
With a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) officially signed between CCP and both schools, the new partnerships mark a significant collaborative effort by the CCP to facilitate the exchange of resources and provide students with greater exposure to world-class artistic works, performances, and programs.
The initiatives also aim to enhance knowledge, skills training, and cultural appreciation among JRU and PLM students, especially those enrolled in liberal arts, humanities, literature, and social science courses.
“Exposing the Filipino youth to our rich heritage is something that we take to heart seriously. Collaborating with universities is crucial in propagating not only our mandate of conserving and promoting Philippine arts and culture, but also in instilling art appreciation within this generation. We want to ensure that they will carry over and contribute to our cultural tapestry,” said CCP president Kaye C. Tinga.
Cultivating art appreciation
Originally established as the Far Eastern College School of Accounts, Commerce and Finance, JRU was founded by Vicente Fabella, known in history as the first Filipino certified public accountant (CPA).
In 1922, it was renamed in honor of the Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and called Jose Rizal College (JRC). After World War II, the school reopened in 1945 and, five years later, transferred to its present location in Mandaluyong City, which used to be part of the province of Rizal before it was declared a city in Metro Manila. For its part, the school was granted university status later and became known as JRU.
Since its foundation, JRU has consistently molded the character of its students and has produced a remarkable number of successful graduates flourishing in various fields of industry, commerce, agriculture and trade, and the military.
CCP’s vice president for administration Jose Victor Gaite with PLM President Atty. Domingo Reyes Jr., Prof. Luningning Galindez, and Prof. Cecile Sabordo.
“The CCP sits on the frontlines of education. Under its supportive wings, we will make sure that not only the students will benefit from our partnership, but our faculty members as well,” said JRU vice president for academic affairs Dr. Miguel M. Carpio.
Boosting artistic events and programs
Located in Intramuros, Manila, PLM is the first and only chartered and autonomous university funded by a city government. It takes pride in being one of the country’s leading institutions for higher education, consistently achieving high passing rates in board examinations and producing competent professionals across various fields.
PLM offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs in medicine, engineering, business, arts and sciences, education, and other disciplines, all while maintaining its commitment to providing quality yet accessible education to deserving students.
“We are grateful for this collaboration with PLM. It will enable arts and culture to have a huge impact on their curriculum. The relationship that we build allows us to transfer our knowledge and resources and create new opportunities for artistic expression and cultural exchange among their deserving students,” said CCP vice president for administration Jose Victor M. Gaite.
Meanwhile, PLM president Atty. Domingo Y. Reyes Jr. believes that art and culture should always be part of the education system.
“We always make it a point that arts and culture are embedded in many of our activities. It is a way of diverting not only the academic skills but also the other subskills that the students need. We thank the CCP and look forward to a very fruitful and memorable partnership,” he said.
The newly formed partnerships between CCP and the two schools, JRU and PLM, are thus expected to be mutually beneficial for them all as they push the Philippine arts and culture agenda forward.
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