The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has allocated a P10 million fund to the Department of Tourism (DOT) XI for the construction of an arts and culture hub in the region.
“We are inputting P10 million just for the plans and the design because we are expecting that it will be complete with all the requirements necessary when we submit our proposal to the Department of Budget and Management and Congress,” Marichu Tellano, NCCA deputy executive director, said.
The hub is envisioned to be a complex with training or learning site, performing arts center, library, and museum that will promote the culture and arts of the indigenous people of Mindanao.
According to Tanya Rabat-Tan, DOT XI regional director, they are still in the process of identifying the location of the project.
“There is one in Mintal, and there is one near Malagos,” she said.
The NCCA prefers that the hub will be built on government property not only to save money but also to protect the investment.
Tan highlighted that they would be hiring consultants, preferably from Davao, as well as coordinate with local and national agencies and other stakeholders.
“If it will be successful then we can satellite later on because if we spread our energy and resources too much, we will not be able to achieve the idea of the cultural hub,” Tellano added.
She said they plan on establishing a cultural hub in each region and then double it in the next two years. The NCCA hoped that the plan for the hub will be finished by March 2020.
The NCCA and DOT XI signed the memorandum of agreement for the project last Oct. 7 at the Seda Abreeza Hotel.
