No Object Unturned

Last October 20, 2020, the Nayong Pilipino Foundation conducted another round of online multi-sectoral consultation called Umpukan sa Nayon. Titled "No Object Unturned", this iteration convened anthropologists, ethnomusicologists, museum specialists, and scholars in cultural heritage to seek guidance on the museum the NPF intends to build that will house the Foundation’s permanent collection. Esteemed panelists included Romulo Vinci R. Bueza of Ateneo de Davao University, Marinella C. Mina of Ayala Museum, Dr. Jocelyn B. Gerra of the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission-Cebu, Dr. Jose S. Buenconsejo of UP College of Music, and Dr. Nestor T. Castro of International Council of Museums- Philippines. Moderating the discussion was Dr. Laya Boquiren of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation. The panelists offered their perspectives and suggestions guided by three main questions: (1) How can institutions like the Nayong Pilipino Foundation confront the history of a collection and raise issues on ownership, rights, and ethics?; (2) How can museums engage the public to produce critical dialogues about a collection? (3) How can virtual museums support the relations that link the artifacts in a collection to persons and society? #AtingNayon #MakadiwangNayon #MuseoNgNayongPilipino

The Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF), in partnership with Philippine Parks and Biodiversity (PPB) organized an Umpukan sa Nayon last October 10, 2020 via Zoom.  Titled “Umpukan sa Nayon: Makakalikasang Nayon,” the goal of the consultation was to engage experts in a discussion that will aid NPF in promoting and amplifying citizen-led biodiversity conservation in the future Nayong Pilipino Cultural Park and Creative Hub to be located in Entertainment City in Parañaque.  The discussion was anchored to the three main questions of: What is the importance of urban parks? What policies are needed to ensure that the public can have more urban parks? How should the NPF property be transformed as a space for citizen-led biodiversity conservation? The Umpukan ran from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, divided into three episodes with one hour intervals each.  For the third and final session of this Umpukan, international resource people from Australia, England, and Germany were invited to speak. Titled “Episode 3: Insights from International Cases in Citizen-led Biodiversity Conservation,” and facilitated by PPB Co-founder Marinella Lomotan, the speakers from different overseas organizations enthusiastically shared their insights on how NPF can jumpstart building and planning its future park. The invited speakers were Dr. Mary Worral from the Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council, Ignace Schops from the Eurparc Federation, and Neil McCarthy from the World Urban Parks Association.

The Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF), in partnership with Philippine Parks and Biodiversity (PPB) organized an Umpukan sa Nayon last October 10, 2020 via Zoom.  Titled “Umpukan sa Nayon: Makakalikasang Nayon,” the goal of the consultation was to engage experts in a discussion that will aid NPF in promoting and amplifying citizen-led biodiversity conservation in the future Nayong Pilipino Cultural Park and Creative Hub to be located in Entertainment City in Parañaque.  The discussion was anchored to the three main questions: What is the importance of urban parks? What policies are needed to ensure that the public can have more urban parks? How should the NPF property be transformed as a space for citizen-led biodiversity conservation? The afternoon session, now moderated by Mark Joseph Laceste (PPB Youth Champions Lead) and titled “Episode 2: The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Biodiversity Conservation,” shed light on some concrete steps that NPF can take to ensure that the property in Parañaque will be transformed as a space for biodiversity conservation. Representatives from Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) each took turns in sharing their thoughts on this. The invited speakers were Mike Lu from the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, Robby Cereno from the Training Center for Tropical Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability (TREES), and Boboi Costas from Grassroots Travel.

The Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF), in partnership with Philippine Parks and Biodiversity (PPB) organized an Umpukan sa Nayon last October 10, 2020 via Zoom.  Titled “Umpukan sa Nayon: Makakalikasang Nayon,” the goal of the consultation was to engage experts in a discussion that will aid NPF in promoting and amplifying citizen-led biodiversity conservation in the future Nayong Pilipino Cultural Park and Creative Hub to be located in Entertainment City in Parañaque. The discussion was anchored to the three main questions, What is the importance of urban parks? What policies are needed to ensure that the public can have more urban parks? How should the NPF property be transformed as a space for citizen-led biodiversity conservation?  The Umpukan ran from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, divided into three episodes with one-hour intervals each. The morning session was titled “Episode 1: Citizen-led Biodiversity Conservation and the State” Moderated by PPB trustee Carlo Delantar, the Umpukan discussed how the future NPF park can be made into a learning space that promotes biodiversity conservation through the point-of-view of the members of the state.  The invited speakers were Dr. Benjamin Vallejo Jr. from the University of the Philippines Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, Rey Aguinaldo and Carlito Castañeda both from DENR, and Julienne Baldonado from NPF's Cultural Leadership Institute.  Watch this Umpukan episode on Youtube.

With the goal of pushing forward with its vision and plans for 2021, the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) organized its final Umpukan iteration for the year. This Umpukan titled “Umpukan sa Nayon: Greening Our Cities,” aimed to seek concrete solutions on how NPF can transform the NPF Property in New Seaside Road and Diokno Boulevard in Parañaque City into an urban park—a platform for citizen-led biodiversity conservation and restoration. Held last December 5, 2020 via Zoom, NPF’s Umpukan sa Nayon invited experts and specialists in environmental sciences and biodiversity to impart their expertise and recommendations on the concrete strategies NPF can apply in order to begin creating a green creative hub. Watch the Umpukan episode on YouTube.

Last June 2020, the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, in partnership with Tuklas Pilipinas Society, hosted a public consultation titled Umpukan sa Nayon: Telling Heritage Stories. This iteration was divided into two parts. The second part was called “Translating Heritage Stories in Philippine Archaeology.”  Carrying over from the discussion from the first part of the webinar, the discussion mainly involved engaging communities and localizing archaeological heritage. The speakers gave a background on both their studies and their audience as they explained the challenge they face in interpreting archaeological heritage. They each gave their own insights for audience development and the role of public archaeology relating to the programs of traditional institutions and alternative learning hubs, tourism and sustainable development, and cultural sensitivity and Filipino identity. Watch this Umpukan sa Nayon episode on the NPF YouTube channel.

Last May 12, 2020 the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, in partnership with the Intramuros Administration (IA) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) hosted a public consultation titled Umpukan sa Nayon: Heritage, Communities, and Our Future.  Putting emphasis on people as pillars of heritage, it was anchored on the idea that stakeholders in the heritage sector are bearers and mediators of culture. Representatives from the heritage sector were invited to participate, sharing how the pandemic impacted their organizations.   Among the topics discussed is how Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSPs) enabled different communities to cope with the pandemic and how, amidst a health crisis, can heritage remain relevant. The speakers took turns sharing their thoughts and ideas as they discussed the gaps in heritage conservation and the possible collaborations within the public and private sectors. Watch this Umpukan sa Nayon episode on YouTube.

The Nayong Pilipino Foundation, in partnership with Ateneo de Manila University, Fine Arts Department, hosted a public consultation titled Umpukan sa Nayon: Limning the Future last August 15, 2020. It was done in two parts—one in the morning, which was an ideation workshop involving children between eight to twelve years old, and the second one was in the afternoon titled “Youth-centered Spaces and Why They Matter.” The afternoon session was a focus group discussion on how youth civic agency can be nurtured. Specialists were invited to discuss what “youth-centered” means, how important it is, and how having these spaces contribute to society. It served as a consultation on how Nayong Pilipino can create platforms for nurturing young people and encouraging youth civic engagement.

Last June 2020 the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, in partnership with Tuklas Pilipinas Society, hosted a public consultation titled Umpukan sa Nayon: Telling Heritage Stories. This iteration was divided into two parts. The first part was called “Interpreting Local Heritage Stories.” Invited representatives discussed heritage interpretation—its relevance and the methods and approaches applied to it. The speakers also reflected on heritage and community engagement and how heritage interpretation can be effective through the use of an online platform and other supplementary materials.

Last May 19, 2020, the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, in partnership with Tuklas Pilipinas Society, hosted a public consultation titled Umpukan sa Nayon: A Discussion on Archaeology and Cultural Education in Changing Times.  The invited speakers were different archaeologists and researchers not only from the Philippines but also from different countries in Southeast Asia namely Thailand and Indonesia. Each speaker gave a presentation on the status of archaeological heritage work in their area during the pandemic. They discussed their plans moving forward, especially now that almost all on-site activities have been halted. They provided suggestions and recommendations on how archaeologists and heritage workers can take part and promote cultural education during these changing times. Watch this episode of Umpukan sa Nayon on YouTube.