Chancellor Fidel R. Nemenzo formally opened the UP Diliman (UPD) Arts and Culture Festival (ACF) 2022 on Feb. 17, coinciding with the 150th year of the martyrdom of Catholic priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora (collectively known as GomBurZa) who were executed by the Spanish government on charges of subversion.
Livestreamed on the UPD Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (UPD-OICA) Facebook page, Nemenzo enjoined everyone to take to heart the festival’s theme of “kaMALAYAn: Pamana ng GomBurZa.”
“Ang sinapit ng tatlong paring Pilipino ay naging mahalaga upang ipagpatuloy ng susunod na henerasyon ng mga Pilipino ang landas tungo sa kaginhawaan, kaliwanagan, at kalayaan,” he said.
In the same way that GomBurZa’s martyrdom opened the eyes of the Filipino public and the revolutionaries like Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, and Apolinario Mabini, Nemenzo said art can be used to open the eyes of Filipinos today.
“Gamit ang sining at kultura, kailangan nating patuloy na magmulat at makitunggali sa pwersang bumabansot sa ating kamalayang pambansa. Gamitin natin ang sining upang hasain ang kamalayan ng mamamayan. Gamitin natin ang mga produksiyong pangkultura upang magsilbing lunsaran ng mga likhang tunay na makatao at mapagpalaya,” he said.
He called on the UPD community and those watching to participate in public discussions and help shape the future of the country.
“Gaya nila GomBurZa, kailangan nating patuloy na maigiit at mangahas sa larangan man ng sining at sa iba pang porma ng pakikibaka upang patuloy na makiisa at maging bahagi sa pag-akda ng isang bayang ganap na makatao, may katarungan, at may pagkakapantay-pantay,” he said.
The festival consists of a mixture of webinars, art installations, exhibits, and live performances across multiple platforms.
One of the centerpieces of the festival is a national conference on the 150th anniversary of the GomBurZa execution titled “Bagumbayan: Stories of Place and Identity” to be held on March 9 and 10 over Zoom and Facebook Live. “kaMALAYAn: Pamana ng GomBurZa” will run until March. For updates, please stay tuned to the UPD-OICA Facebook page and YouTube channel.