In 2001, a Filipino cultural jewel was unveiled in Tampa, Florida upon the completion of the Bayanihan Arts and Events Center, a $4 million cultural and arts facility which showcases and propagates the richness and diversity of Philippine culture and heritage. In its six years of existence, the Bayanihan Center has hosted various cultural programs and activities such as Philippine festivals, classical and folk music performances, concerts, charity balls and Filipino language classes, enhancing the image and pride of Filipino Americans in Florida. It has a Filipiniana library for the use of the general public. The Bayanihan Center also gave other minority groups the opportunity to use the Center for their cultural and community events.
The realization of the Bayanihan Center is the work of a seamless, integrated fabric of talents that blended perfectly since the founding of the Philippine Cultural Foundation, Inc. (PCFI), one of the foremost ethnic cultural organizations in the Tampa Bay area. Established in 1995, PCFI aims to preserve Philippine culture, arts and traditions as its legacy to future generations of Filipino Americans. PCFI owns the Philippine Cultural Enrichment Complex, a 10 acre-property to which the Bayanihan Center stands.
Aside from the Bayanihan Center, PCFI also built the Philippine Village or Barrio Filipino inside the Complex. The Philippine Village has pavilions housing different Filipino regional groups and other Filipino associations such as Philippine Nurses Association and Pilipino-American Association of Tampa Bay. It is also the venue for the annual “PhilFest”, a Filipino festival of merriment, music, dance and other forms of entertainment such as Santa Cruzan and exhibits of Philippine arts and handicrafts. The “PhilFest” which has successfully run for 11 years, attracts an audience of around 20,000 from all over the US, Canada, Europe, and the Philippines, making the activity a major tourist event in Tampa and one of the most prominent cultural celebrations in the US. Indeed, the “PhilFest” has given the local Filipino community a national reputation, and at the same time kept customs and traditions alive for the younger generation of Filipino Americans, most of whom have never been to the Philippines.
To enchant their audiences with spectacular cultural performances, PCFI has resident performing groups such as the Philippine Performing Arts Dance Company, Philippine Choral Group, and Indak Pambata Dance Troupe. The groups perform at various events in Florida for Filipino American community and participate in other folk or cultural festivals. PCFI also established a 30-piece bamboo orchestra “Musikong Kawayan”, which performs at the Florida Folk Arts Festival. Composed of young Filipino American members, Musikong Kawayan is recognized in reinforcing the cultural diversity of Florida.
Realizing the importance of cultural education, PCFI opened the Filipino Language School especially for the Filipino American youth who have little or no knowledge of the native language. The school offers conversational Tagalog classes not only for the children but also to foreign spouses of Filipinos, and Americans who are going to the Philippines either as workers, expatriates or missionaries.
PCFI and its projects are powerful influences on the lives of Filipinos and Filipino Americans, giving them the ultimate feeling of pride in being a Filipino, and a home that is not only beautiful but rich in heritage and culture.
In conferring the Banaag Award to Philippine Cultural Foundation, Inc., the President recognizes its exemplary leadership, initiative and dedication in building the Bayanihan Arts and Events Center, and the Philippine Village in Florida, both of which exceptionally showcase the artistry and talent of Filipinos, and the richness of Filipino culture and heritage.
