FEU advocates for stronger arts, culture education

Far Eastern University (FEU) reaffirmed its commitment to arts and culture education as it hosted the 11th National Conference of the Association of Cultural Offices in Philippine Educational Institutions, Inc. (ACOPEI).

With the theme “Arte Abante: Reengineering Culture and Arts Education to Advance the Philippine Creative Industries,” the conference brought together cultural officers, educators, and policymakers to explore how the education sector can empower the next generation of creative leaders and innovators.

“This conference served as a powerful platform to highlight the role of arts and culture in shaping the creative economy,” said FEU Center for the Arts senior director Martin Lopez. “As educators and cultural workers, we must continuously innovate and reimagine our approaches to ensure that our students are not just passive consumers, but active creators of culture.”

The conference featured distinguished speakers from various sectors of culture, education, and creative industries, including National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee, National Commission for Culture and the Arts executive director Eric Zerrudo, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) executive director Atty. Cinderella Filipina Benitez-Jaro, Department of Trade and Industry Creative Industries Program Manager Atty. Gio Franco Gomez, and Vice President and Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dennis Marasigan among others.

Discussions underscored the need for stronger alignment between education policies and creative industry development, particularly in response to the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act. Speakers called for innovations in pedagogy and increased collaboration between education and cultural sectors to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving creative economy.

To conclude the two-day event, institutional members participated in an election of new officers for a fresh three-year term. The process resulted in a revitalized leadership team, with many officers hailing from Mindanao, signaling the possibility of a future ACOPEI conference in the region.

Lopez was elected as ACOPEI president. In his first address to the membership, he encouraged more collaboration among members and with industry partners, here and abroad. He called for more research projects on promoting arts, culture and the creative industries in campuses that ACOPEI could spearhead.

“[The association] is a shared space for advocacy, creativity, arts and culture. I invite all members to actively contribute ideas as we co-create meaningful programs together,” said Lopez. “Based on discussions during the recently concluded conference, we can pursue a second part of the research on cultural offices and formally share our findings with [CHED].”

He also proposed the creation of an ACOPEI Safe Space Handbook, patterned after the model developed by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, to support institutions in creating more inclusive environments for student artists and culture workers.

Looking ahead, Lopez outlined his agenda for ACOPEI’s next chapter: work with Congress to propose legislation requiring higher education institutions to establish Cultural Affairs Offices—and develop the standards and criteria to guide their creation; produce more research-oriented performances that reflect and uphold Philippine culture; and expand the organization’s membership base to include more institutions across the country.

FEU Media Center