Home Mind Feed

Icons of our living culture

On its 130th year in the Philippines, HSBC weaves stories on heritage into a pioneering children's book on cultural icons in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation (SAS), to further cultural education with the publication of "Of Jars and Weaves, Terraces and Beads: Icons of Our Living Culture."

This colored, bi-lingual picture book focuses on seven stories based on seven cultural icons - part of a whole list of icons that every Filipino child and person should know. The help define to the international community the early Filipino civilization before foreign colonial influences reached our shores. "Jars and Weaves" is based on research by Philippine cultural anthropologist and expert F. Landa Jocano.

Each story reflects a value system.The seven icons are the rice terraces that show the ingenious irrigation and planting system of rice terraces built for community; abaca ikat textile weave that demonstrate our skill in arts and crafts; mummification that showed our knowledge of chemistry and the sciences; ancient glass beads that represent international trade; the balanghai that shows our shipbuilding skill; the Laguna copper plate to reflect our ancient syllabary writing; the Manunggul jar that represents a world view and belief in the afterlife.

In November 2005, as part of the bank's 130th anniversary celebrations, it mounted "Windows of HSBC Legacy," an exhibit of modern representations of these same cultural icons, displayed in selected branch windows. They were done by some of the country's best artists and designers - Impy Pilapil, Ed Castrillo, Tess Pasola, Tony Gonzalez and Movement 8, Budji Layug, Jeannie Goulbourn, Rachy Cuna and Lanelle Abueva.

"HSBC is excited to spearhead a project that we hope will help Filipino children rediscover the greatness and legacy of their heritage…In the long-term we will look to our children to take care of this country's future. Pride in our heritage is an important first step to a sustainable future," said Warner Manning, HSBC CEO.

Two multi-awarded children's book authors were commissioned to create original stories that breathe life into "Jars and Weaves." Carla Pacis is one of the country's strongest advocates for children's book publication and a moving force in children's education. A number of her books have won National Book Awards. She also started KUTING (Kwentista ng mga Tsikiting), an organization of writers for children.

"The icons we have written about show a Philippines that every Filipino child can be proud of," said Pacis.

Heidi Emily Eusebio-Abad, who teaches at UP's Department of English & Comparative Literature, has written a number of poems and stories for children. Among her works ia Abot Mo Ba ang Tainga Mo? (Adarna, 2001) for which she won the NBDB Gintong Aklat Award for Children's Literature in 2002.

"My stories are about the ordinary Filipino who takes pride in our rich heritage; who believes in the dignity of honest, hard work; who has faith in the divine justice of this world and hereafter; and whose dreams include not just the enrichment of the self but the well-being of the community.

The book illustrations are by painter and printmaker Jeannie Javelosa, also the project and creative director, as well as a member of the NCCA's National Committee on Cultural Information and Special Events and vice-chair of the Special Task Force that developed the Philippine Cultural Education Plan.

"Once in a while a dream project comes along...to advocate for cultural education, to work with groups that are enlightened to know that such a project is necessary and to find the means to bring it into reality. This is a wonderful tri-partnership project between private sector, government and an NGO-Foundation working with a creative team that believes our race has always been great. All we need to do is to tell people about the legacy of a great past, and find that greatness in our present and in ourselves. What better group to start with than our youth?" said Javelosa.

Sa Aklat Sisikat, whose vision is to build a nation of readers through the implementation of reading programs Grade 4 students in public school classrooms, will distribute close to 5,000 copies of "Jars and Weaves" to over 450 schools nationwide. HSBC is sponsoring reading programs in close to 20 public elementary schools in Quezon City. The book will also provide copies to HSBC READiscovery Center libraries in Muntinlupa, Pasig, and Manila.

Limited copies are available to the public for only PHP150 through MagNet branches in Paseo Center, ABS-CBN, Katipunan Ave, Shangri-la Mall, SM North dsa and Center Point and the BayWalk. Copies are also available with your HSBC credit card when you log on to www.hsbc.com.ph. For every copy you buy, HSBC donates a copy to a public school library.

Archive