All countries strive to protect its own individual culture and lifestyle for it carries with it the unique identity of its citizens. The state of Philippines is no different. Having recognised the importance of preserving the arts, crafts and culture of the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos of the Government of the country established the Cultural Centre of Philippines in 1996. As it is located in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the cultural centre can be visited by tourists residing in any Manila Hotel in Makati, and is easily accessible from a number of hotels, including the Berjaya Makati Hotel in Manila.

While the headquarters in Manila was designed by the National Artist for Architecture, it was established with the express purpose of preserving, developing and promoting the culture and the arts of the Philippines. Therefore, the cultural centre conducts a number of artistic programmes that includes the publication and distribution of print material with information on arts and culture, the production of various performances, carrying out of cultural research and conducting festivals and exhibitions relating to the arts and crafts.
The Cultural Centre provides support to the Philippine High School for the Arts as well as the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and hosts a number of resident companies including the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ballet Theatre, the National Music Competitions for Young Artists Foundation and many more. As a result of its widespread influence, the cultural centre offers facilities and performance venues and the National Theatre, i.e. The Theatre of the Performing Arts, is their flagship venue. Other satellite venues include the Angelo King Center for the Performing Arts which was established in 2000, and the Assumpta Theatre on the campus of Assumption Antipolo.

As a government owned and government controlled corporation, the Cultural Centre maintains a strong focus on preserving the arts, crafts and culture of the Philippines.

Roland Lefevre is a travel writer who specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe. Google+