TRASH TO TREASURE: LOCAL MEDIA GROUP PARTNERS WITH NCCA

June 24, 2023 Opinion

A partnership between the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cordillera News Agency (CNA) has benefitted students from the of the Baguio City National High
School (BCNHS) to appreciate discarded items and transform them into art. Sixty students from the Technical Vocational Livelihood Strand were part of the “Trash to Treasures: Series of Upcycling Modules for Sustainable Livelihood” held at the Balay ti Alumni, Baguio City National High School, June 22 and 23, 2023 Artists and Artisans led the workshop series were; Baguio
based architect, Dulthe Carlo Munar, multimedia artist and journalist, Brenda SubidoDacpano, photojournalist, Art Tibaldo and Manila based artist, Aurelio Castro III.

The two -day workshop grouped students to four experiential learning modules; Wood-based scrap materials. 2, Plastic, PVC, PET and other scrap materials, Mixed items, home objects and other scrap materials and Scrap metal, wires and other scrap materials. The project puts together upcycling of byproducts, waste materials or discarded items like; old furniture, wire (electric, cables) and pipes (water pipes, sewer pipes), appliances and electronics, home materials like doors,
windows, light fixtures, bathroom materials like ceramic tiles, lavatories, toilet bowls, picture frames, clocks, plaques and trophies, to be transformed or fashioned into a new and functional as well as art pieces where their lifespan are expanded and not be added to the ever-growing
piles of unwanted material.

The Project aims to recognize the potential value of discarded and unwanted items which can be
transformed/fashioned by students and local artisans into functional and aesthetically pleasing items to be sold to the public for the home or office, and for such any other purposes as they may be
intended for. On top of this, is the major purpose of the upcycling project which is to be able to
contribute to waste reduction. The project will recognize the importance of utilizing discarded and unwanted items to create new products that are functional and aesthetically pleasing and the project will highlight the improvement and refinement of craftsmanship of local artisans as well as
enterprising youth.

The project will empower the youth as well as the artisans to display their talents through their crafts and in so doing, they also manifest their care for the environment by contributing to waste reduction. The project will serve as a model for upcycling, the project will create a synergy for
communities to come together and share their talents and insights to sustain future economic endeavors. The CNA has been a partner of the NCCA since 2016 when the group embarked on the
creation of the “Luzon Cultural Sensitivity Manual,” the first manual on culturally sensitive reporting and writing for media and bloggers, the academe, and researchers. In 2018, with the help of the NCCA, a new art hub in Sagada Mountain Province was set up dubbed as the “Sagada Dogo
Siwang Art Hub,” the year after, the group also embarked on a Luntiang Pook Project for the art
hub. In 2021, also launched an online creative writing workshop featuring CNA president, Frank
Cimatu and guest creative writer journalist, Dana Batnag.