Kaye Tinga said that when she was elected president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), she realized that there’s more to it than being the country’s premiere performing arts center—and that the institution is also in dire need of funds to digitize its content.
“We have 55 years’ worth of content. Digitization is definitely one of the more important things we are doing right now. I was pleased to know that we’ve already conserved a lot of our content from 1969,” said Tinga. She was referring to the recording of the first-ever staging of Lamberto Avellan’s “Golden Salakot: Isang Dularawan,” an epic musical on the history of Panay Island.
“If you come here, we have warehouses of content that need to be digitized, some even in Betacam format. But then, aside from digitizing, we are also trying to preserve a lot of them. At this point, they are already important artifacts of our history,” said Tinga, adding that the CCP is fortunate to have the backing of the National Archives of the Philippines in relation to its digitization project.
Businesswoman-philanthropist
Exposing the broader audience to different Filipino art forms is something that Tinga has always advocated. “On Tiktok, YouTube and Instagram, people are always looking for content that is short and immediate. I think this can also be an opportunity for the CCP, and similar institutions, to connect with more Filipinos,” she said.
The businesswoman- philanthropist assumed the position on June 1, following the election during the Board of Trustees’ meeting on May 15. She replaced early childhood educator Michelle Nikki Junia, who acted as president ad interim from September 2023 to March 2024.
Tinga’s most recent public event was the 20th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival which ran in August. Attending it made her realize that the two-week indie fete is important “because it gives a platform for filmmakers and producers to be able to do what they do best… and I love it that the CCP can provide a platform for that,” she pointed out. “Cinemalaya is one of the cornerstone programs of the CCP. Now, I see how it can impact lives.”
She then recalled the first outreach program by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) in Biñan, Laguna, that she attended. “I’ve always associated the orchestra with the concert hall of the CCP or something fancier, but we were at the main plaza and people were dancing, jumping, and singing along when the songs of Bini and (1970s disco group) VST & Company were played. It was then that I realized how music can really touch people. While the PPO does pop, the bigger public also gets exposed to classical music. It really was an eye-opener for me,” she added.
Tinga claims that the biggest challenge she had to deal with after taking the reins was to make sure that the CCP’s three-year renovation plan is up to date. She added that an upgrade was necessary, especially since the National Building Code of the Philippines has repeatedly revised its implementing rules and regulations since the 1960s.
“Hopefully, we’re still looking at a timeline for 2026 for the first phase of the CCP’s opening. We owe it to the public for the CCP to be back,” she declared. “Just a week ago, we discovered that a roof deck has a lot more issues than expected, so we had to stop construction on other parts and concentrate on that. Hopefully, this will have very minimal effect on the timeline.”
Arts education
We asked Tinga what best practices of previous CCP leaders she intends to continue. She replied: “It’s definitely arts education. We’ve done some research to find out more about dance and indigenous music, and then conducted workshops for teachers. They learn this and eventually pass it on to the children. We invest in training to make sure that these indigenous dances will not disappear.”
Tinga is the cofounder and cochair of the Red Charity Gala, an annual event that aims to celebrate local fashion and raise substantial funds for charitable causes, including the Philippine Red Cross.
A graduate of business economics from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, with an MBA from Fordham University, she is the cofounder and managing director of W/17, a home furnishing and accessories brand promoting local artisans, cultural skills preservation, and economic development.
“There are a lot of expectations, and I want to be able to live up to them,” said Tinga, who is married to former Taguig mayor and congressman Freddie Tinga, and mother to four children. “But beyond that, I want to be the best leader I can be. For the people who work for the CCP, I want to be able to improve things for them. I want to be able to make an impact.”