08 July 2026
On July 1, 2026, Benilde School of Arts, Culture, and Performance (SACP) and the City Government of Biñan, through the Biñan City Culture, History, Arts and Tourism Office (BCHATO), have launched Sining at Pagtuturo: A Professional Development Program for Arts Teachers and Cultural Workers, a new initiative that equips educators and cultural practitioners with skills in arts education, cultural engagement, and community-based practice.
Formalized through a Memorandum of Agreement, the partnership brings together Benilde’s academic expertise and Biñan’s continuing investment in arts and culture. The program responds to the growing need for professional development among the people who organize cultural activities, teach the arts, and help shape creative communities across the city.
Benilde will design the curriculum, develop learning materials, and lead a series of lectures, workshops, creative learning sessions, and experiential activities tailored to the realities of local schools and communities. Faculty members will be joined by artists, designers, industry practitioners, and selected student assistants in delivering the sessions. Participants who complete the program will receive certificates recognizing their training.
BCHATO will coordinate participant recruitment, provide venues and logistical support, facilitate site visits and local cultural activities, and connect participants with artists and cultural practitioners in Biñan. The office will also encourage participants to apply what they learn through projects and initiatives in their own schools and communities, extending the program’s impact beyond the training sessions themselves.
The agreement was signed during Tanghalan ng Bayan, the inauguration and dedication of the Biñan City Center for Performing Arts, held alongside Mayor Angelo “Gel” Alonte’s first State of the City Address. The new performing arts center adds another venue for creative expression and cultural programs in the city, while the partnership helps prepare the educators and cultural workers who will lead and sustain these initiatives.
The collaboration also reflects Biñan’s broader efforts to support arts, culture, and heritage through BCHATO, which develops cultural programs, heritage initiatives, public events, and educational activities throughout the city. By working with Benilde, the city expands opportunities for teachers and cultural workers to learn from practitioners while strengthening arts education and community-based cultural practice.
Benilde brings to the partnership a school whose programs combine creative practice with community engagement. The School of Arts, Culture, and Performance prepares future artists, performers, designers, educators, and cultural workers through disciplines that encourage collaboration, professional practice, and meaningful engagement with communities.
Among these offerings is the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Culture-Based Arts, which centers on Philippine arts and cultural traditions while preparing students to work alongside communities through socially relevant creative practice, advocacy, cultural work, and arts management. The program’s focus closely aligns with the goals of Sining at Pagtuturo, which encourages participants to connect arts education with the communities they serve.
Faculty from the School also draw on expertise from Theater Arts, Music Production, and Production Design, bringing together experience in performance, creative production, design, collaboration, and industry practice. This range of disciplines allows the program to offer participants different perspectives on teaching, creative work, and cultural engagement.
The City Government of Biñan was represented by Mayor Angelo “Gel” Alonte and City Tourism and Cultural Affairs Officer Dr. Bryan Jayson Borja. Representing Benilde were Chancellor Benhur Ong, Vice Chancellor for Academics Angelo Marco Lacson, SACP Dean Ma. Magdalena de Leon, as well as SACP program chairpersons and associates.
For more information on Benilde’s undergraduate programs, contact us at (63) 2 8230 5100 local 1801 or email admissions@benilde.edu.ph. You may also visit www.benilde.edu.ph.
