The Cultural Center of the Philippines Kaisa Sa Sining Visayas Network honored several artists and cultural workers as recipients of its second KSSLAP (Kaisa Ini sa Sining, Lunsay nga Artistang Pilipino) Awards during a ceremony on 14 December 2023 at the Luce Auditorium of Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.

The eight awardees are Jose R. Gullas from Cebu for music and cultural work (posthumous); Marianito Luspo from Bohol for cultural work; Ramon B. Ramirez for Iloilo for cultural research; Rodolfo Reveche from Murcia, Negros Occidental, for cultural work; Cristina S. Taniguchi from Dumaguete City, for visual arts; Alma Taldo from Bohol for music; Dr. Vicente Villan from Sigma, Capiz, for cultural research; and Mariant E. Villegas from Dumaguete City for dance.

Launched in 2014, the Kaisa sa Sining Regional Arts Centers is a partnership program of the CCP, through its Cultural Exchange Department, which aims to strengthen further the CCP’s linkages and cooperation with regional educational institutions, non-government organizations and local government units in order to broaden public participation in the arts, promote and showcase artistic excellence and facilitate a vibrant collaboration between and among communities. In the past nine years, the cooperation and exchanges between and among CCP and the KSS network have become more dynamic. To date, the KSS network has grown to a total of 67 organizations — 26 in Luzon, 19 in Visayas and 22 in Mindanao.

The KSSLAP Awards, a recognition for outstanding artists, cultural workers and organizations, is one of the action plans and projects that the KSS Visayas agreed to implement during a KSS regional forum held in Roxas City, Capiz, in 2018. In fulfillment of this plan, the CCP CED facilitated the conceptualization, planning and implementation of the project. In the last quarter of 2019, a five-member technical working committee was formed composed of key representatives from four KSS Visayas organizations with CED as the lead facilitator. In 2021, the first set of awards was conferred to 13 honorees virtually and on-site because of the pandemic.

The KSSLAP Awards aims to give recognition to deserving Visayan individuals and/or organizations who have exemplified commendable work and services in cultural and artistic endeavors and have been at the forefront of the research, development, preservation, education and promotion of arts and culture in Visayas for at least 10 years or more. The general criteria indicate that an awardee must have made exceptional accomplishments in creative work, leadership, resource management, education, artist support, audience development, community service, solidarity and partnership.

The 19 members of CCP KSS Visayas network are the Province of Capiz, the City of Calbayog, the City of Ormoc, the City of Bago, the City of Himamaylan, the Municipality of Murcia, the Municipality of Cuartero in Capiz, the Municipality of Santa Barbara in Iloilo, University of Antique, Central Philippine University in Iloilo City, University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, Silliman University, Holy Name University in Tagbilaran City,  University of Eastern Philippines in Catarman in Samar, Leyte Normal University in Tacloban City, St. Joseph College in Maasin in Leyte, Arts Council of Cebu, Negros Cultural Foundation and the Sigmahanon Foundation for Culture and Arts. For more information, contact the CCP CED at [email protected].