Philippine Ambassador to Australia H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega and Australian Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Steven J. Robinson, AO sign the 2022-2026 Executive Programme of the Philippines-Australia 1977 Cultural Agreement, witnessed by Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Neal Imperial (second from left), Australian DFAT First Assistant Secretary Ridwaan Jadwat (second from left), NCCA Executive Director Oscar G. Casaysay (leftmost) and Australian Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Richard Sisson (rightmost). (Photo by DFA-OPCD Philip Fernandez)
PASAY CITY, 01 March 2022— The Philippines, represented by Philippine Ambassador to Australia H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, and Australia, represented by Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Steven J. Robinson, AO, reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cultural cooperation with the signing of the Executive Program (2022-2026) under the 1977 Cultural Agreement between the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Australian Office for the Arts on 28 February 2022, following the conclusion of the 2nd PH-AU Foreign Ministry Consultations.
The Executive Programme is expected to expand bilateral cultural exchanges in the creative industries, indigenous cultures, cultural heritage, and visual, performing and interdisciplinary arts; and outline initiatives to further reinforce cooperation on the cultural sphere.
A turnover ceremony of the Igorot steel and a wood axe from the early to mid-20th century was held after the signing of the Executive Program. The axe, an authentic cultural heritage artefact from Northern Luzon, was confiscated by Australian border authorities as it was shipped to the country from the US by an online seller. It was subsequently handed over by officials of the Australian Government Office for the Arts (OFTA) to the Philippine Embassy in Canberra in November 2021. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Public and Cultural Diplomacy Eduardo Martin R. Meñez then formally turned over the artefact to NCCA Executive Director Oscar G. Casaysay at the sidelines of the 2nd PH-AU FMC. END
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Public and Cultural Diplomacy Eduardo Martin R. Meñez (leftmost) and NCCA Executive Director Oscar G. Casaysay (rightmost) display the Igorot steel and wood axe turned over by the DFA to the NCCA. Also in photo are (second to sixth from the left) Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Neal Imperial for Asian and Pacific Affairs, Philippine Ambassador to Australia H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Steven J. Robinson, AO, Australian DFAT First Assistant Secretary Ridwaan Jadwat, and Australian Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Richard Sisson.(Photo by DFA-OPCD Philip Fernandez)
Philippine Ambassador to Australia H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega (third from left) and Australian Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Steven J. Robinson, AO (third from right) display the signed 2022-2026 Executive Programme of the Philippines-Australia 1977 Cultural Agreement, with Philippine and Australian officials. (Photo by DFA-OPCD Philip Fernandez)
