PRESS RELEASE
WDC-6-2024
28 February 2024
Embassy Press and Information Section
info@phembassy-us.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As National Arts Month (NAM) comes to a close, the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. joins the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in congratulating this year’s Ani ng Dangal awardees.
The Ani ng Dangal (or Harvest of Honor) is a state recognition given by the NCCA as the highlight and concluding rite of the NAM. It is an annual event to celebrate Filipino talent who have earned highest international awards and accolades in the categories of Architecture and Allied Arts, Cinema, Dance, Literary Arts, Music, and Visual Arts. Full list of awardees can be found here: (http://tinyurl.com/AniNgDangal).
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. was present during the Ani ng Dangal 2024 ceremonies at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila. “Government must take the lead and the reason why I consider it very, very important and I’ve always done so, is because the culture of a country is the definition of its people,” he said. The President also emphasized “the culture is the shared consciousness of the Filipino and it is the answer to the question what is it to be Filipino.”
The twenty-six (26) Ani ng Dangal awardees received a trophy that is a stylized sarimanok sculpted by National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Imao, which represents the Filipino artist’s achievements in the global stage. The logo of Ani ng Dangal—stylized rice stalk, alludes to the rice harvest as a metaphor for an art harvest: a product of the creative process that expresses the dreams, aspirations, and ideals of the Filipino artist. It bears seven grains, which is representative of the seven arts, while its bright colors evoke the festive mood of NAM, symbolizing the abundance and excellence of Filipino artistry.
Special mention of 2024 Ani ng Dangal Awardees who have won in recent competitions held in the USA:
Cinema Category:
“When you left me on that boulevard”
Kayla Abuda Galang
Winner, Short Film Grand Jury Prize
2023 Sundance FIlm Festival
Utah, USA
“Blue Room”
Ma-an Asuncion-Dagnalan
Best Foreign Film, 19th Edition of LA Femme International Film Festival
Los Angeles, California
Dance Category:
Legit Status Dance Crew
Gold Medalist, Megacrew division
2023 World Hip Hop Dance Championship
Phoenix, Arizona
HQ Dance Collective
Champion, Adult division
2023 World Hip Hop Dance Championship
Phoenix, Arizona
Halili-Cruz School of Ballet’s
Princess Arvinah Caballero
Paula Mariel Evangelio
Phoemela Angela Esluzar
Angela Marie Lopez
Katherine Marie Furugganan
Alexa Denise Vecencio
Gia Simone Garin
1st Place, various categories
2023 Nuvo Dance Convention (Utah, USA)
2023 Asia Pacific Dance Competition
Music Category:
Jannina Eliana G. Pena
First Prize, Big Arts Classical Music Scholarship
2022, USA
Young Voices of the Philippines
Champion, 12th Golden Gate International Choral Festival
San Francisco, USA