TWO PROFESSORS of the UST College of Education were elected to the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), a policy-making body and agency that aims to promote, develop and preserve the country’s arts and culture.
Asst. Prof. Alvin Ringgo Reyes and Prof. Roberto Ampil will serve as secretary of the NCCA’s National Committee on Cultural Education (NCCEd) executive council and member of the National Committee on Language and Translation (NCLT), respectively.
Reyes, a Filipino professor and the secretary of the College of Education, said he would prioritize cultural awareness in the Philippine curriculum to address the “import” of Western perspectives that could hinder the recognition of insights offered by indigenous communities.
“In terms of indigenous knowledge systems, we easily dismiss certain practices as non-scientific or non-objective, but if you will actually look into the wisdom of our indigenous peoples, then you will appreciate why things are what they are from our internal perspective,” Reyes told The Flame.
“I feel humbled and honored… but at the same time, I feel challenged because I was entrusted by these people with the position, believing that I could be one of those leaders who can work for the implementation of the mandate of the committee,” he added.
Reyes will join the 15-member NCCEd council in creating policies and recommending projects in their respective areas in the next three years.
Reyes has been a member of the core faculty of the NCCA Philippine Cultural Education Program since 2019. He served as the head of the technical working group for the Kongreso ng Gurong Mag-aaral sa Edukasyong Kultural, an annual program that supports pre-service teachers nationwide.
Reyes completed his bachelor’s degree in Filipino at UST in 2007 and obtained his master’s degree in Sining sa Araling Pilipino at De La Salle University in 2012. He handles various courses including Panimulang Pagsasalin and the Teacher and the School Curriculum at the University.
Ampil was elected to the NCLT or Pambansang Komite sa Wika and Salin for the year 2026. His advocacy is to form a translation standard and guide and to create a national project that translates Filipino classics to English and other local languages.
Ampil, who served as the Filipino department chair at the College of Education from 2010 to 2015, teaches at the Faculty of Arts and Letters and other colleges. Among the courses he teaches are Panimulang Pagsasalin and Introduksyon sa Pag-aaral ng Wika and Komunikasyon sa Akademikong Filipino.
Ampil, who authored various high school and college Filipino textbooks, is a recipient of the Division of City Schools-Manila and Kapisanan ng mga Guro sa Filipino Most Outstanding Teacher Award. He won third place at the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino Gawad Collantes National Essay Contest in 2001.
The Filipino professor finished his undergraduate program in Secondary Education, majoring in Filipino, at the University of the East. He obtained his doctorate degree in Filipino and master’s degree in Pagtuturo ng Filipino both at the Philippine Normal University. F – Alliya Perez and Betchemar Gonzales
