The Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) is a public, non-secular, non-profit special school for artistically gifted and talented adolescents founded on June 11, 1977. It is located at the National Arts Center owned by the CCP, found on the premises of the University of the Philippines in Mt. Makiling, Los Banos, Laguna.
PHSA envisions a nation nurtured by the people’s pride in their artistic and cultural traditions and a national center for excellence and leadership in the arts, research, training, education, and support system (ARTES). It combines the secondary education level program with a special curriculum and support programs committed to the preservation, enhancement, and promotion of Filipino cultural heritage.
The school continues to innovate programs that directly address the socioeconomic, political, and cultural realities in the country, in line with its firm belief that the artist plays a big role in nation-building. The institution offers five courses of specialization in the arts: Dance (Ballet and Folk), Creative Writing, Music, Theater Arts, and Visual Arts.
PHSA is mandated to implement a general secondary level program, combined with special curriculum oriented to the arts and geared to the early recognition and development of highly talented children exceptionally gifted in the arts, thus providing a continuing source of artists of excellence and leaders in the preservation and promotion of the Filipino heritage in the Arts.
(Section 2, EO 420, series of 1990)
VISION and MISSION
A national center of excellence in secondary arts education producing exceptionally creative artists- leaders who preserve and develop Filipino Cultural Heritage towards the social transformation of the nation
PHSA aims to develop excellent Filipino youth artists-leaders through a values-driven, arts- Across the-curriculum, and culture-based education
PHSA is committed to the development of artistically talented and globally competitive students and future cultural leaders by providing quality secondary education and intensive artistic training in the field of creative writing, dance, music, theater and visual arts.
The provision of quality service is foremost to PHSA. To uphold this commitment, the school shall:
- Institute an environment conducive to comprehensive, cooperative, and culture-based education;
- Build strong relationships with clients and community partners;
- Assess performance indicators to continually identify areas for improvement;
- Respect the age, gender, health, socio-economic, racial, and religious concerns of the people;
- Adhere to the requirements of the Philippine integrated system of education and other government regulatory bodies and stakeholders;
- Nurture the spirit of excellence and sense of patriotism among the students and the employees;
- Generate and synthesize programs and projects ensuring inclusive and quality education for all as well as promoting lifelong learning.
- Provide proper conditions for the development of corps of prospective artists and cultural leaders for the country’s moral, social and cultural development;
- Harness socio-cultural awareness and lifelong learning in preparation for a competent and stable workforce, in compliance with quality standards of governance and operations;
- Secure the implementation of a culturally-sensitive and socially responsive integrated art-based secondary education;
- Advance research, conservation, and promotion of and inculcate a sense of pride in Filipino art and in the Filipino artists
Amidst the forest of Mt. Makiling, the young former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, yearned for a people born to greatness and envisioned a society worthy of the heritage of the Filipino people.
Thus, under his governance, the National Arts Center (NAC) atop Mt. Makiling was conceptualized as a tribute to the Filipino artists. On the 7th day of April in 1976, the National Arts Center was formally dedicated to the pursuit of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. Since then, the NAC played a pivotal role in the cultural upliftment of the nation through the development of young talents.
On June 11, 1977, the NAC became the official home of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) and continues to evolve as a training venue for artistically inclined students. In the same manner, it pursues to explore learning approaches, focusing on the arts.
PHSA implements a general secondary program which is integrated with a special curriculum in the arts. It aims to develop cultural leaders in the preservation of the environment and dynamic evolution of the Philippine Arts and Culture (P.D. 1287, 1978). It is committed to the conservation and promotion of the Filipino artistic and cultural traditions and makes every effort to develop the potentials of its young arts scholars as future cultural leaders with a nationalistic orientation.
In President Corazon Aquino’s presidency, the PHSA as a special arts school was converted into a regular government institution on September 7, 1990, under Executive Order 420.
PHSA is presently attached to the Department of Education (DepEd). It consults with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) for policy and program implementation pertaining to the arts. The institution offers five courses of specialization in the arts: Theater Arts, Creative Writing, Visual Arts, Dance, and Music. While students are specializing in specific arts field, PHSA also provides general education curriculum as prescribed by DepEd.
Since its inception in 1977, the PHSA has strived to develop the expertise and potentials of its artists-scholars, faculty, and staff to achieve the school’s thrust of instilling pride in the Filipino people’s artistic and cultural traditions.
Aside from academic and artistic training, the PHSA provides its students with opportunities for cultural appreciation that will contribute to their development as artists for others. The experience of living away from home and integrating with peers in this special residential high school cultivates in the young artists an attitude of independence tempered by the spirit of cooperation as they create art together. The site of the school is a vital factor in making the PHSA a most ideal learning institution. The mystical mountain of Maria Makiling is deemed to be powerful source of inspiration for artistic endeavors among young artists and their mentors. From time to time, local and foreign artists hold interaction sessions with the scholars of the PHSA to firm up their resolve to work for national understanding through culture and art education. Determined in its belief that artists play a key role in national development, the PHSA continously innovates programs that directly address the educational, social emotional, economic and cultural realities in the country.
Indeed, the creative works of our young artists celebrate past and the present view of their generation. By defining the past and the present, not only their works of art add value to our lives – they help us appreciate the future.