We are clamoring for national identity. We are aware of what we are and who we are as an ethnic group. We want to do away with things "stateside" and with "westernized" culture. Yet we cannot escape from the fact that being "stateside" and "westernized" is our way of life. It is a part of our present Philippine culture. But the question is, "Can we have our own culture and not have influenced or affected by western or European culture?" It is our battlecry to "Filipinize" almost everything for we believe that from there we will find our national identity. We do not want to be alienated from our own way of life, fromm our own philosophy of life and from our native land. What is our identity then?

The arts are no exception to our desires for the search for our true identity in life. The arts become our language to express the feelings inside us, to communicate to others the richness of our oriental minds and to elevate the deep emotions of our identity as Filipinoes. As a matter of fact, the aarts are indispensable in our daily life. We believe that through the arts we search for the large and true meaning of life and that meaning we get is the answer to our call. We find values in them --- intellectual, spiritual, emotional --- and from them we come to understand what life really means for everyone of us.

A Filipino, like other nationalities, is no exception to arts' beauties, proclivities, what it can render to him and what he can contribute to it in return. He has his own potentialities though maybe not fully awakened by the "Muse of Art." He should not think of himself as someone who is not capable of indulging in the worlds of letters, of the supernatural, of ideas and creativity. He has all the chances and all the time to start building up and decorating his world with brilliant knowledge, skills and ingenious creativity. Can he not paint his own portrait on a canvas? Can he not glorify and capitalize the culture of the thousand islands of his country? Can he not capture every local scenery of his own native land? Can he not incorporate through the aarts the deep thoughts of a true Filipino feeling, ideal, philosophy of life? Everything is possible if he starts rising up and starts digging the hidden treasures in his own country. If he wants it, let h im do it now.

Our identity has nothing to do with "art for art's sake" but with art for you and me, for everybody. Imitation would not mean a duplicate or a carbon copy of the original but an original copy in itself labored by every single drop of our sweat. It would mean a representation of the true identity of the Filipino people.

National identity does not mean the artist's collections of his works in an arat gallery or in a museum. Throughout our lifetime, the arts keep on pacing with us and keep on following us. It is our deep desire to be originally creative, imaginative, incorporating in our works the culture of the Philippines. We cannot, however, realize our national identity through the arts if we do it by "moon-lighting," dragging our pen to finish a book in one night during our leisure moment. We must have the professional touch of an artist to complete the developing Philippine history throughout ages. The artist's touch is the coordination of his mind, heart, skills, talents, ideals, professional career and his people which make him realize his true identity. Consequently, his works reflect and mirror his people's culture and their whole life Only then can we say that our identity has its real name through the arts.

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