Our wholehearted gratitude goes to BP’s donors whose ceaseless support makes it possible for us to keep on dancing. Ballet Philippines is honored to share their stories. May they not only enkindle hope but moreover embolden others to open their hearts and keep ballet alive.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Chairman, Jaime C. Laya, shares how an illustrious career in finance and public service was made more joyful by the arts.
Jaime C. Laya has had a storied career. Today, he sits on the board of numerous companies and NGOs, including Philtrust Bank, where is Vice Chairman. In July of 2022, he was chosen as Chairman of the Cultural Central of the Philippines (CCP). As a long-time patron of the performing arts, Mr. Laya has stepped into the role with a clearly defined mission to promote Filipino arts and culture to a wider audience. “One’s life is well rounded and rewarding only if the arts are part of it,” he shared. “Life is more than work, eating, drinking, dressing up, and partying. A person misses out on the joys and rewards of living, without nature and the arts in all its forms—music, dance, drama, film, literature, the visual arts, architecture.” Under his direction, the CCP moves towards a brighter future.
A Life of Artistic Pleasures
Mr. Laya started his career as a faculty member in the University of the Philippines after graduating with a degree in Accounting. He was an Assistant Instructor who taught elementary economics classes, before teaching major college courses in finance, economics, and accounting. Soon, he worked himself up to the position of Dean of the College of Business Administration. By 1974, he was appointed to various senior positions in the national government, including Minister of the Budget, Central Bank Governor, and Minister of Education, Culture and Sports. He also founded KPMG/Laya Mananghaya & Co., which quickly became the third largest auditing and accounting firm in the Philippines. After retirement, he joined Philtrust Bank as Vice Chairman.
Despite a career in finance, Mr. Laya’s true passions lay in the arts—an inclination he had surely inherited from his parents,celebrated author Juan Cabreros Laya, and educator Silvina del Carmen. “My father was a prize-winning novelist, playwright, producer, and director [of Dramatic Philippines],” he shares looking back. “That was a theater group active during the Japanese Occupation headquartered at the Manila Metropolitan Theater.” As a child, he remembers going into the family library to read books on the performing arts. During his teenage years, he would join his high school’s arts program, where he participated in folk dances, debates, and choral singing.
The young Mr. Laya saw to it that there was time carved out for the opera, ballet performances, and concerts, even if this meant watching them alone. Despite his youth, he was well-versed and held high appreciation for theater performances like Der Fledermaus(with Fides Asensio Cuyugan), and Carmen(in Tagalog with Salvacion Oppus Yniguez singing Micaela).
When he moved abroad as a scholar for graduate school, he saw Maya Plisetskaya and Bayanihan perform in San Francisco. Mr Laya also remembers watching Richard Burton play Hamlet on Broadway. The New York Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall were also regarded by the Chairman as special places to immerse in the arts. He admits that as a young scholar, he didn’t always have the funds to get the best seats in the theatre. So he found extra work as an usher, and saw his favorite shows while at work.
A Brand New Role, Creating A Legacy
In the early 1990s, Mr. Laya was invited to become a CCP Trustee, where he used his skills as a CPA to aid the organization. After his term as Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) ended in 2001, he was appointed to the CCP Board.
Two decades later, he was elected Chairman of the CCP. As he began his tenure, Mr. Laya spearheaded the rehabilitation of the iconic Leandro Locsic brutalist landmark. “The ongoing work is not a renovation, but a rehabilitation,” he shares. “The structure, foundations, electrical connections, water and sewerage, lighting, stage mechanisms, acoustics, etc., are being investigated and repaired or strengthened as necessary. The building will look the same as before although seats, carpets, flooring, wall finishes, and other visible aspects will also be restored or improved.”
Where Finance and Fine Arts Meet
Mr. Laya’s presence at the Cultural Center of the Philippines lends finance and management expertise to the beloved institution. He ponders, “As it turns out, [finances] are an important part of any organization, whether cultural or not.” As Chairman, Mr. Laya presides over all board meetings, making sure that the company’s direction and programs are in support of CCP’s objectives, as started by its original Charter. He is a guiding voice in the meeting room that inspires carefully considered decisions that help keep management on track.
Beyond day-to-day operations, Chairman Laya and his board have drafted plans to help promote the arts amongst our countrymen. He shares that this can be achieved by encouraging artistic creativity among Filipinos and enhancing the public’s experience of culture and the arts. For Mr. Laya, their success will hinge greatly on how well they reach out and engage the young creative sector–even those from less accessible areas and regions. Increased presence in new media is also front and center in CCP’s masterplan to promote Philippine arts and culture.
While he is still in the early days of reign as CCP Chairman, Mr. Laya’s initiatives and dedication to the cultural institution have already made a difference for a local creative industry finding its footing in a post pandemic world. He brings business, finance, and management acumen to the board room. But it’s his sincere commitment to uplifting the arts and bringing it to the 21st Century that’s helped him carve out a path forward for the CPP. The future looks bright, not just for the Cultural Center of the Philippines but the local performance arts community as well.
