BUDAYAW. Budayaw Exhibit at the Demetrio Gallery of Museo de Oro. Supplied photo.  

Textiles and garments from the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Region are now on display at the Demetrio Gallery of Museo de Oro of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan.

The exhibit, aptly called “Budayaw” (a combination of the Indonesian and Malaysian word "budaya" which means “culture” and the Philippine term "dayaw" which means to “celebrate”), aims to show and hail that the four countries in the said region share similar crafts, aesthetics, and cultures.

Adelina Suemith, evaluation and monitoring division head of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), said during the opening ceremony that “when politics fail, culture prevails, culture succeeds.”

Suesmith considers intercultural exhibits as a way of building peace and harmonizing diversity in the region, despite the differences and politics.

She went on to thank Xavier Ateneo for being instrumental in showing this exhibit not just to the XU community but also to Cagayan de Oro City.  

Xavier Ateneo president Fr Roberto C Yap encouraged the academic community to visit the Budayaw exhibit and learn from the clothes being displayed. Yap added that clothing is a precursor towards understanding cultures, progress, and in general, being human.

This exhibit at the Museo de Oro, curated by OIC curator Oscar Floirendo, was made possible by the partnership between NCCA and the Xavier Center for Culture and the Arts (XCCA), through the leadership of director Hobart Savior.

The opening ceremony was also dotted with performances by the XU Cultural Dance Troupe and Glee Club.∎

Ribbon-cutting Ceremony for the Budayaw Exhibit at the Demetrio Gallery of Museo de Oro 

Budayaw Exhibit at the Demetrio Gallery of Museo de Oro 

XU Cultural Dance Troupe

National Commission for Culture and the Arts -  Evaluation and Monitoring Division Head  Adelina Suemith 

Xavier Center for Culture and the Arts Director Hobart Savior


Master of Ceremony Catelyn Adajar 

XU Glee Club