Catriona Gray continues Seven-Year Journey as NCCA Arts Ambassador

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray continues her seven-year streak as the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Ambassador for the Arts for this year’s National Arts Month (NAM) celebration.

The celebration of NAM 2026 is in line with Presidential Proclamation No. 683, which declares the month of February each year as a time to celebrate Filipino art and culture, spearheaded by the NCCA. This year’s month-long celebration carries the theme “Ani ng Sining, Katotohanan at Giting,” which underscores the power of the arts as a harvest of creativity, truth, and courage that reflects the Filipino spirit.

Anchoring this vision is the beauty queen, whose journey as NCCA Ambassador for the Arts has been marked by sustained advocacy and active engagement in promoting Philippine arts and culture.

2020: The year that started it all

Gray’s journey as the NCCA Ambassador for the Arts began in 2020, marking the start of her formal involvement with the Commission’s advocacy for the promotion and preservation of Philippine arts and culture. It was during this year that she joined fellow artists KZ Tandingan and Julie Anne San Jose, who were also named NCCA Ambassadors for Music, collectively representing different artistic disciplines.

“My love for our arts and culture was not something I was born to due to my mixed heritage. It was something that was grown, learned and embodied,” Gray said in 2020.

Her involvement in 2020 marked the beginning of a long-standing commitment to champion Filipino creativity and cultural identity—one that continues to resonate through Gray’s sustained ambassadorship today.

2021 and 2022: Commitment in continuity

Despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Catriona Gray continued to fulfill her role as NCCA Ambassador for the Arts with consistency and dedication. As restrictions on physical gatherings persisted, she remained engaged in cultural advocacy while adapting to alternative and digital platforms.

Throughout 2021 and into 2022, Gray sustained her support for Philippine arts and culture by lending her voice to initiatives that highlighted Filipino creativity and artistic resilience. She appeared in several NCCA promotional materials and programs, including KULTURA 101 with Catriona, “The Grand Reveal” featuring the Metropolitan Theater, Padayon: The NCCA Hour, where she became one of the first and most viewed guests. She also participated in the Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines.

2023 & 2024: Expanding Engagement

In 2023, as COVID-19 restrictions gradually eased and in-person cultural activities resumed, Gray’s role as NCCA Ambassador for the Arts expanded alongside the Commission’s renewed momentum. With the return of live events, workshops, and performances, she continued to actively support NCCA-led programs, including the NAM 2023 press conference and opening celebration, which brought Philippine arts and culture back to physical and communal spaces.

For NAM 2024, she championed programs that brought Filipino arts closer to diverse communities through fairs, touring performances such as the Sayaw Pinoy Touring Performances and Workshops the country and inclusive activities like the Sayaw Pinoy National TikTok Dance Challenge, which spotlighted regional talents and creative collaboration across the Philippines and the world.

Gray also used her platform to emphasize the arts as a vessel for shared history and cultural identity, encouraging public participation, supporting local talent, and reinforcing the enduring relevance of Philippine artistic traditions throughout 2024.

2025: Leading with purpose

For NAM 2025, Gray remained at the forefront of the celebration. She graced the NAM opening ceremony on February 3 in Intramuros, where the NCCA unveiled a Singkaban-inspired façade and held a parade featuring student performers and cultural groups.

In her message during the event, Gray expressed gratitude for continuing her ambassadorship and highlighted the transformative power of the arts. “I think it’s really poignant to say that the creation process or pursuing creativity is something that feeds the soul, but also inspires others to create—to push what we think is possible. Art inspires, art uplifts,” she said.

From 2020 to present, Catriona Gray’s journey as NCCA Ambassador for the Arts reflects continuity and a sustained commitment to championing Philippine arts and culture across changing times.

As we open National Arts Month 2026, Catriona Gray’s seven-year ambassadorship stands as a witness and ground to the enduring power of the arts to inspire truth, courage, and creativity. Her continued partnership with the NCCA reinforces the idea of our responsibility of cultivating deeper public appreciation for Philippine arts—ensuring that culture remains a living, evolving force for present and the country’s future generations.

For details on this press release, contact Mr. Rene S. Napeñas, Chief Adminstrative Officer and Head, Public Affairs and Information Office,  through paio@ncca.gov.ph or 0945 788 5698. Visit www.ncca.gov.ph and the Facebook page @NCCAOfficial.