NCCA’s Balaang Bata: PH History and Devotion in one space

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), through its Chairman and concurrent Executive Director,  Eric B. Zerrudo, unveiled Balaang Bata, an exhibition that explores the enduring Filipino devotion to the Santo Niño, at the NCCA Gallery in Intramuros on January 16, 2026.

Featuring a diverse selection of Santo Niño images and sculptures from across the country, the exhibition brings together treasured works from private collections that reflect centuries of personal faith, artistry, and cultural tradition surrounding the Holy Child. Many of the pieces on display are more than a century old, carved from various types of wood and shaped by everyday devotion passed down through generations.

In his welcome message, Chair and Executive Director Zerrudo described the exhibition as NCCA’s way of “beginning on the right foot” for 2026. “We hope to establish the right network at this time,” he said, underscoring the importance of collaboration among collectors, institutions, and communities in preserving shared cultural memory.

Collectors Claude Tayag, Francis Ong, Jayson Maceo, Jun Fulgencio, Anthony Agustin, and Oliver Abusan were present at the opening, highlighting the vital role of private collectors in safeguarding and sharing cultural heritage.

“At the end of the day, why do we collect? We collect to be able to share it back to the community,” said collector Francis Ong. “We’re helping build the narrative, the story, because this is the history of our people.”

Drawing from the exhibition’s curatorial text, Balaang Bata traces the arrival of the Santo Niño on Philippine shores in 1521, when a small wooden image was offered during the first encounter between Spain and the islands. What began as a gift of conquest was transformed by Filipino hands into an object of deep intimacy. The Holy Child was not distant or severe, but approachable, playful, and tender—divinity made small enough to hold, dress, and speak to.

Over time, devotion to the Santo Niño took root in homes, chapels, city plazas, and even transport vehicles. He became a companion in hardship and a silent witness to prayers murmured in kitchens and fields—a child-king believed to intervene in daily life. Filipinos dressed Him in velvet and gold, crowned Him with devotion rather than power, and carried His image in processions where faith danced to the beat of drums and percussion instruments.

“Galing ’yan sa mga bahay-bahay,” said collector Claude Tayag, referring to the works he contributed to the exhibition. “Most of them are made by ordinary farmers or fishermen.” The exhibition also features Tayag’s personal collection of Santo Niño paintings, which he painted himself.

Each January, this devotion finds public expression in fiestas such as the Sinulog, Ati-Atihan, and Dinagyang, where streets bloom with color and devotion becomes movement—feet shuffling in prayer, bodies swaying in gratitude, and hands lifting images of the Holy Child amid chants of Viva Pit Señor!

Balaang Bata invites visitors to encounter the Santo Niño not only as a religious icon but as a living presence woven into Filipino homes and everyday life—an image of faith, continuity, and resilience.

The exhibition is open to the public at the NCCA Gallery in Intramuros from Monday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.