The Philippine Ballet Theatre’s triumph over daunting obstacles and hardships is a celebration of the company; resolute spirit that continues the revolutionary fighting spirit of its founders. Bold, Brave, and Beautiful, the company, and all the people behind it, continue to dream and fight, striving to see their dreams come to reality.

In 2023, the Company celebrated its dramatic emergence from the pandemic. With the revolutionary fighting spirit of the Company and the solid vision of Artistic Director Ronilo Jaynario, the company proved that they have stayed at the forefront of the industry. They closed the season with a warmly embraced full Filipino ballet “Ibalon”, an electric tour in the United States of America and their crowd favorite, “The Nutcracker”. This 2024, their journey continues as they prepare to take flight.

The Philippine Ballet Theatre proudly announces its vibrant 38th season. This season, PBT embraces the theme “Ablaze”. They begin the season with another brand new Filipino ballet “Sarimanok”. This ballet is ready to soar unveiling the beautiful tapestry of our culture.

“Sarimanok” is a dance of culture and myth. “Sarimanok” is a bird in Filipino Mindanao mythology. The magical bird with its majestic colors is the center of a love story between a mortal and a moon goddess.

This mythical creature, renowned for its vibrant feathers and captivating presence, takes center stage in a ballet that transcends the boundaries of time and culture. The ballet will be choreographed by the same creative team of “Ibalon”. Artistic Director Ronilo Jaynario will be choreographing the ballet with the music of Paulo Zarate. It is slated to premiere in early July.

“Music in Motion”, PBT’s second offering will be a mixed bill program of neoclassical works by artistic director Ronilo Jaynario with the music of maestro Raul Sunico. It will be a blend of familiar Filipino music brought to life through Philippine Ballet Theatre’s exquisite dancing. A flurry of emotions and diverse movement all packed in one show. In a dinner and dance format, this season offering is set to be performed sometime in September.

PBT will end their season with their crowd pleaser. “Nutcracker” is a tradition that is hard to resist. It not only serves as a ballet that ushers in the holiday spirit, it also serves as PBT’s advocacy project. With a cast of 100 dancers, it is able to educate young dancers from different schools regarding the remarkable discipline of ballet.

With a renewed passion for their advocacy, PBT will try to keep their fire burning for their advocacies. As of date they are scheduled to go on a local tour including Legaspi, Bicol, and Bacolod. The number of tour dates are increasing in number as we speak. The Company is also scheduled to go on an international tour this coming October to select cities in the United States of America.

Much has been accomplished but more is to be achieved. PBT is excited to engage with a wider range of audiences this 2024. A RESIDENT COMPANY OF THE CULTURAL CENTER OFTHE PHILIPPINES

CONTACT : {02} 632 8848 | {0912} 945 5151 | {0949} 325 2545 | {0995} 158 0538 | secretariat@pbt.ph

Social investment non-profit organization Foundation for a Sustainable Society, Inc. {FSSI} continues to scale up social entrepreneurship by offering financial and non-financial products to Filipino enterprises, promoting inclusive socio-economic growth and environmental sustainability.

The British Council, supported by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, reported that social enterprises in the country have struggled to balance their environmental and financial goals to achieve business stability and effectively measure their overall impact. FSSI addresses this challenge through its triple bottom line (3BL) approach, which measures People, Planet, and Profit as the main indicators. Through this approach, FSSI has benefited over 280 local social enterprises, resulting in deeper support to the communities they belong to, more paths to sustainability, and more
profitable businesses – all at the same time.

“Social enterprises aim to create social and environmental impact, while maintaining a viable business at the same time,” said Sixto Donato C. Macasaet, Executive Director at FSSI. “In order to achieve their goals, we and our partners from national civil society organizations and international organizations help them address their challenges through our needs-based services that include loans, developmental deposits, seed capital, and equity investment.”

Boost socio-economic impact

Women-led enterprise Mallig FST Multi-Purpose Cooperative is engaged in lending, savings deposits, agricultural inputs trading and mechanization services, and rice milling. In 2022, the cooperative expanded and opened a gas station in Mallig, Isabela to create jobs for their immediate community.

The cooperative also started the construction of a multi-purpose building which will be used as the cooperative’s office, convenience store, agricultural trading store for bulk purchase of agricultural supplies, and other stalls for rent. Through FSSI’s Investing in Women project, they are able to augment their working capital for agricultural inputs trading and thus, offer agricultural inputs to farmer members at a lower price. They also give them technical advice for better yield per cropping.
“We are now able to establish a one-stop-shop that will cater to the various needs of farmer members and non-members alike in Mallig,” said Marilyn Binag, Manager at Mallig FST Multi-Purpose Cooperative. She added that this will also be an opportunity for the cooperative to grow beyond its 642 members ~ 234 of whom are women ~ by helping them realize their potential economic contributions through helping more communities even outside of Isabela.

Empower local communities

Nueva Ecija-based women-led social enterprise Kilusang Lima para sa Lahat Multi-Purpose Cooperative {K5 MPC} already began partnering with FSSI through a loan program in 2006 to sustain its financial support to its members who are farmers and owners of micro, small, and medium enterprises {MSMEs}. “Our members’ need for capital for various purposes outweighs the share capital contributed by investing members,” said Guillermo Bacsa, General Manager at K5 MPC. Guided by the 3BL approach, in 2006, FSSI offered K5 MPC a credit line to support their members and to empower the communities they serve
and contribute to local economic development.

In 2022, K5 MPC worked with FSSI, under a renewed partnership, to expand its services to nearby province, Aurora, and launched its first lodging business, “Peaks and Waves Bed and Breakfast.” FSSI supported the construction of the lodging house which now contributes to the local economy of the town of Dingalan through tourism, employment generation, and environmental protection by segregating, composting, and recycling wastes, and reusing containers to reduce plastic usage.

“Our members’ trust is a vital part of community development,” Bacsa said. “By empowering them and providing them solutions that fit their needs, our capital grew from PHP 60,000 to PHP 40 million to date.” Founded on the principles of People, Planet, and Profit, FSSI offers customizable services that empower social enterprises to ensure they thrive in their respective sector and foster holistic community development.

To discover more about how FSSI supports local social enterprises, visit fssi.com.ph or go to their
Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FSSI.Philippines.

About FSSI

The Foundation for a Sustainable Society, Inc. {FSSI}, a social investment organization established in 1995, works for the development of sustainable communities through social entrepreneurship. We provide financial and capacity building services to social enterprises across the country which live out the triple bottom lines (3BL) of social equity, environmental protection, and economic development.

For loans and project-related inquiries, please contact our Project Development and Monitoring Unit through Nezar Viernes at nezar.viernes@fssi.com.ph or mobile 0967 221 3160 or Carol Cepeda at carolinecepeda@fssi.com.ph or mobile 0917 855 8129.