by: Commission on Social Communications
The Salesian Music Ministry took great pride in the election of Mr. Niño James Bañares as the Visayas representative of the National Committee on Music under the National Commission on Culture and the Arts. The NCCA is a government agency whose vision is “a Filipino people with a strong sense of nationhood and deep respect for cultural diversity.”
Mr. Bañares is currently the resident music arranger and music director for the Salesian Music Ministry of the Subcommission on Salesian Culture of the Philippines South Province. His election was announced last October 2022 and will be confirmed by oath-taking in the coming weeks. He will represent the whole Visayas, a group of regions geographically located in the middle of the Philippines, for the year 2023.
NCCA is mandated by law to promote cultural awareness and cultural education. In his service, Mr. Bañares will promote music education and preservation for the Visayas region, a task familiar to him through the SMM’s mission of promoting and preserving Salesian music.
Mr. Bañares started his journey in Salesian music when he joined the Marian choir of Lourdes Parish back in 1996. His music avenues grew when he was invited to join the Cebu Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2011, he was appointed by then parish priest, Fr. Julius Sanchez, to handle the Rondalla which he took to a competition and won 1st Runner Up in the regional level under the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA). He was a founder member of the Salesian Music Ministry with Fr. Randy Figuracion, SDB in 2015.
