LESSON 5 CPAR

• The National Artist Award is the highest form of recognition to Filipino Artists for their significant contributions in the arts and letters
• The award is conferred every three years through a rigorous deliberation and selection process
• The National Artist Award was established in 1972 under Presidential Decree No. 1001 issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos
• Nominations for National Artist of the Philippines are based on a broad criterion set forth by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
• Criteria in choosing a National Artist include being a living artist who has been a Filipino citizen for the last ten years prior to nomination, or an artist who has died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but was a Filipino citizen at the time of their death
• Artists chosen as National Artists must have helped build a Filipino sense of nationhood through the content and form of their works
• National Artists must have distinguished themselves by pioneering in a mode of creative expression or style, making an impact on succeeding generations of artists
• Artists must have created a significant body of works and/or consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form, enriching artistic expression or style
• National Artists must enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or international recognition, awards in prestigious events, critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works, and respect and esteem from peers within an artistic discipline
• National Artist categories include Theatre, Music, Literature, Visual Arts, Film and Broadcast Arts, Dance, and Architecture, Design, & Allied Arts
• Issues surrounding the National Artist Award include exclusion and name insertion, with controversies arising from former presidents bypassing recommendations and favoring certain personalities
• Some controversial instances include former presidents insisting on specific awardees, creating new categories to accommodate individuals, and naming artists who were not part of the shortlist given by the NCCA-CCP
• The Supreme Court has intervened in questionable conferments of the National Artist Award, invalidating some selections
• National Artists for Visual Arts include Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Guillermo Tolentino, Napoleon Abueva, Victorio Edades, Vicente Manansala, Cesar Legaspi, Hernando Ocampo, Arturo Luz, Jeremias Elizalde Navarro, Ang Kiukok, Jose Joya, Benedicto Cabrera (BenCab), Abdulamari Asia Imao, Federico Alcuaz, Francisco Coching, Lauro Alcala
• Visual Arts Spaces for Contemporary Arts in the Philippines include the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)’s Museum and Galleries Month (MGM), ManilArt, Art Fair Philippines, and Ateneo Art Gallery
• National Artists for Film & Broadcast Arts include Lamberto Avellana, Gerardo De Leon, Lino Brocka
• Filipino filmmakers who revolutionized film narration include:

  • Gerardo De Leon (1982)
  • Finished medicine but found himself "too compassionate" for the practice
  • First directorial job was "Ama’t Anak"
  • Lino Brocka (1997)
  • Espoused the term "freedom of expression" in the Philippine Constitution
  • Left behind 66 films focusing on marginalized sectors of society
  • Ishmael Bernal (2001)
  • Hailed as "The Genius of Philippine cinema"
  • Director of films serving as social commentaries
  • Eddie Romero (2003)
  • Screenwriter, film director, and producer
  • Devoted to the art and commerce of cinema
• Fernando Poe Jr. (2006)

  • Born as Ronald Allan Kelley Poe
  • Known as the "King of Philippine Movies"
  • Filipino actor, director, and politician
  • Manuel Conde (2009)
  • Notable for transforming age-old Filipino stories to the silver screen
  • Directed and produced films like Siete Infantes de Lara, Ibong Adarna, and Prinsipe Tenoso
• Eric Oteyza de Guia (2018), also known as Kidlat Tahimik:

  • "Father of Philippine Independent Cinema"
  • Film and television director and screenwriter
  • Known for films harshly examining the reality of the Philippines today
  • Marilou Diaz-Abaya (2022)
  • Contributions depicted the Filipinos' "everyday realities and aspirations" in important films like "Himala"
• Programs and spaces for local films:

  • Metro Manila Film Festival:
  • First held in 1975
  • Week-long festival starting on Christmas Day
  • Features a parade of floats with movies of film stars
  • Cinema Centenario:
  • Created by local filmmakers in 2017
  • Mission: to contribute to the positive shaping of Philippine Cinema
  • Maginhawa Film Festival:
  • Pilot program of Cinema Centenario showcasing Filipino films in 2017
  • Evolved into a festival competition of film in its second year
  • Cine Critico Filipino:
  • A community where filmmakers dialogue with critics and audiences
  • Gain insights, reviews, and production notes about independent and commercial films
  • MOOV:
  • An extension program of Cinema Centenario launched in 2020 for viewers to watch featured films at home
• Lazaro Francisco, known as the "Master of the Tagalog Novel," championed the cause of the common man, specifically the oppressed peasants, exposing the evils of the tenancy system, exploitation of farmers by unscrupulous landlords, and foreign domination
• Cirilo Bautista, a co-founder and member of numerous writing organizations in the Philippines, has also received Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for poetry, fiction, and essay in English
• Ramon Muzones, the first regional writer to become a National Artist, wrote his literary works in the native tongue, Hiligaynon, and was a lawyer by profession, a newspaper man, and councilor of Iloilo City from 1963 to 1971
• Resil Mojares, a Filipino historian and critic of Philippine literature, is best known for his books on Philippine history and is acclaimed as the Visayan Titan of Letters for his immense contribution to Visayan literature
• Gemino Abad, a literary critic and co-founder of the Philippine Literary Arts Council, contributed historical anthologies of Philippine poetry in English to Philippine literature
• Ricky Lee, known for writing over 180 film screenplays, demonstrated mastery in writing historical films, literary and true-to-life adaptations, political, courtroom, and dramas, as well as stories of "outsiders" and marginalized figures
• National Artists for Music:

  • Antonio Molina: A versatile musician, composer, and music educator who elevated music beyond folk music
  • Jovita Fuentes: Lauded for her portrayal in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and awarded “Embahadora de Filipinas a su Madre Patria” by Spain
  • Honorata dela Rama: The first Filipina film actress who fought for the dominance of kundiman and sarsuela during the American period
• National Artists for Theatre:

  • Lamberto Avellana: Known as "The Boy Wonder of Philippine Movies" who revolutionized film narration techniques
  • Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero: A Filipino playwright, director, teacher, and theater artist who wrote over 100 plays, with 41 published
  • Rolando S. Tinio: Revived traditional Filipino drama by re-staging old theatre forms like sarswela and invented "Taglish" in Philippine poetry
• National Artists for Architecture, Design, & Allied Arts:

  • Juan Nakpil: Regarded as the Dean of Filipino Architects
  • Pablo Antonio: The Pioneer of Modern Philippine Architecture who designed several buildings in FEU with Art Deco Style
  • Leandro V. Locsin: Known for his use of concrete, floating volume, and simplistic design in his various projects