Module 9

• The Republic of The Philippines, through the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of The Philippines (CCP), established the Order of the National Artist Award or the Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining on April 27, 1972, under Proclamation No. 1001, s. 1972
• Order of the National Artist (Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining)


  The highest recognition the Philippine government can give to a Filipino artist
• Order of the National Artist

  • He/She is a recipient of the Grand Collar which serve as the symbol of his/her status as a National Artist
  • It is bestowed by the President of the Philippines upon the recommendation of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines
• Areas of the Order of the National Artist

  • Visual Arts (Painting, sculpture)
  • Dance
  • Music
  • Architecture Design and Allied Arts
  • Theater
  • Literature
  • Fashion Design
  • Cinema/Film and Broadcast
  • Literature
• Insignia of the Order of National Artists

  • A Grand Collar featuring circular links portraying the arts, and an eight-pointed conventionalized sunburst suspended from a sampaguita wreath in green and white enamel
  • A medallion divided into three equal portions, red, white, and blue, with the three letter "K" standing for the CCP's motto: "Katotohanan, Kabutihan, at Kagandahan Kagandahan"
• Fernando C. Amorsolo is the country's first National Artist. The official title "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art" was bestowed on him when the Manila Hilton inaugurated its art center on January 23, 1969, with an exhibit of a selection of his works
• Single cross after an artist's name


  The artist was still living when conferred as National Artist
• Double cross after an artist's name


  The artist was already deceased when conferred as National Artist, also known as "Posthumous Conferment"
• Agnes Locsin is a choreographer, director, and teacher, dubbed as one of the "most progressive contemporary choreographers in the Philippines" for her distinctive utilization of Filipino beliefs, rituals, and ethnic traditions in her choreographies, concepts, and direction, which she was able to beautifully merge with her knowledge in Western dance techniques and called it "neo-ethnic"
• Salvacion Lim-Higgins, known as "Slim's", is credited for innovating and transforming the look of terno into a world-class silhouette by combining the elements of Philippine costume with European couture details and construction
• Marilou Diaz-Abaya was a film and television director and screenwriter, part of the generation that defined what is today remembered as the "Second Golden Age of Philippine Cinema"
• Ricardo Lee, also known as Ricky Lee, is a screenwriter for film and television, journalist, playwright, and a multi-awarded fictionist who published several novels, plays, essays, and short story collections along his screenplays and screenwriting manuals
• Ricardo Lee


  Screenwriter for film and television, journalist, playwright, and a multi-awarded fictionist who published several novels, plays, essays, and short story collections along his screenplays and screenwriting manuals
• Lee emerged in screenwriting in the late 1970s as part of the generation of filmmakers who ushered the "Second Golden Age of Philippine Cinema"
• Lee's works

  • Historical films
  • Literary and true-to-life adaptations
  • Political, courtroom, and diasporic dramas
  • Stories of "outsiders" and marginalized figures such as laborers, prostitutes, rebels, migrant workers, and gay people
  • Elevation of all manner of genre fare, from horror to tearjerkers to comedies
• Nora Aunor


  Also known as Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, has been in different fields for more than four decades—film, television, music, and stage. Her journey to fame started when she joined and won a local amateur singing contest in a radio program called "Darigold Jamboree". She came to be known as the girl with the "golden voice" with the unique tone of her voice.
• Nora Aunor's extensive filmography with 170 films is not only matched but exceeded by the number of awards and citations she has received from local and international organizations
• Dr. Gémino H. Abad


  Writer, critic, scholar, literary historian, and anthologist with numerous books and literary awards including ten poetry volumes, nine volumes of literary criticism, two volumes on his own poetics, two short story collections, a five-volume historical anthology of Philippine poetry in English, and a six-volume anthology of Philippine short stories in English, from 1956 to 2009
• Several of Dr. Abad's books have received national literary awards such as the Gawad Dangal ng Lahi, the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, the CCP Award for Poetry, the Ani ng Dangal Award of the NCCA, the UMPIL's Gawad Alagad ni Balagtas, the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan sa Larangan ng Panitikan from the City of Maynila, the Manila Critics' Circle National Book Award, and the Philippines Free Press Literary Awards
• Professor Emeritus Fides Cuyugan Asensio


  Dedicated to opera and musical theater, which enriched the Philippine artistic scene. Her exceptional achievements in many years of exemplary service to the field such as performing, teaching, producing, and directing opera and theater productions, contributed to a Renaissance of classical musical theater in the country. Her performance of Sisa in Felipe de Leon's Noli Me Tangere became a hallmark in the country's musical theater history.
• Professor Emeritus Fides Cuyugan Asensio dedicated her golden years to teaching young Filipino singers, hence, her teaching elevated the level of performance and transformed singing into a truthful and higher form of art in the country
• Antonio "Tony" Mabesa


  Known as the Lion of the Theater, was a director, actor, and teacher who greatly contributed to the growth and diversity of Philippine theater. His theater teaching, formalism as aesthetics, and methods of production have made an impact on his students.
• Mabesa formed Tanghalang Repertory with various Filipino students in Hawaii, a theater group devoted solely to the production of traditional and modern Filipino plays and later on staged productions around Honolulu. Upon returning to the Philippines, he joined the Department of Speech Communications and Drama in the University of the Philippines Diliman, when productions were only staged occasionally. His first tasks were to come up with a regular season, thus the Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (DUP) was born in 1976. Moreover, in 1986 he founded the UP Playwright's Theater (UPPT), which focused on new works by Filipino playwrights and the revival of classic Filipino plays.
• Roles of Filipino Artists

  • Present and educate the public about our history and identity
  • Produce a record of their surroundings
  • Provide their communities with joy, interaction, and inspiration
  • Express emotions in a tangible or visible manner
  • Reveal truths that were either universal or hidden
  • Help people view the world from a different or novel perspective
• There are 85 National Artists in the Philippines across various categories: Music (14 + 1 recently conferred), Dance (5 + 1), Theater (8 + 1), Visual Arts (17), Literature (18 + 1), Film/Cinema (8 + 3), Architecture (6), and Fashion Design (1 + 1)