Arts Promotion and Preservation

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The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Philippines is the
overall policy making body, coordinating, and grants giving agency for the
preservation, development and promotion of Philippine arts and culture; an
executing agency for the policies it formulates; and task to administering the
National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA) — fund exclusively for the
implementation of culture and arts programs and projects.

The coordination among the cultural agencies was strengthened by the

virtue of Executive Order No. 80, which placed the Cultural Center of the Philippines,
the National Historical Institute (now, the National Historical Commission of the
Philippines), the National Museum, The National Library (now, The National Library of
the Philippines), and the Records, Management, and Archives Office (now, the
National Archives of the Philippines) under the NCCA umbrella. Further, through
Republic Act No. 9155, administratively attached the earlier aforementioned five
cultural agencies to the NCCA, including now the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino /
Commission on the Filipino Language. Thus, the NCCA is responsible for culture and
the arts in the Philippines — and, if not in the name, the de facto Ministry of Culture.

The Commission together with the six cultural agencies works with the
principle of partnership, collaboration and shared responsibility in achieving
effectively and efficiently the implementation of cultural programs as well as
maximizing of resources.

The Order of National Artists

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/the-order-of-national-artists/

WHAT IS A NATIONAL ARTIST?

A National Artist is a Filipino citizen who has been given the rank and title of
National Artist in recognition of his or her significant contributions to the
development of Philippine arts and letters.
The rank and title of National Artist is conferred by means of a Presidential
Proclamation. It recognizes excellence in the fields of Music, Dance, Theater, Visual
Arts, Literature, Film and Broadcast Arts, and Architecture or Allied Arts.

WHAT IS THE ORDER OF NATIONAL ARTISTS?

Those who have been proclaimed National Artists are given a Grand Collar
symbolizing their status. Recipients of this Grand Collar make up the Order of
National Artists. The Order of National Artists (Orden ng Gawad Pambansang
Alagad ng Sining) is thus a rank, a title, and a wearable award that represents the
highest national recognition given to Filipinos who have made distinct contributions
in the field of arts and letters. It is jointly administered by the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), and is
conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both
institutions.
As one of the Honors of the Philippines, it embodies the nation’s highest ideals
in humanism and aesthetic expression through the distinct achievements of
individual citizens. The Order of National Artists shares similarities with orders,
decorations, and medals of other countries recognizing contributions to their
national culture such as, the U.S. National Medal for the Arts, and the Order of
Culture of Japan.
According to the rules of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts,
the Order of National Artists should be conferred every three years.

THE INSIGNIA OF THE ORDER OF NATIONAL ARTISTS

The insignia of the Order of the National Artists is composed of 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. The
central badge is a medallion divided into three equal portions, red, white, and blue,
recalling the Philippine flag, with three stylized letter Ks—the “KKK” stands for the
CCP’s motto: “katotohanan, kabutihan, at kagandahan” (“the true, the good, and
the beautiful”), as coined by then first lady Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos, the
CCP’s founder. The composition of the Grand Collar is silver gilt bronze. In place of a
rosette there is an enameled pin in the form of the insignia of the order.

WHEN WAS THE ORDER OF NATIONAL ARTISTS CREATED?

It was established by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1001, s. 1972,
which created the Award and Decoration of National Artist, “to give appropriate
recognition and prestige to Filipinos who have distinguished themselves and made
outstanding contributions to Philippine arts and letters,” and which posthumously
conferred the award on the painter Fernando Amorsolo, who had died earlier that
year.

LEGAL BASIS OF THE ORDER OF NATIONAL ARTISTS

Proclamation No. 1144, s. 1973 named the CCP Board of Trustees as the
National Artist Awards Committee (or Secretariat). Presidential Decree No. 208, s.
1973 reiterated the mandate of the CCP to administer the National Artist Awards as
well as the privileges and honors to National Artists.
Executive Order No. 236 s. 2003, otherwise known as the Honors Code of the
Philippines, conferred additional prestige on the National Artist Award by raising it to
the level of a Cultural Order, fourth in precedence among the orders and
decorations that comprise the Honors of the Philippines, and equal in rank to the
Order of National Scientists and the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan. The National
Artist Award was thereby renamed the Order of National Artists (Orden ng mga
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining). This reflected the consensus among government
cultural agencies and the artistic community that the highest possible international
prestige and recognition should be given our National Artists. Section 5 of EO 236
stated the President may confer the Order of National Artists “upon the
recommendation of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).”
Executive Order No. 435, s. 2005 amended Section 5 (IV) of EO 236, giving the
President the power to name National Artists without need of a recommendation,
relegating the NCCA and the CCP to mere advisory bodies that may or may not be
heeded. This expanded President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s flexibility to proclaim
National Artists at her discretion, which led to the controversy of 2009 and the
subsequent intervention of the Supreme Court by issuing a status quo ante order
against the awardees that year.
In May 2009, four recommendations were sent to President Arroyo by the Secretariat.
President Arroyo issued proclamations on July 2009 for three, excluding for one
nominee, Ramon P. Santos.
In addition, President Arroyo issued proclamations for four individuals who
were not recommended, namely, Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, Francisco T. Mañosa,
Magno Jose J. Caparas, and Jose “Pitoy” Moreno. These four artists have not been
vetted and deliberated upon by the Secretariat.
As a result, the majority of living national artists (Almario, Lumbera, et. al.) filed
a petition questioning President Arroyo’s abuse of her discretion by proclaiming as
national artists individuals (Guidote-Alvarez, Caparas, Mañosa, and Moreno) who
have not gone through the rigorous screening and selection process of the NCCA
and the CCP.
In July 2013, the Supreme Court, in the case of Almario vs the Executive
Secretary (GR No. 189028, July 16, 2013), invalidated President Arroyo’s
proclamations of four national artists. It decided that, as the source of all honors, the
President has the discretion to reject or approve nominees. However, the President
does not have the discretion to amend the list by adding names that did not go
through the NCCA-CCP process. The discretion is confined to the names submitted
by the NCCA and CCP.
From 2009 until 2011, in the absence of any resolution by the Supreme Court,
the Secretariat had the impression that they may not process any future
nominations. The Order of the National Artists is supposed to be proclaimed every
three years.
When the Secretariat consulted the Office of the Solicitor General,
clarification was provided. The Supreme Court’s status quo ante order only applied
to the batch of 2009 nominees. Therefore, upon the advice of the Solicitor General,
the Secretariat decided to once more proceed with the process.

PROCESS OF NOMINATION AND CONFERMENT OF THE ORDER

CRITERIA FOR THE ORDER OF NATIONAL ARTISTS

1. Living artists who are Filipino citizens at the time of nomination, as well as those
who died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at
the time of their death;
2. Artists who, through the content and form of their works, have contributed in
building a Filipino sense of nationhood;
3. Artists who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus earning
distinction and making an impact on succeeding generations of artists;
4. Artists who have created a substantial and significant body of work and/or
consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form thus enriching
artistic expression or style; and
5. Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through:
• prestigious national and/or international recognition, such as the Gawad CCP
Para sa Sining, CCP Thirteen Artists Award and NCCA Alab ng Haraya;
• critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works;
• respect and esteem from peers.

Those submitting nominations for National Artist must submit the following:
• A cover letter from the nominating organization. The cover letter shall be
accompanied by a Board Resolution approving the nomination concerned with the
said resolution signed by the organization President and duly certified by the Board
Secretary.
• A duly accomplished nomination form;
• A detailed curriculum vitae of the nominee;
• A list of the nominee’s significant works categorized according to the criteria;
• The latest photograph (color or black and white) of the nominee, either 5″ x 7″ or 8″
x 11″;
• Pertinent information materials on the nominee’s significant works (on CDs, VCDs
and DVDs);
• Copies of published reviews; and
• Any other document that may be required.

To the following addresses:

The NATIONAL ARTIST AWARD SECRETARIAT Office of the Artistic Director
Cultural Center of the Philippines Roxas Boulevard, 1300 Pasay City
The NATIONAL ARTIST AWARD SECRETARIAT Office of the Deputy Executive
Director National Commission for Culture and the Arts 633 General Luna Street,
Intramuros, Manila
A member of the Order of National Artists are granted the following honors
and privileges:
1. The rank and title of National Artist, as proclaimed by the President of the
Philippines;
2. The insignia of a National Artist and a citation;
3. A lifetime emolument and material and physical benefits comparable in value to
those received by the highest officers of the land such as:
a. a cash award of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00) net of taxes, for
living awardees;
b. a cash award of Seventy Five Thousand Pesos (P75,000.00) net of taxes, for
posthumous awardees, payable to legal heir/s;
c. a monthly life pension, medical and hospitalization benefits;
d. life insurance coverage for Awardees who are still insurable;
e. a state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani;
f. a place of honor, in line with protocular precedence, at national state functions,
and recognition at cultural events.

THE ROSTER OF NATIONAL ARTISTS

Awardee Date of Award Category

1. Fernando Amorsolo (++) 1972 Painting

2. Francisca R. Aquino (+) 1973 Dance
3. Carlos V. Francisco (++) 1973 Painting
4. Amado V. Hernandez (++) 1973 Literature
5. Antonio J. Molina (+) 1973 Music
6. Juan F. Nakpil (+) 1973 Architecture
7. Guillermo E. Tolentino (+) 1973 Sculpture
8. Jose Garcia Villa (+) 1973 Literature
9. Napoleon V. Abueva 1976 Sculpture
10. Lamberto V. Avellana (+) 1976 Theater and Film
11. Leonor O. Goquingco (+) 1976 Dance
12. Nick Joaquin (+) 1976 Literature
13. Jovita Fuentes (+) 1976 Music
14. Victorio C. Edades (+) 1976 Painting
15. Pablo S. Antonio (++) 1976 Architecture
16. Vicente S. Manansala (++) 1981 Painting
17. Carlos P. Romulo (+) 1982 Literature
18. Gerardo de Leon (++) 1982 Film
19. Honorata “Atang” dela Rama (++) 1987 Theater and Music
20. Antonio R. Buenaventura (+) 1988 Music
21. Lucrecia R. Urtula (+) 1988 Dance
22. Lucrecia R. Kasilag (+) 1989 Music
23. Francisco Arcellana (+) 1990 Literature
24. Cesar Legaspi (+) 1990 Visual Arts
25. Leandro V. Locsin (+) 1990 Architecture
26. Hernando R. Ocampo (++) 1991 Visual Arts
27. Lucio D. San Pedro (+) 1991 Music
28. Lino Brocka (++) 1997 Cinema
29. Felipe D. De Leon (++) 1997 Music
30. Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero (++) 1997 Theater
31. Rolando S. Tinio (++) 1997 Theater & Literature
32. Levi Celerio (+) 1997 Music & Literature
33. N.V.M. Gonzales (++) 1997 Literature
34. Arturo Luz 1997 Visual Arts
35. Jose Maceda (+) 1997 Music
36. Carlos Quirino (+) 1997 Historical Literature
37. J. Elizalde Navarro (++) 1999 Painting
38. Prof. Andrea Veneracion (+) 1999 Music
39. Edith L. Tiempo (+) 1999 Literature
40. Daisy Avellana (+) 1999 Theater
41. Ernani Cuenco (++) 1999 Music
42. F. Sionil Jose 2001 Literature
43. Ang Kiukok (+) 2001 Visual Arts
44. Ishmael Bernal (++) 2001 Film
45. Severino Montano (++) 2001 Theater
46. Jose T. Joya (++) 2003 Visual Arts (Painting)
47. Virgilio S. Almario 2003 Literature
48. Alejandro Roces (+) 2003 Literature
49. Eddie S. Romero (+) 2003 Film & Broadcast Arts
50. Salvador F. Bernal (+) 2003 Theater & Design
51. Ben Cabrera 2006 Visual Arts
52. Abdulmari Asia Imao 2006 Visual Arts
53. Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera 2006 Literature
54. Ramon Obusan (+) 2006 Dance
55. Fernando Poe Jr. (++) 2006 Film
56. Archt. Ildefonso Santos, Jr. (+) 2006 Landscape Architecture
57. Ramon Valera (++) 2006 Fashion Design
58. Manuel Conde* (++) 2009 Cinema
59. Lazaro A. Francisco* (++) 2009 Literature
60. Federico Aguilar Alcuaz* (++) 2009 Visual Arts
61. Alice Reyes 2014 Dance
62. Francisco V. Coching (++) 2014 Visual Arts
63. Cirilo F. Bautista 2014 Literature
64. Francisco F. Feliciano (++) 2014 Music
65. Ramon P. Santos 2014 Music
66. Jose Maria V. Zaragoza (++) 2014 Architecture
Legend: (+) deceased; (++) posthumous conferment; * declared valid by Supreme
Court GR No. 189028

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