National Artists of the Philippines

Architecture

Juan F. Nakpil Architecture (1973) Juan F. Nakpil, architect, teacher and civic leader, is a pioneer and innovator in Philippine architecture. In essence, Nakpil's greatest contribution is his belief that there is such a thing as Philippine Architecture, espousing architecture reflective of Philippine traditions and culture. It is also largely due to his zealous representation and efforts that private Filipino architects and engineers, by law, are now able to participate in the design and execution of government projects. He has integrated strength, function, and beauty in the buildings that are the country's heritage today. He designed the 1937 International Eucharistic Congress altar and rebuilt and enlarged the Quiapo Church in 1930 adding a dome and a second belfry to the original design. Among others, Nakpil's major works are the Geronimo de los Reyes Building,Magsaysay Building, Rizal Theater, Capitol Theater, Captain Pepe Building, Manila Jockey Club, Rufino Building, Philippine Village Hotel,University of the Philippines Administration and University Library, the reconstructed Rizal house in Calamba, Laguna.

Pablo S. Antonio Architecture (1976) Born at the turn of the century, National Artist in Architecture Pablo S. Antoniopioneered modern Philippine architecture. His basic design is grounded on simplicity, no clutter. The lines are clean and smooth, and where there are curves, these are made integral to the structure. Pablo Jr. points out, "For our father, every line must have a meaning, a purpose. For him, function comes first before elegance or form". The other thing that characterizes an Antonio structure is the maximum use of natural light and cross ventilation. Antonio believes that buildings "should be planned with austerity in mind and its stability forever as the aim of true architecture, that buildings must be progressive, simple in design but dignified, true to a purpose without resorting to an applied set of aesthetics and should eternally recreate truth".

Antonio's major works include the following: Far Eastern University Administration and Science buildings; Manila Polo Club; Ideal Theater;Lyric Theater; Galaxy Theater; Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building;Boulevard-Alhambra (now Bel-Air) apartments; Ramon Roces Publications Building (now Guzman Institute of Electronics).

Leandro V. Locsin Architecture (1990) Leandro V. Locsin, architect, has reshaped the urban landscape with a distinctive architecture reflective of Philippine Art and Culture. He believes that the true Philippine Architecture is "the product of two great streams of culture, the oriental and the occidental... to produce a new object of profound harmony." It is this synthesis that underlies all his works, with his achievements in concrete reflecting his mastery of space and scale. Every Locsin Building is an original, and identifiable as a Locsin with themes of floating volume, the duality of light and heavy, buoyant and massive running in his major works. From 1955 to 1994, Locsin has produced 75 residences and 88 buildings, including 11 churches and chapels, 23 public buildings, 48 commercial buildings, six major hotels, and an airport terminal building. Locsin's largest single work is the Istana Nurul Iman, the palace of the Sultan of Brunei, which has a floor area of 2.2 million square feet. The CCP Complex itself is a virtual Locsin Complex with all five buildings designed by him -- the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Folk Arts Theater, Philippine International Convention Center, Philcite and The Westin Hotel.

Ildefonso P. Santos, Jr. Architecture (2006) Ildefonso Paez Santos, Jr., distinguished himself by pioneering the practice of landscape architecture-an allied field of architecture--in the Philippines and then producing four decades of exemplary and engaging work that has included hundreds of parks, plazas, gardens, and a wide range of outdoor settings that have enhanced contemporary Filipino life. Santos, Jr., who grew up in Malabon, made his first mark with the Makati Commercial Center where he introduced a new concept of outdoor shopping with landscaped walks, fountains and sculptures as accents. Santos, Jr.'s contribution to modern Filipino landscape architecture was the seminal public landscape in Paco Park. Santos, Jr.'s most recent projects were the Tagaytay Highland Resort, the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa, Batangas, and the Orchard Golf and Country Club in Imus, Cavite.

Cinema

Lino Brocka Cinema (1997) Lino Brocka, director for film and broadcast arts, espoused the term "freedom of expression" in the Philippine Constitution. Brocka took his social activist spirit to the screen leaving behind 66 films which breathed life and hope for the marginalized sectors of society -- slumdwellers, prostitute, construction workers, etc. He also directed for theater with equal zeal and served in organizations that offer alternative visions, like the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP). At the same time, he garnered awards and recognition from institutions like the CCP, FAMAS, TOYM, and Cannes Film Festival. Brocka has left behind his masterpieces, bequeathing to our country a heritage of cinematic harvest; a bounty of stunning images, memorable conversations that speak volumes on love,betrayal and redemption, pestilence and plenty all pointing towards the recovery and rediscovery of our nation. To name a few, Brocka's films include the following: "Santiago" (1970), "Wanted: Perfect Mother" (1970), "Tubog sa Ginto" (1971), "Stardoom" (1971), "Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang" (1974), "Maynila: Sa Kuko ng Liwanag" (1975), "Insiang" (1976), "Jaguar" (1979), "Bona" (1980), "Macho Dancer" (1989), "Orapronobis" (1989), "Makiusap Ka sa Diyos" (1991).

Gerardo " Gerry" De Leon Cinema (1982) Gerardo "Gerry" De Leon, film director, belongs to the Ilagan clan and as such grew up in an atmosphere rich in theater. Significantly, De Leon's first job -- while in still in high school -- was as a piano player at Cine Moderno in Quiapo playing the musical accompaniment to the silent films that were being shown at that time. The silent movies served as De Leon's "very good" training ground because the pictures told the story. Though he finished medicine, his practice did not last long because he found himself "too compassionate" to be one, this aside from the lure of the movies. His first directorial job was "Ama't Anak" in which he directed himself and his brother Tito Arevalo. The movie got good reviews.

De Leon's biggest pre-war hit was "Ang Maestra" which starred Rogelio de la Rosa and Rosa del Rosario with the still unknown Eddie Romero as writer. In the 50s and 60s, he produced many films that are now considered classics including "Daigdig ng Mga Api," "Noli Me Tangere," "El Filibusterismo," and "Sisa." Among a long list of films are "Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo," "Dyesebel," "The Gold Bikini," "Banaue," "The Brides of Blood Island.".

Ishmael Bernal Cinema (2001) Ishmael Bernal was a filmmaker of the first order and one of the very few who can be truly called a maestro. Critics have hailed him as "the genius of Philippine cinema." He is recognized as a director of films that serve as social commentaries and bold reflections on the existing realities of the struggle of the Filipino. His art extends beyond the confines of aesthetics. By polishing its visuals, or innovating in the medium, he manages to send his message across: to fight the censors, free the artists, give justice to the oppressed, and enlighten as well as entertain the audience. Among his notable films are "Pahiram ng Isang Umaga" (1989), "Broken Marriage" (1983), "Himala" (1981), "City After Dark" (1980), and "Nunal sa Tubig" (1976). He was recognized as the Director of the Decade of the 1970s by the Catholic Mass Media Awards; fourtime Best Director by the Urian Awards (1989, 1985, 1983, and 1977); and given the ASEAN Cultural Award in Communication Arts in 1993.

Eddie S. Romero Cinema and Broadcast Arts (2003) Eddie Romero, is a screenwriter, film director and producer, is the quintessential Filipino filmmaker whose life is devoted to the art and commerce of cinema spanning three generations of filmmakers. His film "Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon?," set at the turn of the century during the revolution against the Spaniards and, later, the American colonizers, follows a naïve peasant through his leap of faith to become a member of an imagined community. "Aguila" situates a family’s story against the backdrop

of the country’s history. "Kamakalawa" explores the folkloric of prehistoric Philippines. "Banta ng Kahapon," his 'small' political film, is set against the turmoil of the late 1960s, tracing the connection of the underworld to the corrupt halls of politics. His 13-part series of "Noli Me Tangere" brings the national hero’s polemic novel to a new generation of viewers. Romero, the ambitious yet practical artist, was not satisfied with dreaming up grand ideas. He found ways to produce these dreams into films. His concepts, ironically, as stated in the National Artist citation "are delivered in an utterly simple style – minimalist, but never empty, always calculated, precise and functional, but never predictable."

Ronald Allan K. Poe Cinema (2006) Ronald Allan K. Poe was a *cultural icon of tremendous audience impact and cinema artist and craftsman--as actor, director, writer and producer. The image of the underdog was projected in his films such as Apollo Robles(1961), Batang Maynila (1962), Mga Alabok sa Lupa (1967), Batang Matador and Batang Estibador (1969), Ako ang Katarungan (1974), Tatak ng Alipin (1975), Totoy Bato (1977), Asedillo (1981), Partida (1985), andAng Probisyano (1996), among many others. The mythical hero, on the other hand, was highlighted in Ang Alamat (1972), Ang Pagbabalik ng Lawin (1975) including his Panday series (1980, 1981, 1982, 1984) and the action adventure films adapted from komiks materials such as Ang Kampana sa Santa Quiteria(1971), Santo Domingo (1972), and Alupihang Dagat (1975), among others. Poe was born in Manila on August 20, 1939. After the death of his father, he dropped out of the University of the East in his sophomore year to support his family. He was the second of six siblings. He married actress Susan Roces in a civil ceremony in December 1968. He died on December 14, 2004

Visual Arts

Carlos "Botong" Francisco Painting (1973) Carlos "Botong" Francisco, the poet of Angono, single-handedly revived the forgotten art of mural and remained its most distinguished practitioner for nearly three decades. In panels such as those that grace the City Hall of Manila, Francisco turned fragments of the historic past into vivid records of the legendary courage of the ancestors of his race. He was invariably linked with the "modernist" artists, forming with Victorio C. Edades and Galo Ocampo what was then known in the local art circles as "The Triumvirate". Botong's unerring eye for composition, the lush tropical sense of color and an abiding faith in the folk values typified by the townspeople of Angono became the hallmark of his art. His other major works include the following: Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of Limahong, Serenade, Muslim Betrothal, Blood Compact, First Mass at Limasawa, The Martyrdom of Rizal, Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta,Bayanihan sa Bukid, Sandugo.

Fernando C. Amorsolo Painting (1972) The country had its first National Artist in Fernando C. Amorsolo. The official title "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art" was bestowed on Amorsolo when the Manila Hilton inaugurated its art center on January 23, 1969 with an exhibit of a selection of his works. Returning from his studies abroad in the 1920s, Amorsolo developed the backlighting technique that became his trademark where figures, a cluster of leaves, spill of hair, the swell of breast, are seen aglow on canvas. This light, Nick Joaquin opines, is the rapture of a sensualist utterly in love with the earth, with the Philippine sun, and is an accurate expression of Amorsolo's own exuberance. His citation underscores all his years of creative activity which have "defined and perpetuated a distinct element of the nation's artistic and cultural heritage". Among others, his major works include the following: Maiden in a Stream(1921)-GSIS collection; El Ciego (1928)-Central Bank of the Philippines collection; Dalagang Bukid (1936) - Club Filipino collection; The Mestiza (1943) - National Museum of the Philippines collection; Planting Rice (1946)UCPB collection; Sunday Morning Going to Town (1958)-Ayala Museum Collection.

Guillermo Estrella Tolentino Sculpture (1973) Guillermo Estrella Tolentino is a product of the Revival period in Philippine art. Returning from Europe (where he was enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Rome) in 1925, he was appointed as professor at the UP School of Fine Arts where the idea also of executing a monument for national heroes struck him. The result was the UP Oblation that became the symbol of freedom at the campus. Acknowledged as his masterpiece and completed in 1933, The Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan stands as an enduring symbol of the Filipinos' cry for freedom. Other works include the bronze figures of President Quezon at Quezon Memorial, life-size busts of Jose Rizal at UP and UE, marble statue of Ramon Magsaysay in GSIS Building; granolithics of heroic statues representing education, medicine, forestry, veterinary science, fine arts and music at UP. He also designed the gold and bronze medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Awardand did the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.

Napoleon V. Abueva Sculpture (1976) At 46 then, Napoleon V. Abueva, a native of Bohol, was the youngest National Artist awardee. Considered as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture, Abueva has helped shape the local sculpture scene to what it is now. Being adept in either academic representational style or modern abstract, he has utilized almost all kinds of materials from hard wood (molave, acacia, langka wood, ipil, kamagong, palm wood and bamboo) to adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron, alabaster, coral and brass. Among the early innovations Abueva introduced in 1951 was what he referred to as "buoyant sculpture" -- sculpture meant to be appreciated from the surface of a placid pool. In the 80's, Abueva put up a one-man show at the Philippine Center, New York. His works have been installed in different museums here and abroad, such as The Sculpture at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Some of his major works include Kaganapan (1953), Kiss of Judas (1955),Thirty Pieces of Silver , The Transfiguration (1979)-Eternal Garden Memorial Park, UP Gateway (1967), Nine Muses (1994), UP Faculty Center,Sunburst (1994)-Peninsula Manila Hotel, the bronze figure of Teodoro M. Kalawin front of National Library, and murals in marble at the National Heroes Shrine, Mt. Samat, Bataan.

Victorio C. Edades Painting (1976) Painting distorted human figures in rough, bold impasto strokes, and standing tall and singular in his advocacy and practice of what he believes is creative art,Victorio C. Edades emerged as the "Father of Modern Philippine Painting". Unlike, Amorsolo's bright, sunny, cheerful hues, Edades' colors were dark and somber with subject matter or themes depicting laborers, factory workers or the simple folk in all their dirt, sweat and grime. In the 1930s, Edades taught at the University of Santos Tomas and became dean of its Department of Architecture where he stayed for three full decades. It was during this time that he introduced a liberal arts program that offers subjects as art history and foreign languages that will lead to a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. This development brought about a first in Philippine education since art schools then were vocational schools. It was also the time that Edades invited Carlos "Botong" Francisco and Galo B. Ocampo to become professor artists for the university. The three, who would later be known as the formidable "Triumvirate", led the growth of mural painting in the country. Finally retiring from teaching at age 70, the university conferred on Edades the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, for being an outstanding "visionary, teacher and artist". Among his works are The Artist and the Model, Portrait of the Professor,Japanese Girl, Mother and Daughter, The Wrestlers, Poinsettia Girl

Vicente S. Manansala Painting (1981) Vicente S. Manansala's paintings are described as visions of reality teetering on the edge of abstraction. As a young boy, his talent was revealed through the copies he made of the Sagrada Familia and his mother's portrait that he copied from a photograph. After finishing the fine arts course from the University of the Philippines, he ran away from home and later found himself at the Philippines Herald as an illustrator. It was there that Manansala developed close association with Hernando R. Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi, and Carlos Botong Francisco, the latter being the first he admired most. For Manansala, Botong was a master of the human figure. Among the masters, Manansala professes a preference for Cezanne and Picasso whom he says have achieved a balance of skill and artistry. He trained at Paris and at Otis School of Drawing in Los Angeles. Manansala believes that the beauty of art is in the process, in the moment of doing a particular painting, closely associating it with the act of making love. "The climax is just when it's really finished." Manansala's works include A Cluster of Nipa Hut, San Francisco Del Monte,Banaklaot, I Believe in God, Market Venders, Madonna of the Slums, Still Life with Green Guitar, Via Crucis, Whirr, Nude.

Cesar Legaspi Visual Arts (1990) A pioneer "Neo-Realist" of the country, Cesar Legaspi is remembered for his singular achievement of refining cubism in the Philippine context. Legaspi belonged to the so-called "Thirteen Moderns" and later, the "Neo-realists". His distinctive style and daring themes contributed significantly to the advent and eventual acceptance of modern art in the Philippines. Legaspi made use of the geometric fragmentation technique, weaving social comment and juxtaposing the mythical and modern into his overlapping, interacting forms with disturbing power and intensity. Among his works were Gadgets I, Gadgets II, Diggers, Idols of the Third Eye, Facade, Ovary, Flora and Fauna, Triptych, Flight, Bayanihan,Struggle, Avenging Figure, Turning Point, Peace, The Survivor, The Ritual.

Hernando R. Ocampo Visual Arts (1991) Hernando R. Ocampo, a self-taught painter, was a leading member of the pre-war Thirteen Moderns, the group that charted the course of modern art in the Philippines. His works provided an understanding and awareness of the harsh social realities in the country immediately after the Second World War and contributed significantly to the rise of the nationalist spirit in the post-war era. It was, however, his abstract works that left an indelible mark on Philippine modern art. His canvases evoked the lush Philippine landscape, its flora and fauna, under the sun and rain in fierce and bold colors. He also played a pivotal role in sustaining the Philippine Art Gallery, the country's first. Ocampo's acknowledged masterpiece Genesis (1968) served as the basis of the curtain design of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater. His other major works include Ina ng Balon, Calvary, Slum Dwellers, Nude with Candle and Flower, Man and Carabao, Angel's Kiss, Palayok at Kalan,Ancestors, Isda at Mangga, The Resurrection, Fifty-three "Q", Backdrop,Fiesta.

Arturo R. Luz Visual Arts (1997) Arturo R. Luz, painter, sculptor, and designer for more than 40 years, created masterpieces that exemplify an ideal of sublime austerity in expression and form. From the Carnival series of the late 1950s to the recent Cyclist paintings, Luz produced works that elevated Filipino aesthetic vision to new heights of sophisticated simplicity. By establishing the Luz Gallery that professionalized the art gallery as an institution and set a prestigious influence over generations of Filipino artists, Luz inspired and developed a Filipino artistic community that nurtures impeccable designs. Among his other significant paintings are Bagong Taon, Vendador de Flores,Skipping Rope, Candle Vendors, Procession, Self-Portrait, Night Glows,Grand Finale, Cities of the Past, Imaginary Landscapes. His mural paintingBlack and White is displayed in the lobby of the CCP's Bulwagang Carlos V. Francisco (Little Theater). His sculpture of a stainless steel cube is located in front of the Benguet Mining Corporation Building in Pasig.

J. Elizalde Navarro Painting (1999) J. (Jeremias) Elizalde Navarro, was born in May 22, 1924 in Antique. He is a versatile artist, being both a proficient painter and sculptor. His devotion to the visual arts spans 40 years of drawing, printmaking, graphic designing, painting and sculpting. His masks carved in hardwood merge the human and the animal; his paintings consists of abstracts and figures in oil and watercolor; and his assemblages fuse found objects and metal parts. He has done a series of figurative works drawing inspiration from Balinese art and culture, his power as a master of colors largely evident in his large four-panel The Seasons (1992: Prudential Bank collection). A Navarro sampler includes his '50s and '60s fiction illustrations for This Week of the Manila Chronicle, and the rotund, India-ink figurative drawings for Lydia Arguilla's storybook, Juan Tamad. Three of his major mixed media works are I'm Sorry Jesus, I Can't Attend Christmas This Year (1965), and his Homage to Dodjie Laurel (1969: Ateneo Art Gallery collection), and A Flying Contraption for Mr. Icarus (1984: Lopez Museum).

Ang Kiukok Visual Arts (2001) Born to immigrant Chinese parents Vicente Ang and Chin Lim, Ang Kiukok is one of the most vital and dynamic figures who emerged during the 60s and continues to make an impact up to the present. As one of those who came at the heels of the pioneering modernists during that decade, Ang Kiukok blazed a formal and iconographic path of his own through expressionistic works of high visual impact and compelling meaning. He crystallized in vivid, cubistic figures the terror and angst of the times. Shaped in the furnace of the political turmoil of those times, Ang Kiukok pursued an expression imbued with nationalist fervor and sociological agenda. Some of his works include: Geometric Landscape (1969); Pieta, which won for him the bronze medal in the 1st International Art Exhibition held in Saigon (1962); and the Seated Figure (1979), auctioned at Sotheby’s in Singapore. His works can be found in many major art collections, among them the Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Historical Museum of Taipei, and the National Museum in Singapore. Ang Kiukok died on May 9, 2004

Jose T. Joya Visual Arts (2003) Jose Joya is a painter and multimedia artist who distinguished himself by creating an authentic Filipino abstract idiom that transcended foreign influences. Most of Joya’s paintings of harmonious colors were inspired by Philippine landscapes, such as green rice paddies and golden fields of harvest. His use of rice paper in collages placed value on transparency, a common characteristic of folk art. The curvilinear forms of his paintings often recall the colorful and multilayered 'kiping' of the Pahiyas festival. His important mandala series was also drawn from Asian aesthetic forms and concepts. He espoused the value of kinetic energy and spontaneity in painting which became significant artistic values in Philippine art. His paintings clearly show his mastery of 'gestural paintings' where paint is applied intuitively and spontaneously, in broad brush strokes, using brushes or spatula or is directly squeezed from the tube and splashed across the canvas. His 1958 landmark painting Granadean Arabesque, a work on canvas big enough to be called a mural, features swipes and gobs of impasto and sand. The choice of Joya to represent the Philippines in the 1964 Venice Biennial itself represents a high peak in the rise of the modern art in the country. Joya also led the way for younger artists in bringing out the potentials of multimedia. He designed and painted on ceramic vessels, plates and tiles, and stimulated regional workshops. He also did work in the graphic arts, particularly in printmaking. His legacy is undeniably a large body of work of consistent excellence which has won the admiration of artists both in the local and international scene. Among them are his compositions Beethoven Listening to the Blues, and Space Transfiguration, and other works like Hills of Nikko, Abstraction, Dimension of Fear, Naiad, Torogan, Cityscape.'

Benedicto R. Cabrera Painting (2006) Benedicto R. Cabrera, *who signs his paintings "Bencab," upheld the primacy of drawing over the decorative color. Bencab started his career in the mid-sixties as a lyrical expressionist. His solitary figures of scavengers emerging from a dark landscape were piercing stabs at the social conscience of a people long inured to poverty and dereliction. Bencab, who was born in Malabon, has christened the emblematic scavenger figure "Sabel." For Bencab, Sabel is a melancholic symbol of dislocation, despair and isolation--the personification of human dignity threatened by life's vicissitudes, and the vast inequities of Philippine society. Bencab's exploration of form, finding his way out of the late neo-realism and high abstraction of the sixties to be able to reconsider the potency of figurative expression had held out vital options for Philippine art in the Martial Law years in the seventies through the contemporary era. *from the citation Selected works Madonna with Objects, 1991 Studies of Sabel, dyptych, 1991 People Waiting, 1989 The Indifference, 1988 Waiting for the Monsoon, 1986

Abdulmari Asia Imao Sculpture (2006) Abdulmari Asia Imao, a native of Sulu, is a sculptor, painter, photographer, ceramist, documentary film maker, cultural researcher, writer, and articulator of Philippine Muslim art and culture. Through his works, the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and naga motifs have been popularized and instilled in the consciousness of the Filipino nation and other peoples as original Filipino creations. His U.P. art education introduced him to Filipino masters like Guillermo Tolentino and Napoleon Abueva, who were among his mentors. With his large-scale sculptures and monuments of Muslim and regional heroes and leaders gracing selected sites from Batanes to Tawi-tawi, Imao has helped develop among cultural groups trust and confidence necessary for the building of a more just and humane society. Selected works: Industry Brass Mural, Philippine National Bank, San Fernando, La Union Mural Relief on Filmmaking, Manila City Hall Industrial Mural, Central Bank of the Philippines, San Fernando, La Union Sulu Warriors (statues of Panglima Unaid and Captain Abdurahim Imao), 6 ft., Sulu Provincial Capitol

Literature

Jose Garcia Villa Literature (1973) Jose Garcia Villa is considered as one of the finest contemporary poets regardless of race or language. Villa, who lived in Singalong, Manila, introduced the reversed consonance rime scheme, including the comma poems that made full use of the punctuation mark in an innovative, poetic way. The first of his poems "Have Come, Am Here" received critical recognition when it appeared in New York in 1942 that, soon enough, honors and fellowships were heaped on him: Guggenheim, Bollingen, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Awards. He used Doveglion (Dove, Eagle, Lion) as penname, the very characters he attributed to himself, and the same ones explored by e.e. cummings in the poem he wrote for Villa (Doveglion, Adventures in Value). Villa is also known for the tartness of his tongue. Villa's works have been collected into the following books: Footnote to Youth,Many Voices, Poems by Doveglion, Poems 55, Poems in Praise of Love: The Best Love Poems of Jose Garcia Villa as Chosen By Himself, Selected Stories, The Portable Villa, The Essential Villa, Mir-i-nisa, Storymasters 3: Selected Stories from Footnote to Youth, 55 Poems: Selected and Translated into Tagalog by Hilario S. Francia.

Amado V. Hernandez Literature (1973) Amado V. Hernandez, poet, playwright, and novelist, is among the Filipino writers who practiced "committed art". In his view, the function of the writer is to act as the conscience of society and to affirm the greatness of the human spirit in the face of inequity and oppression. Hernandez's contribution to the development of Tagalog prose is considerable -- he stripped Tagalog of its ornate character and wrote in prose closer to the colloquial than the "official" style permitted. His novelMga Ibong Mandaragit, first written by Hernandez while in prison, is the first Filipino socio-political novel that exposes the ills of the society as evident in the agrarian problems of the 50s.

Hernandez's other works include Bayang Malaya, Isang Dipang Langit, Luha ng Buwaya, Amado V. Hernandez: Tudla at Tudling: Katipunan ng mga Nalathalang Tula 1921-1970, Langaw sa Isang Basong Gatas at Iba Pang Kuwento ni Amado V. Hernandez, Magkabilang Mukha ng Isang Bagol at Iba Pang Akda ni Amado V. Hernandez.

Nick Joaquin Literature (1976) Nick Joaquin, is regarded by many as the most distinguished Filipino writer in English writing so variedly and so well about so many aspects of the Filipino. Nick Joaquin has also enriched the English language with critics coining "Joaquinesque" to describe his baroque Spanish-flavored English or his reinventions of English based on Filipinisms. Aside from his handling of language, Bienvenido Lumbera writes that Nick Joaquin's significance in Philippine literature involves his exploration of the Philippine colonial past under Spain and his probing into the psychology of social changes as seen by the young, as exemplified in stories such as Doña Jeronima, Candido's Apocalypse and The Order of Melchizedek. Nick Joaquin has written plays, novels, poems, short stories and essays including reportage and journalism. As a journalist, Nick Joaquin uses the nome de guerreQuijano de Manila but whether he is writing literature or journalism, fellow National Artist Francisco Arcellana opines that "it is always of the highest skill and quality". Among his voluminous works are The Woman Who Had Two Navels, A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young, The Ballad of the Five Battles, Rizal in Saga, Almanac for Manileños, Cave and Shadows. Nick Joaquin died April 29, 2004

Carlos P. Romulo Literature (1982) Carlos P. Romulo's multifaceted career spanned 50 years of public service as educator, soldier, university president, journalist and diplomat. It is common knowledge that he was the first Asian president of the United Nations General Assembly, then Philippine Ambassador to Washington, D.C., and later minister of foreign affairs. Essentially though, Romulo was very much into writing: he was a reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and a publisher at 32. He was the only Asian to win America's coveted Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for a series of articles predicting the outbreak of World War II. Romulo, in all, wrote and published 18 books, a range of literary works which included The United(novel), I Walked with Heroes (autobiography), I Saw the Fall of the Philippines, Mother America, I See the Philippines Rise (war-time memoirs). His other books include his memoirs of his many years' affiliations with United Nations (UN), Forty Years: A Third World Soldier at the UN, and The Philippine Presidents, his oral history of his experiences serving all the Philippine presidents.

Francisco Arcellana Literature (1990) Francisco Arcellana, writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher, is one of the most important progenitors of the modern Filipino short story in English. He pioneered the development of the short story as a lyrical prose-poetic form. For Arcellana, the pride of fiction is "that it is able to render truth, that is able to present reality". Arcellana has kept alive the experimental tradition in fiction, and has been most daring in exploring new literary forms to express the sensibility of the Filipino people. A brilliant craftsman, his works are now an indispensable part of a tertiary-level-syllabi all over the country. Arcellana's published books areSelected Stories (1962), Poetry and Politics: The State of Original Writing in English in the Philippines Today (1977), The Francisco Arcellana Sampler (1990). Some of his short stories are Frankie, The Man Who Would Be Poe, Death in a Factory, Lina, A Clown Remembers, Divided by Two, and his poems beingThe Other Woman, This Being the Third Poem This Poem is for Mathilda,To Touch You and I Touched Her, among others.

N. V. M. Gonzalez Literature (1990) Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez, better known as N.V.M. Gonzalez, fictionist, essayist, poet, and teacher, articulated the Filipino spirit in rural, urban landscapes. Among the many recognitions, he won the First Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940, received the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1960 and the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining in 1990. The awards attest to his triumph in appropriating the English language to express, reflect and shape Philippine culture and Philippine sensibility. He became U.P.'s International-Writer-In-Residence and a member of the Board of Advisers of the U.P. Creative Writing Center. In 1987, U.P. conferred on him the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, its highest academic recognition. Major works of N.V.M Gonzalez include the following: The Winds of April, Seven Hills Away, Children of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other Stories, The Bamboo Dancers, Look Stranger, on this Island Now, Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty -One Stories, The Bread of Salt and Other Stories, Work on the Mountain, The Novel of Justice: Selected Essays 1968-1994, A Grammar of Dreams and Other Stories.

Edith L. Tiempo Literature (1999) Edith L. Tiempo, poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic is one of the finest Filipino writers in English whose works are characterized by a remarkable fusion of style and substance, of craftsmanship and insight. She was born on April 22, 1919 in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. Her poems are intricate verbal transfigurations of significant experiences as revealed, in two of her much anthologized pieces, "The Little Marmoset" and "Bonsai". As fictionist, Tiempo is as morally profound. Her language has been marked as "descriptive but unburdened by scrupulous detailing." She is an influential tradition in Philippine literature in English. Together with her late husband, Edilberto K. Tiempo, she founded and directed the Silliman National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the country’s best writers. Tiempo’s published works include the novel A Blade of Fern (1978), The Native Coast (1979), and The Alien Corn (1992); the poetry collections, The Tracks of Babylon and Other Poems (1966), and The

Charmer’s Box and Other Poems (1993); and the short story collection Abide, Joshua, and Other Stories (1964).

F. Sionil Jose Literature (2001) F. Sionil Jose’s writings since the late 60s, when taken collectively can best be described as epic. Its sheer volume puts him on the forefront of Philippine writing in English. But ultimately, it is the consistent espousal of the aspirations of the Filipino--for national sovereignty and social justice--that guarantees the value of his oeuvre. In the five-novel masterpiece, the Rosales saga, consisting of The Pretenders, Tree, My Brother, My Executioner, Mass, and Po-on, he captures the sweep of Philippine history while simultaneously narrating the lives of generations of the Samsons whose personal lives intertwine with the social struggles of the nation. Because of their international appeal, his works, including his many short stories, have been published and translated into various languages. Jose is also a publisher, lecturer on cultural issues, and the founder of the Philippine chapter of the international organization PEN. He was bestowed the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999; the Outstanding Fulbrighters Award for Literature in 1988; and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 1980.

Virgilio S. Almario (also known as Rio Alma) Literature (2003) Virgilio Almario, also known as Rio Alma, is a poet, literary historian and critic, who has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms, even as he championed modernist poetics. In 34 years, he has published 12 books of poetry, which include the seminal Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon, and the landmark trilogy Doktrinang Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo and Muli, Sa Kandungan ng Lupa. In these works, his poetic voice soared from the lyrical to the satirical to the epic, from the dramatic to the incantatory, in his often severe examination of the self, and the society.

He has also redefined how the Filipino poetry is viewed and paved the way for the discussion of the same in his 10 books of criticisms and anthologies, among which are Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina, Balagtasismo versus Modernismo, Walong Dekada ng Makabagong Tula Pilipino, Mutyang Dilim and Barlaan at Josaphat. Many Filipino writers have come under his wing in the literary workshops he founded –the Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT) and the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA). He has also long been involved with children’s literature through the Aklat Adarna series, published by his Children’s Communication Center. He has been a constant presence as well in national writing workshops and galvanizes member writers as chairman emeritus of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL). He headed the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as Executive Director, (from 1998 to 2001) ably steering the Commission towards its goals. But more than anything else, what Almario accomplished was that he put a face to the Filipino writer in the country, one strong face determinedly wielding a pen into untruths, hypocrisy, injustice, among others

Alejandro R. Roces Literature (2003) Alejandro Roces, is a short story writer and essayist, and considered as the country’s best writer of comic short stories. He is known for his widely anthologized "My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken." In his innumerable newspaper columns, he has always focused on the neglected aspects of the Filipino cultural heritage. His works have been published in various international magazines and has received national and international awards. Ever the champion of Filipino cultures, Roces brought to public attention the aesthetics of the country’s fiestas. He was instrumental in popularizing several local fiestas, notably, Moriones and Ati-atihan. He personally led the campaign to change the country’s Independence Day from July 4 to June 12, and caused the change of language from English to Filipino in the country’s stamps, currency and passports, and recovered Jose Rizal’s manuscripts when they were stolen from the National Archives. His unflinching love of country led him to become a guerilla during the Second World War, to defy martial law and to found the major opposition party under the dictatorship. His works have been published in various international magazines and received numerous national and international awards, including several decorations from various governments.

Bienvenido Lumbera Literature (2006) Bienvenido Lumbera, is a poet, librettist, and scholar. *As a poet, he introduced to Tagalog literature what is now known as Bagay poetry, a landmark aesthetic tendency that has helped to change the vernacular poetic tradition. He is the author of the following works: Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa (poems in Filipino and English), 1993; Balaybay, Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang, 2002; Sa Sariling Bayan, Apat na Dulang May Musika, 2004; "Agunyas sa Hacienda Luisita," Pakikiramay, 2004. As a librettist for theTales of the Manuvu and Rama Hari, he pioneered the creative fusion of fine arts and popular imagination. As a scholar, his major books include the following:Tagalog Poetry, 1570-1898: Tradition and Influences in its Development; Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology, Revaluation: Essays on Philippine Literature, Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa.

Fashion Design

Ramon Valera Fashion Design (2006) The contribution of Ramon Valera, whose family hails from Abra, lies in the tradition of excellence of his works, and his committment to his profession, performing his magical seminal innovations on the Philippine terno. Valera is said to have given the country its visual icon to the world via the terno. In the early 40s, Valera produced a single piece of clothing from a four-piece ensemble consisting of a blouse, skirt, overskirt, and long scarf. He unified the components of the baro't saya into a single dress with exaggerated bell sleeves, cinched at the waist, grazing the ankle, and zipped up at the back. Using zipper in place of hooks was already a radical change for the country's elite then. Dropping the panuelo--the long folded scarf hanging down the chest, thus serving as the Filipina's gesture of modesty--from the entire ensemble became a bigger shock for the women then. Valera constructed the terno's butterfly sleeves, giving them a solid, built-in but hidden support. To the world, the butterfly sleeves became the terno's defining feature. Even today, Filipino fashion designers study Valera's ternos: its construction, beadworks, applique, etc. *Valera helped mold generations of artists, and helped fashion to become no less than a nation's sense of aesthetics. But more important than these, he helped form a sense of the Filipino nation by his pursuit of excellence.

Dance

Francisca Reyes Aquino Dance (1973) Francisca Reyes Aquino is acknowledged as the Folk Dance Pioneer. This Bulakeña began her research on folk dances in the 1920's making trips to remote barrios in Central and Northern Luzon. Her research on the unrecorded forms of local celebration, ritual and sport resulted into a 1926 thesis titled "Philippine Folk Dances and Games," and arranged specifically for use by teachers and playground instructors in public and private schools. In the 1940's, she served as supervisor of physical education at the Bureau of Education that distributed her work and adapted the teaching of folk dancing as a medium of making young Filipinos aware of their cultural heritage. In 1954, she received the Republic Award of Merit given by the late Pres. Ramon Magsaysay for "outstanding contribution toward the advancement of Filipino culture", one among the many awards and recognition given to her. Her books include the following: Philippine National Dances (1946);Gymnastics for Girls (1947); Fundamental Dance Steps and Music (1948);Foreign Folk Dances (1949); Dances for all Occasion (1950); Playground Demonstration (1951); and Philippine Folk Dances, Volumes I to VI.

Leonor Orosa Goquingco Dance (1976) Dubbed the "Trailblazer", "Mother of Philippine Theater Dance" and "Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics", Leonor Orosa Goquingco, pioneer Filipino choreographer in balletic folkloric and Asian styles, has produced for over 50 years highly original, first-of-a-kind choreographies, mostly to her own storylines. These include "TREND: Return to Native," "In a Javanese Garden," "Sports," "VINTA!," "In a Concentration Camp," "The Magic Garden," "The Clowns," "Firebird," "Noli Dance Suite," "The Flagellant," "The Creation..." Seen as her most ambitious work is the dance epic "Filipinescas: Philippine Life, Legend and Lore." With it, Orosa has brought native folk dance, mirroring Philippine culture from pagan to modern times, to its highest stage of development.

She was the Honorary Chair of the Association of Ballet Academies of the Philippines (ABAP), and was a founding member of the Philippine Ballet Theater. Goquingco died in July 2005.

Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula Dance (1988) Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, choreographer, dance educator and researcher, spent almost four decades in the discovery and study of Philippine folk and ethnic dances. She applied her findings to project a new example of an ethnic dance culture that goes beyond simple preservation and into creative growth. Over a period of thirty years, she had choreographed suites of mountain dances, Spanish-influenced dances, Muslim pageants and festivals, regional variations and dances of the countryside for the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company of which she is the dance director. These dances have all earned critical acclaim and rave reviews from audiences in their world tours in Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. Among the widely acclaimed dances she had staged were the following: Singkil, a Bayanihan signature number based on a Maranao epic poem; Vinta, a dance honoring Filipino sailing prowess; Tagabili, a tale of tribal conflict; Pagdiwata, a four-day harvest festival condensed into a six-minute breath-taking spectacle;Salidsid, a mountain wedding dance ; Idaw, Banga and Aires de Verbena.

Ramon Obusan Dance (2006) Ramon Obusan was a *dancer, choreographer, stage designer and artistic director. He achieved phenomenal success in Philippine dance and cultural work. He was also cknowledged as a researcher, archivist and documentary filmmaker who broadened and deepened the Filipino understanding of his own cultural life and expressions. Through the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Grop (ROFG), he had effected cultural and diplomatic exchanges using the multifarious aspects and dimensions of the art of dance. Among the full-length productions he choreographed are the following: "Vamos a Belen! Series" (1998-2004) Philippine Dances Tradition "Noon Po sa Amin," tableaux of Philippine History in song, drama and dance "Obra Maestra," a collection of Ramon Obusan's dance masterpieces "Unpublished Dances of the Philippines," Series I-IV "Water, Fire and Life, Philippine Dances and Music--A Celebration of Life Saludo sa Sentenyal" "Glimpses of ASEAN, Dances and Music of the ASEAN-Member Countries" "Saplot (Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group): Philippines Costumes in Dance"

Historical Literature

Carlos Quirino Historical Literature (1997) Carlos Quirino, biographer, has the distinction of having written one of the earliest biographies of Jose Rizal titled The Great Malayan. Quirino's books and articles span the whole gamut of Philippine history and culture--from Bonifacio's trial to Aguinaldo's biography, from Philippine cartography to culinary arts, from cash crops to tycoons and president's lives, among so many subjects. In 1997, Pres. Fidel Ramos created historical literature as a new category in the National Artist Awards and Quirino was its first recipient. He made a record earlier on when he became the very first Filipino correspondent for the United Press Institute. His book Maps and Views of Old Manila is considered as the best book on the subject. His other books include Quezon, Man of Destiny, Magsaysay of the Philippines, Lives of the Philippine Presidents, Philippine Cartography,The History of Philippine Sugar Industry, Filipino Heritage: The Making of a Nation, Filipinos at War: The Fight for Freedom from Mactan to EDSA.

Music

Antonio J. Molina Music (1973) Antonio J. Molina, versatile musician, composer, music educator was the last of the musical triumvirate, two of whom were Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago, who elevated music beyond the realm of folk music. At an early age, he took to playing the violoncello and played it so well it did not take long before he was playing as orchestra soloist for the Manila Grand Opera House. Molina is credited for introducing such innovations as the whole tone scale, pentatonic scale, exuberance of dominant ninths and eleventh cords, and linear counterpoints. As a member of the faculty of the UP Conservatory, he had taught many of the country's leading musical personalities and educators like Lucresia Kasilag and Felipe de Leon. Molina's most familiar composition is Hatinggabi, a serenade for solo violin and piano accompaniment. Other works are (orchestral music) Misa Antoniana Grand Festival Mass, Ang Batingaw, KundimanKundangan; (chamber music) Hating Gabi, String Quartet, Kung sa Iyong Gunita, Pandangguhan; (vocal music) Amihan, Awit ni Maria Clara, Larawan Nitong Pilipinas, among others.

Jovita Fuentes Music (1976) Long before Lea Salonga's break into broadway, there was already Jovita Fuentes' portrayal of Cio-cio san in Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly at Italy's Teatro Municipale di Piacenza. Her performance has been hailed as the "most sublime interpretation of the part". This is all the more significant because it happened at a time when the Philippines and its people were scarcely heard of in Europe. Prior to that, she was teaching at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music (1917) before leaving for Milan in 1924 for further voice studies. After eight months of arduous training, she made her stage debut at the Piacenza. She later embarked on a string of music performances in Europe essaying the roles of Liu Yu in Puccini's Turnadot, Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme, Iris in Pietro Mascagni's Iris, the title role

of Salome (which composer Richard Strauss personally offered to her including the special role of Princess Yang Gui Fe in Li Tai Pe). In recognition of these achievements, she was given the unprecedented award of "Embahadora de Filipinas a su Madre Patria" by Spain. Her dream to develop the love for opera among her countrymen led her to found the Artists' Guild of the Philippines, which was responsible for the periodic "Tour of Operaland" productions. Her life story has been documented in the biographyJovita Fuentes: A Lifetime of Music (1978) written by Lilia H. Chung, and later translated into Filipino by Virgilio Almario.

Antonino R. Buenaventura Music (1988) Antonino R. Buenaventura has vigorously pursued a musical career that spanned seven decades of unwavering commitment to advancing the frontiers of Philippine music. In 1935, Buenaventura joined Francisca Reyes-Aquino to conduct research on folksongs and dances that led to its popularization. Buenaventura composed songs, compositions, for solo instruments as well as symphonic and orchestral works based on the folksongs of various Philippine ethnic groups. He was also a conductor and restored the Philippine Army Band to its former prestige as one of the finest military bands in the world making it "the only band that can sound like a symphony orchestra". This once sickly boy who played the clarinet proficiently has written several marches such as the "Triumphal March," "Echoes of the Past," "History Fantasy," Second Symphony in E-flat, "Echoes from the Philippines," "Ode to Freedom." His orchestral music compositions include Concert Overture, Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, Philippines Triumphant, Mindanao Sketches, Symphony in C Major, among others.

Lucrecia R. Kasilag Music (1989) Lucrecia R. Kasilag, as educator, composer, performing artist, administrator and cultural entrepreneur of national and international caliber, had involved herself wholly in sharpening the Filipino audience's appreciation of music. Kasilag's pioneering task to discover the Filipino roots through ethnic music and

fusing it with Western influences has led many Filipino composers to experiment with such an approach. She dared to incorporate indigenous Filipino instruments in orchestral productions, such as the prizewinning "Toccata for Percussions and Winds, Divertissement and Concertante," and the scores of the Filiasiana,Misang Pilipino and De Profundis. "Tita King", as she was fondly called, worked closely as music director with colleagues Lucresia Reyes-Urtula, Isabel Santos, Jose Lardizabal and Dr. Leticia P. de Guzman and made Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company one of the premier artistic and cultural groups in the country. Her orchestral music include Love Songs, Legend of the Sarimanok, Ang Pamana, Philippine Scenes, Her Son, Jose, Sisa and chamber music likeAwit ng mga Awit Psalms, Fantaisie on a 4-Note Theme, and East Meets Jazz Ethnika.

Lucio D. San Pedro Music (1991) Lucio D. San Pedro is a master composer, conductor, and teacher whose music evokes the folk elements of the Filipino heritage. Cousin to "Botong" Francisco, San Pedro has produced a wide-ranging body of works that includes band music, concertos for violin and orchestra, choral works, cantatas, chamber music, music for violin and piano, and songs for solo voice. He was the conductor of the much acclaimed Peng Kong Grand Mason Concert Band, the San Pedro Band of Angono, his father's former band, and the Banda Angono Numero Uno. His civic commitment and work with town bands have significantly contributed to the development of a civic culture among Filipino communities and opened a creative outlet for young Filipinos. His orchestral music include The Devil's Bridge, Malakas at Maganda Overture, Prelude and Fugue in D minor, Hope and Ambition; choral musicEaster Cantata, Sa Mahal Kong Bayan, Rizal's Valedictory Poem; vocal music Lulay, Sa Ugoy ng Duyan, In the Silence of the Night; and band music Dance of the Fairies, Triumphal March, Lahing Kayumanggi,Angononian March among others.

Jose Maceda Music (1997) Jose Maceda, composer, musicologist, teacher and performer, explored the musicality of the Filipino deeply. Maceda embarked on a life-long dedication to the understanding and popularization of Filipino traditional music. Maceda's researches and fieldwork have resulted in the collection of an immense number of recorded music taken from the remotest mountain villages and farthest island communities. He wrote papers that enlightened scholars, both Filipino and foreign, about the nature of Philippine traditional and ethnic music. Maceda's experimentation also freed Filipino musical expression from a strictly Eurocentric mold. Usually performed as a communal ritual, his compositions like Ugma-ugma(1963), Pagsamba (1968), and Udlot-udlot (1975), are monuments to his unflagging commitment to Philippine music. Other major works include Agungan, Kubing, Pagsamba, Ugnayan, Ading, Aroding, Siasid, Suling-suling.

Levi Celerio Music and Literature (1997) Levi Celerio is a prolific lyricist and composer for decades. He effortlessly translated/wrote anew the lyrics to traditional melodies: "O Maliwanag Na Buwan" (Iloko), "Ako ay May Singsing" (Pampango), "Alibangbang" (Visaya) among others. Born in Tondo, Celerio received his scholarship at the Academy of Music in Manila that made it possible for him to join the Manila Symphony Orchestra, becoming its youngest member. He made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the only person able to make music using just a leaf. A great number of his songs have been written for the local movies, which earned for him the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Academy of the Philippines. Celerio, more importantly, has enriched the Philippine music for no less than two generations with a treasury of more than 4,000 songs in an idiom that has proven to appeal to all social classes. Major works of Celerio include the following: "Alembong" (music by J. Silos Jr.), "Bagong Pagsilang" (F.de Leon), "Kapag Puso'y Sinugatan" (T. Maiquez), "Galawgaw" (J.Silos Jr.), "Misa de Gallo" (J. Balita), "Pasko na Naman" (F. de Leon), "Sa Ugoy ng Duyan" (L. San Pedro), "Saan Ka Man

Naroroon" (R. Umali), "Tinikling" (folk song), "Itik-itik" (folk song), "Waray-waray" (J.Silos Jr.), "Tunay na Tunay" (J. Silos Jr.), "Ang Pasko ay Sumapit".

Felipe Padilla De Leon Music (1997) Felipe Padilla De Leon, composer, conductor, and scholar, Filipinized western music forms, a feat aspired for by Filipino composers who preceded him.The prodigious body of De Leon's musical compositions, notably the sonatas, marches and concertos have become the full expression of the sentiments and aspirations of the Filipino in times of strife and of peace, making him the epitome of a people's musician. He is the recipient of various awards and distinctions: Republic Cultural Heritage Award, Doctor of Humanities from UP, Rizal Pro-Patria Award, Presidential Award of Merit, Patnubay ng Kalinangan Award, among others. De Leon's orchestral music include Mariang Makiling Overture (1939), Roca Encantada, symphonic legend (1950), Maynila Overture (1976),Orchesterstuk (1981); choral music like Payapang Daigdig, Ako'y Pilipino,Lupang Tinubuan, Ama Namin; and songs Bulaklak, Alitaptap, Mutya ng Lahi.

Ernani J. Cuenco Music (1999) Ernani J. Cuenco is a seasoned musician born in May 10, 1936 in Malolos, Bulacan. A composer, film scorer, musical director and music teacher, he wrote an outstanding and memorable body of works that resonate with the Filipino sense of musicality and which embody an ingenious voice that raises the aesthetic dimensions of contemporary Filipino music. Cuenco played with the Filipino Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Manila Symphony Orchestra from 1960 to 1968, and the Manila Chamber Soloists

from 1966 to 1970. He completed a music degree in piano and cello from the University of Santo Tomas where he also taught for decades until his death in 1988. His songs and ballads include "Nahan, Kahit na Magtiis," and "Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa," "Pilipinas," "Inang Bayan," "Isang Dalangin," "Kalesa," "Bato sa Buhangin" and "Gaano Kita Kamahal." The latter song shows how Cuenco has enriched the Filipino love ballad by adding the elements of kundiman to it.

Andrea O. Veneracion Music (1999) Andrea O. Veneracion, is highly esteemed for her achievements as choirmaster and choral arranger. Two of her indispensable contributions in culture and the arts include the founding of the Philippine Madrigal Singers and the spearheading of the development of Philippine choral music. A former faculty member of the UP College of Music and honorary chair of the Philippine Federation of Choral Music, she also organized a cultural outreach program to provide music education and exposure in several provinces. Born in Manila on July 11, 1928, she is recognized as an authority on choral music and performance and has served as adjudicator in international music competitions.

Theater and Film

Lamberto V. Avellana Theater and Film (1976) Lamberto V. Avellana, director for theater and film, has the distinction of being called "The Boy Wonder of Philippine Movies" as early as 1939. He was the first to use the motion picture camera to establish a point-of-view, a move that revolutionized the techniques of film narration. Avellana, who at 20 portrayed Joan of Arc in time for Ateneo's diamond jubilee, initially set out to establish a Filipino theater. Together with Daisy Hontiveros, star of many UP plays and his future wife, he formed the Barangay Theater Guild which had, among others, Leon Ma .Guerrero and Raul Manglapus as members. It was after seeing such plays that Carlos P. Romulo, then president of Philippine Films, encouraged him to try his hand at directing films. In his first film Sakay, Avellana demonstrated a kind of visual rhythm that established a new filmic language. Sakay was declared the best picture of 1939 by critics and journalists alike and set the tone for Avellana's career in film that would be capped by such distinctive achievements as the Grand Prix at the Asian Film Festival in Hong Kong for Anak Dalita (1956); Best Director of Asia award in Tokyo for Badjao, among others. Avellana was also the first filmmaker to have his film Kandelerong Pilak shown at the Cannes International Film Festival. Among the films he directed for worldwide release were Sergeant Hasan (1967), Destination Vietnam (1969), and The Evil Within (1970).

Honorata "Atang" Dela Rama Theater and Music (1987) Honorata "Atang" Dela Rama was formally honored as the Queen of Kundiman in 1979, then already 74 years old singing the same song ("Nabasag na Banga") that she sang as a 15-year old girl in the sarsuela Dalagang Bukid. Atang became the very first actress in the very first Tagalog film when she essayed the same role in the sarsuela's film version. As early as age seven, Atang was already being cast

in Spanish zarzuelas such as Mascota, Sueño de un Vals, and Marina. She counts the role though of an orphan in Pangarap ni Rosa as her most rewarding and satisfying role that she played with realism, the stage sparkling with silver coins tossed by a teary-eyed audience. Atang firmly believes that the sarswela and the kundiman expresses best the Filipino soul, and has even performed kundiman and other Filipino songs for the Aetas or Negritos of Zambales and the Sierra Madre, the Bagobos of Davao and other Lumad of Mindanao. Among the kundiman and the other songs she premiered or popularized werePakiusap, Ay, Ay Kalisud, Kung Iibig Ka and Madaling Araw by Jose Corazon de Jesus, and Mutya ng Pasig by Deogracias Rosario and Nicanor Abelardo. She also wrote her own sarswelas: Anak ni Eba, Aking Ina, and Puri at Buhay.

Rolando S. Tinio Theater and Literature (1997) Rolando S. Tinio, playwright, thespian, poet, teacher, critic and translator, marked his career with prolific artistic productions. Tinio's chief distinction is as a stage director whose original insights into the scripts he handled brought forth productions notable for their visual impact and intellectual cogency. Subsequently, after staging productions for the Ateneo Experimental Theater (its organizer and administrator as well), he took on Teatro Pilipino. It was to Teatro Pilipino which he left a considerable amount of work reviving traditional Filipino drama by re-staging old theater forms like the sarswela and opening a treasure-house of contemporary Western drama. It was the excellence and beauty of his practice that claimed for theater a place among the arts in the Philippines in the 1960s. Aside from his collections of poetry (Sitsit sa Kuliglig, Dunung - Dunungan, Kristal na Uniberso, A Trick of Mirrors) among his works were the following: film scripts for Now and Forever, Gamitin Mo Ako, Bayad Puri and Milagros; sarswelas Ang Mestisa, Ako, Ang Kiri, Ana Maria; the komedya Orosman at Zafira; and Larawan, the musical.

Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater (1997) Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero is a teacher and theater artist whose 35 years of devoted professorship has produced the most sterling luminaries in Philippine performing arts today: Behn Cervantes, Celia DiazLaurel, Joy Virata, Joonee Gamboa, etc. In 1947, he was appointed as UP Dramatic Club director and served for 16 years. As founder and artistic director of the UP Mobile Theater, he pioneered the concept of theater campus tour and delivered no less than 2,500 performances in a span of 19 committed years of service. By bringing theatre to countryside, Guerrero made it possible for students and audiences in general to experience the basic grammar of staging and acting in familiar and friendly ways through his plays that humorously reflect the behavior of the Filipino. His plays include Half an Hour in a Convent, Wanted: A Chaperon, Forever, Condemned, Perhaps, In Unity, Deep in My Heart, Three Rats, Our Strange Ways, The Forsaken House, Frustrations.

Daisy H. Avellana Theater (1999) Daisy H. Avellana, is an actor, director and writer. Born in Roxas City, Capiz on January 26, 1917. She has elevated legitimate theater and dramatic arts to a new level of excellence by staging and performing in breakthrough productions of classic Filipino and foreign plays and by encouraging the establishment of performing groups and the professionalization of Filipino theater. Together with her husband, National Artist Lamberto Avellana and other artists, she co-founded the Barangay Theatre Guild in 1939 which paved the way for the popularization of theatre and dramatic arts in the country, utilizing radio and television. She has starred in plays like Othello (1953), Macbeth in Black (1959), Casa de Bernarda Alba (1967), Tatarin. She is best remembered for her portrayal ofCandida Marasigan in the stage and film versions of Nick Joaquin’s Portrait of the Artist as Filipino. Her directorial credits include Diego Silang (1968), andWalang Sugat (1971). Among her screenplays were Sakay (1939)and Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1955)

Severino Montano Theater (2001) Playwright, director, actor, and theater organizer Severino Montano is the forerunner in institutionalizing "legitimate theater" in the Philippines. Taking up courses and graduate degrees abroad, he honed and shared his expertise with his countrymates. As Dean of Instruction of the Philippine Normal College, Montano organized the Arena Theater to bring drama to the masses. He trained and directed the new generations of dramatists including Rolando S. Tinio, Emmanuel Borlaza, Joonee Gamboa, and Behn Cervantes. He established a graduate program at the Philippine Normal College for the training of playwrights, directors, technicians, actors, and designers. He also established the Arena Theater Playwriting Contest that led to the discovery of Wilfrido Nolledo, Jesus T. Peralta, and Estrella Alfon. Among his awards and recognitions are the Patnubay ng Kalinangan Award from the City of Manila (1968), Presidential Award for Merit in Drama and Theater (1961), and the Rockefeller Foundation Grant to travel to 98 cities abroad (1950, 1952, 1962, and 1963).

Salvador F. Bernal Theater Design (2003) Salvador Bernal is a theater designer who has designed more than 300 productions distinguished for their originality since 1969. Sensitive to the budget limitations of local productions, he harnessed the design potential of inexpensive local materials, pioneering or maximizing the use of bamboo, raw abaca, and abaca fiber, hemp twine, rattan chain links and gauze cacha. As the acknowledged guru of contemporary Filipino theater design, Bernal has shared his skills with younger designers through his classes at the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University, and through the programs he created for the CCP Production Design Center which he himself conceptualized and organized. To promote and professionalize theater design, he organized the PATDAT (Philippine Association of Theatre Designers and Technicians) in 1995 and by way of Philippine Center of OISTAT (Organization Internationale des Scenographes, Techniciens et Architectes du Theatre), he has introduced Philippine theater design to the world.

THE NATIONAL ARTISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES

Prof. Oliver Liangco Instructor