What lack of delicadeza are they talking about?
—Mrs. Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, on being named National Artist for Theater
A smooth face and a high education are not necessary to be a National Artist.
—Magno Carlo J. Caparas, on being named National Artist for Film and Visual Arts
Caligula made his horse a consul. Gloria Arroyo did the mad Roman emperor better. She turned National Artists into horse’s asses.
The point of the exercise is for peers to pick National Artists. The fact that Gloria Arroyo has the prerogative to confer the title National Artist does not mean she’s qualified to choose who should get it.
It’s not within her competence. It’s as if the French President were to step in and dictate who gets the Palm d’ Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
It’s patently absurd for Gloria Arroyo to meddle in the selection process. But not only did she interfere, she even created a mestizo category called National Artist for Visual Arts and Film, specifically for Magno Carlo J. Caparas.
Caparas is the creator of cartoon characters Panday, Gagambino, Totoy Bato, Kroko, Bakekang and many others. But he never illustrated those cartoons. So how did he become a visual artist?
National Patron of Cartoonists is a more honest title for Caparas.
Now I’ve never seen a Caparas film, so I defer to Gloria Arroyo who, I presume, can expound on the artistic merits of Caparas classics like The Marita Gonzaga Rape-Slay: In God We Trust (1995), The Untold Story: Vizconde Massacre 2-God Have Mercy on Us (1994), Lipa Massacre (1994), Antipolo Massacre (1993), Vizconde Massacre (1993) and other slice-and-dice obras maestras.
Mrs. Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, guiding light of the Philippine Educational Theater Association, is Gloria’s National Artist for Theater.
Mrs. Alvarez certainly deserves some kind of recognition for her contribution to Philippine theater. But, instead of National Artist for Theater, why not give her the Presidential Medal of Merit, the same decoration she advised Gloria Arroyo to award posthumously to Ms. Zenaida Amador of Repertory Philippines?
If the medal was good enough for Ms. Amador, whose repertory company produced internationally acclaimed actors, then it should be good enough for Mrs. Alvarez, whose theater group produced locally acclaimed actors. But I digress.
Mrs. Alvarez should not be conferred, nor should she accept, any National Artist title while she’s concurrently presidential adviser on culture and arts and executive director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the agency that, along with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), picks National Artists. There is a conflict of interest there whether Mrs. Arroyo and Mrs. Alvarez acknowledge it.
Mrs. Alvarez insists that delicadeza is not the issue. She’s right. In this dispensation famous for its utter lack of self-restraint and its uber-thick skin, propriety is never an issue. Beating the system is all that matters these days.
Education Undersecretary Vilma Labrador, NCCA chairman and staunch defender of Mrs. Alvarez, explained to the Philippine Star how Mrs. Alvarez got in through the backdoor: “Look at her qualifications, her caliber, she will put the other National Artists to shame. Cecile, through the journey of her life, she gave her flesh and blood to theater.
“Alvarez was nominated by groups outside the NCCA and the CCP, the two bodies mandated to recommend the choice of National Artist to the Office of the President. It was Fr. James Reuter, Alejandro Roces and Sen. Edgardo Angara who pushed for Alvarez’s inclusion in this year’s National Artists. The President has the prerogative to name awardees recommended from outside of the NCCA and CCP.”
Well, whoop-dee-doo! All one needs are influential sponsors!
But what about those who complain about the skewed system, what can they do?
Well, nothing, except grit their teeth while Magno Carlo J. Caparas, safely tucked under Gloria’s skirt, gloats and taunts, “Inggit lang kayo!”
Popularity: 1% [?]
In the ancient decadent Rome. Emperor Caligula and his officials
tickled their throats. So that they will vomit. And feast again for
the food delicacies. While the people of their empire had nothing
to eat.
At least, they had not tickled their throats…
It’s our throats they’ve been tickling.
For national artist
Willie Revillame
Tito, Vic, and Joey
Jimmy Santos
But, BongV, they’re not Gloria’s asslickers, so no can do, heheh.
The parallelism made on an Amador and a Guidote, on Repertory Philippines and PETA or the equivalent theater group, on the crops of international acclaimed artists and the locally acclaimed artists – is really very circumspect.
Why indeed the conferment of a far more superior award than a mere Presidential Medal of Merit to a Guidote when obviously an Amador has fared better and higher in the ‘reputation chart’ and in fact not even conferred the award as a National Artist?
Couldn’t this be the case of what Erap calls – “weather weather lang” or “pana panahon lang”. Vieweded differently, it can really be the bastardization of most cherished institutions and traditions at the very least – all because GMA has the conn of the ship of state.
This only goes to show that the “bastardization” of institutions under Arroyo is not limited to the Church, Justice and Law, Education, the Legislature and Suffrage that somehow have a rather direct relationship to perpetuating an incumbency. It also extends to the arts where the line to Arroyo, where it was once dotted, is now bold, solid and even brazen because she has taken upon herself (including the Palace Honor Committee taht includes former policemen) the task of defining art.
I am waiting for the time when she becomes a judge on American Idol or the Amazing Race. Or when Bayani Fernando wins the award for “relevant art” for those swatches of left-over sidewalk paint that cover urban graffiti he calls “MMDA Art”.
Dean
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The Arrogance of Protesting National Artists
A surprise histrionic attack was launched on the selection of the 2009 National Artists proclaimed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. When the Cultural Center of the Philippines finds it convenient, its leadership appeals not to inject politics into the arts as it has become the object of protests by victims of the martial law regime of Marcos. The CCP is now in a controversy for its recognition or restoration of a discredited conjugal dictatorship. Yet obviously, the CCP after fueling the national artist brouhaha, surprisingly, has directed a political assault on the President with her duty and authority of giving a State Award. At the Congressional hearing, the Minutes of the meeting of the NCCA Board signed by some of protesting CCP officials and National Artists like Rio Almario and Eddie Romero and son of National Artist, Felipe De Leon were unfolded. The November 6 and December 4, 1997 discussion respectively states as follows:
“c. The two Boards concluded that it is within the President’s prerogative to create new categories as well as declare awardees without the benefit of passing through formal selection process.” (November 6, 2007; NCCA Minutes of the Regular Commission Meeting, page 3)
And
“It was emphasized that the NCCA Commissioners and the CCP Trustees acknowledge the authority and prerogative of the President of the Philippines to create National Artist Categories, to disapprove recommendations made to him by the NCCA and CCP, or to designate National Artists on his own initiative.” (last paragraph, page 2; December 4, 1997; NCCA Minutes of the Regular Commission Meeting)
Clearly, from these meetings since 1997, there was a consensus and unanimity after resolving the rancor against President Fidel Ramos choice of Carlos Quirino for a new category of historical literature. To quote Shakespeare “it was all sound and fury signifying nothing” since in the end, CCP-NCCA Joint Board acknowledged Presidential authority and prerogative to proclaim National Artists. Their function is limited to advise. The entire melodrama of protests for 2009 was maliciously conjured up as a media magnet of hitting the President and unleashing a smear and vilification campaign against the persona of the 2009 National Artists. Unfortunately, whoever IS the Machiavellian gang who started the vicious trial by publicity unfairly misled a whole community and paved a highway of conflict where there should be none.
The prevailing rule is Executive Order No. 236 which rationalized all government awards into an Honors Code creating an Honors Committee to assist the President which has the capacity to liaise with appropriate government agencies such as the CCP and NCCA for preliminary recommendation and selection as well as receive other nominations and consult with expert resource persons in the field to provide additional advise for the President’s judgment. To make sure that there is no variance or difference of interpretation of the CCP-NCCA role, Executive Order 435 amending Section 5 of the Honors Code underscored its function as advisory and not mandatory.
We congratulate the President for her discernment in choosing Bobby Mañosa, who pioneered a distinctive fILIPINO architecture through use of indigenous materials, Pitoy Moreno dubbed Asia’s fashion czar, Carlo Caparas, the Comics King for his voluminous work of comics stories that have been transformed into TV and film as part of his efforts to revive the comics industry: as well as giving a long overdue recognition to Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, the youngest Filipina to have received a Ramon Magsaysay Outstanding Asian Award as PETA Founder linking Philippine theatre to the international arena since 1972and hailed as the 1st UNESCO Artist for Peace Awardee from our country IN 2003. Even in exile she merited the UN Human Rights Day Award for Theatrical innovation and provided cultural services to Filipinos abroad.
Where is the abuse? Their credentials are solid. If they were daughters or brothers or political allies without qualifications, only then can you raise the issue of the President’s abuse of discretion. When the protestors including the children of Marcos berated her as an over rated artist raised the issue against certain prohibitions on Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, the Office of the Solicitor General analyzed that it is not prescribed by the internal rule of CCP-NCCA they cited as they are deemed unrelated or impertinent to her status. She was not nominated in the CCP-NCCA process where she was involved as the head of the coordinating secretariat. She also did not participate in the Honors Committee deliberation where she was nominated by Ramon Magsaysay Awardee and Congressional Medal of Merit Awardee. Fr. James B. Rueter, S.J., National Artist, Dr. Alejandro R. Roces and Sen. Edgardo Angara among others.
Corollarily, the President’s proclamation of Alvarez is not unprecedented. The late Carlos P. Romulo was declared National Artist during his incumbency as Secretary of Foreign Affairs by President Marcos. Until Congress comes up with an amendment or create a new law to govern the selection of National Artists, we must respect the rule of law. I attended the Congressional Hearing presided by Rep. Del De Guzman providing a chance for Dialogue instead of one sided accusations. We advise people to look at the facts rather than adhere to a culture of gossip and vendetta. There are some protesters who may have some axe to grind against some of the proclaimed National Artists. There are also those who relish the protest venue for their party list membership in aid of election.
It would be good for Congress to look into the parameters of a parallel National Medal of Arts in the US where the President is given the freehand as head of state to select from among the names submitted by the National Council of Arts and the National Endowment of the Arts as well as include those of his own initiative as long as it does not exceed a list of 12 artists annually.
What is amazing is the arrogance and lack of delicadeza of some national artists claiming monopoly of artistic expertise, excellence and exceptional body of works. We lay our trust on the SC for their decision on the legalities of the proclamation. When the CCP board wanted to arrogate upon itself the selection of trustees and whipped out a storm amongst themselves, the Supreme Court rendered its judgment on the pre-eminence of presidential prerogative. Here we go again, there is a saying: Those who do not learn from their past are condemned to relive it.
Commissioner Abdulrahman
Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF)
clowns, the whole lot of you “national artists”. credit CJC to give that distinction the ooommpphh factor and take it up a notch.
maybe it’s high time these bitter old dinosaurs re-evaluate what “relevant art” means nowadays. get over it.