Program Title:

Module Title:

Contempora CPAR
ry Philippine
“Contemporary Arts in the Philippines”
Arts from
the Regions Introduction:

Contemporary Arts in the Philippines refer to the

various forms of the arts that have developed and accumulated in the
Philippines from the beginning of civilization in the country up to the present era. They reflect the range of
artistic influences on the country's culture, including indigenous forms of the arts, and how these influences
have honed the country's arts. These arts are divided into two distinct branches, namely, traditional arts and
non-traditional arts.

Prerequisites: None

Module Objective:

 Explain Filipino artist’s roles and identify their contribution to contemporary arts;
 Evaluate contemporary art forms based on the elements and principles;
 Compare forms of arts from the different regions;
 Interpret and relates the significance of arts forms from the regions;
 Promote arts from the regions.
 Defines contemporary arts in the Philippines
 Researches on various contemporary art forms
 MODULE 2
Contemporary Philippine
Arts from the Regions
Grade 11
SY 2020-2021

Student’s Name: _______________________________________

Subject Teacher: ______________________________________
 COURSE OUTLINE

Lesson
Number of Days Number of Minutes Page
FIRST QUARTER
Unit I. INTEGRATIVE ART AS APPLIED TO
CONTEMPORARY ART
Part I. Contemporary Visual Arts in the Philippines
A. Arts and its Visual Elements 1 60
B. Painting 1 60
C. Sculpture and other forms of Visual Arts 1 60
D. Architecture 1 60
Part II. Contemporary Performing Arts and Literature
in the Philippines
A. Literature and Theater 2 120
B. Music and Dance 2 120
C. Film 1 60
II. CONTEMPORARY ARTS IN THE
PHILIPPINES
A. Philippine about Philippine Art 1 60
B. Art in the Past 2 120
C. Philippine Museums 2 120
D. Significant Contemporary Visual Arts from
4 240
the Regions
E. Philippine Music Scene 3 180
F. Traditional Folk Dances of the Philippines 5 300
G. State of Philippine Cinema 1 60
H. National Artists of the Philippines 7 420
I. Gawad Sa Manlilikhang Bayan (GAMABA) 6 360

TOTAL 40 2400

MODULE
 2 Contemporary Arts in the Philippines

Lesson 1

Philippine about Philippine Art

What is Philippine about Philippine Art?

What makes Philippine Art Filipino? To what extent is Philippine art derivative of Western art? Is
there anything “Filipino” about, for example, the Manila Wyeth School, the so-called magic realists? How
about the paintings of Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Francisco, and Hernando R. Ocampo, all of whom have
been identified a big way with the native sensibility?

The questions above are merely a rephrasing of the old problem of national identity in the visual or
plastic arts. Admittedly, the issue is not as hot as it used to be, say, in the 1950’s and 1960’s. But it is a
question that will always haunt art watchers hereabouts, and which usually surfaces in art forums.

Carlos “Botong” Francisco Prof. Lucio San Pedro

Genre used to be a major consideration in determining the “Filipino-ness” of a work of art at least in
painting. The idea was that the depiction of scenes of everyday life and the surrounding without idealizing
them was closest in spirit to the Filipino soul and native soil. (What saves the local magic realists from being
completely derivative is their sense of genre.)

It is true that the Angono painter also did genre subjects, as in his paintings of festivals and other
town or poblacion happenings. But he was most at home doing subjects dealing with the history of the race,
as well as its prehistory redolent with the musk of myth and legend.

Angono is known as the ‘Art Capital of the Philippines’ because it is the only town, despite its small
geography and population, which has produced and home to two National Artists namely Carlos ‘Botong’
Francisco for Painting and Prof. Lucio San Pedro for Music.

The fact is that all the modern art movements in the ASEAN region were inspired by Western
models. Indonesia’s pioneering contemporary painters, Sudjojono, and Affandi (the equivalents of our
Edades and Ocampo) used easel and canvas and are no less Indonesian thereby. Malaysia’s Mohidin and
Thailand’s Srisouta are also west-oriented, but they have not lost their Asian, and national identities
because of it.
Activity:
 Lesson 2

Art in the Past

Looking at Art: Darangen Epic

The Darangen is an ancient epic song that encompasses a wealth of knowledge of the Maranao
people who live in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. This southernmost island of the Philippine
archipelago is the traditional homeland of the Maranao, one of the country’s three main Muslim groups.

Comprising 17 cycles and a total of 72,000 lines, the Darangen

celebrates episodes from Maranao history and the tribulations of mythical
heroes. In addition to having a compelling narrative content, the epic
explores the underlying themes of life and death, courtship, love and politics
through symbol, metaphor, irony and satire. The Darangen also encodes
customary law, standards of social and ethical behavior, and notions of
aesthetic beauty, and social values specific to the Maranao. To this day,
elders refer to this time-honored text in the administration of customary law.

Nowadays, the Darangen is less frequently performed owing in part to its rich vocabulary and
archaic linguistic forms, which can only be understood by practitioners, elders and scholars. Indeed, the
growing tendency to embrace mainstream Filipino lifestyles may represent a threat to the survival of this
ancient epic.

Looking at Art: Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium”

The painting features a glimpse of Roman history centered on the bloody carnage brought by gladiatorial
matches. Spoliarium is a Latin word referring to the basement of the Roman Colosseum where the fallen
and dying gladiators are dumped and devoid of their worldly possessions.

At the center of Luna’s painting are fallen gladiators being dragged by Roman soldiers. On the left,
spectators ardently await their chance to strip off the combatants of their metal helmets and other armory. In
contrast with the charged emotions featured on the left, the right side meanwhile presents a somber mood.
An old man carries a torch perhaps searching for his son while a woman weeps the death of her loved one.

The Spoliarium is the most valuable oil-on-canvas painting by Juan Luna, a Filipino educated at the
Academia de Dibujo y Pintura (Philippines) and at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. With a
size of 4.22 meters x 7.675 meters, it is the largest painting in the Philippines. A historical painting, it was
made by Luna in 1884 as an entry to the prestigious Exposicion de Bellas Artes (Madrid Art Exposition, May
1884) and eventually won for him the First Gold Medal.
Looking at Art: Amorsolo’s “Antipolo Fiesta,” 1947

This oil painting on canvas depicts a rural scene where a group of

people are shown celebrating a fiesta in Antipolo. The main focus is on a
pair of dancers in the field surrounded by revelers both young and old.
Abundant food is presented in basketfuls of assorted fruits on the benches
and on the ground, as well as the traditional roasted pig or lechon being
prepared by two men. Nearby is a house with huge windows from where
dwellers watch the revelers. At the background is a huge church, a
symbolic town structure. A vast number of townsmen complete the
essence of a fiesta.

It can be said that the pair of dancers are in the usual same pose as those of dancers in Fernando
Amorsolo’s various well-known tinikling-related paintings. A viewer may be quick to surmise at a glance that
this painting belongs to that category, as the bamboo handlers in the usual tinikling dance often blend in the
crowd and are not easily distinguished. However, there are no bamboo-handlers present in this painting
simply because the dancers are not performing the tinikling dance. Thus, this indication is what makes this
painting very unique.

Looking at Art: Tolentino’s “U.P. Oblation”

The Oblation is the monument and main symbol of the University of the Philippines. It depicts a
man with arms stretched wide and face turned upward, symbolizing selfless offering of one's self for one's
country.

The Oblation is the masterpiece of first National Artist for Sculpture Guillermo Tolentino. In 1935,
Guillermo was commissioned by then University President Rafael Palma to craft a monument that would
express in visual form the second stanza of Jose Rizal’s "Mi Ultimo Adios” ("Last Farewell"). The concrete
statue painted in bronze stands 3.5 meters high (to represent the 350 years of Spanish colonization of the
Philippines) on a pile of rocks symbolizing the islands of the Philippines. Funding for the statue was raised
through a two-month fund campaign that garnered P2, 000.

The model for the statue has been widely rumored to be Fernando Poe, Sr.,
though there are sources that claim that the real model was Tolentino's student
apprentice Caedo.

The original Oblation was unveiled in 1939 in Ermita, Manilaby Gregoria de

Jesus de Nakpil, widow of hero Andres Bonifacio. On the occasion of the university's
40th anniversary, the Oblation was moved from UP Manila to UP Diliman along with
the administrative offices.

The Oblation located at the end of University Avenue in the UP Diliman campus is merely a replica
of the original one located at the 3rd floor of the UP Diliman Main Library. Several replicas of the Oblation
have been made for the different campuses of the University. Here is Guillermo Tolentino's own words of
the Oblation's symbolism:
 "The completely nude figure of a young man with outstretched arms and open hands, with tilted
head, closed eyes and parted lips murmuring a prayer, with breast forward in the act of offering himself, is
my interpretation of that sublime stanza. It symbolizes all the unknown heroes who fell during the night. The
statue stands on a rustic base, a stylized rugged shape of the Philippine archipelago, lined with big and
small rocks, each and every one of which represents and island.

The katakataka (wonder plant) whose roots are tightly implanted on Philippine soil, is the link that
binds the symbolized figure to the allegorical Philippine Group.

Katakataka is really a wonder plant. It is called siempre vivo (always alive) in Spanish. A leaf or a
piece thrown anywhere will sprout into a young plant. Hence it symbolizes the deep-rooted patriotism in the
heart of our heroes. Such patriotism continually and forever grows anywhere in the Philippines.

The 3.5 meter height of the statue stands for the 350 years of Spanish rule in the Philippines. The
rocks on the base of the relic were taken from Montalban (Rizal) gorge, site of the fierce fighting between
Filipino guerillas and the Japanese army during the Second World War."

Each of the four sides of the monument’s base is inscribed with quotes that speak of a willingness
to serve and give one’s life for one’s country. The front of the pedestal holds a passage from El
Filibusterismo. On the back of the pedestal is the second stanza of “Mi Ultimo Adios,” and another stanza
from the same poem adorns the right side. On the left side is a poem b Andres Bonifacio, “Pag-ibig sa
Tinubuang Lupa”.

Looking at Art: The Manunggul Jar of Palawan

The Manunggul Jar is a National Treasure of the Philippines. A

secondary burial jar, it is designated item 64-MO-74 in the National Museum of
the Philippines, Manila. The jar was found in Chamber A of the Manunggul
caves in Palawan. The jar is dated from about 2800 years before the present
day. The Manungul Jar was found in the Tabon Cave in Palawan. It was found
by Robert Fox and Miguel Santiago. The faces of the figures and on the prow of
the boat have eyes and mouth rendered in the same style as other artifacts of
Southeast Asia of that period. Note the depiction of sea-waves on the lid. This
style of decoration places this jar in the Sa-huýnh-Kalanay Pottery tradition of
Southern Vietnam.

The steersman's oar is missing its paddle, as is the mast in the center of the boat, against which
the steersman would have braced his feet. This symbolizes that they are traveling to the next life.

In secondary burial, only bones were placed in the jar, and the jar itself is not buried.

Manunggul jar is, one of the evidences that the Filipino is well-skilled, it was found on the cave of
Palawan. The age of this jar is over 2000 years .the height is 61 centimeters it is used a burial jar. The
cover, showing the figures of men in boat.at the mouth of this jar, there is an enchanting ornaments.
Activity:
 Lesson 3

Philippine Museums
National Museums of the Philippines

The National Museum of the Philippines (Filipino: Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas) is a

government institution in the Philippines and serves as an educational, scientific and cultural
institution in preserving the various permanent national collections featuring the ethnographic,
anthropological, archaeological and visual artistry of the Philippines. Since 1998, the National
Museum has been the regulatory and enforcement agency of the National Government in the
restoring and safeguarding of important cultural properties, sites and reservations throughout the
Philippines.

The National Museum operates the National Museum of Fine

Arts, National Museum of Anthropology, National Museum of
National History, and National Planetarium, all located in the
vicinity of Rizal Park (“National Museum of the Philippines,”2016).

List of other Museums in the Philippines

Place Museum Description Address

Manila Bahay Tsinoy A typical Chinese house 32 Anda St, Intramuros,

in the Philippines Manila, 1002 Metro
Manila

Casa Manila Casa Manila is a General Luna St,

museum in Intramuros Intramuros, Manila, 1002
depicting colonial Metro Manila
lifestyle during Spanish
colonization of the
Philippines.

San Agustin Museum A church museum with San Agustin Monastery,

wide collections of General Luna Street
catholic religious items. Corner Real, Intramuros,
Manila

National Museum of the The national museum P. Burgos Avenue,

Philippines which showcases
 Philippine Arts Manila

Malacañang Museum A museum inside the Malacañang Palace, JP,

Presidential Palace Kalayaan Hall, 2/F Jose
Complex Laurel St, San Miguel,
Manila, Metro Manila

Metropolitan Museum of A museum of BSP Complex, Roxas

the Philippines contemporary arts Blvd, Malate, Manila,
Metro Manila

Museum of A museum of Ground Floor, Benilde

Contemporary Arts and contemporary Filipino School of Design and
Design arts Arts Campus, Dominga
Street, Malate, Maynila,
1004 Kalakhang Maynila

The Museum A museum of De La Salle University,

contemporary Filipino 2401 Taft Avenue,
arts Manila

UST Museum The oldest existing UST Main Building,

museum in the España Blvd, Sampaloc
Philippines. It has a Manila
permanent display of
natural history
specimens, coins,
medals, memorabilia,
ethnographic
materials, and
oriental art objects.

Museo Pambata A museum for children Roxas Blvd, Ermita,

Manila, 1000 Metro
Manila

Pasay CCP Museo ng A museum of performing CCP Complex, Roxas

Kalinangang Pilipino and arts Blvd, Malate, Pasay,
Asian Traditional 1307 Metro Manila
Musical Instruments

GSIS Museo ng Sining A museum of Filipino Metro Manila, Financial

arts. Center, GSIS Building,
Roxas Blvd, Pasay,
Metro Manila
Makati Ayala Museum A museum of Filipino Greenbelt Park, Makati
arts. Avenue, corner Dela
Rosa Street, Ayala
Center, Makati, Metro
Manila

Yuchengco Museum A museum of Filipino RCBC Plaza, Corner

and Filipino-Chinese Ayala Avenue and
Arts Senator Gil J. Puyat
Avenue, Makati, 1200
Metro Manila

Pasig Lopez Memorial A museum of Filipino Benpres Building,

Museum contemporary arts Exchange Road corner
Meralco Avenue, Makati

Quezon City Ateneo Art Gallery A museum of Filipino Ateneo de Manila

contemporary arts University Arts WIng,
Katipunan Ave, Diliman,
Quezon City, Metro
Manila

Jose B. Vargas Museum The only museum in the Roxas Ave, Diliman,
and Filipiniana Research Philippines with wide Quezon City, Metro
Center range of Philippine Arts Manila
from 1880 to 1960

Taguig Mind Museum A science museum JY Campos Park, 3rd

Ave, Taguig, 1634 Metro
Manila

Cebu Paulina Constancia A museum of Naïve Art, Justice German Lee Jr.
Museum of Naïve Poetry, & Sustainability Nature Sanctuary,
(MoNA) Bacsije Rd, Carcar City,
Cebu

Aurora Baler Museum A museum of Naïve Art Baler, Aurora

and culture

Nueva Ecija Provincial Capitol A museum of Novo Palayan CIty

Museum Esijano’s Arts and
Culture

Fred’s Art Gallery A museum of Novo Cabanatuan City

Esijano’s Artist
Bengue BenCab Museum A museum of BenCab Baguio City
Arts

Activity:
 Lesson 4

Significant Contemporary Visual Arts from the Regions

Objectives:
 Differentiate among the basic sculpture materials and Techniques
 Describe the art styles and movements in sculpture as they apply to give contemporary Filipino
sculpture in the different regions
 Analyze how description, analysis and interpretation are used in a sample sculpture

Sculpture is the most familiar art forms among Filipinos. From the transitional carving of anitos
to the santos to Christ and down to the saints, Filipinos find it rather not difficult as they are already
familiar with the ways of the wood.

Philippine sculptures have undergone changes in terms of shape, form, content as well as the
mediums used. First sculptures were primitive and native materials used are stones and clays.
During that time, sculptures created depicted normal life and acts of worship and colors were also
limited.

Ethnic sculptures has been done using traditional media of wood and stone, by carving,
molding using clays, and casting when using metals. Carving involves removing of materials from
the wood or stone. Wood carving has been part of the ancient tradition of Malay wood carving in
Southeast Asia.
Sample Philippine Sculptures

UPlift Lapu-Lapu Statue in Cebu

Looking at Art: The Higantes of Angono, Rizal

It was said that the higantes started during the Spanish colonial times, when
Angono was once a hacienda and ruled by Spanish hacienderos. The Angono land tillers way of
protesting their struggle is by making giant effigy of their landlords whose hands are usually high
up on their waist.

The body of the traditional higante are made of bamboo and colorful cloth and
its faces of paper mache. The three old higantes of Angono consists of the family of giants – the
father, mother and child higante, they traditionally add color and fun during the fiesta celebration. It
was in the late 80s when the late Angono artist Perdigon Vocalan
brought the idea of the Higantes Festival by going out of the traditional
family of giants and advocating having more higantes in the fiesta by
coordinating with the barangays of Angono to come up with Higantes
that will represent their barangay. At present, the Higantes of Angono
can be seen in fiesta celebrations around the Philippines and in national
cultural presentations, the major being the Centennial Parade in the
Quirino Grandstand for the Philippine Centennial celebration in 1998.

The higantes are made of paper-mache. Higantes measures four to five feet in
diameter and ten to twelve feet in height. Traditionally, it began in the last century when Angono
was a Spanish hacienda. This higantes was influenced by the Mexican art form of paper-mache
brought by the Spanish priests to the Philippines.

Traditionally, it began in the last century when Angono was a Spanish hacienda.
This higantes was influenced by the Mexican art form of paper-mache brought by the Spanish
priests to the Philippines.

Looking at Art: The Sculptures of Paete, Laguna

The name of Paete is derived from the Tagalog word paet, which means chisel.

The town has had a long reputation for its craftsmen highly skilled in wood carving and its embellishment. In
1887, José Rizal described Paete as a town where “carpenter shops” were issuing images “even those
more rudely carved” (chapter VI, Noli Me Tangere). Even now, its inhabitants (called Paeteños or
Paetenians) continue with their centuries-old tradition in carving and painting.
Its statues, pulpits, murals and bas relief are found in churches, palaces and museums all over the
world, including the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, the Mission Dolorosa in
San Francisco, the San Cayetano Church in Mexico, the St. Joseph’s shrine in Sta. Cruz, California, various
churches in the Philippines and the Ayala Museum in Makati, Philippines.

The official town hero is not a statesman nor a soldier but a woodcarver, the master artisan Mariano
Madriñan, whose obra maestra, the lifelike Mater Dolorosa, was honored by the King of Spain with a
prestigious award in Amsterdam in 1882. The town was proclaimed “the Carving Capital of the Philippines”
on March 15, 2005 by Philippine President Arroyo. It is also believed that the modern yo-yo, which
originated in the Philippines, was invented in Paete.

Looking at Art: The Taka of Paete, Laguna

Taka refers to paper mache made using carved wooden sculpture used as a mold. The craft originated in
the town of Paete, Laguna in the Philippines.

Taka was pioneered by Paete local, Maria Piday. During Christmas, Piday was in charge of the church's
decorations. The wooden angels and cherub was heavy causing the carvings to fall. Piday devised the
lightweight taka paper mache as an alternative to the wooden sculptures. Piday was also a maker of local
toys such as the yoyo and the small acrobat hand puppet. Taka eventually became folk art and was sold to
nearby towns for festivals. In the 1970s, Tere Afuang, a knowledgeable practitioner of the craft, popularized
the craft.

A takaan, a carved wooden sculpture, is used as a mold in making taka.

Brown craft paper is used as a final layer for taka made for export. This
provides a thicker base and smoother finish for the craft. Taka is also painted.

The traditional way of painting a taka is to use primary colors, add simple
flower motifs and use repetitive lines and shapes. Gold finish, usually used in
angel, reindeer and huge taka is accomplished by using gilded paper.

Common and traditional subjects of taka include the manok, kabayo, and kalabaw,
dalaga (chicken, horse, and carabao, maiden) which is made primarily for local use. Due to exposure and
migration of Paete residents to Manila and abroad, European-influenced paper mache toys began to be
made for export to other countries, such as Germany. Taka images now include those of Santa Claus,
reindeer, giraffes, and other subjects that are in demand.

Looking at Art: The Giant Lantern Festival of Pampanga

The Giant Lantern Festival (Kapampangan: Ligligan Parul) is an annual festival held in mid-
December in the City of San Fernando in the Philippines. The festival features a competition of giant
lanterns. Because of the popularity of the festival, the city has been nicknamed the "Christmas Capital of the
Philippines".

The San Fernando lantern industry evolved from the Giant Lantern Festival of San Fernando. The
festival, which is held every December, finds its roots in Bacolor where a much simpler activity was held.
Following the transfer of the provincial capital from Bacolor to San Fernando on August 1904, this lantern
event followed as well. "Ligligan Parul" was said to have started in San Fernando in 1904. But some say
that the "Ligligan Parul" did not happen immediately after the transfer and in fact began in 1908.

This predecessor of the modern day Giant Lantern Festival was actually a religious activity which
we know today as “lubenas.” The lanterns measured just two feet in diameter, a far cry from the fifteen feet
of the lanterns seen today in the festival. These were created in each barrio from bamboo and other locally
available materials. During the nine-day novena before Christmas, which coincided with the simbang gabi
from December 16 to 24, these paruls were brought around each barrio in procession to their visita. Before
the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the lanterns were brought to the town church together with the barrio
patrons.

This tradition gradually evolved as the lanterns became bigger and the designs became more
intricate. Later, one big lantern was made for each barrio, which was created through a cooperative effort.
Each resident contributed to its construction, from the concept and design, to the materials and labor. In the
end, these lanterns became a symbol of unity for the barrios.

It was in 1931 that electricity was introduced to the San Fernando lantern, thus sparking the birth of
the first Giant Lantern Festival. The added illusion of dancing lights highlighted the bright colors and intricate
designs of these Giant Lanterns. At this time, the lights were controlled by individual switches that were
turned on and off following the beat of the music. The barangays of Del Pilar, Sta. Lucia and San Jose were
among the first barangays to participate in the festival.
The first lantern festival was held to honor President Manuel L. Quezon. At that time, Quezon
made Arayat his rest area and converted Mount Arayat into a tourist resort. As a show of gratitude to
Quezon, the people of San Fernando held a Christmas lantern contest to honor the first family. Quezon
himself donated the prize for his lantern contest, which was personally awarded to the winner by First
Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon.
In the years that followed, more innovations were introduced to the giant lanterns. Colored plastics
replaced traditional papel de hapon. The use of colored plastics will continue on until 2010, wherein
fiberglass and handmade paper will make their first appearances on the lanterns.
Large steel barrels called rotors also substituted the hand-controlled switches to manipulate the
lights. And lanterns have grown in size, approximately 20-feet today, and illuminated by about 3,500 to
5,000 light bulbs.
Looking at Art: Saniculas Cookie Mold Carvings of Pampanga

Saniculas cookies are arrowroot cookies that have the image of St. Nicholas molded on it ergo the
name Saniculas. St. Nicholas is also known as “the healer” and is the go to saint for those who need
“healing” from illnesses.

The moulds are an exceptional piece of folk art and a rarity, if I do say so myself. Saniculas cookie
makers would commission the carvers of these moulds with one of a kind designs. They would also have
the initials of the owner monogrammed on the moulds.

Looking at Art: Singkaban or Bamboo Art of Bulacan

Singkaban is the art of shaving bamboo into artful creations that can be used as decor for arches
or for the home. Skilled craftsmen patiently shaves off the bamboo, layer by layer, to create curls and
delicate twirls of thin bamboo.
 Singkabans are artfully-made entrance arches used during fiestas and other important events in
Bulacan. Bamboo is primarily used in creating a singkaban, and the art is most prevalent in old towns of
Hagonoy and Malolos.

Singkaban Festival is an annual provincial event of Bulacan where Bulakenyo culture and arts are
featured in a week-long celebration. It showcases the traditional arts of the literary form “Balagtasan,”folk
dances, and traditional songs known as “kundiman.”
The main focus though, is on the singkaban, a Bulakenyo art of creating an entrance arch and other
decorative materials mainly from bamboo.

Looking at Art: Okir Design of Maranao

Okir or okil is the term for geometric and flowing plant-based designs and folk motifs that can be
usually found among the Moro and Lumad peoples of the Southern Philippines, as well as parts of Sabah. It
is particularly associated with the artwork of the Maranao and Sama (Badjao) people, although it can also
be found to a lesser extent among neighboring Maguindanao, Iranun, Tausug, Yakan, and Lumad groups.
The design elements vary among these ethnic groups, with the greatest refinement being found among the
Maranao.

In the Philippines, an ancient proof of okir's style of flowering symbols is the torogan, the ancestral
home of the highest titleholder in a Maranao village. It is a symbol of power and prestige usually adorned
during festivities. Its prominent part is the panolong, a carved beam that protrudes in the front of the house
and styled with okir motif. The okir design is found woven or printed in textiles, carved into wooden cemetery
markers and wooden boxes, and it can also be found etched into knife or sword blades and handles, and
cast or etched into various brass and silver objects.

Looking at Art: The Sarimanok of Maranao

It is the legendary bird or "artificial cock" that has become a ubiquitous symbol of Maranao art. It
comes from the words “sari” and “manok” means cloth or garment, which is generally f assorted colors.
“Manok” means chickenIt is depicted as a fowl with colorful wings and feathered tail, holding a fish on its
beak or talons. The head is profusely decorated with scroll, leaf, and spiral motifs. It is said to be a symbol
of good fortune.

The Sarimanok is derived from a totem bird of the Maranao people, called "Itotoro". According to
the Maranao people, the "Itotoro" is a medium to the spirit world via its unseen twin spirit bird called
"Inikadowa". According to the tradition, the sarimanok is never displayed by itself. It must be displayed with
the set of flags, standards and vexilloids. At present, this is not totally true; sarimanok may be placed on the
top of the umbrella of a Sultan or dignitary, and also, the Mindanao State University has adopted it for the
graduation exercises following a non-traditional use.

The Far Eastern University seal bears the FEU Coat of Arms and the sarimanok motif. The FEU
Coat of arms consists of eight-pointed golden star that represents the first eight main disciplines of FEU.
 The sarimanok is a legendary bird in full color that project the nationalistic spirit upon which the
university is founded. The university wanted to have a Filipino touch in everything because they were one of
the first universities in the Philippines to be founded by a Filipino, Dr. Nicanor Reyes, Sr.

Looking at Art: The Torogan of Maranao

Torogan is a traditional house built by the Maranao people of Lanao, Mindanao, Philippines. A
torogan was a symbol of high social status. Such a residence was once a home to a sultan or Datu in the
Maranao community. Nowadays, concrete houses are found all over Maranaw communities, but there
remain torogans a hundred years old. The best-known are in Dayawan and Marawi City, and around Lake
Lanao.

A torogan is elevated above the ground by columns cut from trees of huge girth. Its walls are
covered with plywood sticks and the roof thatched with dried coconut leaves. There is no interior partition,
so it appears as a huge hall. Apart from the basic elements of this structure, it is intricately engraved with
the flowing geometries of the Maranaw design system called okir. A torogan is not complete without the
legendary bird Sarimanok being displayed inside. Furniture is also common among Maranaws.

The Kawayan Torogan, built by Sultan sa Kawayan Makaantal in Bubung Malanding, Marantao,
Lanao del Sur, the last remaining habitable torogan, was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the
National Museum of the Philippines in 2008.

Looking at Art: The Hagabi of Ifugao

The Hagabi of the Ifugaos is a long wooden bench placed under the eaves in the stone-paved yard
that surrounds the house. It signifies an individual or family's wealth and prestige belonging to the rank of
Cadangyan (wealthy) who can afford to perform the "Hagabi Feast."

Today the hagabi feast is conducted by the Ifugaos for the purpose of building a modern house
instead of making a wooden couch. Also with the present technology, they now use trucks instead of man
power to carry the loads. Though much of the tradition behind the hagabi was lost, the general feasting still
remains.

Looking at Art: Pabalat or Borlas de Pastillas of Bulacan

Making pastillas wrappers in San Miguel, Bulacan is a labor of love. Also known as borlas de
pastillas, the intricately-designed wrapper is made from Japanese paper. The real challenge comes with
cutting the paper where the design is traced. The designs include bahay kubo (nipa hut), rice field,
farmer/farmers, Maria Clara, flowers, landscapes, figures, or specific activities and scenarios.

Wrapper-making used to be a folk art, but the tradition is slowly diminishing. Today, the Ocampos –
Nanay Luz and her daughter Naty – offer their borlas de pastillas-making services. In Bulacan, town fiestas
are not complete without decorating the table with the wrapper as a centerpiece. It has also become a
staple pasalubong.
Looking at Art: The Puni or Palm leaf folding of Bulacan

Puni refers to the dying art of coconut leaf weaving. Puni is a tagalong term from the province of
Bulacan which means to beautify or decorate with the use of coconut leaf. Coconut leaves are fashioned by
folding, plaiting, braiding and simple weaving, which may have functional as well as aesthetic uses.

Puni designs can be categorized according to their uses. The most common designs are in the
form of toys such as birds, fish, grasshopper, etc. They are also used as food containers for suman, rice and
various kakanin, the most commonly known is the “puso” and paraphernalia for religious rituals especially
during Palm Sunday when these design are used to accentuate the “palaspas”. But today they serve as
modern artistic expressions and arrangement. The art is being revived through practical ways by preserving,
developing and transforming these puni designs into decorative pieces used as decors, accessories and
accents for various arrangement or crafts.

Though fresh coconut leaves is the most commonly used for this art, fresh leaves dry and crumple
in a few days, the weaves loosen and the design loose its beauty. In exchange for fresh coconut leaves,
dried buri or buli (palm) leaves are used to create a particular puni design and are more suitable as
ornamental pieces especially if they are dyed or colored.

Puni or coconut leaf weaving did not originate from Bulacan. It is said that the art is of Malayan
origin. But one thing is for sure any place with coconut trees in abundance has an item made from coconut
leaf weaving. But the Bulakenyos pioneered the revival of this ephemeral art, at least in our country.

The present collection and compilation of puni designs is a result of continuous research, mostly
skills sharing and exchange, along with contributions of various individuals dedicated to revive this vanishing
art.

Looking at Art: The Malong of Maranao

The malong is a traditional Filipino rectangular or tube-like wraparound skirt bearing a

variety of geometric or okir designs. The malong is traditionally used as a garment by both men
and women of the numerous ethnic groups in the mainland Mindanao and parts of the Sulu
Archipelago. They are wrapped around at waist or chest-height and secured by tucked ends, with
belts of braided material or other pieces of cloth, or are knotted over one shoulder.

They were traditionally hand-woven, with the patterns usually distinctive to a particular
ethnic group. However, modern malong are usually machine-made or even imported, with patterns
that mimic the traditional local designs.

Handwoven malongs are made by Maranao, Maguindanao, and T'boli weavers on a

backstrap loom. The pattern or style of the malong may indicate the weaver's tribal origin, such as
the Maranao malong landap.
 Very rare malong designs and styles can indicate the village in which the malong was
made, for example, the extremely intricate malong rawatan made only by a handful of Maranao
weavers in Lanao Del Sur, Mindanao.

Handwoven malongs, which are costly, are likely to be used only at social functions, to
display the social and economic status of the wearer. While modern malongs are made of cotton
and Lurex threads, some contemporary handwoven malongs are made of inexpensive rayon
thread, to reduce the manufacturing cost to the weaver and ultimate cost to the consumer. There
are many grades of cotton thread, and the cost of a malong can also be reduced by using the
lesser grades of cotton thread, or by creating a loose or coarse weave.

Machine-made printed cotton malongs are made in Indonesia specifically

for export to the Philippines, and are commonly referred to as "batik" because the
item is imported; those inexpensive machine-made malongs are used for
everyday purposes.

The designs of traditional handwoven designs are used in imported

cotton from Thailand, allowing the purchaser to have a cotton machine-printed
malong which, from a distance, convincingly mimics the look of a much more
expensive handwoven malong.

The malong can function as a skirt for both men and women, a turban,
Niqab, Hijab, a dress, a blanket, a sunshade, a bedsheet, a "dressing room", a
hammock, a prayer mat, and other purposes. A newborn is wrapped in a malong,
and as he grows this piece of cloth becomes a part of his daily life. When he
dies, he is once again wrapped in a malong. Among traditional tribal peoples, the malong is used in
everyday life. Even in areas where people wear Western-style clothing during the day, the malong
is commonly used as sleepwear. The malong is also used in very big festivals, they wear this to
show respect. Two are represented in the Ayala Museum Collection: The "malong and andon" on
the left, and the "malong a landap" on the right.

Activity:
 Lesson 5

Philippine Music Scene

Looking at Art: A Grand Tribute to National Artists

If there is a native dessert that titillates the taste buds of the Pinoy no end, it has to be the halo-
halo espesyal with all the trimmings – leche flan, macapuno, boiled banana of the saba variety, sweet
potato, sago, jackfruit, pinipig, nata de coco, cream, kaong, white beans, black beans, two or three scoops
of ice cream of different flavors, and all these served on a bed of crushed ice.

If the Filipino is to present a show, he will go all the way to enchant his audience. And if the show is
intended to honor our National Artists, he’ll spare nothing – he’ll throw in everything including the proverbial
kitchen sink – to mount an extravaganza of sight and sound, of dance and song, an entertainment spectacle
that should make Kuya Germs turn green with envy.

Lagi Kitang Mamahalin: A Musical Tribute to the National Artists presented by the Cultural Center of the
Philippines is such a theatrical halo-halo treat that cannot fail to make everyone salivate. Master chef Chris
Millado has assembled the country’s favorite singers, musicians and dancers. The mise-en-scene is by
Salvador F. Bernal, the sole National Artist in his field, and the lighting design by Dennis Marasigan and the
production style by Dennis Julio Tan.

At the foyer, the PPO Woodwind Ensemble led by Maestro Cecino Ronquillo welcomed the audience with
spirited marches by Lucio San Pedro and Felipe Padilla de Leon.

A video survey of our National Artists was presented as Maestro Josefino "Chino" Toledo conducted the
Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra in an account of San Pedro’s Jubilate, after which the excitement in the
hall mounted with the entrance of Regine Velasquez.

Taking into account this tribute to our outstanding artists, Lagi Kitang Naaalala by Leopoldo Silos and Levi
Celerio acquires a higher level of meaning than that of being a love song. And Asia’s songbird delivered it
with an intensity of feeling that could not fail to touch the heart.

Two duets from the sarswela Paglipas ng Dilim were interpreted by Calvin Millado, Roselle Nava and Lorna
Llames along with members of Tanghalang Pilipino who did what they could with the sentimental material.

Coming after as a comic relief, young hunks Carlo Orosa, JM Rodriguez, Noel Rayos, Arnold Reyes and
Tonipet Gaba went to town with Ang Pipit, Pitong Gatang, Kung Ako’y Mag-aasawa and Kalesa with the
Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company. Spiced with comic irony, the songs by different
composers but with lyrics all by Levi Celerio and choreographed with vivid imagination by Edna Vida were
show-stoppers that brought the house down.
In contrast, Eugene Villaluz gave a soulful account of Ernani Cuenco and Joseph Estrada’s Kahit na
Magtiis. The baritone gave a restrained reading of the song that was deeply touching in its simplicity and
sincerity.

The Filipino love songs medley is a set of very familiar songs on a common theme with lyrics by Celerio and
music by different composers. The texts vary from one with sexual innuendos to another which is
shamelessly sentimental to still another which idealizes love. The numbers are interpreted by three pairs of
singers with varying degrees of success – Jason Velasquez and Tex Ordoñez, Dexter and Cris Villonco,
and Franco Laurel and Anna Fegi. The medley concludes with all the singers joining in a typically Pinoy
hyperbolic view of romantic love, Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal, which would make the cynic want to puke.

Nothing can sweep away the mush of sentimentality better than laughter which the excerpts from Dalagang
Bukid serves in abundance. The merry tunes of Leon Ignacio and the naughty lyrics of Hermogenes Ilagan
have not diminished in wit and charm through the years. And they still sounded as fresh and savory when
Nabasag na Banga was sung by Ayen Munji-Laurel and Awit ng Pabo at Loro was warbled by Mark Bautista
and Sarah Geronimo as when Atang dela Rama popularized them decades ago.

Because of the excitement of the preceding, the Streamline’s account of Bato sa Buhangin was likely to
pass with little notice.

To those who know Gary Valenciano only for aping Michael Jackson or for his gospel music his rendition of
the San Pedro-Celerio classic, Sa Ugoy ng Duyan is nothing short of a revelation. From a lovely lullaby, it is
elevated to an ode on the quiet joy of paternal love. The dancers of Ballet Philippines and the choreography
of Denisa Reyes enhance the somnolent spirit of the song. Ernani Cuenco’s Nahan played by
instrumentalist Jong Cuenco, concluded the first part of the concert.

The second half opened with a solemn choral opus by San Pedro Alamat ng Lahi, based on a poem by
Amado V. Hernandez. Jose Llana gave an imposing account of the text with the combined support of the
UP Vocal Ensemble, the UP Chorus Class, the Philippine Madrigal Singers and the PPO.

Galawgaw and Alembong by Juan Silos Jr. and Celerio cleared the air of solemnity when Bituin Escalante
and Sheila Francisco, supported by the beats of DJ Malek and DJ Noel, waged a hilarious bouncing battle
of the bulge that threatened to bring the house up to the rafters down. These two ladies might well be the
kitchen sink of this halo-halo of a show referred to at the beginning of this review.

From the comic to the poetic was the shift that Verni Varga brought about with her dreamy Bituing Marikit, a
timeless classic by Nicanor Abelardo and Servando de los Angeles.

Another sudden change in mood was caused by Jolina Magdangal’s vocalizing of another Silos-Celerio
favorite – Waray-Waray. This satirical ditty focuses on the toughness of the probisyana from Leyte who tries
to find her place in the sun in the Big City. Sweet Jolina could not shed her sweetness enough to invest the
song with the devil-may-care spirit of the promdi who has the guts to challenge the toughies of Manila’s
backstreets to find her dream. In the ’60s, the young Nida Blanca went to town with Waray-Waray and made
it her very own. What sense of nostalgia this song must bring to the old timers in the audience…
San Pedro and lyricist Bien Lumbera’s Araw-araw sa Maynila is a vintage piece, an evocation of the life of
city folk in the nation’s capital in the good-old days. Wency Cornejo and the PPO presented the song.

Throughout the show, the spirit of Atang dela Rama was a palpable presence not only because of her
association with Filipino vocal music but also because she starred in all three sarswelas featured in the
show. Ang Karayom ay Iduro from Walang Sugat by Fulgencio Tolentino and Severino Reyes was sung with
intensity of feeling by Isay Alvarez and the ladies of Tanghalang Pilipino.

In the next number, Isay was joined by Llamas to deliver a song that might well be a second National Hymn
after the glorious victory of freedom over tyranny during EDSA 1. Bayan Ko by Constancio de Guzman and
Jose Corazon de Jesus has become a well-loved classic. When sung by the pair of singers with full support
from the members of Tanghalang Pilipino, the Philippine Madrigal Singers, the UP Vocal Ensemble, the UP
Chorus Class and the PPO, the total effect could not be anything less than overwhelming.

This beautiful apostrophe to the Motherland would have been a fitting coda to the concert, but no – the
Pinoy who thinks that too much is still too little, who keeps pleading for more, more, who has not learned the
Greek ideal of moderation, who will go on stuffing his gullet spoonful after spoonful of halo-halo even when
his belly is bursting at the seams must still be given something special.

The CCP served Sharon Cuneta, big as life, to sing Kahit Konting Pagtingin accompanied by guitarist Paolo
Santos. The Megastar’s megafans were delirious with joy. The cynic could only snicker over her ubiquitous
TV ads that promote everything from junk food to vaginal wash. One can understand why her die-hard fans
have remained loyal through the years. Her cute little-girl singing voice has been replaced by a deeper,
more expressive sound that suits her regal Junoesque figure.

The show concluded with a reprise of Lagi Kitang Naaalala and Jubilate.

Halo-halo espesyal anyone?

Looking at Art: The night the PPO played Santa

Remember this old rhyme, Virginia?

Yes, of course you do. Did you hang your stockings by the chimney? All the year round, St. Nicholas’ elves
were busy in his workshop in the North Pole making zillions of toys. On this night of nights, he would
harness his reindeer to a sleigh with jingling bells and fly over land and sea to bring his gifts to all the
children in the world.

In my country, kids don’t know St. Nicholas. Your people taught us that the person who brings Christmas
presents is Santa Claus. They are one and the same fellow, of course – you know, the old man with a long
beard and the potbelly dressed in a thick, heavy red-and-white costume. Is there only one Santa Claus? I
know that you get confused when, during the yuletide season you see a Santa ringing a bell at the head of
the Salvation Army at a street corner and you see several more at the shopping centers around the corner.
 A Filipino child is not likely to write a newspaper editor to ask if
there truly is a Santa Claus. He already knows that Santa is a
myth. He has been robbed of his innocence at an early age. The
gnomes of rationalism, materialism, and cynicism have invaded
his mind and driven away the dream-fairy. Do you think that he is
likely to use his computer to compute how many angels can
dance at the point of a needle?

As for our poor children – and there are hordes of them in the
streets, begging for alms, scrounging in garbage piles for scraps of food, sniffing solvent — do they think of
Santa at all? The more enterprising among these waifs go caroling with karakas, tambourines and tin can
drums. They still seem to have the spirit of Christmas in their souls.

And this is why, Virginia, you and I, have a knightly mission to bring Santa Claus to the lives of our children.

A week or so ago, Santa Claus did come to Manila aboard a jumbo jet from Finland. His arrival at the NAIA
was covered by the papers and the TV networks. He had very rosy cheeks and soulful eyes. Too bad that I
didn’t get to hear his deep-voiced "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

In the meantime, our Cultural Center of the Philippines played Santa to an audience of around two thousand
people, many of them youngsters, when it featured the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in a free open-air
concert at the Folk Arts Theater front lawn. The presentation billed as Christmas & Gershwin, is Concert
Series IV of the PPO’s 2002-2003 season.

You should have been there, Virginia. You’d have loved this concert by the sea. It was a clear evening and
there was a cool breeze blowing in from the bay.

Except for the Filipino songs, the program was not unlike that which the New York Philharmonic usually
presents in Central Park in the summer – some light classics and lots of popular music.

Conductor Ruggero Barbieri and the PPO opened the concert with Peter Tchaikovsky’s "Waltz of the
Flowers" from The Nutcracker. You are familiar with this ballet music, I’m sure. We might have seen the
New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center and recall the tale of this girl who falls asleep on Christmas Eve
beside a Christmas tree and dreams of holiday goodies on the dining table and rats and toys including a
dashing toy soldier and fairies. Do you know that Maestro Barbieri’s baton is a magic wand that can conjure
these visions?

Guest pop artist Bituin Escalante warbled George Gershwin’s old familiar favorites "Summertime" from the
opera Porgy and Bess and But Not for Me. Bituin is a young singer and I’m sure she’ll go places.

Ryan Cayabyab’s Kumukutikutitap is a local favorite during the yuletide season. I’m sure you’ll find the title a
tongue twister. It’s a Tagalog word that describes the tiny twinkling multi-colored lights of Christmas and the
composer’s sorcery recreates precisely this joyous spectacle.
We have many fine children’s choirs and the Mandaluyong Children’s Choir is the most celebrated among
these. You should have heard this ensemble deliver Matthew Wilder’s Reflection and Noel Regney-Gloria
Shayne’s Do You Hear What I Hear? And Maligayang Bati, Panginoon. And I could say to your American
children’s choirs, "Eat your heart out!"

Another choral group was featured that evening – Coro de la Reyna that has 27 members and the Science
City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija Choral Groups, composed of 184 voices, who come from seven choirs, namely
Koro, Maestro Singers, GASS Choir, PhilRice Chorale, BPHRE Chorale, Muñoz National High School Choir,
and the Muñoz Children’s Choir. The participation of the group was under the sponsorship of Muñoz Mayor
Nestor L. Alvarez with the full support of CLSU president Dr. Rodolfo C. Roldan.

They were simply awesome when they raised their combined vocal forces to heaven in Adeste Fidelis and
Joy to the World.

Johann Strauss, Jr.’s The Beautiful Blue Danube followed with its lovely, lilting waltz melodies bringing the
sights and sounds of imperial Vienna.

Bituin came on stage again with more of Gershwin – a medley that included Love Walked In, Somebody
Loves Me, The Man I Love, and Embraceable You. When her voice turned husky and soulful in the lower
register in The Man I Love, she really got me and I could have wept, believe me. I understand that she has
not taken formal vocal lessons. Can you imagine what she could do with her voice if she had?

With a good choir around, is it surprising that the PPO should serve at Christmas time George Friedrich
Handel’s "The Hallelujah Chorus" from The Messiah?

The concert-by-the-bay was concluded with Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival, a compilation of
traditional carols.

As much as I enjoyed the PPO’s yuletide concert, I can’t help griping about flies in the ointment. There were
these two young lovebirds seated next to me who should have been cooing sweet nothings to one another
and not chattering like mad magpies that I wanted to bang their heads together like cymbals. And even
worse was the sound system, which was absolutely the pits.

When Maestro Barbieri and the PPO gifted their admiring audience with an encore, Strauss Sr.’s Radetzky
March, and invited the listeners to clap, I would have wanted to clap with the sound technician’s ears
between my hands, and Santa would have approved with a resounding "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

We live in difficult times, Virginia, more than your young mind can imagine. My Christmas wish is to throw all
our bickering politicians, the Abu Sayyaf, the noisy demonstrators in the streets like the Kilusang Mayo Uno,
and the CPP-NPA into Santa’s bag and maroon them in a giant iceberg in the North Pole or make them
work in his toy factory with his elves to humanize them.

And then the children and all folks with a child’s heart can make every day of the year Christmas day! Every
story should have a happy ending, don’t you think?
 Lesson 6

Traditional Folk Dances of the Philippines

Looking at art: The Itik-Itik from Surigao

Itik-itik is a mimetic folk dance in The Philippines. It originated in the province of Surigao in
Mindanao. In Itik-itik (from the Tagalog word for "duck"), the dance steps imitate the movements of
ducks among rice paddies and swamplands, such as wading, flying, and short, choppy steps.

It has many variations of steps from which the dancers choose and combine. Its steps are
similar to the movements of a duck (itik, in Filipino), as it walks with short, choppy steps and
splashes water on its back while attracting its mate. It is used in folk dances in different parts of the
Philippines. It is danced during celebration of Buwan ng Wika. It is not the national folk dance.

The dance is believed to have originated from the dance Sibay danced to the Dejado
music. The Sibay is a bird dance that came from neighboring Visayan Islands.

According to the folklore, this traditional dance was first performed by a young woman
named KANANG who was the best dancer in the province of Surigao del Norte. At a baptismal
reception, she was asked to perform and she improvised her dance steps to imitate the way a duck
walks and splashes the water on its back to attract the other mate.

Looking at art: The Tinikling from Leyte and the Visayas Regions

Tinikling is a traditional Philippine folk dance which originated during the Spanish colonial era. The
dance involves two people beating, tapping, and sliding bamboo poles on the ground and against each
other in coordination with one or more dancers who step over and in between the poles in a dance. It is
traditionally danced to rondalla music, a sort of serenade played by an ensemble of stringed instruments
which originated in Spain during the middle Ages.

The dance originated in Palo, Leyte, a small town in the Visayas in the central Philippines. It
imitates the movement of the tikling birds as they walk between grass stems, run over tree branches, or
dodge bamboo traps set by rice farmers. Dancers imitate the tikling bird's legendary grace and speed by
skillfully maneuvering between large bamboo poles.

Two or four parallel pairs of bamboo poles, each around 6 to 12 ft (1.8 to 3.7 m) long, are held by
two or more sitting or kneeling people ("clappers" or "clickers"). The poles are used as percussive
instruments accompanying rondalla music played with string instruments (usually bandurrias, guitars,
laúdes, octavinas, or ukuleles). They produce clapping sounds as they are struck against the ground (or two
raised pieces of wood) and each other in a triple metre pattern. Traditionally, the poles are tapped twice on
the ground on the first two beats, then brought together on the third beat.

Looking at art: The Sayaw sa Bangko from Pangasinan

Sayaw sa Bangko (“dance on a bench”) is a folk dance from the Pangasinan province of the
Philippines. Performers dance on top of a bench that is normally six inches wide.

Bench Tapew ed dance (dance on top of a bench), is a dance Which originates from Pangasinan
and researched by Jovita Sison. It is performed by a couple on a narrow bench, inching and hopping from
one end to another. Dancer show skill in staying up the bench As they exchange places by moving Their
way around or the girl thrown in the air while the boy moves to the other end. They do not compete but
rather complement each other so that no one falls. It is usually performed during town fiestas.

Looking at art: The Binasuan from Pangasinan

The binasuan is a Filipino folk dance in which the performer holds full wine glasses in each hand
while performing balancing tricks. Wine may be used to fill the glasses, but other liquids may be substituted.
The arms are rotated over and under the shoulder in order to keep the palms facing up so as not to spill the
liquid while nevertheless allowing the radius to cross over the ulna via pronation. Binasuan originated in
Pangasinan and is popular at festive events such as weddings.

Binasuan is a folk dance that originated in Bayambang, Pangasinan,. The word “binasuan” means
“with the use of drinking glasses.” The dancers balance glasses on their heads and in their hands as they
move. The glasses are filled with rice wine, which makes any misstep a messy mistake. People dance
binasuan at weddings and festivals. A group of dancers generally performs binasuan, moving in unison, but
occasionally breaking into smaller groups and performing different choreography. For example, they can
begin in a circle, then form two columns, which then bend into semicircles, and one follows the other to
reform the circle. The music is in three-quarter time.

Looking at art: The Pandanggo sa Ilaw from Mindanao

Pandanggo is a Philippine folk dance which has become popular in the rural areas of the
Philippines. The dance evolved from Fandango, a Spanish folk dance, which arrived in the Philippines
during the Hispanic period. The dance is accompanied by castanets. This dance, together with the Jota,
became popular among the illustrados or the upper class and later adapted among the local communities. In
the early 18th century, any dance that is considered jovial and lively was called Pandanggo.

There are many versions of this dance and each locality has its own version. Local dancers have
many ways of doing the Pandanggo, but there is one thing in common between different versions: they have
gay and sprightly figures. It may be danced at any social gathering and is usually accompanied by clapping.
In some places, the musicians do not stop playing until four to five couples have danced, one after the other.
When one couple tires, another takes its place until there are no more who want to dance. The musicians
play faster and faster after each repetition until the dancers are exhausted.
Looking at art: The Kuratsa from the Visayas Regions

Kuratsa is one of the traditional dances in Leyte and Samar province. It is widely danced especially
during fiesta, family reunions, and weddings.

It is referred to as a courtship dance where dancers imitate courtship movements of rooster and a
hen in a creative way.

Kuratsa is a popular and lively dance that is very common among the old folks of Visayas and
Ilocos regions. It has many different versions.

The Kuratsa is highly favored by the Visayan people especially the Waray people of the Eastern
Visayan region in the Philippines. Strictly speaking, The Kuratsa must be done the amenudo-way; that is,
only one couple dances it at a time. Believed to be a Mexican import (supposedly from La Cucaracha dance
typical to Monterrey region of Mexico) - the Kuratsa is however, very different in the manner of execution to
the Mexican counterpart. Even the "basic" Kuratsa music is not based on Mexican or even Spanish
melodies but just bolero-inspired lilting music.

Looking at art: The Maglalatik from Biñan, Laguna

The Maglalatik (also known as Manlalatik or Magbabao) is an indigenous dance from the
Philippines. Coconut shell halves are secured onto the dancers' hands and on vests upon which are hung
four or six more coconut shell halves. The dancers perform the dance by hitting one coconut shell with the
other; sometimes the ones on the hands, the ones on the body, or the shells worn by another performer, all
in time to a fast drumbeat.

Like many native Filipino dances, it is intended to impress the viewer with the great skill of the
dancer, and in some "Filipino Martial Arts" (FMA) circles, it has been noted that the Maglalatik "consists of a
trapping and boxing method hidden in a dance."

The name of the dance means "latik-maker", from latik, a coconut product that is used in Filipino
cooking.

Looking at art: La Jota Moncadeña from Ilocos

La Jota Moncadeña was adapted from an old Spanish dance. It is a combination of Spanish and
Ilocano dance set to Spanish music and castanets. A more solemn version of the dance is sometimes used
to accompany a funeral procession, but it was also performed at the festival.

La Jota Moncadeña is one of the most famous interpretation and adaptation of the Aragonese Jota
dance. People of Moncada, Tarlac, call it rather by a different name: Jota Florana. The Jota Folrana was
danced to the Ilocano/Yogad bamboo musical instrument ensemble called tallelet. Dance anthropologist
Ramon Obusan said that the Jota Florana was danced to accompany a bereaved family to the burial of a
loved one. The high pitched clicking of the bamboo clickers are supposed to represent melancholy wails.

The slow portion of the dance is in fact named patay (death) or desmayo (fainting) that is performed to a
very slow marcha funebre. The same dance figure is found in another Ilocano dance, the Ti Liday (which in
Ilocano means ‘sorrow’ or grief-stricken’) The Jota Moncadeña similar to other Filipinized versions of the
Spanish jota is literally mixed-up in flavor. The dance combines Spanish and Ilocano dance steps and
music.

Looking at art: The Kappa Malong-Malong from Mindanao

Also called Sambi sa Malong, this Maranao dance shows the many ways of wearing a malong, a
simple tubular yet highly functional piece of cloth. The traditional women’s version shows this cloth of
countless colorful designs; used mostly as a skirt, woven in many different ways, depending on the purpose
of the wearer. Other ways the women wear malong is as a shawl, a mantle, or a head-piece.

Looking at art: The Pantomina from Bicol Region

Pantomina is a Bicolano folk dance that came from the Spanish word for “pantomime”, because of
its courting/wooing movements. Its old name is "Salampati", Bicol term for doves, so the dance is
sometimes referred to as the “dance of the doves”.

This folk dance, with graceful moves made to melancholy music, is traditionally performed during
wedding celebrations by the newly-wed couple and the wedding guests.

No social gathering in Bicol, a volcanic and mineral-rich region in eastern Philippines, is complete
without the Pantomina, whose steps had been notated in a 1926 book on folk dances.

Looking at art: The Habanera Botolena from Zambales

Habanera botolena is a dance that combines Filipino and Spanish techniques and is commonly
performed at weddings. The participants are usually the wedding party, consisting of the bride, groom,
groomsmen, and bridesmaids. The dance is performed in pairs, but the pairs move in unison as a collective
group.

Common movements include quick-paced footwork, hops, glides, and slides. Dances typically keep
their arms extended while maintaining delicate postures with their hands, which is intended to symbolize
love and happiness toward their partner. Participants perform the majority of the dance in an upright posture
and maintain consistent eye contact. The accompanying music has an upbeat tempo. Female dancers wear
long gowns and males wear long-sleeve shirts and full length trousers.

Looking at art: The Surtido from Cebu and Samar

 The Surtido Cebuano is a square dance said to have originated in Bantayan, Cebu. It is a cobbling
together of Spanish, Mexican, and French influences along with indigenous elements. Surtido (literally,
assortment) is performed by several pairs of dancers, with the head pair called cabeceras and the side
pairs, costados, guiding the other dancers in varied quadrille formations. It used to be a dance of long
duration performed by a big group to the tune of beautiful Visayan folk airs. The modern arrangement is
more lively and suitable for dancing by small groups.

Looking at art: The Singkil from the Maranao

Singkíl (or Sayaw sa Kasingkil) is a folk dance of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao depicting one
of the episodes in the epic poem Darangen, which was popularised by the Bayanihan Philippine National
Folk Dance Company.
Singkil originated from the Maranao people who inhabit the shores of Lake Lanao. It is a re-telling
of an episode from the Maranao epic legend Darangen involving the rescue of Princess Gandingan
(abducted by the diwatas) by the legendary Prince Bantugan. It is a popular dance performed during
celebrations and other festive entertainment.

Originally only women, particularly royalty, danced the Singkil, which serves as either a conscious
or unconscious advertisement to potential suitors. The dance takes its name from the heavy rings worn on
the ankles of the Muslim princess. A kulintang and agung ensemble always accompanies the dance.

Looking at art: The Polkabal

It is originated in the province of Atimonan,Quezon it is dance by a female dancers and male

dancers during special occasions.

Female dancers wear Maria Clara costumes while male dan

Polkabal is influenced by Spaniards it is a combination of two old dance Polka and Balse(waltz).It
has different versions that depends on province it is originated in Batangas Polka sa nayon,Mindoro Polka
salas,Visayas Polka antigo,Negros Occidental Polka italiana.
Looking at art: La Estudiantina from Samar and Quezon

La Estudiantina is a Spanish-inspired dance of the Philippines. The country was under the rule of
Spain for more than three hundred years, during which time local culture was markedly influenced.

Young women who studied (at home with tutors for instance) used to be called estudiantina (male
students were called estudiante), and this dance was originally performed by women carrying a book or a
fan, items associated with female students. There are many regional versions of this dance. The one in the
video below is from Samar. There is also another popular version from Quezon province.

Maria Clara also refers to a women’s style of clothing popular during Spanish times, which is worn
as traditional Filipino costume even today. Filipina performers of dances like the La Estudiantina wear Maria
Clara-style dresses.

Looking at art: The Pasiguin from Capiz

Pasiguin is a frolicking dance representing fishes getting out from torn fishnets,
locally called sibot in Capiz.

The dance is among the discoveries of dance researcher Petronila Suarez. It was
presented by Crisostomo Barerra during the 1979 Annual Philippine Folk Dance Workshop
held at the Folk Arts Theater in the CCP Complex.

Looking at art: The Cariñosa from Panay

Cariñosa is a Philippine dance of colonial era origin from the Maria Clara suite of Philippine folk
dances, where the fan or handkerchief plays an instrumental role as it places the couple in romance
scenario.

Originally, the Cariñosa was danced with María Clara dress and Barong Tagalog for it is a María
Clara Spanish Dance when it was introduced. In addition, Filipino wore the patadyong kimona and camisa
de chino to reveal nationalism. (A native dress of the Tagalog regions), camisa (a white sleeve) or
patadyong kimona (a dress of the Visayan people) and for boys, a barong Tagalog and colored pants.
Because it is the national dance, the dancers may wear any Filipino costume.

Looking at art: Mazurka Boholana from Bohol

Mazurka Boholana is a Spanish-inspired ballroom dance from the Bohol province of the
Philippines. The country was under the rule of Spain for more than three hundred years, during
which time local culture was markedly influenced. Although the mazurka is the Polish national
dance, it was wildly popular throughout Europe in the 19th century and even in colonized lands
overseas. The Philippine dance is ordinarily per formed by men and women partners.
 Philippine dances derived from Spanish influences, such as the Mazurka Boholana, are
classified as Sayawing Maria Clara (Maria Clara Dances). Maria Clara is the main female character
in the Spanish-era novel Noli Me Tangere, written by Filipino national hero Jose Rizal.

Maria Clara also refers to a women’s style of clothing popular during Spanish times, which
is worn as traditional Filipino costume even today. Filipina performers of dances like the Mazurka
Boholana each wear a Maria Clara.

Looking at art: Alcamfor from Leyte

Alkamfor is a couple’s dance from Leyte, a province of the Philippines located in the
Visayas group of islands. In this dance, the girl holds a handkerchief laced with camphor, a
substance that is locally thought to induce romance. She flirts with the man by waving her scented
handkerchief in front of his face.

The word alkamfor

comes from the Spanish
alcanfor, meaning camphor.
Filipinos also spell it as alcamfor.
In the Philippines, it refers to
mothballs.

In the old days, clothes

were kept in wooden chests with
a few naphthalene balls to keep
away moths. The camphor gave
off what was considered a
pleasant scent that supposedly attracted men.

Lesson 7

The State of Philippine Cinema

2000’s Decline of Movies and Emergence of Indie Films

The dawn of this era saw a dramatic decline of the mainstream Philippine movie industry.
Hollywood films dominated theater sales even more, and fewer than twenty local studio films were being
produced and shown yearly. Many producers and production houses later stopped producing films after
losing millions of pesos.

It was in 1999 that digital cinema was introduced in the Philippines but by then, the film industry
was already dwindling in numbers. According to the records of the UP Film Institute, 122 films were
produced in the year 1999 and 83 in 2000. In 2002, the number went even lower with having only 92 films
then further went down to 80 in 2003.
 In 2006 and 2007, Filipino filmmakers started making movies using digital media. Duda (Doubt) is
an example of how a man driven by an idea for a film, against all odds, can succeed in creating a significant
statement. Writer/Director Crisaldo Pablo used a cast of friends and some professional actors, and with the
use of a Sony VX-1, a Hi-8 camcorder, made the first full-length digital movie ever shot in the Philippines.

In 2007, a Filipino short film entitled Napapanggap (Pretend) by Debbie Formoso, a recent graduate of MFA
Master of Film Art at LMU Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, had a successful run in a number of
US film festivals. Several other short films, including Pedro "Joaquin" Valdes's Bulong (Whisper), as well as
documentaries, garnered international attention and honors.

In 2008, Serbis (Service) by Brillante Mendoza became the first

Filipino full-length film to compete for Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival
since internationally acclaimed director Lino Brocka's Bayan Ko: Kapit sa
Patalim (My Country: Grip the Knife's Edge) in 1984. The same year, the first
full-length animated Filipino film, Urduja, topbilled by Cesar Montano and
Regine Velasquez as voices behind the lead characters, premiered in local
theaters.

The year 2009 brought the highest international esteem to a Filipino

filmmaker when Brillante Mendoza was judged as the Best Director at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival for his
film Kinatay about murder and police brutality.

The film was notorious for being critically panned by Roger Ebert, a
distinguished and world-famous film critic, who declared it the worst film ever to be
shown at the Cannes Film Festival. His win was heralded by President Arroyo and
his countrymen.

The 2010’s: Commercial Renaissance

Since the year 2009, the presence of box-office films in the Philippine
Box Office has surged, with You Changed My Life starring Sarah Geronimo and
John Lloyd Cruz generated ₱230 million, making it the first Filipino movies to
breach the 200 million pesos mark. This started the commercial box office
success trend in local Philippine Cinema.
 2011 is the most fruitful year in Philippine Cinema history as 3 films
produced within the year (all from Star Cinema) landed in the top 3 of the
highest grossing Filipino films of all time. Wenn Deramas' The Unkabogable
Praybeyt Benjamin grossed ₱331.6 million in box office and became the
highest grossing local film in the Philippines.

No Other Woman grossed ₱278.39 million while 2011 Metro Manila Film Festival ("MMFF") entry
Enteng Ng Ina Mo, has a gross income of ₱237.89 million (as of January 7, 2012) and considered as the
highest grossing MMFF entry of all time. However, Sisterakas , a Kris Aquino-Ai Ai delas Alas-Vice Ganda
movie, replaced the title of Enteng ng Ina Mo and the Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin as it became the
highest grossing Filipino film and highest grossing MMFF entry of all time.

In 2013, It Takes a Man and a

Woman, the third film of the A Very Special
Love series of Sarah Geronimo and John
Lloyd Cruz, made many box office records,
one of which is being the current "Highest
Grossing Filipino Film of All Time",
replacing Sisterakas. It made
₱375,024,507 during its theatrical run in
the Philippines and ₱211,573,332
overseas, for a total of ₱586,597,839 worldwide until Vice Ganda's Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy and Kris
Aquino's My Little Bossings (both are MMFF entries) surpassed their local box-office record and battle for
the first spot.

In 2014, Filipino master Lav Diaz's film, From What Is Before (Mula sa Kung Ano
Ako Noon) won the Golden Leopard at the 2014 Locarno Film Festival. Its win was a
highly regarded as the second Filipino film to be awarded at an A-list film festival in
the world almost 20 years after The Flor Contemplacion Story won the Golden
Pyramid at the 1995 Cairo International Film Festival. The Amazing Praybeyt
Benjamin, another Vice Ganda film, breaks his own record again with an estimated
gross of PHP450, 000,000.00. Meanwhile, the sequel of Kris Aquino's Feng Shui
series is the highest grossing Filipino horror film.
In 2015, a new box-office breaking record has been set as A Second Chance, the
sequel of John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo's One More Chance earns PHP
556,000,000 worldwide surpassing Phenomenal Box-Office Star Vice Ganda's The Amazing Praybeyt
Benjamin. It is surpassed again by a Star Cinema, Viva Films-produced film Beauty and the Bestie still
starred by the "Phenomenal Box-Office Star" Vice Ganda.
 Lesson 8

National Artists of the Philippines

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 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.

Profiles of National Artists

National Artists in ARCHITECTURE

Juan F. Nakpil

National Artist for Architecture, 1973

Quiapo, Manila, NCR

Juan Felipe de Jesus Nakpil (born Juan Felipe Nakpil y de Jesus; May 26, 1899 – May
7, 1986), known as Juan F. Nakpil, was a Filipino architect, teacher and a community
leader. In 1973, he was named one of the National Artists for architecture. He was
regarded as the Dean of Filipino Architects.

He studied engineering at the University of California and later, at the University of

Kansas, where he received his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Nakpil worked at Andres Luna de San Pedro's architectural firm (1928) and at Don Gonzalo Puyat & Sons,
opening his own architectural firm in 1930. Among Nakpil's works are San Carlos Seminary, Geronimo de
los Reyes Building, Iglesia ni Cristo Riverside Locale (Now F. Manalo, San Juan), 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, and the Rizal Shrine in
Calamba, Laguna.
Pablo S. Antonio, Sr.

Born at the turn of the century, national artist for architecture Pablo Sebero Antonio
pioneered 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“.

Antonio first came into prominence in 1933 with the construction of the Ideal Theater
along Avenida Rizal in Manila. His work caught the eye of the founder of the Far
Eastern University in Manila, Dr. Nicanor B. Reyes, Sr., who was looking to build a
school campus that was modern in style. Between 1938 and 1950, he designed
several buildings on the university campus in the Art Deco style. The FEU campus is considered as the
largest ensemble of surviving Art Deco architecture in Manila, and in 2005, it received an Honorable
Mention citation from the UNESCO for the body's 2005 Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage
Conservation.

Leandro V. Locsin

Leandro V. Locsin (August 15, 1928 – November 15, 1994) was a Filipino
architect, artist, and interior designer known for his use of concrete, floating
volume and simplistic design in his various projects. An avid collector, he was
fond of modern painting and Chinese ceramics. He was proclaimed a National
Artist of the Philippines for Architecture in 1990 by the late President Corazon C.
Aquino.

He was born Leandro Valencia Locsin on August 15, 1928, in Silay, Negros
Occidental, a grandson of the first governor of the province. He completed his
elementary education De La Salle College in Manila before returning to Negros due to the Second World
War. He then returned to Manila to finish his secondary education in La Salle and proceeded in taking up
Pre-Law before shifting to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Music at the University of Santo Tomas. Although
he was a talented pianist, he later shifted again to Architecture, just a year before graduating. He married
Cecilia Yulo, and one of their two children is also an architect.

Ildefonso P. Santos

Ildefonso Paez Santos Jr. (September 5, 1929 – January 29, 2014), popularly
known simply as "IP Santos", was a Filipino architect who was known for
being the "Father of Philippine Landscape Architecture." He was recognized
as a National Artist of the Philippines in the field of Architecture in 2006.

Santos graduated from the University of Sto. Tomas in 1954 with a

degree in the field of architecture. He then pursued a second degree in
Architecture, as well as a Master of Architecture degree at the
University Of Southern California School Of Architecture.
Santos pioneered the profession of landscape architecture in the Philippines. He was bestowed
with the title of "national artist" for his outstanding achievement in architecture and allied arts on
June 9, 2006.
 Cultural Center of the Philippines complex
 Bantayog ng mga Bayani
 Manila Hotel
 San Miguel Corporation Building
 Nayong Pilipino
 Paco Park
 Rizal Park
 Loyola Memorial Park
 Tagaytay Highlands Golf and Country Club
 The Orchard Golf and Country Club
 Magallanes Church
 Asian Institute of Management

Ramón Valera

Ramón Valera (August 31, 1912 - May 25, 1972) was a fashion
designer from the Philippines who was bestowed with the National
Artist of the Philippines honor in 2006. He is the country's first and
only fashion designer to receive this distinction. In 2017, his work was
displayed in an exhibit called Valera and the Modern: An Exhibit on
the Life and Work of National Artist for Fashion Design, Ramon Valera
which was curated by Gerry Torres at De La Salle-College of St.
Benilde’s School of Design and Arts Gallery.

Valera's gowns have been worn by notable Filipina women including Gloria Romero, Barbara
Perez and Imelda Marcos.

Valera was born on August 31, 1912 and finished his education in De La Salle. He was the first
to introduce the one-piece terno that was fastened in the back with a zipper. He re-imagined
the Maria Clara outfit by adding bell sleeves and making it into a wedding gown. He died on
May 25, 1972.

José María Zaragoza

José María V. Zaragoza (December 6, 1912 – November 26, 1994) was a

Filipino architect.
Zaragoza took up BS Architecture at the University of Santo Tomas
where he graduated in 1936. He placed 7th in the licensure exams in
the 1938.
 He also had a diploma in liturgical art and architecture from the Rome-based International
Institute of Liturgical Art. At the Hilversun Technical Research Center in the Netherlands, he
obtained a diploma in comprehensive planning.

Zaragoza was involved in designing several religious buildings such as The Our Lady of the
Holy Rosary in Tala, Caloocan completed in 1950; the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City
and the Villa San Miguel in Mandaluyong both which was finished in 1954; the Pius XII Center
in Manila completed in 1958, and the expansion of the Quiapo Church completed in 1984, a
project met with some controversy.

National Artists in VISUAL ARTS

Fernando Amorsolo

National Artist for Visual Arts – Painting, 1972

Paco, Manila, NCR

Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto (May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972) was one of the
most important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines. Amorsolo was
a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. He is popularly known
for his craftsmanship and mastery in the use of light.

Amorsolo is best known for his illuminated landscapes, which often portrayed
traditional Filipino customs, culture, fiestas and occupations. His pastoral works presented "an
imagined sense of nationhood in counterpoint to American colonial rule" and were important to the
formation of Filipino national identity. He was educated in the classical tradition and aimed "to
achieve his Philippine version of the Greek ideal for the human form."[8] In his paintings of Filipina
women, Amorsolo rejected Western ideals of beauty in favor of Filipino ideals and was fond of
basing the faces of his subjects on members of his family.
Amorsolo used natural light in his paintings and developed the backlighting technique
Chiaroscuro, which became his artistic trademark and his greatest contribution to Philippine
painting. In a typical Amorsolo painting, figures are outlined against a characteristic glow, and
intense light on one part of the canvas highlights nearby details.

Botong Francisco

National Artist for Visual Arts – Painting, 1973

Angon, Rizal, Region 4A – CALABARZON

Carlos Modesto "Botong" Villaluz Francisco (November 4, 1912 – March 31,

1969) was a muralist from Angono, Rizal.
Francisco was a most distinguished practitioner of mural painting for many
decades and best known for his historical pieces. He was one of the first Filipino
modernists along with Galo Ocampo and Victorio C. Edades who broke away
from Fernando Amorsolo's romanticism of Philippine scenes. According to restorer Helmuth Josef Zotter,
Francisco's art "is a prime example of linear painting where lines and contours appear like cutouts.

His great works include portrayals of the Blood Compact, First Mass at
Limasawa, The Martyrdom of Rizal, Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta,
Bayanihan sa Bukid, Sandugo, Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of
Limahong, Serenade, and Muslim Betrothal.

First Mass at Limasawa

Guillermo Tolentino
National Arts for Visual Arts – Sculpture, 1973
Malolos, Bulacan, Region 3 – Central Luzon

Guillermo Estrella Tolentino (July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976) was a Filipino sculptor
and professor of the University of the Philippines. He was designated as a National
Artist of the Philippines for Sculpture in 1973, three years before his death.

Tolentino was born on July 24, 1890 in Malolos, Bulacan. He was the fourth child in
his family and had seven siblings. Before being interested in sculptures, he learned
how to play the guitar, a skill which he inherited from his father. The young
Tolentino showed an early talent in sculpting, having been able to mold figures of horses and dogs out of
clay.

In 1955, Tolentino retired from service in the University of the Philippines and
returned to private practice. He received various awards and distinctions in his later
years, most notably his declaration as National Artist by Ferdinand Marcos on May
15, 1973.

Napoleon Abueva

National Artist for Visual Arts – Sculpture, 1976

Tagbilaran, Bohol, Region 7 – Central Visayas

Napoleon "Billy" Veloso Abueva (January 26, 1930 – February 16, 2018) was
known as the "Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture" Through Proclamation No.
1539, He was proclaimed National Artist for Sculpture in 1976 when he was 46,
making him the youngest recipient of the award to date.

Recognized as the “Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture”, Abueva helped shape

the local sculpture scene to what it is now. He used almost all kinds of materials for
his sculptures such as hard wood, adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron, alabaster,
coral and brass. He was the first Filipino artist to mount a one-man exhibit at the Philippine Center in New
York in 1980.
Victorio C. Edades
 National Artist for Visual Arts
Dagupan, Pangasinan, Region 1 – Ilocos Region

Victorio C. Edades (December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985) was a Filipino painter.
He led the revolutionary Thirteen Moderns, who engaged their classical
compatriots in heated debate over the nature and function of art. He was named a
National Artist in 1976.

Victorio Edades was born on December 23, 1895 to Hilario and Cecilia Edades. He
was the youngest of ten children (six of whom died of smallpox). He grew up in Barrio Bolosan in Dagupan,
Pangasinan. His artistic ability surfaced during his early years. By seventh grade, his teachers were so
impressed with him that he was dubbed "apprentice teacher" in his art class. He was also an achiever from
the very beginning, having won awards in school debates and writing competitions.

Vicente S. Manansala

Vicente Silva Manansala (January 22, 1910 – August 22, 1981) was
a Filipino cubist painter and illustrator.

Manansala was born in Macabebe, Pampanga. From 1926 to 1930,

he studied at the U.P. School of Fine Arts. In 1949, Manansala received a
six-month grant by UNESCO to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Banff
and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In 1950, he received a nine-month
scholarship to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris by the French
government.
Manansala's paintings are the best and were celebrated as the best of the barrio and the
city together. His Madonna of the Slums is a portrayal of a mother and child from the countryside
who became urban shanty residents once in the city. In his Jeepneys, Manansala combined the
elements of provincial folk culture with the congestion issues of the city.

Cesar Legaspi

Cesar Torrente Legaspi (April 2, 1917 – April 7, 1994) was a Filipino National Artist in painting. He was also
an art director prior to going full-time in his visual art practice in the 1960s. His early
(1940s–1960s) works, alongside those of peer, Hernando Ocampo are described as
depictions of anguish and dehumanization of beggars and laborers in the city.
These include Man and Woman (alternatively known as Beggars) and Gadgets.
Primarily because of this early period, critics have further cited Legaspi's having
"reconstituted" in his paintings "cubism's unfeeling, geometric ordering of figures
into a social expressionism rendered by interacting forms filled with rhythmic
movement".

During his career as an artist, he had the opportunity to be part of several exhibits abroad, including the First
Plastic Arts Conference in Rome in 1953, the São Paulo Biennial in Graphic Arts in 1967 and 1969, and the
Wraxall Gallery in London with Filipino artists Mauro Malang Santos and Benedicto Cabrera in 1982. Apart
from this, he holds the record of five retrospective exhibitions at different venues: the Museum of Philippine
Art in 1978, the National Museum and the Metropolitan Museum in 1988, and the Luz Gallery and the
Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1990. He was an active member of the Art Association of the
Philippines and was part of the Neo-Realists. He was also the head of the Saturday Group artists from 1978
until his death on April 7, 1994.

Hernando Ruiz Ocampo

Hernando Ruiz Ocampo (April 28, 1911 – December 28, 1978) was a Filipino
National Artist in the visual arts. He is also fictionist, a playwright and editor.

Hernando Ruiz Ocampo was a leading radical modernist artist in the Philippines.
He was a member of the Saturday Group of artists (also known as the Taza de Oro
Group), and was one of the pre-war Thirteen Moderns, a group of modernist artists
founded by Victorio C. Edades in 1938. Famously known for his triumvirate of with
neo-realists Vicente S. Manansala and Cesar Legaspi, his works reflected the
harsh realities of his country after the Second World War. However, many of his
works depicted lush sceneries and the beautiful Philippine landscapes through his skillful use of fierce and
bold colors.

H. R. Ocampo was credited for inventing a new mode of abstraction that exemplifies Philippine flora and
fauna, and portrays sunshine, stars and rain. Using movement and bold colors, Ocampo utilized fantasy and
science fiction as the basis for his works. His art is described to be "abstract compositions of biological
forms that seemed to oscillate, quiver, inflame and multiply" like mutations.

Arturo Luz

Arturo Rogerio Luz (born November 20, 1926) is a Philippine National Artist
awardee in visual arts. He is also a known printmaker, sculptor, designer and art
administrator. A founding member of the modern Neo-realist school in Philippine
art, he received the National Artist Award, the country's highest accolade in the
arts, in 1997.

Luz has produced art pieces through a disciplined economy of means. His early
drawings were described as "playful linear works" influenced by Paul Klee. His
best masterpieces are minimalist, geometric abstracts, alluding to the modernist
"virtues" of competence, order and elegance; and were further described as evoking universal reality and
mirrors an aspiration for an acme of true Asian modernity.

Jerry Navarro Elizalde

Jerry Navarro Elizalde (22 May 1924 – 10 June 1999) was a Philippine artist. He
studied in the University of the Philippines, Manila as a Ramon Roces Publication
Scholar in 1947. The following year he transferred to the University of Santo Tomas,
he studied fine arts with a major in painting. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in
1951. While studying at the university he was also an art editor for the university newspaper The Varsitarian.
His wife is sculptor Virginia Ty-Navarro.

Being a young artist, Navarro was very passionate to create a new ways of art. He experimented different
kinds of painting using oil, acrylic, and watercolor. He also tried making sculpture and mixed media. He uses
the "incision painting" this method is applied on the stop surface by carving out the artist’s desired pattern
on the stone materials and layering paint or plaster on the stone surface.

Ang Kiukok

Ang Kiukok (March 1, 1931 – May 9, 2005) was a Filipino painter of Chinese descent
and was a National Artist for Visual Arts.

Ang was born on March 1, 1931, in Davao, Davao Province, Philippines and Chin Lim
who were immigrants from Xiamen, China. Ang was the only son in his family and he had
four sisters. He was originally intended to be named Ang Hua Shing ("Hua Shing" literally
means "Chinese-born") but did not push through with the plan upon learning that his
cousin was given the name by his uncle.

Ang's first formal recognition in his career as an artist was when his work Calesa garnered third place at the
Shell National Students Art Competition in 1953. In 1954, he launched his first one-man show at the
Contemporary Arts Gallery after he was urged by his mentor Manansala.

Within a few years his works such as garnered him more recognition such as Still Life (1951, Honorable
mention), The Bird (1959, First Prize), Still Life in Red (1963, Third Prize), Fish (1963, Second Prize), and
Geometric Still-Life Fish (1963, Second Prize). All of these recognition was from the Art Association of the
Philippines.

José T. Joya

José T. Joya (June 3, 1931 – May 11, 1995) was a Filipino abstract artist and a
National Artist of the Philippines awardee. Joya was a printmaker, painter, mixed
media artist, and a former dean of the University of the Philippines' College of Fine
Arts. He pioneered abstract expressionism in the Philippines. His canvases were
characterized by "dynamic spontaneity" and "quick gestures" of action painting. He is
the creator of compositions that were described as "vigorous compositions" of heavy
impastoes, bold brushstrokes, controlled dips, and diagonal swipes". Joya added the
brilliant tropical colors.

He was awarded a Fulbright-Smile-Mundt grant which enabled him to pursue a master's degree in Fine Arts
in 1956–57. His works were strongly influenced by the tropical landscapes of the Philippine Islands.

Among his masterpieces are the Nanking (a collage rendered with Asian calligraphy and forms and patterns
resembling rice paddies), the Granadean Arabesque (1958) and Biennial (1964).

Jose died in 1995 of blood loss in Rizal Avenue, Manila, Philippines.

Benedicto Cabrera “BenCab”
Benedicto Reyes Cabrera (born April 10, 1942), better known as "BenCab", is a Filipino painter and was
awarded National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts (Painting) in 2006. He has been noted as "arguably
the best-selling painter of his generation of Filipino artists."

BenCab was born to Democrito Cabrera and Isabel Reyes in Malabon, Philippines on April 10, 1942. He
was the youngest of nine children. BenCab's first exposure and discovery of the arts happened through his
elder Brother Salvador, who was already an established artist during Bencab's childhood.

In 2006, the Philippine Government conferred upon him the Order of National Artist for Visual Arts. In 2009,
the University of the Philippines conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.

Abdulmari Asia Imao

Abdulmari Asia Imao was a Filipino painter and sculptor. Imao was named National
Artist of the Philippines for Sculpture in 2006. A Tausūg, Imao is the first Moro to
receive the recognition. Aside from being a sculptor, Imao is also a painter,
photographer, ceramist, cultural researcher, documentary film maker, writer, and a
patron of Philippine Muslim art and culture.

Abdulmari Imao is known for using the okir, sarimanok and the naga as motifs
in his artworks and is credited for popularizing the motifs to the Filipino
national consciousness.[3][8] Imao draws inspiration from Tausūg and
Maranao art. Imao's Islamic faith is also a source of inspiration in his art as
evidenced in his sculptures composed of elements of Allah's name through Arabic calligraphy.
Imao died on 16 December 2014 at the age of 78 at his home in Marikina. Imao was suspected of
dying due to heart attack but his family later released a statement through Imao's daughter-in-law,
Cielo Imao, which he died in his sleep.

A traditional state neurological service and tributes, which is usually given to National Artists, was
accorded to Imao on 21 December at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Main Theater. Imao
was later interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani at noon.
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz

Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (June 6, 1932 – February 2, 2011) was a Filipino

painter who exhibited extensively internationally and whose work earned him
recognition both in the Philippines and abroad.

Alcuaz was conferred the title of National Artist for Visual Arts, Painting,
Sculpture and Mixed Media in 2009. However, four nominees for the award
other than Alcuaz became embroiled in the 2009 National Artist of the
Philippines Controversy, which led the Supreme Court of the Philippines to
temporarily issue a status quo order on August 25, 2009, blocking the conferment of the awards on all
seven nominees - despite the fact that no objections were ever raised regarding the conferment of the
award to Alcuaz and two other nominees.
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz was born on June 6, 1932 in Santa Cruz, Manila. He was the 6th of 11
Children of Mariano Aguilar a Lawyer and a Musician and Encarnneo de Manila]] and finished his
degree in 1955. In 1949–1950 he took up painting subjects at the University of the Philippines (UP)
School of Fine Arts. In 1955 he went to [[rats. In the same year he began signing his paintings with
Aguilar Alcuaz to distinguish himself from two other Aguilars who are also members of the La
Punalada Group. In 1959, he met Ute Schmitz, whom he married 3 years later and they had 3
sons.

Francisco Coching

Francisco V. Coching (January 29, 1919[2] – September 1, 1998[3]) was a Filipino

comic books illustrator and writer and is regarded as one of the “pillars of the
Philippine Komiks Industry”. He served as both illustrator and writer for his comic
book stories, Coching is referred to as the "King of Komiks", and as the "Dean of
Philippine Comics". In 2014, he was posthumously conferred as a National Artist for
Visual Arts, the highest honor for artists in the Philippines.

Coching was born in Buting, Pasig, and Rizal Province in the Philippines. He was the
son of Gregorio Coching, a Filipino novelist in the Tagalog-language magazine
Liwayway.

Coching influenced many other Filipino illustrators. Among them were Noly Panaligan, Federico C.
Javinal, Carlos Lemos, Celso Trinidad, Emil Quizon-Cruz, Nestor Redondo, Alfredo Alcala, and
Emil Rodriguez.

National Artists in DANCE

Francisca Reyes-Aquino

National Artist for Dance, 1973

Bocaue, Bulacan, Region 3 – Central Luzon

Francisca Reyes-Aquino (March 9, 1899 - November 21, 1983) was a Filipino folk
dancer and academic noted for her research on Philippine folk dance. She is a recipient
of the Republic Award of Merit and the Ramon Magsaysay Award and is a designated
National Artist of the Philippines for Dance.

Among Reyes-Aquino's most noted works is her research on folk dances and songs as a student assistant
at the University of the Philippines (UP). Pursuing her graduate studies, she started her work in the 1921
traveling to remote barrios in Central and Northern Luzon.

She served as supervisor of physical education at the Bureau of Education in the 1940s. The education
body distributed her work and adapted the teaching of folk dancing in an effort to promote awareness
among the Filipino youth regarding their cultural heritage. Then President Ramon Magsaysay conferred her
the Republic Award of Merit in 1954 for her “outstanding contribution toward the advancement of Filipino
culture”.
Philippine Folk Dances Vol. 4 Philippine Folk Dances Vol. 5
Leonor Orosa – Goquingco

National Artist for Dance, 1976

Jolo, Sulu, Region 15 – ARMM

Leonor Orosa-Goquingco (July 24, 1917 – July 15, 2005) was a Filipino national artist
in creative dance she played the piano, drew art, designed scenery and costumes,
sculpted, acted, directed, danced and choreographed. Her pen name was Cristina
Luna and she was known as Trailblazer, Mother of Philippine Theater Dance and Dean
of Filipino Performing Arts Critics. She died on July 15, 2005 of cardiac arrest following
a cerebro-vascular accident at the age of 87.

In 1939, Leonor Orosa-Goquingco was the only dancer sent on the first cultural mission to Japan, at the age
of 19. She produced circling the Globe (1939) and Dance Panorama in the same year. She created The
Elements in 1940, the first ballet choreographed by a Filipino to commissioned music. She also created
Sports during the same year, featuring cheerleaders, a tennis match and a basketball game. The first
Philippine folkloric ballet, Trend: Return to the Native, was choreographed by Goquingco in 1941.

Lucrecia Reyes Urtula

Lucrecia Faustino Reyes-Urtula (June 29, 1929 - August 24, 1999) was a Filipino
choreographer, theater director, teacher, author and researcher on ethnic dance. She
was the founding director of the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company
and was named National Artist of the Philippines for dance in 1988.

She worked to translate folk dancing into the realm of theater. She adapted indigenous
dance traditions to the demands of the modern stage, and performances of her works
received international attention.

Born in Iloilo, Reyes was the daughter of Antonia Faustino, a nurse, and Col. Leon S. Reyes of the
Philippine Constabulary (PC), who later served as a brigadier general and a military governor. She grew up
amidst music and dance. Her mother's family included many musicians and her musician father could play
many instruments. He was a regular participant at fiestas and special occasions in his hometown of
Calamba.

Upon graduation, she taught at her alma mater, the Philippine Women's University. During this period,
Reyes worked to collect and document tribal and ethnic dances, which she believed were a great cultural
treasure waiting to be tapped and adapted to the stage. She used her knowledge of choreography and
creative touch to transform these tribal dances into stage performances. At PWU she organized the Filipino
Folk Music and Dance Committee, which concentrated on choreographed folk dances and their
performance at fiestas and special occasions.
Ramon Obusan

Ramon Arevalo Obusan (June 16, 1938 – December 21, 2006) was a Filipino dancer,
choreographer, stage designer and artistic director. Obusan is credited for his work in
promoting Philippine traditional dance and cultural work. He is also an acclaimed
archivist, researcher and documentary filmmaker who focused on Philippine culture. He
also founded Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group in 1971. Among the awards Obusan
received was the Patnubay ng Kalinangan award by the City of Manila in 1992, the
Gawad CCP Para sa Sining award in 1993 and the prestigious National Artist of the
Philippines for dance in May 2006.

Obusan died on December 21, 2006 due to cardio-pulmonary arrest at the Makati Medical Center. Up to the
time of his death, the annual Christmas program Vamos A Blen at the Cultural Center of the Philippines was
at his oversight. Obusan was also preparing for the cultural presentation to be made during the state dinner
for the 2007 ASEAN Summit to be hosted by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Alice Garcia Reyes

Alice Garcia Reyes (born October 14, 1942) is a Filipina dancer,

choreographer, teacher, director and producer. The founder (together with
Eddie Elejar) of Ballet Philippines, she received last June 20, 2014 from
President Aquino the highest award in the Arts, National Artist of the
Philippines. She was chiefly responsible in popularizing contemporary dance
with the Alice Reyes Dance Company which staged the first modern dance
concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater on February,
1970. It was this company that later became Ballet Philippines.

She is best known for "Bungkos Suite", "Carmen", "Carmina Burana", "Romeo and Juliet", "Rama
Hari", "Cinderella", "Amada", "Itim-Asu", and "Tales of the Manuvu"—all nuanced with Filipino
culture, gesture and grace.

Reyes was born in October 1942. At a very young age, Reyes took up lessons in classical ballet
under Rosalia Merino while studying at Maryknoll College where she completed a Bachelor of Arts
degree in History and Foreign Services.

In 2017, Reyes was brought back on as the artistic director of Ballet Philippines (BP), just in time
for the company’s 50th year anniversary. Her permanent residence was still in the US so she flew
in and out of the Philippines for her occupation as artistic director.

National Artists in LITERATURE

Amado V. Hernandez

National Artist for Literature

Hagonoy, Bulacan, Region 3 – Central Luzon
Tondo, Manila, National Capital Region

Amado Vera Hernandez, commonly known as Amado V. Hernandez (September 13,

1903 – March 24, 1970), was a Filipino writer and labor leader who was known for his
criticism of social injustices in the Philippines and was later imprisoned for his
involvement in the communist movement. He was the central figure in a landmark legal
case that took 13 years to settle.

He was born in Tondo, Manila, to parents from Hagonoy, Bulacan. He grew up and studied at the
Gagalangin, Tondo, and the Manila High School and at the American Correspondence School.

While still a teenager, he began writing in Tagalog for the newspaper Watawat (Flag). He would later write a
column for the Tagalog publication Pagkakaisa (Unity) and become editor of Mabuhay (Long Live).

His writings gained the attention of Tagalog literati and some of his stories and poems
were included in anthologies, such as Clodualdo Del Mundo's Parolang Ginto and
Alejandro Abadilla's Talaang Bughaw.

In 1922, at the age of 19, Hernandez became a member of the literary society
Aklatang Bayan which included noted Tagalog writers Lope K. Santos and Jose
Corazon de Jesus.

In 1932, he married the Filipino actress Atang de la Rama. Both of them would later be recognized as
National Artists: Hernandez for Literature, de la Rama for Theater, Dance and Music.

José García Villa

José Garcia Villa (August 5, 1908 – February 7, 1997) was a Filipino poet, literary critic,
short story writer, and painter. He was awarded the National Artist of the Philippines title
for literature in 1973, as well as the Guggenheim Fellowship in creative writing by Conrad
Aiken.[2] He is known to have introduced the "reversed consonance rhyme scheme" in
writing poetry, as well as the extensive use of punctuation marks—especially commas,
which made him known as the Comma Poet. He used the pen name Doveglion (derived
from "Dove, Eagle, Lion"), based on the characters he derived from his own works.
These animals were also explored by another poet, E. E. Cummings, in "Doveglion,
Adventures in Value", a poem dedicated to Villa.
Villa was born on August 5, 1908, in Manila's Singalong district. His parents were Simeón Villa (a personal
physician of Emilio Aguinaldo, the founding President of the First Philippine Rf the Philippines High School
in 1925. Villa enrolled on a Pre-Medical course in the University of the Philippines, but then switched to Pre-
Law course. However, he realized that his true passion was in the arts.
Nick Joaquin

National Artist for Literature, 1976

Paco, Manila, NCR
Nicomedes "Nick" Márquez Joaquín (May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) was a Filipino writer and journalist best
known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano
de Manila. Joaquín was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature. He has
been considered one of the most important Filipino writers, along with José Rizal and Claro M. Recto. Unlike
Rizal and Recto, whose works were written in Spanish, Joaquin's major works were written in English
despite being a native Spanish speaker.

Literary prominence, as measured by different English critics, is said to rest upon one of Nick Joaquín's
published books entitled “Prose and Poems” which was published in 1952. Published in this book are the
poems “Three Generations”, “May Day Eve”, “After the Picnic”, “The Legend of the Dying Wanton”, “The
Legend of the Virgin Jewel;”, “It Was Later than we Thought”. Among these, the first of the mentioned
written works were deliberated by editors Seymour Laurence and Jose Garcia Villa as a “short story
masterpiece” (1953). The poem was also chosen as the best short story published in the Philippine Press
between March 1943 and November 1944.
Carlos P. Romulo

(14 January 1898 – 15 December 1985) was a Filipino diplomat, statesman, soldier,
journalist and author. He was a reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20,
and a publisher at 32. He was a co-founder of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, a
general in the US Army and the Philippine Army, university president, President of the
UN General Assembly, was eventually named one of the Philippines' National Artists
in Literature, and was the recipient of many other honors and honorary degrees. He
was born in Camiling, Tarlac and he studied at the Camiling Central Elementary
School during his basic education.

Francisco Arcellana

Francisco "Franz" Arcellana (September 6, 1916 – August 1, 2002) was a Filipino

writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher. He was born on September 6,
1916. Arcellana already had ambitions of becoming a writer early in his childhood.
His actual writing, however, started when he became a member of The Torres
Torch Organization during his high school years. Arcellana continued writing in
various school papers at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Later on he
received a Rockefeller Grant and became a fellow in Creative Writing at the
University of Iowa and at the Breadloaf Writers' Conference from 1956– 1957.

He is considered an important progenitor of the modern Filipino short story in English. Arcellana pioneered
the development of the short story as a lyrical prose-poetic form within Filipino literature. His works are now
often taught in tertiary-level syllabi in the Philippines. Many of his works were translated into Tagalog,
Malaysian, Russian, Italian, and German. Arcellana won 2nd place in the 1951 Don Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature, with his short story, The Flowers of May. Fourteen of his short stories were
also included in Jose Garcia Villa's Honor Roll from 1928 to 1939. His major achievements included the first
award in art criticism from the Art Association of the Philippines in 1954, the Patnubay ng Sining at
Kalinangan award from the city government of Manila in 1981, and the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni
Balagtas for English fiction from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipino (UMPIL) in 1988.

N. V. M. González
 Néstor Vicente Madali González (September 8, 1915 – November 28, 1999) was a
Filipino novelist, short story writer, essayist and, poet. Conferred as the National Artist
of the Philippines for Literature in 1997.

The works of Gonzalez have been published in Filipino, English, Chinese, German,
Russian and Indonesian.

Edith L. Tiempo

Edith L. Tiempo (April 22, 1919 – August 21, 2011), poet, fiction writer, teacher and
literary critic was a Filipino writer in the English language.

Tiempo was born in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. Her poems are intricate verbal
transfigurations of significant experiences as revealed, in two of her much
anthologized pieces, "Halaman" and "Bonsai."[2] 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, writer and critic Edilberto K. Tiempo, they founded (in 1962) and
directed the Silliman National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the
Philippines' best writers.

She was conferred the National Artist Award for Literature in 1999.

F. Sionil José

Francisco Sionil José (born 3 December 1924) is one of the most widely read
Filipino writers in the English language. His novels and short stories depict the
social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society. José's
works—written in English—have been translated into 28 languages, including
Korean, Indonesian, Czech, Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian and Dutch.

José attended the University of Santo Tomas after World War II, but dropped out
and plunged into writing and journalism in Manila. In subsequent years, he edited
various literary and journalistic publications, started a publishing house, and founded the Philippine branch
of PEN, an international organization for writers.
Virgilio Almario

Virgilio Senadrin Almario (born March 9, 1944), better known by his pen name Rio
Alma, is a Filipino artist, author, poet, critic, translator, editor, teacher, and cultural
manager. He is a National Artist of the Philippines and currently serves as the
chairman of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), the government agency
mandated to promote and standardize the use of the Filipino language. On January 5,
2017, Almario was also elected as the chairman of the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
A prolific writer, he spearheaded the second successful modernist movement in Filipino poetry together with
Mangahas and Antonio. His earliest pieces of literary criticism were collected in Ang Makata sa Panahon ng
Makina (1972), now considered the first book of literary criticism in Filipino. Later, in the years of martial law,
he set aside modernism and formalism and took interest in nationalism, politics and activist movement. As a
critic, his critical works deal with the issue of national language.
Alejandro Roces

Alejandro Reyes Roces (13 July 1924 – 23 May 2011) was a Filipino author,
essayist, dramatist and a National Artist of the Philippines for literature. He served
as Secretary of Education from 1961 to 1965, during the term of Philippine
President Diosdado Macapagal.

Noted for his short stories, the Manila-born Roces was married to Irene Yorston
Viola (granddaughter of Maximo Viola), with whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth
Roces-Pedrosa. Anding attended elementary and high school at the Ateneo de
Manila University, before moving to the University of Arizona and then Arizona
State University for his tertiary education. He graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts
and, not long after, attained his M.A. from Far Eastern University back in the Philippines. He has since
received honorary doctorates from Tokyo University, Baguio's St. Louis University, Polytechnic University of
the Philippines, and the Ateneo de Manila University. Roces was a captain in the Marking’s Guerilla during
World War II and a columnist in Philippine dailies such as the Manila Chronicle and the Manila Times. He
was previously President of the Manila Bulletin and of the CAP College Foundation.

In 2001, Roces was appointed as Chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board
(MTRCB). Roces also became a member of the Board of Trustees of GSIS (Government Service Insurance
System) and maintained a column in the Philippine Star called Roses and Thorns.

Bienvenido Lumbera

Bienvenido Lumbera is a Filipino poet, critic and dramatist. He is a National Artist

of the Philippines and a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism,
Literature and Creative Communications. He won numerous literary awards,
including the National Book Awards from the National Book Foundation, and the
Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards.

Lumbera was born in Lipa on April 11, 1932. He was barely a year old when his
father, Christian Lumbera (a Shooting Guard with a local basketball team), fell
from a fruit tree, broke his back, and died. Carmen Lumbera, his mother, suffered
from cancer and died a few years later. By the age of five he was an orphan. He and his older sister were
cared for by their paternal grandmother, Eusebia Teru.

Lázaro Francisco y Angeles

Lázaro Francisco y Angeles, also known as Lazaro A. Francisco (February 22, 1898
– June 17, 1980) was a Filipino novelist, essayist and playwright. Francisco was
posthumously named a National Artist of the Philippines for Literature in 2009.
Francisco was born on February 22, 1898 to Eulogio Francisco and Clara Angeles, in Orani, Bataan. He
spent his childhood years in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. He took his college education at the Central Luzon
Agricultural College (now Central Luzon State University), but was not able to finish due to poverty.

Cirilo Bautista

Cirilo F. Bautista (July 9, 1941 – May 6, 2018) was a Filipino poet, critic and writer of
nonfiction. A National Artist of the Philippines award was conferred on him in 2014.

He received his basic education from Legarda Elementary School (1st Honorable
Mention, 1954) and Victorino Mapa High School (Valedictorian, 1959). He received
his degrees in AB Literature from the University of Santo Tomas (magna cum laude,
1963), MA Literature from St. Louis University, Baguio (magna cum laude, 1968),
and Doctor of Arts in Language and Literature from De La Salle University-Manila
(1990). He received a fellowship to attend the International Writing Program at the
University of Iowa (1968–1969).

National Artists in MUSIC

Antonio J. Molina

National Artist for Music, 1973

Quiapo, Manila, National Capital Region

Antonio Molina (26 December 1894 – 29 January 1980) was a Filipino composer,
conductor and music administrator. He was named a National Artist of the Philippines
for his services to music. He was also known as the Claude Debussy of the
Philippines due to his use of impressionist themes in his music.

Molina was born in Quiapo, Manila, the son of Juan Molina, a government official, who founded the Molina
Orchestra. He attended the Escuela Catolica de Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno in Quiapo, Manila, and
college at San Juan De Letran where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1909.

Molina made his first composition in 1912 titled Matinal, which is preserved in an unpublished volume called
Miniaturas, Vol. 1. He was appointed to teach harmony, composition, music history, and violincello at the UP
Conservatory of Music, pursuing a career in music education until being appointed dean of the Centro
Escolar

Conservatory of Music. He founded the CEU String Quartet which was professionally organized and
financed by its music school.

As a composer Molina is credited with over 500 compositions.

Jovita Fuentes

National Artist for Music, 1976

Capiz, Region 6 – Western Visayas

Jovita Fuentes (February 15, 1895 – August 7, 1978) was a Filipina soprano singer.
She was born in Capiz (now Roxas City) to a well-off couple named Canuto and Dolores Fuentes. At an
early age, she displayed interest in music, learning the contemporary songs at that time.

In 1917, she took up college at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music. In order to hone her
skills further she pursued her studies abroad, going to Italy. In 1925, Fuentes made her debut as Cio-Cio-
San in Puccini's Madame Butterfly, at the Teatro Municipale de Piacenza, another of her notable roles were
of Mimi in La bohème, Pietro Mascagni's Iris and Richard Strauss' Salome. She later became an instructor
upon her return.

Due to her merits and contributions in her field, she was dubbed as The First Lady of Philippine Music and
in 1976 she earned the title of becoming the first national artist in music.

Antonino Buenaventura

Col. Antonino Ramirez Buenaventura (4 May 1904 – 25 January 1996)] was a Filipino
composer, conductor, and teacher.

Antonino Buenaventura was born on May 4, 1904 in Baliuag, Bulacan. He was born in
a family of musicians; his father Lucino Buenaventura was a musician at the Spanish
Artillery Band in Intramuros.

Buenaventura's music was influenced by different ethnic Philippine folksongs. In 1935,

he joined Francisca Reyes-Aquino in researching Philippine folksongs and dances. In 1936 he composed
the accompaniment to the folk dance "Pandanggo sa Ilaw" and incorporated ethnic melodies and
instruments to some of his compositions.
Lucrecia Roces Kasilag

Lucrecia Roces Kasilag (31 August 1918 – 16 August 2008) was a Filipino composer and pianist. She is
particularly known for incorporating indigenous Filipino instruments into orchestral productions.

Works for Stage

 Dularawan: Salakot na Ginto (Image Play: The Golden Salakot) (1969)
 Her Son, Jose, operatorio (1977)
 The Spiritual Canticle, operatorio (1991)
 Filiasiana, choral dance kaleidoscope (1964)
 Sisa, ballet (1976)
 Why Flowers Bloom in May, opera (2008)

Lucio San Pedro

Lucio D. San Pedro, Sr. (February 11, 1913 – March 31, 2002) was a Filipino
composer and teacher who was proclaimed a National Artist of the Philippines for
Music in 1991.
San Pedro came from a family with musical roots and he began his career early. When he was still in his
late teens, he succeeded his deceased grandfather as the local church organist. By then, he had already
composed songs, hymns and two complete masses for voices and orchestra. After studying with several
prominent musicians in the Philippines, he took advanced composition training with Bernard Wagenaar of
the Netherlands. He also studied harmony and orchestration under Vittorio Giannini and took classes at
Juilliard in 1947.

On May 9, 1991, President Corazon C. Aquino proclaimed San Pedro a National Artist of the Philippines for
Music.

Felipe Padilla de Leon

Felipe Padilla de León (May 1, 1912 – December 5, 1992) was a Filipino

classical music composer, conductor, and scholar.

De Leon was the third of four children by the second marriage of his mother
Natalia Padilla to Juan de Leon. His father died when he was three years old,
leaving his mother to raise him and his elder half-brother, Pedro P. San Diego.
Before becoming a musician, he took various odd jobs to support his family, such
as a shoe polisher, carabao herder, carriage driver, and vendor of various items.
In 1927, he took up Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines, but he had to
abandon his studies to make a living. He played the trombone in cabarets and
circuses, and later worked as an assistant conductor of the Nueva Ecija High
School Orchestra, where he started composing music.
Levi Celerio

Levi Celerio (April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002) was a Filipino composer and lyricist who is credited to writing
not less than 4,000 songs. Celerio was recognized as a National Artist of the Philippines for Music and
Literature in 1997.

He is also known for using the leaf as a musical instrument which led to being
recognized as the "only man who could play music using a leaf" by the Guinness Book
of Records. This led to him making guest appearance in television shows recorded
outside the Philippines.

Aside from being a musician, Celerio was also a poet and a film actor who appeared in
various Philippine films of the 1950s and 1960s.

José Montserrat Maceda

José Montserrat Maceda (January 31, 1917 – May 5, 2004) was a Filipino
composer and ethnomusicologist

Maceda was born in Manila, Philippines, and studied piano, composition and
musical analysis at École Normale de Musique de Paris in France. After
returning to the Philippines, he became a professional pianist, and later studied musicology at Columbia
University, and anthropology at Northwestern University.

As an ethnomusicologist, Maceda investigated various forms of music in Southeast Asia, producing

numerous papers and even composing his own pieces for Southeast Asian instruments. His notable works
include: Pagsamba for 116 instruments, 100 mixed and 25 male voices (1968); Cassette 100 for 100
cassette players (1971); Ugnayan for 20 radio stations (1974); Udlot-Udlot for several hundred to several
thousand people (1975); Suling-Suling for 10 flutes, 10 bamboo buzzers and 10 flat gongs (1985). In 1977,
Maceda aimed to study Philippine folk songs which he describes as having more focus on rhythm rather
than time measure. From the 1990s, he also composed for Western orchestra and piano. The examples
are: Distemperament for orchestra (1992); Colors without Rhythm for orchestra (1999); Sujeichon for 4
pianos (2002).

Ernani Cuenco

Ernani Potel Cuenco (May 10, 1956 – June 11, 1988) was a Filipino composer, film
scorer, musical director, music teacher and Philippine National Artist for Music. 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 1 970. 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.

He was proclaimed National Artist for Music in 1999; He was an award-winning film scorer in the early
1960s, working in collaboration with National Artist for Music Levi Celerio. He was also a teacher and a
seasoned orchestra player.

His songwriting credits 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 Ko Ikaw Kamahal."
The latter song shows how Cuenco enriched the Filipino love ballad by adding the elements of kundiman to
it.
Andrea Veneracion

Andrea Ofilada Veneracion (or Ma'am OA; July 11, 1928 – July 9, 2013) was a Filipina
choral conductor and a recipient of the 1999 National Artist for Music award. She
founded the Philippine Madrigal Singers in 1963. She was also an adjudicator in
numerous international choral competitions and was an active force in choral music
before her massive stroke in 2005.

Upon her return to the Philippines in 1963, she established a singing group with the
same idea.
This group was initially exclusive of U.P. faculty members and students and became officially known as the
University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers. She established a tradition for which the Madz, as they are
fondly called, are known for: unlike most choirs, the Madz were seated in a semicircular formation without a
conductor. The Choirmaster is at the left-most end of the circle, and leads the group by giving their cues,
much like how a concertmaster leads in an orchestra.
Francisco Feliciano

Feliciano was born in 1941, in Morong, Rizal.

Francisco Feliciano graduated from the University of the Philippines with a

Teacher's diploma in Music (1967) with a Masters in Music Composition (1972).
In 1977 he went to the Hochschule der Kuenste in Berlin, Germany to obtain a
diploma in Music Composition. In 1979 he attended Yale University School of
Music and graduated with a Master of Musical Arts and a Doctorate in Musical
Arts, Composition.

Ramón Santos

Ramón Pagayon Santos (born 25 February 1941) is a Filipino composer, musicologist

and ethnomusicologist. He is a National Artist of the Philippines for music, and
University Professor Emeritus of the composition and theory department the College of
Music of the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Santos was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1987. In 2014 he
was named one of six National Artists of the Philippines, together with five other
persons.
National Artists in THEATER

Lamberto V. Avellana

National Artist for Film and Theatre

Bontoc, Mountain Province, Region 14 – CAR

Lamberto Vera Avellana (February 12, 1915 – April 25, 1991) was a prominent Filipino
film and stage director. Despite considerable budgetary limitations that hampered the
post-war Filipino film industry, Avellana's films such as Anak Dalita and Badjao attained
international acclaim. In 1976, Avellana was named by President Ferdinand Marcos as
the very first National Artist of the Philippines for Film. While Avellana remains an
important figure in Filipino cinema, his reputation as a film director has since been
eclipsed by the next wave of Filipino film directors who emerged in the 1970s, such as Lino Brocka and
Ishmael Bernal.

Avellana made his film debut with Sakay in 1939, a biopic on the early 20th century Filipino revolutionary
Macario Sakay. The film was an immediate sensation, particularly distinguished for its realism which was a
typical of Filipino cinema at the time. The treatment is the subject of some controversy today. Avellana's
Sakay toed the line with the American-fostered perception of Sakay as a mere bandit, different from the
current-day appreciation of Sakay as a fighter for Filipino independence. Raymond Red's 1993 film, Sakay
hews closer to this modern view of Sakay.
Atang dela Rama

Honorata de la Rama-Hernandez (January 11, 1902 – July 11, 1991), commonly

known as Atang de la Rama, was a singer and bodabil performer who became the
first Filipina film actress.

During the American occupation of the Philippines, Atang de la Rama fought for
the dominance of the kundiman, an important Philippine folk song, and the
sarsuela, which is a musical play that focused on contemporary Filipino issues
such as usury, cockfighting, and colonial mentality.

On May 8, 1987, "for her sincere devotion to original Filipino theater and music,
her outstanding artistry as singer, and as sarsuela actress-playwright-producer, her tireless efforts to bring
her art to all sectors of Filipino society and to the world," President Corazon C. Aquino proclaimed Atang de
la Rama a National Artist of the Philippines for Theater and Music.

Atang de la Rama died on July 11, 1991. She was married to National Artist for Literature, Amado V.
Hernandez.
Wilfrido Maria Guerrero

Wilfrido Maria Guerrero (January 22, 1911 – April 28, 1995) was a Filipino
playwright, director, teacher and theater artist. Guerrero wrote well over 100 plays,
41 of which have been published. His unpublished plays have either been
broadcast over the radio or staged in various parts of the Philippines.
His plays can be found in various anthologies: 13 Plays (first published in 1947), 8 Other Plays (1952), 7
More Plays (1962), 12 New Plays (1975), My Favorite 11 Plays (1976), 4 Latest Plays (1980), and
Retribution and eight other selected plays (1990). Guerrero also published a family memoir, The Guerreros
of Ermita (1988).

Guerrero taught and trained many notable figures in the Philippine Performing Arts: Behn Cervantes, Celia
Diaz-Laurel, Joy Virata, and Joonee Gamboa

Guerrero received three national awards: the Rizal Pro-Patria Award in 1961, the Araw ng Maynila Award in
1969, and the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1972.

The U.P. Mobile Theater received two awards when he was director: The Citizen's Council for Mass Media
Trophy (1966) and the Balagtas Award (1969).

In 1997, Guerrero was posthumously distinguished as a National Artist for Philippine Theatre.

Rolando S. Tinio

Rolando Santos Tinio (March 5, 1937 – July 7, 1997) was a Filipino poet,
dramatist, director, actor, critic, essayist and educator.

Rolando Tinio is a Philippine National Artist for Theater and Literature. He

was born in Gagalangin, Tondo, and Manila on March 5, 1937. As a child,
Tinio was fond of organizing and directing his playmates for costumed
celebrations. He was an active participant in the Filipino movie industry and
enjoyed working with Philippine celebrities who he himself had admired in
his childhood. Tinio himself became a film actor and scriptwriter. He is often
described as a religious, well-behaved and gifted person. Tinio graduated
with honors (a magna cum laude achiever) with a degree in Philosophy from the Royal and Pontifical
University of Santo Tomas at age 18 in 1955 and an M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing: Poetry from the
University of Iowa.

Poetry collections
 "Sitsit sa Kuliglig" (Whistling at Cicadas) or (Shusshing Cicadas) (1972)
 "Dunung-Dunungan" (Pedantry) (1975)
 "Kristal na Uniberso" (Crystal Universe) (1989)
 "Trick of Mirrors" (1993)
 "Ang Burgis sa Kanyang Almusal"(1970)
Daisy Avellana

Daisy Avellana (January 26, 1917 – May 12, 2013) was a Filipino stage actress and
theater director. Avellana was honored as a National Artist of the Philippines for Theater
and Film in 1999.

Avellana was born Daisy Hontiveros on January 26, 1917, in Capiz, Capiz, (now Roxas
City). Her husband was Lamberto Avellana, a film and stage director who was also
named a National Artist in 1976.[2] Daisy and Lamberto Avellana co-founded the Barangay Theater Guild
(BTG), together with forty-eight colleagues, in 1939.

Avellana was one of the first graduates of the UST Graduate School with Master of Arts (MA) in English.

Avellana died on May 12, 2013, at the age of 96.

Severino Montano

Severino Montano (3 January 1915 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte – 12 December 1980) is

considered as one of the Titans of Philippine Theater. He was a playwright, director,
actor and theater organizer with an output of one novel, 150 poems and 50 plays in his
65-year lifetime. Through the foundation of the Arena Theater, Montano
institutionalized “legitimate theater” in the Philippines. He also have lifetime
achievement award as part of National Artist of the Philippines.

His published works include The Love of Leonor Rivera (poetic tragedy in two-parts),
My Morning Star (poetic historical tragedy in three-parts), But Not My Sons Any Longer (poetic tragedy in
two-parts), Gabriela Silang (poetic historical tragedy in three-parts), The Merry Wives of Manila (comedy of
manners in three-parts), Sabina (tragedy), The Ladies and the Senador (satirical comedy) and Parting at
Calamba (historical drama).

He died on December 12, 1980, at the age of 65.

Salvador Floro Bernal

Salvador Floro Bernal (January 7, 1945 – October 26, 2011) was an artist from the
Philippines.

Bernal's career began in 1969. His output included over 300 productions in art, film
and music, and earned him the award of National Artist for Theater and Design in
2003. He earned a philosophy degree in 1966 from the Ateneo de Manila University
where he would later teach literature and stage design.

Bernal organized the Philippine Association of Theatre Designers and Technicians

(Patdat) in 1995, through which he introduced Philippine theater design to the world.

The book “Salvador F. Bernal: Designing the Stage” by Nicanor G. Tiongson, is a comprehensive review of
Bernal’s work as designer for theater, with over 200 full-color photographs of his sketches, models, and
actual costumes and sets complementing the text.

National Artists in FILM AND BROADCAST

Gerardo de León

Gerardo de León, ONA (September 12, 1913 – July 25, 1981), was a Filipino film director and actor.

De León, who was born Gerardo Ilagan, was a member of the Ilagan clan of Philippine
motion pictures, which includes Robert Arevalo, Conrado Conde, Angel Esmeralda, Eddie
Ilagan, musical scorer Tito Arévalo, and his daughter Liberty Ilagan. De León was a
medical doctor by profession, but his ultimate love for film won him over. He made his
acting debut in the 1934 film Ang Dangal. He acted in eight other films before becoming a
director. The first film he directed was Bahay-Kubo (1939), starring Fely Vallejo, an actress
whom he later married.

He is known to fans of cult horror films for the handful of 1960s horror movies he directed, some co-directed
with his friend Eddie Romero and co-financed with American money. These films included Terror Is a Man
(1959), The Blood Drinkers/ Blood Is the Color of Night (1964), Curse of the Vampires/ Whisper to the Wind
(1966), Brides of Blood (1968), and Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1969). Roger Corman hired him in 1971 to
direct his gritty Women in Prison film Women in Cages (1971), featuring Pam Grier as a sadistic prison
warden and Philippines sex symbol Sofia Moran. De Leon died on July 25, 1981 at age 67.
Lino Brocka

Catalino Ortiz Brocka (April 3, 1939 – May 22, 1991) was a Filipino film director. He is
widely regarded as one of the most influential and significant Filipino filmmakers in the
history of Philippine cinema. He co-founded the organization Concerned Artists of the
Philippines (CAP), dedicated to helping artists address issues confronting the country,
and the Free the Artist Movement. He was a member of the Coalition for the Restoration
of Democracy.

He directed landmark films such as Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (1974), Maynila sa

mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975), Insiang (1976), Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (1984), and Orapronobis (1989).
After his death in a car accident in 1991, he was posthumously given the National Artist of the Philippines
for Film award for "having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts".

Ishmael Bernal

Ishmael Bernal (30 September 1938 – 2 June 1996) was a Filipino filmmaker, stage
and television director, actor and screenwriter. Noted for his melodramas, particularly
with feminist and moral issues, he directed many landmark Filipino films such as
Nunal sa Tubig (1976), City After Dark (1980), Relasyon (1982), Himala (1982), and
Hinugot sa Langit (1985). He was declared a National Artist of the Philippines in 2001.

Bernal directed and wrote his first film, Pagdating sa Dulo (At the Top), in 1971. In this
film we catch a glimpse into what Ishmael Bernal's ouvre would prefigure for the industry: it is a scene
showing an aspiring actress (played by Rita Gomez) pondering on dreams blooming in deserts of desolation
and dying out in a mirage that painfully conjures images of squatter colonies and sordid lives. The bold star
stares out into the landscape and scans it, with the camera acting as her surrogate, but finally framing her
against the embarrassingly majestic Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Eddie Romero
 Edgar Sinco Romero, NA (July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013), commonly known as Eddie
Romero, was a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter.

Romero was born on July 7, 1924. His father was José E. Romero, the first Philippine
Ambassador to the Court of St. James's. His mother was Pilar Guzman Sinco, a
schoolteacher and the sister of University of the Philippines President Vicente G. Sinco
who signed the United Nations Charter in 1945 on behalf of the Philippines. His brother
was Jose V. Romero Jr., former Philippine Ambassador to Italy. He studied at Silliman University.

Romero was named National Artist of the Philippines in 2003, and his body of work delved into the history
and politics of his country.
Fernando Poe, Jr.

Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004), better known as
Fernando Poe Jr. and colloquially known as FPJ, Ronwaldo Reyes and Da King,
was a Filipino actor, director and politician. His long career as an action film star
earned him the nickname "King of Philippine Movies" (often shortened to "Da
King"). During the latter part of his career, Poe was defeated by then-President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the 2004 Philippine presidential election.

Poe was posthumously declared a National Artist of the Philippines for Film on
May 23, 2006 by former President Macapagal-Arroyo. The award was confirmed
by former President Benigno Aquino III on July 20, 2012, and was presented to his family on August 16.

1953, Poe finished his primary education at San Beda College, Lepanto. For high school, he went to San
Sebastian College. He continued his education at Mapua Institute of Technology and University of the East
and took the course theater arts.

Fernando Poe Jr., was the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP)'s candidate for the 2004 presidential
election. He accepted nomination in December 2003 and was to be the opposition candidate in the
Philippines' 2004 presidential election.

Poe was admitted to St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City in the evening of December 11, 2004 after
complaining of dizziness at a gathering in his production studio during a Christmas party. He suffered from a
stroke and slipped into a coma while being treated for a brain clot. Doctors described his condition as a
cerebral thrombosis with multiple organ failure. He died at the age of 65 on December 14 at 12:01 am,
without regaining consciousness.
Manuel Conde

Manuel Conde (born Manuel Urbano; October 9, 1915 in Daet, Camarines Norte – August 11, 1985) was a
Filipino actor, director and producer. As an actor, he also used the screen name Juan Urbano during the
1930s aside from his more popular screen name.

Manuel Conde died in 1985 in Manila, Philippines.

He was honored posthumously in 2006 the Presidential Medal of Merit (for Films) by
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for his contribution to culture and the arts. He was
one of the recipients of that award together with visual artists Federico Alcuas, Oscar Zalameda and Mauro
Malang Santos. From the words of Cecile Guidote Alvarez, Executive Director of the National Commission
on Culture and the Arts, “This is the President’s gesture of giving rightful honor to various artists who
showcased Filipino excellence in the arts and cultural traditions in the international scene, underscoring the
wealth of talent and heritage in our country”. In 2007, he was awarded posthumously the Lamberto Avellana
Memorial Award by the Film Academy of the Philippines.

National Artists in HISTORICAL LITERATURE

Carlos Lozada Quirino

Carlos Lozada Quirino (14 January 1910 – 20 May 1999) was a Philippine biographer

and historian.

Carlos Quirino is a nephew of Philippine president Elpidio Quirino. He is a famous

Filipino. He is best known for his early biography of Jose Rizal. He also wrote several
works the Philippine history and biographies of President Manuel Quezon and the
painter Damian Domingo. In 1997 he was recognized as a National Artist of the
Philippines for Historical Literature.
 Lesson 9

Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA)

The National Living Treasures Award, alternatively known as the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
(GAMABA; lit. 'Award for the Creators of the Country') is conferred to a person or group of artists recognized
by the Government of the Philippines for their contributions to the country's intangible cultural heritage.

A recipient of the award, known as a National Living Treasures or Manlilikha ng Bayan is defined
as "a Filipino citizen or group of Filipino citizens engaged in any traditional art uniquely Filipino, whose
distinctive skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence and have been passed
on to and widely practiced by the present generations in their community with the same degree of technical
and artistic competence."

The National Living Treasures Award (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) was institutionalized in 1992 through
Republic Act No. 7355. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts, which is the highest policy-
making and coordinating body of the Philippines for culture and the arts, was tasked with the
implementation.

The main objective of the award is to honor and support

traditional folk artists and to see to it that that their skills and
crafts are preserved. The award is tied with a program
that ensures the transfer of their skills to new
generations and the promotion of the craft both locally and
internationally. 

The award logo is a representation of the human form used

in traditional cloth. Below the logo is the phrase “Manlilikha
ng Bayan” written in Baybayin, an ancient Filipino script.

How Does One Become a Manlilikha ng Bayan?

To become a “Manlilikha ng Bayan”, the candidate must possess the following qualifications:

a. He/she is an inhabitant of an indigenous/traditional cultural community anywhere in the Philippines that

has preserved indigenous customs, beliefs, rituals and traditions and/or has syncretized whatever external
elements that have influenced it.

b. He/she must have engaged in a folk art tradition that has been in existence and documented for at least
fifty (50) years.

c. He/she must have consistently performed or produced over a significant period, works of superior and
distinctive quality.

d. He/she must possess a mastery of tools and materials needed by the art, and must have an established
reputation in the art as master and maker of works of extraordinary technical quality.
e. He/she must have passed on and/or will pass on to other members of the community their skills in the folk
art for which the community is traditionally known.

A traditional artist who possesses all the qualities of a Manlilikha ng Bayan candidate, but due to age or
infirmity has left him/her incapable of teaching further his/her craft, may still be recognized if:

a. He/she had created a significant body of works and/or has consistently displayed excellence in the
practice of his/her art, thus achieving important contributions for its development.

b. He/she has been instrumental in the revitalization of his/her community’s artistic tradition.

c. a. He/she has passed on to the other members of the community skills in the folk art for which the
community is traditionally known.

d. His/her community has recognized him/her as master and teacher of his/her craft.

What are the incentives received by the awardee?

A Manlilikha ng Bayan awardee receives a specially designed gold medallion, an initial grant of P100, 000
and P10, 000 monthly stipend for life.

In consonance with the provision of Republic Act No. 7355, which states that “the monetary grant may be
increased whenever circumstances so warrant,” the NCCA board approved an additional monthly personal
allowance of P14, 000 for the awardees as well as a maximum cumulative amount of P750, 000 medical
and hospitalization benefits annually similar to that received by the National Artists and funeral
assistance/tribute fit for a National Living Treasure.

Awardees

Awardee Art Craft Date of Award Address

Ginaw Bilog Poetry (Ambahan) 1993 Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro
Masino Intaray Poetry (Kulilal and 1993 Brooke's Point, Palawan
Bagit), (Basal / Gong)
Samaon Sulaiman Music (Kutyapi) 1993 Mamasapano, Maguindanao
Lang Dulay Weaving (T’nalak) 1998 Lake Sebu, South Cotabato
Salinta Monon Weaving (Abaca – ikat / 1998 Bansalan, Davao del Sur
Inabal)
Alonzo Saclag Music and Dance 2000 Lubuagan, Kalinga
(Kalinga)
Federico Caballero Poetry and Epic Chant 2000 Sulod- Bukidnon, Iloilo
Uwang Ahadas Music (Yakan 2000 Lamitan, Basilan
specifically Kulintang,
kwitangan kayu,
gabbang, agung, and
tuntungan)
Darhata Sawabi Weaving (Pis Syabit) 2004 Parang, Sulu
Eduardo Mutuc Metalwork (Bronze and 2004 Apalit, Pampanga
 Silver)
Haja Amina Appi Weaving (Mat) 2004 Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi
Teofilo Garcia Casque Making 2012 San Quintin, Abra
(Tabungaw)
Magdalena Gamayo Weaving (Inabel) Pinili, Ilocos Norte

Mga Manlilikha ng Bayan

Ginaw Bilog

Ginaw Bilog was a Filipino poet who was recognized as a National Living
Treasure by the Philippine government.

Born on January 3, 1953, Bilog was a Hanunuo Mangyan wh o was a native of

Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro. He was known for his efforts in preserving the
mangyan poetry tradition of ambahan.

Then-President Fidel V. Ramos, conferred the National Living Treasure Award to

Ginaw Bilog on December 17, 1993 in recognition of his people's preservation
efforts of the ambahan poetry which is recorded on bamboo.
He died on June 3, 2003 at age 50 due to a lingering illness.

Masino Intaray

Masino Intaray was a Filipino poet, bard artist, and musician who is a Palawan native
known for his performance of the local traditions of basal, kulilal and bagit. He is also
a recipient of the National Living Treasure recognition.

Intaray was born on April 10, 1943 in Makagwa Valley and lived Brooke's Point,
Palawan. He is known for playing multiple indigenous instruments namely the basal
(gong), aroding (mouth harp), and the babarak (ring flute). Intaray is also known for
his performance of kulilal or songs and bagit, a form of vocal music.

Intaray died on November 30, 2013, due to complications from diabetes which included multiple bouts of
stroke. He was aged 70.

Samaon Sulaiman

Samaon Sulaiman was a Filipino musician who is a recipient of the National Living
Treasure award. The Maguindanaon is known for his mastery of the indigenous
kutyapi instrument.

Born on March 3, 1953, Sulaiman first leaned playing kutyapi at around 13 years old
from his uncle. By the time he was 35 years old, he was already recognized in
Maganoy for his skills in playing the instrument as well as being a teacher to aspiring
kutyapi practitioners. He is credited for influencing other local experts in his area
such as Esmael Ahmad, Bitul Sulaiman, Nguda Latip, Ali Ahmad and Tukal Nanalon. Sulaiman also plays
the kulintang, agong (suspended bossed gong with wide rim), gandingan, palendag, and the tambul.

He was also a barber, as well as an imam at the Libutan mosque. He died on May 21, 2011.

Lang Dulay

Lang Dulay (August 3, 1928 - April 30, 2015) was a Filipino traditional weaver who
was a recipient of the National Living Treasures Award.

She is credited with preserving her people's tradition of weaving T'nalak, a dyed
fabric made from refined abaca fibre.

Born on August 3, 1928, Lang Dulay was a T'boli princess from the Lake Sebu
region in South Cotabato. She first learnt weaving at the age of 12 from her mother,
Luan Senig.

She is known for maintaining the use of traditional motifs in T'nalak weaving amidst commercialization of the
craft which saw the introduction of more modern designs by non-T'bolis.[1] She notably had a mental
repertoire of around 100 patterns and designs: some of these were based on her dreams, hence her
description as a "dreamweaver".

Lang Dulay set up the Manlilikha ng Bayan Center workshop in her hometown to promote the traditional art
of T'nalak weaving and by 2014, five of her grandchildren had become weavers.

Lang Dulay fell into a coma in early 2015 and died on April 30 of the same year.

Salinta Monon

Salinta Monon was a Filipino textile weaver who was the one of two recipients of
the National Living Treasures Award in 1998. She was known for her Bagobo-
Tagabawa textiles and was known as the "last Bagobo weaver".

Monon was born on December 12, 1920 and grew up in Bituag, Bansalan in Davao
del Sur and watched her mother weave ikat a traditional abaca fabric when she was
a child, she asked her mother how to use the loom at age 12 and learned how to
weave within a few months. She weaves a design for three to four months. In a
month she can weave fabric which can be used for a single abaca tube skirt which
measures 3.5 x 0.42 meters. Her favorite design is the binuwaya or crocodile which is said to be among the
most difficult to weave.

According to Cherry Quizon, an anthropologist based in New York, the origin of Monon's design can be
dated back as early as the 1910s.

Monon was awarded the National Living Treasures Award in 1998. She died on
June 4, 2009.
Alonzo Saclag
Alonzo Saclag is a Filipino musician and dancer who is a recipient of the National Living Treasures Award.

Alonzo Saclag was born on August 14, 1942. A member of the Kalinga people and a native of Lubuagan,
Kalinga province, Saclag taught himself of his title traditions in the performing arts. He learned how to play
traditional Kalinga musical instruments and Kalinga ritual dance movements without formal or informal
instruction.

As an effort to revive the dying tradition of playing the gangsa, a type of Kalinga gong. Saclag lobbied for
two years to the provincial government to grant funds to convert the abandoned Capitol Building into a
museum. With support from the provincial government and other financiers, a branch of the National
Museum was established in Labuagan.

Saclag was conferred the National Living Treasures Award in 2000. By 2016, he has established a village
within his town, named Awichon which aims to promote Kalinga culture to tourists.

Federico Caballero

Federico Caballero is a Filipino epic chanter who is a recipient of the National Living Treasures Award.

Born on December 25, 1938, Caballero is of the Panay-Bukidnon people from the
Central Panay Mountains. He is known for his work on the documentation of the
oral literature, particularly the ten epics. These epics are rendered in an extinct
language related to Kinaray-a.

Federico Caballero who is also called Nong Pedring learned about epics from his
mother and his grandmother, Anggoy Omil who would chant these to him and his
siblings as a lullaby. When Anggoy and his mother died, he went on to continue
the traditions and documented these epics which are referred to as the Labaw
Dunggon and Humadapnon epics with researchers. He worked with the Bureau of
Nonformal Education, to teach people how to read and write and would promote the tradition of epic
chanting despite the initial objection of his children.

He also worked as the manughusay in his local community, an arbiter who helps resolves disputes and
conflicts in the community. He is considered as a bantugan due to his positive influence extending beyond
his community. And he is good at doing anything that peoples tell him to do, so he's basically a jack of trade

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts recognized him as a National Living Treasure in the year
2000 for "weaving the fabric of oral tradition".
Uwang Ahadas

Uwang Ahadas is a Filipino folk musician of the Yakan people who is a recipient of the
National Living Treasures Award.

Uwang Ahadas was born on February 16, 1945. He went near blind when he was five
years old. Ahadas along with his sibling’s musicians were taught how to play Yakan
traditional instruments as children. He first learned how to play the gabbang, a wooden
bamboo instrument similar to the xylophone then learned how to play the agung an
instrument traditionally played by Yakan men.

By age 20, Ahadas had already mastered the kwintangan which is considered as the
most important Yakan musical instrument despite the instrument traditionally reserved for women. He can
also play the tuntungan.

He taught his children how to play Yakan traditional instruments, including Darna who would later become a
teacher of these traditions herself. Ahadas went on to promote these traditions outside his native town of
Lamitan, Basilan.

Ahadas was recognized as a National Living Treasure by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts
in the year 2000.

Darhata Sawabi

In Barangay Parang, in the island of Jolo, Sulu province, women weavers are hard at
work weaving the pis syabit, the traditional cloth tapestry worn as a head covering by
the Tausug of Jolo. “This is what we’ve grown up with,” say the weavers. “It is
something we’ve learned from our mothers.” Darhata Sawabi is one of those who took
the art of pis syabit making to heart.

Sawabi remains faithful to the art of pis syabit weaving. Her strokes are firm and sure,
her color sensitivity acute, and her dedication to the quality of her products unwavering.

Eduardo Mutuc

Eduardo Mutuc is an artist who has dedicated his life to creating religious and secular
art in silver, bronze and wood. His intricately detailed retablos, mirrors, altars, and
carosas are in churches and private collections. A number of these works are quite
large, some exceeding forty feet, while some are very small and feature very fine and
delicate craftsmanship.

According to him, craftsmanship begins with respect for one’s tools and the medium.
The first thing he teaches his students is how to hold the chisel and hammer properly
to promote ease of use and prevent fatigue and mistakes because of improper
handling.
Haja Amina Appi

Haja Amina Appi of Ungos Matata, Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi, is recognized as the master
mat weaver among the Sama indigenous community of Ungos Matata. Her colorful
mats with their complex geometric patterns exhibit her precise sense of design,
proportion and symmetry and sensitivity to color. Her unique multi-colored mats are
protected by a plain white outer mat that serves as the mat’s backing. Her functional
and artistic creations take up to three months to make.

Teofilo Garcia

Each time Teofilo Garcia leaves his farm in San Quintin, Abra, he makes it a
point to wear a tabungaw. People in the nearby towns of the province, in
neighboring Sta. Maria and Vigan in Ilocos Sur, and as far as Laoag in Ilocos
Norte sit up and take notice of his unique, functional and elegant headpiece
that shields him from the rain and the sun. A closer look would reveal that it is
made of the native gourd, hollowed out, polished, and varnished to a bright
orange sheen to improve its weather resistance.

He rues the fact that there is very little interest by other people to make
tabungaws even though it has potential as an export product. Now that his
children are grown up, he has time to teach others the craft and is looking
forward to the possibility. He is also eager to explore new designs, and he has been innovating on his
traditional designs based on inspirations from his trips to the nearby provinces. He has developed many
patterns and built on the traditional patterns that he learned when he was young. He is interested in
developing new ways to show contrast between the shades of matting, and how to keep the tabungaw
colorfast regardless of the weather. Years after he first learned how to make a tabungaw, it still takes him a
long time to perfect the casqued because he is still perfecting his art.

Magdalena Gamayo

The Ilocos Norte that Magdalena Gamayo knows is only a couple of hours drive away
from the capital of Laoag, but is far removed from the quickening pulse of the
emergent city. Instead, it remains a quiet rural enclave dedicated to rice, cotton and
tobacco crops. 2012 Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan awardee, Magdalena Gamayo
still owes a lot to the land and the annual harvest. Despite her status as master
weaver, weaving alone is not enough.

Magdalena’s handiworks are finer than most abel –her blankets have a very high
thread count and her designs are the most intricate and can sometimes take up to
five colors. Making sure the right colored threads are spaced evenly and keeping
accurate count is a challenge that Magdalena has always unerringly met. The beauty of her designs lies in
how delicate the patterns are, and yet how uniform the weave. Magdalena’s calloused hands breathe life to
her work and her unique products are testament to how machines can never hope to equal the human art.