PHILIPPINE NATIONAL ARTIST AND

GAMABA AWARDS

Prepare by: Jason Rabaya

NATIONAL ARTIST
Among the various institutional awards and recognition instruments, the National Artists Award (NAA) bestows
the highest form of recognition to Filipino artists for their significant contributions in the arts and letters.

It shares the same prestige as GAMABA and National Scientist Award.

The award is conferred every 3 years through a rigorous deliberation and selection process jointly facilitated
by two major cultural offices, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts and Cultural Center of the
Philippines.

NAA was established in 1972 under Presidential Decree No. 1001 issued by then-President Ferdinand Marcos.
The first recipient was Fernando Amorsolo, who has conferred the award posthumously.
CATEGORIES:
Much has changed since the institutionalization of the award. As of this writing, the roster
has included 66 awardees from seven disciplinal areas, namely:

Music – singing, composition, direction, and/or performance;

Dance – choreography, direction and/or performance;

Theater – direction, performance and/or production design;

Contemporary Arts – painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation art, mixed

media works, illustration, graphic arts, performance art and/or imaging;
CATEGORIES:
Literature – poetry, fiction, essay, playwriting, journalism and/or literary criticism;

Film and Broadcasting/Broadcast Arts – direction, writing, production design,

cinematography, editing, camera work, and/or performance; and

Architecture, Design and Allied Arts – architecture design, interior design, industrial arts
design, landscape architecture and fashion design.

In the history of the NAA, other categories have been considered by virtue of the president’s
prerogative, among them, historical literature, and fashion design.
CRITERIA

The National Artists of the Philippines is based on a broad criterion, as set forth by the Cultural Center of
the Philippines and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts:

Living artists who have been Filipino citizens for the last ten years prior to nomination as well as those who
have died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time of their death;

Artists who have helped build a Filipino sense of nationhood through the content and form of their works;

Artists who have distinguished themselves by pioneering in a mode of creative expression or style, making
an impact on succeeding generations of artists;
 CRITERIA
Artists who have created a significant body of works and/or have consistently displayed
excellence in the practice of their art form, enriching artistic expression or style; and

Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or international recognition,
awards in prestigious national and/or international events, critical acclaim and/or reviews of their
works, and/or respect and esteem from peers within an artistic discipline.

Nominations are then submitted to the National Artist Secretariat which is created by the National
Artist Award Committee; experts from different art fields then sit on a First Deliberation to prepare
the short list of nominees. A Second Deliberation, which is a joint meeting of the Commissioners of
the NCCA and the Board of Trustees of the CCP, decides on the final nominees. The list is then
forwarded to the President of the Philippines, who, by Presidential Proclamation, proclaims the final
nominees as members of the Order of National Artists.
 BENEFITS

a cash award of one hundred thousand pesos (₱100,000.00) net of taxes, for living awardees;

a cash award of seventy-five thousand pesos (₱75,000.00) net of taxes, for posthumous
awardees, payable to legal heir/s;

a monthly life pension, medical and hospitalization benefits;

life insurance coverage for Awardees who are still insurable;

a state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani;

a place of honor, in line with protocolar precedence, at national state functions, and
recognition at cultural events;
 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.”
QUALIFICATIONS/CRITERIA
To become a Manlilikha ng Bayan, an individual or group candidate must:

Possess a mastery of tools and materials needed for traditional, folk art and be a
maker of works of extraordinary technical quality;
have consistently produced works of superior quality over a significant period;

have engaged in a traditional and folk art that has been in existence and
documented for at least 50 years; command respect and inspire the admiration
of the country with his character and integrity;and

must have transferred and/or be willing to transfer to other members of the

community the skills in the traditional and folk arts for which the community has
become nationally known.
BENEFITS
A GAMABA awardee enjoys the same privileges as a National Artist
awardee:

a gold-plated medal from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,

a cash award of P200,000,

a lifetime stipend of P50,000,

medical and hospitalization benefits of P750,000 a year; a state

funeral, and room in Libingan ng Mga Bayani (should they choose),
and a place of honor in state functions.
ACTIVITY NO. 2
1. MAKE A VEIGN DIAGRAM AND SHARE TO THE CLASS THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF A
NATIONAL ARTIST AND GAMABA.

National Artist GAMABA

Similaritiries
2. CHOOSE 1 NATIONAL ARTIST and 1 GAMABA AWARDEE.
-Birth and Death
-Place of Birth
-Category of Art
-Major Artwork
PERFORMANCE TASK
SHORT FILM

Quality of Visual Art Presented - 25%

(Lighting, Custome, Color Palate and etc.)

Quality of Performing Arts Presented - 25%

(Facial Expression, Acting Skills, Tone of Voice, Execution)

Content - 50%
Inspired by a Filipino Artist who received the award of NAA or GAMABA.

Total: 100%
 THANK YOU!

References:
Hepburn, Ronald W. “THEORIES OF ART.” THEORIES OF ART- RONALD W, 30 Nov. 1999, users.rowan.edu/~clowney//Aesthetics/theories_of_art.htm.
Spiegel, Laurie. “Theories of Art.” Retiary, 1998, retiary.org/art_theories/theories_of_art.html.