CHAPTER 3:

NATIONAL
ARTISTS OF THE
PHILIPPINES
 1. The Order of National Artists

a. 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/her significant
contributions to the development
Philippines arts and letter.
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.
 b. What is the order of National
Artists?

Those who have been

proclaimed National Artists are
given a Grand Collar
symbolizing their status.
Recipients of this Grand Collar
make up the order of National
Artists.
The Order of National Artists (Orden ng Gawad
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) is thus a rank, a
title, and a wearable award that represents the
highest national recognition given to Filipinos
who have made distinct contributions in the
field of arts and letters.
 c. When was the Order of National Artist Created?

It was established by virtue of Presidential

Proclamation No. 1001, s. 1972, which is
created the Award and Decoration of National
Artist, “to give appropriate recognition and
prestige to Filipinos who have distinguished
themselves and made outstanding
contributions to Philippine arts and letters,’
and which is posthumously conferred the
award on the painter Fernando Amorsolo,
who had died earlier that year.
 The Insignia of the Order of National
Artists
The insignia of the Order of the
National Artists is composed of a
Grand Collar featuring circular
links portraying the arts, and an
eight-pointed conventionalized
sunbursts suspended from a
sampaguita wreath in green and
white enamel.
The central badge is a medallion
divided into three equal portions, red,
white, and blue recalling the Philippine
flag, with three stylized letter Ks- the
“KKK’ stands for the CCP’s motto:
“katotohanan, kabutihan, at
kagandahan” (“the true, the good, and
the beautiful), as coined by then first
lady Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos,
the CCP’S founder.
 d. Legal Basis of the Order of
National Artists

Proclamation No. 1144, s. 1973 named the CCP

Board of Trustees as the National Artist Awards
Committee (or Secretariat). Presidential Decree
No. 208, s. 1973 reiterated the mandate of the
CCP to administer the National Artist Awards as
well as the privileges and honors to National
Artists.
Executive Order No. 435, s. 2005 amended
Section 5 of EO 236, giving the President the
power to name National Artists without the
need of a recommendation, relegating the
NCCA and the CCP to mere advisory bodies
that may or may not be heeded.
 e. Criteria for the Order of National
Artists
1. living artist who are Filipino citizens at the time of nomination, as well as those who
died after the establishment of the award on1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time
of their death;
2. Artists who, through the content and form of their works, have contributed in
building a Filipino sense of nationhood;
3. Artists who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus earning
distinction and making an impact on succeeding generations of Artists;
4. Artists who have created a substantial and a significant body of word and/or
consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form thus enriching artistic
expression or style; and
5. Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through:
a. Prestigious national and/or international recognition, such as the
Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, CCP Thirteen Artists Award and NCAA
Alab ng Haraya;
b. Critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works.
c. Respect and esteem from peers.
Those submitting nominations for National Artist must submit the
following:
1. A cover letter from the nominating organization. The cover letter
shall be accompanied by a Board Resolution approving the
nomination concerned with the said resolution signed by the
organization President and duly certified by the Board Secretary.
2. A duly accomplished nomination from;
3. A detailed curriculum vitae of the nominee;
4. A list of the nominee’s significant works
categorized according to the criteria;
5. The latest photograph (color or black and white )
of the nominee, either 5” x7” or 8” x11”;
6. Pertinent information materials on the
nominee’s significant works (on CDs
VCDs and DVDs);
7. Any other document that may be
required.
f. Honors and Privileges

A member of the Order of National Artists is granted the following

honors and privileges:
1. The rank and title of National Artist, as proclaimed by the
President of the Philippines;
2. The insignia of a National Artist and a citation;
3. A lifetime emolument and material and physical benefits
comparable in value to those received by the highest officers
of the land such as:
a. A cash award of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00) net of taxes, for
living awardees;
b. A cash award of Seventy-Five Thousand Pesos (P75,000.00) net of taxes, for
posthumous awardees, payable to legal heir/s;
c. A monthly life pension, medical and hospitalization benefits;
d. Life insurance coverage for Awardees who are still insurable;
e. A state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani;
f. A place of honor, in line with protocular precedence, at national state functions,
and recognition at cultural events.
THE MEDAL OF NATIONAL
ARTIST (110)
3. PROFILE OF
NATIONAL ARTISTS
Fernando Amorsolo (1892-1972)
National Artist for Visual Arts- Painting, 1972
Paco, Manila, National Capital Region

Amorsolo was a portraitist and

painter of rural Philippine
landscapes from Paco, Manila.
He is popularly known for his
craftmanship and mastery in the
use of light. He earned a degree
from the Liceo de Manila Art
School in 1909.
Amorsolo is best known
for his illuminated
landscapes, which often
portrayed traditional
Filipino customs, culture,
fiestas and occupations.
In his painting 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.
Francisca Reyes-Aquino (1899-1983)
National Artist for Dance, 1973
Bocaue, Bulacan, Region 3-Central Luzon

She is a folk dancer from

Bocaue, Bulacan. She is also
noted for her research on
Philippine Folk dance. She is a
recipient of the Republic
Award of Merit and the
Ramon Magsaysay Award. Also
known as the “Mother of
Philippine Folk Dancing”.
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).
The then President Ramon
Magsaysay conferred her the
Republic Award of Merit in 1954 for
her “outstanding contribution
toward the advancement of Filipino
Culture.”
 Botong Francisco (1914-1969)
National Artist for Visual Arts-Painting, 1973
Angono, Rizal, Region 4A-Calabarzon

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 invariably linked with
the “modernist” artists,
forming with Victorio Edades
and Galo Ocampo what was
then known in the local art
circles as “The Triumvirate,”
who broke away from
Fernando Amorsolo’s
romanticism of Philippine
Scenes
Amado V. Hernandez (1903-1970)
National Artist for Literature, 1973
Hagonoy, Bulacan, Region 3-Central Luzon
Tondo, Manila, National Capital Region

a writer and labor leader

from Hagonoy, Bulacan. He
was known for his criticism
of social injustices in the
Philippines and was later
imprisoned for his
involvement in the
communist movement.
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 socio-political novels were
based on his experiences as
guerilla, as a labor leader, and
as a political detainee: Mga
Ibong Mandaragit (Birds of
Prey), 1969;
Luha ng Buwaya (Crocodile’s tears),
1972. His plays are mostly based on
his experiences in prison:
Muntinglupa, 1957; Hagdan sa
Bahaghari (Stairway to the
Rainbow), 1958; Ang Mga Kagalang-
galang (The Venerables), 1959;
Magkabilang Mukha ng Isang Bagol
(Two Sides of A Coin), 1960.
Antonio J. Molina (1894-1980)
National Artist for Music, 1973
Quiapo, Manila, National Capital Region

A composer, conductor and

music administrator from
Quiapo, Manila. He was known
as the Claude Debussy of the
Philippines due to his use of
impressionism in music.
As a composer, Molina is
credited over 500 compositions.
Juan F. Nakpil (1899-1986)
National Artist For Architecture, 1973
Quiapo, Manila, National Capital Region

An architect, teacher, and a

community leader from Quiapo,
Manila. In 1973 he was tapped
as the Dean of Filipino
Architects.
He took up Engineering at the
University of the Philippines
and later, at the University at
Kansas.
San Carlos
Seminary
Guadalupe
Makati
Philippines.
The Rizal
Shrine in
Calamba,
Laguna
He also designed the
International Eucharistic
Congress altar and
improved the Quiapo
Church in 1930 by
erecting a dome and a
second belfry.
Guillermo Tolentino (1890-1976)
National Artist for Visual Arts-Sculpture, 1973
Malolos, Bulacan, Region 3-Central Luzon

He is hailed as the “Father of

Philippines Arts.” He
sculpted the University of the
Philippines’ monument and
main symbol, the UP
Oblation, as well as the
Bonifacio Monument in
Caloocan City.
Jose Garcia Villa (1908-1997)
National Artist for Literature, 1973
Singalong, Manila, NCR

A poet, literary critic, short story writer,

and painter from Singalong Manila. He
was awarded the Guggenheim
Fellowship in creative writing by
Conrad Aiken. He is known to have
introduced the “reversed consonance
rhyme scheme” in writing poetry, as
well as the use of punctuation marks-
especially commas, which made him
known as the comma poet.
 Napoleon Abueva (1930)
National Artist for Visual Arts-Sculpture
Tagbilaran, Bohol, Region 7-Central Visayas

Sculptor from Tagbilaran, Bohol.

He is considered as the “Father of
Modern Philippine Sculpture.”
Guillermo Tolentino later
relegated to him the task of
replicating the sculpture for the
Campus of U.P. Los Banos
 Some of the Major Works of Napoleon
Abueva

-Kaganapan (1953)
-Kiss of Judas (1955)
-Eternal Gardens Memorial
Park (1979),
-Nine Muses (1994).
-Sandugo or Blood Compact
Shrine
ETERNAL GARDENS MEMORIAL
PARK AND KISS OF JUDAS
NINE MUSES
SANDUGO OR BLOOD COMPACT

His Sandugo or Blood

Compact Shrine in Bohol,
Tagbilaran City is a landmark
at the site of the first
international treaty of
friendship between
Spaniards and Filipinos.
Leonor Orosa-Goquingco (1917-2005)
National Artist for Dance, 1976
Jolu Sulo, Region 15-ARMM
A Filipino creative artist dance from
Jolo, Sulu. She could play the piano,
draw, design scenery and costumes,
sculpt, act, direct, dance and
choreograph. Her pen name was
Cristina Luna and she was known as
Trailblazer, Mother of Philippine
Theater Dance and Dean of Filipino
Performing Arts Critics.
The first Philippine
folkloric ballet,
trend: Return to the
Native, was
choreographed by
Goquingco in 1941
After the Second World
War, she organized the
Philippine Ballet and
brought the famous Filipino
novel, Noli me Tangere, to
life.
She was an Honorary Chairman
of the Association of Ballet
Academies of the Philippines,
the founding member of the
Philippine Ballet Theatre (PBT)
and was known as a Zontian
and a performing arts critic and
columnist of the Manila
Bulletin.
 Lamberto V. Avellana (1915-1976)
National Artist for Film and Theater
Bontoc, Mountain Province, Region 14-CAR

A prominent film and stage

director.
Avellana’s Films such as Anak
Dalita (1956) and Badjao (1957)
attained international acclaim. In
1976, Avellana was named by
President Ferdinand Marcos as
the very First National Artist of
the Philippines for Film.
– Anak Dalita (1956), which
was named Best Film at the
1956 Asia-Pacific Film
Festival, was a realistic
portrayal of poverty-
stricken Filipinos coping
with the aftermath of
World War II.
– Badjao was a love
story among the sea-
dwelling Badjaos, an
indigeneous Filipino
People hailing from
Mindanao.
Nicomedes Marquez Joaquin (1917-2004)
National Artist for Literature, 1976
Paco Manila, NCR

A Writer, Historian, and

Journalist from Paco Manila.
He is best known for his
short stories and novels in
the English Language, he
also wrote using the pen
name Quijano de Manila.
“The Woman Who had Two Navels” (1961) and “La Naval de Manila”
(1964).
After being honored as
National Artist, Joaquin
used his position to
work for intellectual
freedom in society. He
secured the release of
imprisoned writer Jose
F. Lacaba.
At a ceremony on Mount Makiling
attended by First Lady Imelda
Marcos, Joaquin delivered an
invocation to Mariang Makiling, the
mountain’s mythical maiden. Joaquin
touched on the importance of
freedom and the artist. After that,
Joaquin was excluded by the Marcos
regime as a speaker at important
cultural events.
Jovita Fuentes (1895-1978)
National Artist for Music, 1976
Capiz, Region 6-Western Visayas
– An opera singer. Long
before Lea Salonga’s break
into broadway, there was
already Jovita Fuentes’
portrayal of Cio-cio san in
Giacomo Puccini’s Madame
Butterfly at Italy’s Teatro
Municipale di Piacenza
– She later embarked on a
string music performances in
Europe essaying the roles of
Liu Yu in Puccini’s Turandot,
Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme,
Iris in Pietro Mascagni’s Iris,
the title role of Salome
(119).
 Victorio C. Edades (1895-1985)
National Artist for Visual Arts-Painting
Dagupan, Pangasinan, Region 1-Ilocos Region

– He was the leader of the

revolutionary Thirteen
Moderns who engaged
their classical
compatriots in a heated
over the nature and
function of art.
Not conforming to the academic perception
of art, he made art available to the
common man. Through his determination
to stand by his ideology, he became a
bridge between the past and the present.
Bulul at Babae
Pablo Antonio (1901-1975)
National Artist for Architecture, 1976
Binondo, Manila NCR

– A pioneer of modern
Philippine architecture,
he was recognized in
some quarters as the
foremost Filipino
modernist architect of
his time.
– 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, Nicanor Reyes
Sr., who was looking to build a school
campus that was modern in style.
MANILA POLO CLUB
Vicente Manansala (1910-1981)
National Artist for Visual Arts-Painting, 1981
Macabebe, Pampanga, Region 3-Central Luzon

– (Cubist Painter) His

paintings are
described as “visions
of reality teetering
on the edge of
abstraction.”
MARKET SCENE 1890
VICENTE SILVA MANANSALA (1910-1981) | Mot
her and Child | Paintings ...
– Manansala professes a
preference for Paul
Cezanne and Pablo
Picasso whom he says
has achieved a balance
of skill and artistry.
V. MANANSALA’S PROFOUND
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

-In 1949, he received a six-month grant by UNESCO

to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Banff and
Montreal, Canada.
-In 1950, he received a nine-month scholarship to
study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris by the
French Government.
-He trained in Paris and at Otis School of Drawing in
Los Angeles.
Gerardo de Leon (1913-1981)
National Artist For Film, 1982
Manila, NCR

Was an actor-turned-film director

from Manila. He made his acting
debut in the 1934 film ang
Dangal. De Leon was a medical
doctor by profession, but his
ultimate love for film has won him
over.
He made his directional debut with Bahay-
Kubo (1939). One of his unfinished projects
was Juan de la Cruz (1972) with Fernando Poe
Jr. Nicknamed “Manong,” de Leon is the most
awarded film director in the history of the
Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences’
FAMAS Awards.
From 1952 to 1971, he was awarded seven
FAMAS Awards, three of them received
consecutively. His 1961 film The Moises
Padilla Story was selected as the Philippine
entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at
the 32nd Academy Awards but was not
accepted as a nominee.
Carlos P. Romulo
National Artist for Literature, 1892
Intramuros, Manila, NCR
Camiling Tarlac, Region 3-Central Luzon
Carlos P. Romulo, (1899-
1985) was a diplomat,
statesman, soldier, journalist,
and author from Camiling,
Tarlac. 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.
 Carlos P. Romulo served eight Philippine
Presidents, from Manuel L. Quezon to
Ferdinand Marcos, as the secretary of Foreign
Affairs of the Philippines and as the country’s
representative to the United States and to the
United Nations. He also served as the Resident
Commissioner to the U.S House of
Representatives during the Commonwealth
Era.in addition, he served also as the Secretary
of Education in President Diosdado P.
Macapagal’s and President Ferdinand E.
Marcos’s Cabinet through 1962 to 1968.
Carlos P. Romulo is perhaps among
the most decorated Filipino in History,
which includes 82 honorary degrees
from different international
institutions and universities and 74
decorations from foreign countries.
Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula
National Artist for Dance, 1988
Iloilo City, Iloilo, Region 6- Western Visayas

– Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, (1929-

1999) was a choreographer,
dance educator, and researcher
from Iloilo City. She spent
almost four decades in the
discovery and study of
Philippine folk and ethnic
dances.
Over a period of thirty years, she had
choreographed suites of mountain dances, Spanish
influenced dances, Muslim pageants and festivals,
regional variations and dances of the countryside
for the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company of
which she is the dance director. These dances have
all earned critical acclaim and rave reviews from
audiences in their world tours in Americas, Europe,
Asia, Australia and Africa.
– Among the widely acclaimed dances she had staged
were the following: Singkil, a bayanihan signature
member based on a maranao epic poem; Vinta, a
dance honoring Filipino sailing prowess; Tagabili, A
tale of tribal conflict; Pagdiwata, a four day harvest
festival condensed into a six-minute breath-taking
spectacle; Salidsid, a mountain wedding dance.
Leandro V. Locsin
National Artist for Architecture, 1990
Silay,Negros Occidental, Region 18- Negros Island Region

Leandro V. Locsin (1928-

1994) was an architect from
Silay, Negros Occidental. He
reshaped the urban
landscape with a distinctive
architecture reflective of
Philippine Art and Culture.
He believes that the true
Philippine Architecture is “the
product of two great streams of
culture, the oriental, and the
occidental…to produce a new
object of profound harmony.” it
is this synthesis that underlies
all his works, with his
achievements in concrete
reflecting his mastery of space
and scale.
From 1955 to 1994, Locsin
has produced 75 residences
and 88 buildings, including
11 churches and chapels,
23public buildings, 48
commercial buildings, six
major hotels, and an airport
terminal building.
Locsin’s Largest single
work is the Istana
Nurul Iman, the palace
of the Sultan of Brunei,
which has a floor area
of 2.2 million square
feet.