Philippine Artists

National Artist Award
The National Artist Award is the highest distinction bestowed

upon Filipino Artists whose body of work is recognized by
their peers and more importantly by their countrymen as
sublime expression of Philippine music, dance, theatre,
visual arts, literature, film and media, arts, architecture and
design.
The National Artist Award is the highest distinction bestowed upon Filipino Artists
whose body of work is recognized by their peers and more importantly by their
countrymen as sublime expression of Philippine music, dance, theatre, visual arts,
literature, film and media, arts, architecture and design.
President Ferdinand E. Marcos through proclamation no.1001 dated April 2 1972,

confers the award to deserving individuals as recommended by the Cultural Center
of the Philippines (CCP) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA).
Criteria
• 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;
• 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.
PAINTING
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo
National Artist for Painting(VISUAL ARTS) (1973)
(BORN. May 30, 1892 – DIED. February 26, 1972)
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo is one of the most celebrated artists of the Philippines,
and the first to be designated a National Artist. He is a portraitist and painter of
Philippine rural landscapes, and is particularly noted for his brushwork and his skill in
depicting light.
Among others, his major works include the following: Maiden in a Stream(1921)-
GSIS collection; El Ciego (1928)-Central Bank of the Philippines
collection; Dalagang Bukid (1936) – Club Filipino collection; The Mestiza (1943) –
National Museum of the Philippines collection; Planting Rice (1946)-UCPB
collection; Sunday Morning Going to Town (1958)-Ayala Museum Collection.
Carlos “Botong” Francisco,

National Artist for Painting (1973)
(November 4, 1912 – March 31, 1969)
popularly known as "Botong", was a distinguished muralist from and best known for
his historical pieces. Also known as the Poet of Angono, Rizal he single-handedly
brought back the art of mural painting in Philippines. He was one of the of the
modernist artists together with Galo Ocampo and Victorio Edades known as " The
Triumvirate" who broke away from romanticism style of Fernando Amorsolo's
Philippine Scenes.
His major works includes Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of Limahong, Serenade,
Muslim Betrothal, Blood Compact, First Mass at Limasawa, The Martyrdom of Rizal,
Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta, Bayanihan sa Bukid and Sandugo. His major
masterpiece is the mural for Bulwagang Katipunan of the Manila City Hall.
He was the second Filipino who received the title of National Artist in Painting in

1973 after Fernando Amorsolo. Among of his awards are first prize for his work
"Kaingin" at the annual Art Association of the Philippines, "Most Outstanding
Alumnus" in 1959, and Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1964.
Victorio C. Edades
(December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985)
Painting distorted human figures in rough, bold impasto strokes, and standing tall
and singular in his advocacy and practice of what he believes is creative
art, Victorio C. Edades emerged as the “Father of Modern Philippine Painting”.
Unlike, Amorsolo’s bright, sunny, cheerful hues, Edades’ colors were dark and
somber with subject matter or themes depicting laborers, factory workers or the
simple folk in all their dirt, sweat and grime. In the 1930s, Edades taught at the
University of Santos Tomas and became dean of its Department of Architecture
where he stayed for three full decades. It was during this time that he introduced a
liberal arts program that offers subjects as art history and foreign languages that will
lead to a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. This development brought about a first in
Philippine education since art schools then were vocational schools.
It was also the time that Edades invited Carlos “Botong” Francisco and Galo B.
Ocampo to become professor artists for the university. The three, who would later be
known as the formidable “Triumvirate”, led the growth of mural painting in the
country. Finally retiring from teaching at age 70, the university conferred on Edades
the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, for being an outstanding “visionary,
teacher and artist.”
Among his works are The Sketch, The Artist and the Model, Portrait of the
Professor, Japanese Girl, Mother and Daughter, The Wrestlers, and Poinsettia
Girl.
Vicente Manansala
(January 22, 1910 – August 22, 1981)
Vicente Manansala‘s paintings are described as visions of reality teetering on the

edge of abstraction. As a young boy, his talent was revealed through the copies he
made of the Sagrada Familia and his mother’s portrait that he copied from a
photograph. After finishing the fine arts course from the University of the Philippines,
he ran away from home and later found himself at the Philippines Herald as an
illustrator. It was there that Manansala developed close association with Hernando
R. Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi, and Carlos Botong Francisco, the latter being the first
he admired most. For Manansala, Botong was a master of the human figure. Among
the masters, Manansala professes a preference for Cezanne and Picasso whom he
says have achieved a balance of skill and artistry.
He trained at Paris and at Otis School of Drawing in Los Angeles. Manansala

believes that the beauty of art is in the process, in the moment of doing a particular
painting, closely associating it with the act of making love. “The climax is just when
it’s really finished.”
Manansala’s works include A Cluster of Nipa Hut, San Francisco Del

Monte,Banaklaot, I Believe in God,Market Venders, Madonna of the Slums, Still
Life with Green Guitar, Via Crucis, Whirr, Nude.
Jeremias Elizalde Navarro
(May 22, 1924 – June 10, 1999)
J. (Jeremias) Elizalde Navarro, was born on May 22, 1924 in Antique. He is a

versatile artist, being both a proficient painter and sculptor. His devotion to the visual
arts spans 40 years of drawing, printmaking, graphic designing, painting and
sculpting. His masks carved in hardwood merge the human and the animal; his
paintings consists of abstracts and figures in oil and watercolor; and his
assemblages fuse found objects and metal parts. He has done a series of figurative
works drawing inspiration from Balinese art and culture, his power as a master of
colors largely evident in his large four-panel The Seasons (1992: Prudential Bank
collection).
A Navarro sampler includes his ’50s and ’60s fiction illustrations for This Week of the
Manila Chronicle, and the rotund, India-ink figurative drawings for Lydia Arguilla’s
storybook, Juan Tamad. Three of his major mixed media works are I’m Sorry
Jesus, I Can’t Attend Christmas This Year (1965), and his Homage to Dodjie
Laurel (1969: Ateneo Art Gallery collection), and A Flying Contraption for Mr.
Icarus (1984: Lopez Museum).
Jose Joya
National Artist for Visual Arts (2003)
(June 3, 1931 – May 11, 1995)
Jose Joya is a painter and multimedia artist who distinguished himself by creating
an authentic Filipino abstract idiom that transcended foreign influences. Most of
Joya’s paintings of harmonious colors were inspired by Philippine landscapes, such
as green rice paddies and golden fields of harvest. His use of rice paper in collages
placed value on transparency, a common characteristic of folk art. The curvilinear
forms of his paintings often recall the colorful and multilayered ‘kiping’ of the Pahiyas
festival. His important mandala series was also drawn from Asian aesthetic forms
and concepts.
He espoused the value of kinetic energy and spontaneity in painting which became
significant artistic values in Philippine art. His paintings clearly show his mastery of
‘gestural paintings’ where paint is applied intuitively and spontaneously, in broad
brush strokes, using brushes or spatula or is directly squeezed from the tube and
splashed across the canvas. His 1958 landmark painting Granadean Arabesque,a
work on canvas big enough to be called a mural, features swipes and gobs of
impasto and sand. The choice of Joya to represent the Philippines in the 1964
Venice Biennial itself represents a high peak in the rise of the modern art in the
country.
Joya also led the way for younger artists in bringing out the potentials of multimedia.
He designed and painted on ceramic vessels, plates and tiles, and stimulated
regional workshops. He also did work in the graphic arts, particularly in printmaking.
His legacy is undeniably a large body of work of consistent excellence which has
won the admiration of artists both in the local and international scene. Among them
are his compositions Beethoven Listening to the Blues, andSpace
Transfiguration, and other works like Hills of Nikko, Abstraction, Dimension of
Fear, Naiad, Torogan,Cityscape.
VISUAL
Cesar Legaspi
(April 2, 1917 – April 7, 1994)
A pioneer “Neo-Realist” of the country, Cesar Legaspi is remembered for his

singular achievement of refining cubism in the Philippine context. Legaspi belonged
to the so-called “Thirteen Moderns” and later, the “Neo-realists”. His distinctive style
and daring themes contributed significantly to the advent and eventual acceptance of
modern art in the Philippines. Legaspi made use of the geometric fragmentation
technique, weaving social comment and juxtaposing the mythical and modern into
his overlapping, interacting forms with disturbing power and intensity.
Among his works are Gadgets I, Gadgets II, Diggers, Idols of the Third

Eye, Facade, Ovary, Flora and
Fauna,Triptych, Flight, Bayanihan, Struggle,Avenging Figure, Turning
Point, Peace, The Survivor, The Ritual.
Hernando R. Ocampo
(April 28, 1911 – December 28, 1978)
Hernando R. Ocampo, a self-taught painter, was a leading member of the pre-war

Thirteen Moderns, the group that charted the course of modern art in the Philippines.
His works provided an understanding and awareness of the harsh social realities in
the country immediately after the Second World War and contributed significantly to
the rise of the nationalist spirit in the post-war era. It was, however, his abstract
works that left an indelible mark on Philippine modern art. His canvases evoked the
lush Philippine landscape, its flora and fauna, under the sun and rain in fierce and
bold colors. He also played a pivotal role in sustaining the Philippine Art Gallery, the
country’s first.
Ocampo’s acknowledged masterpiece Genesis served as the basis of the curtain

design of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater. His other major works
include Ina ng Balon, Calvary, Slum Dwellers, Nude with Candle and
Flower, Man and Carabao, Angel’s Kiss, Palayok at Kalan, Ancestors,Isda at
Mangga, The Resurrection, Fifty-three “Q”, Backdrop, Fiesta.
Arturo Luz
November 20, 1926 (age 89)
Arturo Luz, painter, sculptor, and designer for more than 40 years, created
masterpieces that exemplify an ideal of sublime austerity in expression and form.
From the Carnival series of the late 1950s to the recent Cyclist paintings, Luz
produced works that elevated Filipino aesthetic vision to new heights of sophisticated
simplicity. By establishing the Luz Gallery that professionalized the art gallery as an
institution and set a prestigious influence over generations of Filipino artists, Luz
inspired and developed a Filipino artistic community that nurtures impeccable
designs.
Among his other significant paintings are Bagong Taon, Vendador de

Flores, Skipping Rope, Candle Vendors,Procession, Self-Portrait, Night
Glows,Grand Finale, Cities of the Past, Imaginary Landscapes. His mural
painting Black and White is displayed in the lobby of the CCP’s Bulwagang Carlos
V. Francisco (Little Theater). His sculpture of a stainless steel cube is located in front
of the Benguet Mining Corporation Building in Pasig.
Ang Kiukok
(March 1, 1931 – May 9, 2005)
Born to immigrant Chinese parents Vicente Ang and Chin Lim, Ang Kiukok is one of
the most vital and dynamic figures who emerged during the 60s.. As one of those
who came at the heels of the pioneering modernists during that decade, Ang Kiukok
blazed a formal and iconographic path of his own through expressionistic works of
high visual impact and compelling meaning.
He crystallized in vivid, cubistic figures the terror and angst of the times. Shaped in
the furnace of the political turmoil of those times, Ang Kiukok pursued an expression
imbued with nationalist fervor and sociological agenda.
Some of his works include: Geometric Landscape (1969); Pieta, which won for him
the bronze medal in the 1st International Art Exhibition held in Saigon (1962); and
the Seated Figure (1979), auctioned at Sotheby’s in Singapore.
His works can be found in many major art collections, among them the Cultural
Center of the Philippines, National Historical Museum of Taipei, and the National
Museum in Singapore.
Ang Kiukok died on May 9, 2005
Benedicto R. Cabrera
(born April 10, 1942)
Benedicto R. Cabrera, *who signs his paintings “Bencab,” upheld the primacy of
drawing over the decorative color. Bencab started his career in the mid-sixties as a
lyrical expressionist. His solitary figures of scavengers emerging from a dark
landscape were piercing stabs at the social conscience of a people long inured to
poverty and dereliction. Bencab, who was born in Malabon, has christened the
emblematic scavenger figure “Sabel.” For Bencab, Sabel is a melancholic symbol of
dislocation, despair and isolation–the personification of human dignity threatened by
life’s vicissitudes, and the vast inequities of Philippine society.
Bencab’s exploration of form, finding his way out of the late neo-realism and high
abstraction of the sixties to be able to reconsider the potency of figurative expression
had held out vital options for Philippine art in the Martial Law years in the seventies
through the contemporary era.
Selected works
Madonna with Objects, 1991

Studies of Sabel, dyptych, 1991
People Waiting, 1989
The Indifference, 1988
Waiting for the Monsoon, 1986
Abdulmari Asia Imao

(January 14, 1936 – December 16, 2014)
Abdulmari Asia Imao, a native of Sulu, is a sculptor, painter, photographer,

ceramist, documentary film maker, cultural researcher, writer, and articulator of
Philippine Muslim art and culture.
Through his works, the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and naga motifs have been
popularized and instilled in the consciousness of the Filipino nation and other
peoples as original Filipino creations.
His U.P. art education introduced him to Filipino masters like Guillermo Tolentino
and Napoleon Abueva, who were among his mentors.
With his large-scale sculptures and monuments of Muslim and regional heroes and
leaders gracing selected sites from Batanes to Tawi-tawi, Imao has helped develop
among cultural groups trust and confidence necessary for the building of a more just
and humane society.
Selected works:
Industry Brass Mural, Philippine National Bank, San Fernando, La Union

Mural Relief on Filmmaking, Manila City Hall
Industrial Mural, Central Bank of the Philippines, San Fernando, La Union
Sulu Warriors (statues of Panglima Unaid and Captain Abdurahim Imao), 6 ft., Sulu
Provincial Capitol
Federico Aguilar y Alcuaz

(June 6, 1932 – February 2, 2011)
Federico Aguilar y Alcuaz, who signed his works as Aguilar Alcuaz was an artist of
voluminous output. He is known mainly for his gestural paintings in acrylic and oil, as
well as sketches in ink, watercolor and pencil. He was also a sculptor of note and
has rendered abstract and figurative works in ceramics, tapestries and even in relief
sculptures made of paper and mixed media, which he simply calls “Alcuazaics.” The
preference to use his maternal name was more for practical reasons; Alcuaz was
rarer than the name Aguilar, and thus ensured better recall; it was also simpler to
drop the customary y between the two names.
Alcuaz belongs to the second generation of Filipino modernists after the fabled
Thirteen Moderns, credited along with Jose Joya, Constancio Bernardo, Fernando
Zobel and Arturo Luz, for building a significant body of abstract art from the arguably
more tentative efforts of their predecessors. Alcuaz went to the UP College of Fine
Arts in Diliman while also taking up his pre-law course at San Beda College.
Napoleon Abueva, Jose Joya and Juvenal Sanso were also in school with him at that
time, studying under Fernando Amorsolo, Guillermo Tolentino, Irineo Miranda,
Constancio Bernardo and Toribio Herrera. He would go on to win prizes at UP and at
the national Shell Art competition, and embarked on several solo exhibits after
graduating from San Beda
Alcuaz would go on in 1955 to obtain a law degree at the Ateneo de Manila in Padre
Faura, Manila in deference to his father’s wishes, but after mounting an exhibit at the
legendary Philippine Art Gallery, he received a fellowship from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Spain and proceeded to study at the Academia de Bellas Artes de
San Fernando in Madrid, where other Filipino expatriates like Juan Luna, Felix
Resurreccion Hidalgo, Fernando Amorsolo, Fabian dela Rosa and Jose Ma.
Asuncion received a similar classical training.
After his studies, he stayed on to live and familiarize himself with the art and culture
of Europe. He had exhibits in Madrid and then in Barcelona, where he met his future
wife Ute Schmidt who he married in 1959. They have three children. In 1964, the
family moved to Manila, but after 4 years his wife returned to Germany with their
three sons, whereupon, Alcuaz embarked once more on shuttling between Europe to
see his family and mount exhibits, and then to Manila, where he preferred to do his
studio at the Manila Hilton (now the Manila Pavilion).
His works are highly favored, not only for its studied refinement and European flair,
but also for the ease and pleasure conveyed by his choice of light, color and
composition; all of which add up to scenes which are always quite playful but never
cluttered. His love for classical music is also apparent in this constant fluidity.
Proclamation No. 1825, s. 2009
Francisco Coching
(January 29, 1919 – September 1, 1998)
Francisco Coching, acknowledged as the “Dean of Filipino Illustrators” and son of

noted Tagalog novelist and comics illustrator Gregorio Coching, was a master
storyteller – in images and in print. His illustrations and novels were products of that
happy combination of fertile imagination, a love of storytelling, and fine
draftsmanship. He synthesized images and stories informing Philippine folk and
popular imagination of culture. His career spanned four decades.
Starting his career in 1934, he was a central force in the formation of the popular art
form of comics. He was a part of the golden age of the Filipino comics in the 50’s
and 60’s. Until his early retirement in 1973, Coching mesmerized the comics-reading
public as well as his fellow artists, cartoonists and writers.
The source of his imagery can be traced to the Philippine culture from the 19th
century to the 1960s. His works reflected the dynamics brought about by the racial
and class conflict in Philippine colonial society in the 19th century, a theme that
continued to be dealt with for a long time in Philippine cinema. He valorized the
indigenous, untrammeled Filipino in Lapu-Lapu and Sagisag ng Lahing Pilipino, and
created the types that affirm the native sense of self in his Malay heroes of stunning
physique. His women are beautiful and gentle, but at the same time can be warrior-
like, as in Marabini (Marahas na Binibini) or the strong seductive, modern women of
his comics in the 50s and 60s.
There is myth and fantasy, too, featuring the grotesque characters, vampire bats,
shriveled witches, as in Haring Ulopong. Yet, Coching grounded his works too in the
experience of war during the Japanese occupation, he was a guerilla of the
Kamagong Unit, Las Pinas branch of the ROTC hunters in the Philippines. He also
drew from the popular post-war culture of the 50s, as seen in Movie Fan. At this
point, his settings and characters became more urbane, and the narratives he
weaved scanned the changing times and mores, as in Pusakal, Talipandas, Gigolo,
and Maldita.
In his characters and storylines, Coching brings to popular consciousness the issues
concerning race and identity. He also discussed in his works the concept of the hero,
which resonate through the characters on his comics like inDimasalang and El
Vibora.
He also left a lasting influence on the succeeding generations of younger cartoonist

such as Larry Alcala, Ben Infante and Nestor Redondo. The comics as popular art
also helped forge the practice and consciousness as a national language.
SCULPTURE
Guillermo Estrella Tolentino
National Artist for Sculpture (1973)
(July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976)
Guillermo Estrella Tolentino is a product of the Revival period in Philippine art.

Returning from Europe (where he was enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts,
Rome) in 1925, he was appointed as professor at the UP School of Fine Arts where
the idea also of executing a monument for national heroes struck him. The result
was the UP Oblation that became the symbol of freedom at the campus.
Acknowledged as his masterpiece and completed in 1933, The Bonifacio
Monument in Caloocan stands as an enduring symbol of the Filipinos’ cry for
freedom.
Other works include the bronze figures of President Quezon at Quezon Memorial,
life-size busts of Jose Rizal at UP and UE, marble statue of Ramon Magsaysay in
GSIS Building; granolithics of heroic statues representing education, medicine,
forestry, veterinary science, fine arts and music at UP.
He also designed the gold and bronze medals for the Ramon Magsaysay
Award and did the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.
Napoleon V. Abueva
National Artist for Sculpture (1976)
(born January 26, 1930)
At 46 then, Napoleon V. Abueva, a native of Bohol, was the youngest National

Artist awardee. Considered as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture, Abueva
has helped shape the local sculpture scene to what it is now. Being adept in either
academic representational style or modern abstract, he has utilized almost all kinds
of materials from hard wood (molave, acacia, langka wood, ipil, kamagong, palm
wood and bamboo) to adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron,
alabaster, coral and brass. Among the early innovations Abueva introduced in 1951
was what he referred to as “buoyant sculpture” — sculpture meant to be appreciated
from the surface of a placid pool. In the 80’s, Abueva put up a one-man show at the
Philippine Center, New York. His works have been installed in different museums
here and abroad, such as The Sculpture at the United Nations headquarters in New
York City.
Some of his major works include Kaganapan (1953), Kiss of Judas (1955),Thirty

Pieces of Silver, The Transfiguration (1979), Eternal Garden Memorial Park, UP
Gateway (1967), Nine Muses (1994), UP Faculty Center, Sunburst (1994)-
Peninsula Manila Hotel, the bronze figure of Teodoro M. Kalaw in front of National
Library, and murals in marble at the National Heroes Shrine, Mt. Samat, Bataan.
DANCE
Francisca Reyes Aquino
National Artist for Dance (1973)
(March 9, 1899 – November 21, 1983)
Francisca Reyes Aquino is acknowledged as the Folk Dance Pioneer. This

Bulakeña began her research on folk dances in the 1920’s making trips to remote
barrios in Central and Northern Luzon. Her research on the unrecorded forms of
local celebration, ritual and sport resulted into a 1926 thesis titled “Philippine Folk
Dances and Games,” and arranged specifically for use by teachers and playground
instructors in public and private schools. In the 1940’s, she served as supervisor of
physical education at the Bureau of Education that distributed her work and adapted
the teaching of folk dancing as a medium of making young Filipinos aware of their
cultural heritage. In 1954, she received the Republic Award of Merit given by the late
Pres. Ramon Magsaysay for “outstanding contribution toward the advancement of
Filipino culture”, one among the many awards and recognition given to her.
Her books include the following: Philippine National Dances (1946); Gymnastics

for Girls (1947); Fundamental Dance Steps and Music (1948);Foreign Folk
Dances (1949); Dances for all Occasion (1950); Playground
Demonstration (1951); and Philippine Folk Dances, Volumes I to VI.
Leonor Orosa Goquingco

National Artist for Dance
(July 24, 1917 – July 15, 2005)
Dubbed the “Trailblazer”, “Mother of Philippine Theater Dance” and “Dean of Filipino
Performing Arts Critics”,Leonor Orosa Goquingco, pioneer Filipino choreographer
in balletic folkloric and Asian styles, has produced for over 50 years highly original,
first-of-a-kind choreographies, mostly to her own storylines. These include “TREND:
Return to Native,” “In a Javanese Garden,” “Sports,” “VINTA!,” “In a
Concentration Camp,” “The Magic Garden,” “The Clowns,” “Firebird,” “Noli
Dance Suite,” “The Flagellant,” “The Creation…” Seen as her most ambitious work
is the dance epic “Filipinescas: Philippine Life, Legend and Lore.” With it, Orosa
has brought native folk dance, mirroring Philippine culture from pagan to modern
times, to its highest stage of development.
She was the Honorary Chair of the Association of Ballet Academies of the
Philippines (ABAP), and was a founding member of the Philippine Ballet Theater.
Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula
(June 29, 1929 – August 24, 1999)
Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, choreographer, dance educator and researcher, spent

almost four decades in the discovery and study of Philippine folk and ethnic dances.
She applied her findings to project a new example of an ethnic dance culture that
goes beyond simple preservation and into creative growth. Over a period of thirty
years, she had choreographed suites of mountain dances, Spanish-influenced
dances, Muslim pageants and festivals, regional variations and dances of the
countryside for the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company of which she is the dance
director. These dances have all earned critical acclaim and rave reviews from
audiences in their world tours in Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.
Among the widely acclaimed dances she had staged were the following: Singkil, a
Bayanihan signature number based on a Maranao epic poem; Vinta, a dance
honoring Filipino sailing prowess; Tagabili, a tale of tribal conflict;Pagdiwata, a four-
day harvest festival condensed into a six-minute breath-taking spectacle; Salidsid, a
mountain wedding dance ; Idaw, Banga and Aires de Verbena.
Ramon Obusan
(June 16, 1938 – December 21, 2006)
Ramon Obusan was a *dancer, choreographer, stage designer and artistic director.

He achieved phenomenal success in Philippine dance and cultural work. He was
also cknowledged as a researcher, archivist and documentary filmmaker who
broadened and deepened the Filipino understanding of his own cultural life and
expressions. Through the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Grop (ROFG), he had effected
cultural and diplomatic exchanges using the multifarious aspects and dimensions of
the art of dance.
Among the full-length productions he choreographed are the following:
“Vamos a Belen! Series” (1998-2004) Philippine Dances Tradition

“Noon Po sa Amin,” tableaux of Philippine History in song, drama and dance
“Obra Maestra,” a collection of Ramon Obusan’s dance masterpieces
“Unpublished Dances of the Philippines,” Series I-IV
“Water, Fire and Life, Philippine Dances and Music–A Celebration of Life
Saludo sa Sentenyal”
“Glimpses of ASEAN, Dances and Music of the ASEAN-Member Countries”
“Saplot (Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group): Philippines Costumes in Dance”
Alice Reyes
( October 14, 1942)
The name Alice Reyes has become a significant part of Philippine dance parlance.

As a dancer, choreographer, teacher and director, she has made a lasting impact on
the development and promotion of contemporary dance in the Philippines. Her dance
legacy is evident in the dance companies, teachers, choreographers and the exciting
Filipino modern dance repertoire of our country today.
Reyes’ dance training started at an early age with classical ballet under the tutelage
of Rosalia Merino Santos. She subsequently trained in folk dance under the
Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company and pursued modern dance and jazz
education and training in the United States. Since then, during a professional dance
career that spanned over two decades, her innovative artistic vision, firm leadership
and passion for dance have made a lasting mark on Philippine dance.
Perhaps the biggest contribution of Alice Reyes to Philippine dance is the

development of a distinctly Filipino modern dance idiom. Utilizing inherently Filipino
materials and subject matters expressed through a combination of movements and
styles from Philippine indigenous dance, modern dance and classical ballet she has
successfully created a contemporary dance language that is uniquely Filipino. From
her early masterpiece Amada to the modern dance classic Itim-Asu, to her last major
work Bayanihan Remembered which she staged for Ballet Philippines, she utilized
this idiom to promote unique facets of Philippine arts, culture and heritage.
By introducing the first modern dance concert at the CCP Main Theater in February
1970 featuring an all contemporary dance repertoire and by promoting it successfully
to a wide audience, she initiated the popularization of modern dance in the country.
She followed this up by programs that developed modern dancers, teachers,
choreographers and audiences. By organizing outreach tours to many provinces,
lecture-demonstrations in schools, television promotions, a subscription season and
children’s matinee series, she slowly helped build an audience base for Ballet
Philippines and modern dance in the country.
Among her major works: Amada (1969), At a Maranaw Gathering (1970) Itim-

Asu (1971), Tales of the Manuvu(1977), Rama Hari (1980), Bayanihan
Remembered (1987).
LITERATURE
Amado V. Hernandez
National Artist for Literature (1973)
(September 13, 1903 – May 24, 1970)
Amado V. Hernandez, poet, playwright, and novelist, is among the Filipino writers
who practiced “committed art”. In his view, the function of the writer is to act as the
conscience of society and to affirm the greatness of the human spirit in the face of
inequity and oppression. Hernandez’s contribution to the development of Tagalog
prose is considerable — he stripped Tagalog of its ornate character and wrote in
prose closer to the colloquial than the “official” style permitted. His novel Mga Ibong
Mandaragit, first written by Hernandez while in prison, is the first Filipino socio-
political novel that exposes the ills of the society as evident in the agrarian problems
of the 50s.
Hernandez’s other works include Bayang Malaya, Isang Dipang Langit, Luha ng
Buwaya, Amado V. Hernandez: Tudla at Tudling: Katipunan ng mga
Nalathalang Tula 1921-1970, Langaw sa Isang Basong Gatas at Iba Pang
Kuwento ni Amado V. Hernandez, Magkabilang Mukha ng Isang Bagol at Iba
Pang Akda ni Amado V. Hernandez.
Jose Garcia Villa

(August 5, 1908 – July 7, 1997)
“Art is a miraculous flirtation with Nothing!

Aiming for nothing, and landing on the Sun.”
― Doveglion: Collected Poems
Jose Garcia Villa is considered as one of the finest contemporary poets regardless
of race or language. Villa, who lived in Singalong, Manila, introduced the reversed
consonance rime scheme, including the comma poems that made full use of the
punctuation mark in an innovative, poetic way. The first of his poems “Have Come,
Am Here” received critical recognition when it appeared in New York in 1942 that,
soon enough, honors and fellowships were heaped on him: Guggenheim, Bollingen,
the American Academy of Arts and Letters Awards. He used Doveglion (Dove,
Eagle, Lion) as penname, the very characters he attributed to himself, and the same
ones explored by e.e. cummings in the poem he wrote for Villa (Doveglion,
Adventures in Value). Villa is also known for the tartness of his tongue.
Villa’s works have been collected into the following books: Footnote to Youth,Many
Voices, Poems by Doveglion,Poems 55, Poems in Praise of Love: The Best
Love Poems of Jose Garcia Villa as Chosen By Himself,Selected Stories,The
Portable Villa, The Essential Villa, Mir-i-nisa, Storymasters 3: Selected Stories
from Footnote to Youth, 55 Poems: Selected and Translated into Tagalog by
Hilario S. Francia.
Nick Joaquin
(May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004)
“Before 1521 we could have been anything and everything not Filipino; after 1565 we
can be nothing but Filipino.” ―Culture and History, 1988
Nick Joaquin, is regarded by many as the most distinguished Filipino writer in

English writing so variedly and so well about so many aspects of the Filipino. Nick
Joaquin has also enriched the English language with critics coining “Joaquinesque”
to describe his baroque Spanish-flavored English or his reinventions of English
based on Filipinisms. Aside from his handling of language, Bienvenido Lumbera
writes that Nick Joaquin’s significance in Philippine literature involves his exploration
of the Philippine colonial past under Spain and his probing into the psychology of
social changes as seen by the young, as exemplified in stories such as Doña
Jeronima, Candido’s Apocalypse and The Order of Melchizedek. Nick Joaquin
has written plays, novels, poems, short stories and essays including reportage and
journalism. As a journalist, Nick Joaquin uses the nome de guerre Quijano de
Manila but whether he is writing literature or journalism, fellow National Artist
Francisco Arcellana opines that “it is always of the highest skill and quality”.
Among his voluminous works are The Woman Who Had Two Navels, A Portrait of
the Artist as Filipino, Manila, My Manila: A History for the Young, The Ballad of
the Five Battles, Rizal in Saga, Almanac for Manileños, Cave and Shadows.
Carlos P. Romulo
Carlos P. Romulo‘s multifaceted career spanned 50 years of public service as

educator, soldier, university president, journalist and diplomat. It is common
knowledge that he was the first Asian president of the United Nations General
Assembly, then Philippine Ambassador to Washington, D.C., and later minister of
foreign affairs. Essentially though, Romulo was very much into writing: he was a
reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and a publisher at 32. He was
the only Asian to win America’s coveted Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for a series of
articles predicting the outbreak of World War II. Romulo, in all, wrote and published
18 books, a range of literary works which included The United (novel), I Walked
with Heroes (autobiography), I Saw the Fall of the Philippines, Mother America, I
See the Philippines Rise (war-time memoirs).
His other books include his memoirs of his many years’ affiliations with United
Nations (UN), Forty Years: A Third World Soldier at the UN, and The Philippine
Presidents, his oral history of his experiences serving all the Philippine presidents.
Francisco Arcellana
(September 6, 1916 – August 1, 2002)
Francisco Arcellana, writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher, is one of
the most important progenitors of the modern Filipino short story in English. He
pioneered the development of the short story as a lyrical prose-poetic form. For
Arcellana, the pride of fiction is “that it is able to render truth, that is able to present
reality”. Arcellana kept alive the experimental tradition in fiction, and had been most
daring in exploring new literary forms to express the sensibility of the Filipino people.
A brilliant craftsman, his works are now an indispensable part of a tertiary-level-
syllabi all over the country. Arcellana’s published books are Selected
Stories (1962), Poetry and Politics: The State of Original Writing in English in
the Philippines Today (1977), The Francisco Arcellana Sampler(1990).
“The names which were with infinite slowness revealed, seemed strange and
stranger still; the colors not bright but deathly dull; the separate letters spelling out
the names of the dead among them, did not seem to glow or shine with a festive
sheen as did the other living names.”
(from “The Mats”, Philippine Contemporary Literature, 1963)
Some of his short stories are Frankie, The Man Who Would Be Poe, Death in a

Factory, Lina, A Clown Remembers, Divided by Two, The Mats, and his poems
being The Other Woman, This Being the Third Poem This Poem is for
Mathilda, To Touch You and I Touched Her, among others.
N.V.M Gonzalez
(September 8, 1915 – November 28, 1999)
Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez, better known as N.V.M. Gonzalez, fictionist,

essayist, poet, and teacher, articulated the Filipino spirit in rural, urban landscapes.
Among the many recognitions, he won the First Commonwealth Literary Contest in
1940, received the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1960 and the Gawad CCP
Para sa Sining in 1990. The awards attest to his triumph in appropriating the English
language to express, reflect and shape Philippine culture and Philippine sensibility.
He became U.P.’s International-Writer-In-Residence and a member of the Board of
Advisers of the U.P. Creative Writing Center. In 1987, U.P. conferred on him the
Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, its highest academic recognition.
Major works of N.V.M Gonzalez include the following: The Winds of April, Seven
Hills Away, Children of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other Stories, The Bamboo
Dancers, Look Stranger, on this Island Now, Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty
-One Stories, The Bread of Salt and Other Stories, Work on the Mountain, The
Novel of Justice: Selected Essays 1968-1994, A Grammar of Dreams and Other
Stories.
Carlos Quirino
National Artist for Historical Literature (1997)
(January 14, 1910 – May 20, 1999)
Carlos Quirino, biographer, has the distinction of having written one of the earliest
biographies of Jose Rizal titled The Great Malayan. Quirino’s books and articles
span the whole gamut of Philippine history and culture–from Bonifacio’s trial to
Aguinaldo’s biography, from Philippine cartography to culinary arts, from cash crops
to tycoons and president’s lives, among so many subjects. In 1997, Pres. Fidel
Ramos created historical literature as a new category in the National Artist Awards
and Quirino was its first recipient. He made a record earlier on when he became the
very first Filipino correspondent for the United Press Institute.
His book Maps and Views of Old Manila is considered as the best book on the
subject. His other books includeQuezon, Man of Destiny, Magsaysay of the
Philippines, Lives of the Philippine Presidents, Philippine Cartography, The
History of Philippine Sugar Industry, Filipino Heritage: The Making of a
Nation, Filipinos at War: The Fight for Freedom from Mactan to EDSA.
Edith L. Tiempo
(April 22, 1919 – August 21, 2011)
Edith L. Tiempo, poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic is one of the finest Filipino
writers in English whose works are characterized by a remarkable fusion of style and
substance, of craftsmanship and insight. Born on April 22, 1919 in Bayombong,
Nueva Vizcaya, her poems are intricate verbal transfigurations of significant
experiences as revealed, in two of her much anthologized pieces, “The Little
Marmoset” and “Bonsai”. As fictionist, Tiempo is as morally profound. Her language
has been marked as “descriptive but unburdened by scrupulous detailing.” She is an
influential tradition in Philippine literature in English. Together with her late husband,
Edilberto K. Tiempo, she founded and directed the Silliman National Writers
Workshop in Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the country’s best
writers.
F. Sionil Jose
(born 3 December 1924) 91
F. Sionil Jose’s writings since the late 60s, when taken collectively can best be
described as epic. Its sheer volume puts him on the forefront of Philippine writing in
English. But ultimately, it is the consistent espousal of the aspirations of the Filipino–
for national sovereignty and social justice–that guarantees the value of his oeuvre.
In the five-novel masterpiece, the Rosales saga, consisting of The Pretenders,
Tree, My Brother, My Executioner, Mass, and Po-on, he captures the sweep of
Philippine history while simultaneously narrating the lives of generations of the
Samsons whose personal lives intertwine with the social struggles of the nation.
Because of their international appeal, his works, including his many short stories,
have been published and translated into various languages.
F. Sionil Jose is also a publisher, lecturer on cultural issues, and the founder of the
Philippine chapter of the international organization PEN. He was bestowed the CCP
Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999; the Outstanding Fulbrighters Award for
Literature in 1988; and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and
Creative Communication Arts in 1980.
Virgilio S. Almario
(born March 9, 1944)
Virgilio S. Almario, also known as Rio Alma, is a poet, literary historian and critic,
who has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms, even as he
championed modernist poetics. In 34 years, he has published 12 books of poetry,
which include the seminal Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon, and the landmark
trilogy Doktrinang Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo and Muli, Sa
Kandungan ng Lupa. In these works, his poetic voice soared from the lyrical to the
satirical to the epic, from the dramatic to the incantatory, in his often severe
examination of the self, and the society.
He has also redefined how the Filipino poetry is viewed and paved the way for the
discussion of the same in his 10 books of criticisms and anthologies, among which
are Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina, Balagtasismo versus
Modernismo,Walong Dekada ng Makabagong Tula Pilipino, Mutyang
Dilim and Barlaan at Josaphat.
Many Filipino writers have come under his wing in the literary workshops he founded
–the Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT) and the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo
(LIRA). He has also long been involved with children’s literature through the Aklat
Adarna series, published by his Children’s Communication Center. He has been a
constant presence as well in national writing workshops and galvanizes member
writers as chairman emeritus of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL).
He headed the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as Executive Director,
(from 1998 to 2001) ably steering the Commission towards its goals.
But more than anything else, what Almario accomplished was that he put a face to
the Filipino writer in the country, one strong face determinedly wielding a pen into
untruths, hypocrisy, injustice, among others.
Alejandro Roces
(July 13, 1924 – May 23, 2011)
“You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a good person”
Alejandro Roces, is a short story writer and essayist, and considered as the
country’s best writer of comic short stories. He is known for his widely anthologized
“My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken.” In his innumerable newspaper columns, he has
always focused on the neglected aspects of the Filipino cultural heritage. His works
have been published in various international magazines and has received national
and international awards.
Ever the champion of Filipino cultures, Roces brought to public attention the
aesthetics of the country’s fiestas. He was instrumental in popularizing several local
fiestas, notably, Moriones and Ati-atihan. He personally led the campaign to change
the country’s Independence Day from July 4 to June 12, and caused the change of
language from English to Filipino in the country’s stamps, currency and passports,
and recovered Jose Rizal’s manuscripts when they were stolen from the National
Archives.
His unflinching love of country led him to become a guerilla during the Second World
War, to defy martial law and to found the major opposition party under the
dictatorship. His works have been published in various international magazines and
received numerous national and international awards, including several decorations
from various governments.
Bienvenido Lumbera
Literature (2006)
(11 April 1932-)
Bienvenido Lumbera, is a poet, librettist, and scholar.

*As a poet, he introduced to Tagalog literature what is now known as Bagay poetry,
a landmark aesthetic tendency that has helped to change the vernacular poetic
tradition. He is the author of the following works: Likhang Dila,Likhang
Diwa (poems in Filipino and English), 1993; Balaybay, Mga Tulang Lunot at
Manibalang, 2002; Sa Sariling Bayan, Apat na Dulang May Musika, 2004;
“Agunyas sa Hacienda Luisita,” Pakikiramay, 2004.
As a librettist for the Tales of the Manuvu and Rama Hari, he pioneered the
creative fusion of fine arts and popular imagination. As a scholar, his major books
include the following: Tagalog Poetry, 1570-1898: Tradition and Influences in its
Development; Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology, Revaluation:
Essays on Philippine Literature, Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa.
Lazaro A. Francisco
(February 22, 1898 – June 17, 1980)
Prize-winning writer Lazaro A. Francisco developed the social realist tradition in

Philippine fiction. His eleven novels, now acknowledged classics of Philippine
literature, embodies the author’s commitment to nationalism. Amadis Ma. Guerrero
wrote, “Francisco championed the cause of the common man, specifically the
oppressed peasants. His novels exposed the evils of the tenancy system, the
exploitation of farmers by unscrupulous landlords, and foreign domination.” Teodoro
Valencia also observed, “His pen dignifies the Filipino and accents all the positives
about the Filipino way of life. His writings have contributed much to the formation of a
Filipino nationalism.” Literary historian and critic Bienvenido Lumbera also wrote,
“When the history of the Filipino novel is written, Francisco is likely to occupy an
eminent place in it. Already in Tagalog literature, he ranks among the finest novelists
since the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to a deft hand at characterization,
Francisco has a supple prose style responsive to the subtlest nuances of ideas and
the sternest stuff of passions.”
Francisco gained prominence as a writer not only for his social conscience but also
for his “masterful handling of the Tagalog language” and “supple prose style”. With
his literary output in Tagalog, he contributed to the enrichment of the Filipino
language and literature for which he is a staunch advocate. He put up an arm to his
advocacy of Tagalog as a national language by establishing the Kapatiran ng mga
Alagad ng Wikang Pilipino (KAWIKA) in 1958.
His reputation as the “Master of the Tagalog Novel” is backed up by numerous

awards he received for his meritorious novels in particular, and for his contribution to
Philippine literature and culture in general. His masterpiece novels—Ama, Bayang
Nagpatiwakal, Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig and Daluyong—affirm his eminent place
in Philippine literature. In 1997, he was honored by the University of the Philippines
with a special convocation, where he was cited as the “foremost Filipino novelist of
his generation” and “champion of the Filipino writer’s struggle for national identity.”
Cirilo F. Bautista
(born July 9, 1941)
Cirilo F. Bautista is a poet, fictionist and essayist with exceptional achievements

and significant contributions to the development of the country’s literary arts. He is
acknowledged by peers and critics, and the nation at large as the foremost writer of
his generation.
Throughout his career that spans more than four decades, he has established a
reputation for fine and profound artistry; his books, lectures, poetry readings and
creative writing workshops continue to influence his peers and generations of young
writers.
As a way of bringing poetry and fiction closer to the people who otherwise would not
have the opportunity to develop their creative talent, Bautista has been holding
regular funded and unfunded workshops throughout the country. In his campus
lecture circuits, Bautista has updated students and student-writers on literary
developments and techniques.
As a teacher of literature, Bautista has realized that the classroom is an important

training ground for Filipino writers. In De La Salle University, he was instrumental in
the formation of the Bienvenido Santos Creative Writing Center. He was also the
moving spirit behind the founding of the Philippine Literary Arts Council in 1981, the
Iligan National Writers Workshop in 1993, and the Baguio Writers Group.
Thus, Bautista continues to contribute to the development of Philippine literature: as

a writer, through his significant body of works; as a teacher, through his discovery
and encouragement of young writers in workshops and lectures; and as a critic,
through his essays that provide insights into the craft of writing and correctives to
misconceptions about art.
Major works: Summer Suns (1963), Words and Battlefields (1998), The Trilogy of

Saint Lazarus (2001), Galaw ng Asoge (2003).
MUSIC
Antonio J. Molina
National Artist for Music (1973)
(December 26, 1894 – January 29, 1980)
Antonio J. Molina, versatile musician, composer, music educator was the last of the
musical triumvirate, two of whom were Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago,
who elevated music beyond the realm of folk music. At an early age, he took to
playing the violoncello and played it so well it did not take long before he was playing
as orchestra soloist for the Manila Grand Opera House. Molina is credited for
introducing such innovations as the whole tone scale, pentatonic scale, exuberance
of dominant ninths and eleventh cords, and linear counterpoints. As a member of the
faculty of the UP Conservatory, he had taught many of the country’s leading musical
personalities and educators like Lucresia Kasilag and Felipe de Leon.
Molina’s most familiar composition is Hatinggabi, a serenade for solo violin and
piano accompaniment. Other works are (orchestral music) Misa Antoniana Grand
Festival Mass, Ang Batingaw, Kundiman- Kundangan; (chamber music) Hating
Gabi, String Quartet, Kung sa Iyong Gunita, Pandangguhan; (vocal
music) Amihan, Awit ni Maria Clara, Larawan Nitong Pilipinas, among others.
Jovita Fuentes
(February 15, 1895 – August 7, 1978)
Long before Lea Salonga’s break into Broadway, there was already Jovita Fuentes‘
portrayal of Cio-cio san in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at Italy’s Teatro
Municipale di Piacenza. Her performance was hailed as the “most sublime
interpretation of the part”. This is all the more significant because it happened at a
time when the Philippines and its people were scarcely heard of in Europe. Prior to
that, she was teaching at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music
(1917) before leaving for Milan in 1924 for further voice studies. After eight months of
arduous training, she made her stage debut at the Piacenza. She later embarked on
a string of music performances in Europe essaying the roles of Liu
Yu in Puccini’s Turnadot, Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme, Iris inPietro
Mascagni’s Iris, the title role of Salome (which composer Richard Strauss
personally offered to her including the special role of Princess Yang Gui Fe in Li Tai
Pe). In recognition of these achievements, she was given the unprecedented award
of “Embahadora de Filipinas a su Madre Patria” by Spain.
Her dream to develop the love for opera among her countrymen led her to found the
Artists’ Guild of the Philippines, which was responsible for the periodic “Tour of
Operaland” productions. Her life story has been documented in the biography Jovita
Fuentes: A Lifetime of Music (1978) written by Lilia H. Chung, and later translated
into Filipino by Virgilio Almario.
Antonino R. Buenaventura
(May 4, 1904 – January 25, 1996)
Antonino R. Buenaventura vigorously pursued a musical career that spanned

seven decades of unwavering commitment to advancing the frontiers of Philippine
music. In 1935, Buenaventura joined Francisca Reyes-Aquino to conduct research
on folksongs and dances that led to its popularization. Buenaventura composed
songs, compositions, for solo instruments as well as symphonic and orchestral works
based on the folksongs of various Philippine ethnic groups. He was also a conductor
and restored the Philippine Army Band to its former prestige as one of the finest
military bands in the world making it “the only band that can sound like a symphony
orchestra”.
This once sickly boy who played the clarinet proficiently has written several marches
such as the “Triumphal March,” “Echoes of the Past,” “History Fantasy,” Second
Symphony in E-flat, “Echoes from the Philippines,” “Ode to Freedom.” His
orchestral music compositions include Concert Overture, Prelude and Fugue in G
Minor, Philippines Triumphant, Mindanao Sketches, Symphony in C Major, among
others.
Lucrecia R. Kasilag
(August 31, 1918 – August 16, 2008)
Lucrecia R. Kasilag, as educator, composer, performing artist, administrator and

cultural entrepreneur of national and international caliber, had involved herself wholly
in sharpening the Filipino audience’s appreciation of music. Kasilag’s pioneering task
to discover the Filipino roots through ethnic music and fusing it with Western
influences has led many Filipino composers to experiment with such an approach.
She dared to incorporate indigenous Filipino instruments in orchestral productions,
such as the prize-winning “Toccata for Percussions and Winds,Divertissement
and Concertante,” and the scores of the Filiasiana, Misang Pilipino and De
Profundis. “Tita King”, as she was fondly called, worked closely as music director
with colleagues Lucresia Reyes-Urtula, Isabel Santos, Jose Lardizabal and Dr.
Leticia P. de Guzman and made Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company one of the
premier artistic and cultural groups in the country.
Her orchestral music include Love Songs, Legend of the Sarimanok, Ang

Pamana, Philippine Scenes, Her Son,Jose, Sisa and chamber music like Awit ng
mga Awit Psalms, Fantaisie on a 4-Note Theme, and East Meets Jazz Ethnika.
Lucio San Pedro
(February 11, 1913 – March 31, 2002)
Lucio San Pedro is a master composer, conductor, and teacher whose music
evokes the folk elements of the Filipino heritage. Cousin to “Botong” Francisco, San
Pedro has produced a wide-ranging body of works that includes band music,
concertos for violin and orchestra, choral works, cantatas, chamber music, music for
violin and piano, and songs for solo voice. He was the conductor of the much
acclaimed Peng Kong Grand Mason Concert Band, the San Pedro Band of Angono,
his father’s former band, and the Banda Angono Numero Uno. His civic commitment
and work with town bands have significantly contributed to the development of a civic
culture among Filipino communities and opened a creative outlet for young Filipinos.
His orchestral music include The Devil’s Bridge, Malakas at Maganda

Overture,Prelude and Fugue in D minor,Hope and Ambition; choral
music Easter Cantata, Sa Mahal Kong Bayan, Rizal’s Valedictory Poem; vocal
music Lulay,Sa Ugoy ng Duyan, In the Silence of the Night; and band
music Dance of the Fairies, Triumphal March, Lahing Kayumanggi, Angononian
March among others.
Felipe Padilla de Leon

(May 1, 1912 – December 5, 1992)
Felipe Padilla de Leon, composer, conductor, and scholar, Filipinized western

music forms, a feat aspired for by Filipino composers who preceded him.The
prodigious body of De Leon’s musical compositions, notably the sonatas, marches
and concertos have become the full expression of the sentiments and aspirations of
the Filipino in times of strife and of peace, making him the epitome of a people’s
musician. He is the recipient of various awards and distinctions: Republic Cultural
Heritage Award, Doctor of Humanities from UP, Rizal Pro-Patria Award, Presidential
Award of Merit, Patnubay ng Kalinangan Award, among others.
De Leon’s orchestral music include Mariang Makiling Overture (1939), Roca

Encantada, symphonic legend (1950), Maynila
Overture (1976), Orchesterstuk(1981); choral music like Payapang
Daigdig, Ako’y Pilipino,Lupang Tinubuan, Ama Namin; and
songs Bulaklak, Alitaptap, and Mutya ng Lahi.
Jose Maceda
(January 31, 1917 – May 5, 2004)
Jose Maceda, composer, musicologist, teacher and performer, explored the

musicality of the Filipino deeply. Maceda embarked on a life-long dedication to the
understanding and popularization of Filipino traditional music. Maceda’s researches
and fieldwork have resulted in the collection of an immense number of recorded
music taken from the remotest mountain villages and farthest island communities.
He wrote papers that enlightened scholars, both Filipino and foreign, about the
nature of Philippine traditional and ethnic music. Maceda’s experimentation also
freed Filipino musical expression from a strictly Eurocentric mold.
Usually performed as a communal ritual, his compositions like Ugma-

ugma(1963), Pagsamba (1968), and Udlot-udlot (1975), are monuments to his
unflagging commitment to Philippine music. Other major works includeAgungan,
Kubing, Pagsamba, Ugnayan, Ading, Aroding, Siasid, Suling-suling.
Levi Celerio
National Artist for Literature / Music (1997)
(April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002)
Levi Celerio is a prolific lyricist and composer for decades. He effortlessly

translated/wrote anew the lyrics to traditional melodies: “O Maliwanag Na Buwan”
(Iloko), “Ako ay May Singsing” (Pampango), “Alibangbang” (Visaya) among others.
Born in Tondo, Celerio received his scholarship at the Academy of Music in Manila
that made it possible for him to join the Manila Symphony Orchestra, becoming its
youngest member. He made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the only
person able to make music using just a leaf.
A great number of his songs have been written for the local movies, which earned for
him the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Academy of the Philippines. Levi
Celerio, more importantly, has enriched the Philippine music for no less than two
generations with a treasury of more than 4,000 songs in an idiom that has proven to
appeal to all social classes.
Andrea Veneracion
(July 11, 1928 – July 9, 2013)
Andrea Veneracion, is highly esteemed for her achievements as choirmaster and

choral arranger. Two of her indispensable contributions in culture and the arts
include the founding of the Philippine Madrigal Singers and the spearheading of the
development of Philippine choral music. A former faculty member of the UP College
of Music and honorary chair of the Philippine Federation of Choral Music, she also
organized a cultural outreach program to provide music education and exposure in
several provinces. Born in Manila on July 11, 1928, she is recognized as an authority
on choral music and performance and has served as adjudicator in international
music competitions.
Ernani J. Cuenco
(May 10, 1936 – June 11, 1988)
Ernani J. Cuenco is a seasoned musician born in May 10, 1936 in Malolos,

Bulacan. A composer, film scorer, musical director and music teacher, he wrote an
outstanding and memorable body of works that resonate with the Filipino sense of
musicality and which embody an ingenious voice that raises the aesthetic
dimensions of contemporary Filipino music. Cuenco played with the Filipino Youth
Symphony Orchestra and the Manila Symphony Orchestra from 1960 to 1968, and
the Manila Chamber Soloists from 1966 to 1970. He completed a music degree in
piano and cello from the University of Santo Tomas where he also taught for
decades until his death in 1988.
His songs and ballads include “Nahan, Kahit na Magtiis,” and “Diligin Mo ng
Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa,” “Pilipinas,” “Inang Bayan,” “Isang Dalangin,”
“Kalesa,” “Bato sa Buhangin” and “Gaano Kita Kamahal.” The latter song shows
how Cuenco has enriched the Filipino love ballad by adding the elements of
kundiman to it
Francisco Feliciano
(19 February 1941 – 19 September 2014)
Francisco Feliciano’s corpus of creative work attests to the exceptional talent of the
Filipino as an artist. His lifetime conscientiousness in bringing out the “Asianness” in
his music, whether as a composer, conductor, or educator, contributed to bringing
the awareness of people all over the world to view the Asian culture as a rich source
of inspiration and a celebration of our ethnicity, particularly the Philippines. He
brought out the unique sounds of our indigenous music in compositions that have
high technical demands equal to the compositions of masters in the western world.
By his numerous creative outputs, he has elevated the Filipino artistry into one that is
highly esteemed by the people all over the world.
Many of his choral compositions have been performed by the best choirs in the
country, such as the world renowned Philippines Madrigal Singers, UST Singers and
the Novo Concertante Manila, and have won for them numerous awards in
international choral competitions. The technical requirement of his choral pieces are
almost at the tip of the scale that many who listen to their rendition are awed,
especially because he incorporates the many subtleties of rhythmic vitality and
intricate interweaving of lines inspired from the songs of our indigenous tribes. He
not only borrows these musical lines, albeit he quotes them and transforms them into
completely energetic fusions of sound and culture that does nothing less than
celebrate our various ethnicities.
His operas and orchestral works also showcase the masterful treatment of a musical
language that is unique and carries with it a contemporary style that allows for the
use of modal scales, Feliciano’s preferred tonality. The influence of bringing out the
indigenous culture, particularly in sound, is strongly evident in La Loba Negra, Ashen
Wings and Yerma. In his modest hymns, Feliciano was able to bring out the Filipino
mysticism in the simple harmonies that is able to captivate and charm his audiences.
It is his matchless genius in choosing to state his ideas in their simplest state but
producing a haunting and long lasting impact on the listening soul that makes his
music extraordinarily sublime.
Major Works: Ashen Wings (1995), Sikhay sa Kabila ng Paalam (1993), La Loba
Negra (1983), Yerma (1982), Pamugun (1995), Pokpok Alimako (1981)
Ramon Santos
(born 25 February 1941)
Ramon Pagayon Santos, composer, conductor and musicologist, is currently the

country’s foremost exponent of contemporary Filipino music. A prime figure in the
second generation of Filipino composers in the modern idiom, Santos has
contributed greatly to the quest for new directions in music, taking as basis non-
Western traditions in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
He graduated in 1965 from the UP College of Music with a Teacher’s Diploma and a
Bachelor of Music degree in both Composition and Conducting. Higher studies in the
United States under a Fulbright Scholarship at Indiana University (for a Master’s
degree, 1968) and at the State University of New York at Buffalo (for a Doctorate,
1972) exposed him to the world of contemporary and avant-garde musical idioms:
the rigorous processes of serialism, electronic and contemporary music,
indeterminacy, and new vocal and improvisational techniques. He received further
training in New Music in Darmstadt, Germany and in Utrecht, the Netherlands. His
initial interest in Mahler and Debussy while still a student at UP waned as his
compositional style shifted to Neo Classicism and finally to a distinct merging of the
varied influences that he had assimilated abroad.
His return to the Philippines marked a new path in his style. After immersing himself
in indigenous Philippine and Asian (Javanese music and dance, Chinese nan
kuan music), he became more interested in open-ended structures of time and
space, function as a compositional concept, environmental works, non-conventional
instruments, the dialectics of control and non-control, and the incorporation of natural
forces in the execution of sound-creating tasks. All these would lead to the forging of
a new alternative musical language founded on a profound understanding and a
thriving and sensitive awareness of Asian music aesthetics and culture.
Simultaneous with this was a reverting back to more orthodox performance modes:
chamber works and multimedia works for dance and theatre. Panaghoy (1984), for
reader, voices, gongs and bass drum, on the poetry of Benigno Aquino, Jr. was a
powerful musical discourse on the fallen leader’s assassination in 1983, which
subsequently brought on the victorious People Power uprising in 1986.
An active musicologist, Santos’ interest in traditional music cultures was heretofore

realized in 1976 by embarking on fieldwork to collect and document music from folk
religious groups in Quezon. He has also done research and fieldwork among the
Ibaloi of Northern Luzon. His ethnomusicological orientation has but richly enhanced
his compositional outlook. Embedded in the works of this period are the people-
specific concepts central to the ethnomusicological discipline, the translation of
indigenous musical systems into modern musical discourse, and the marriage of
Western and non-Western sound.
An intense and avid pedagogue, Santos, as Chair of the Department of Compositiion

and Theory (and formerly, as Dean) of the College of Music, UP, has remained
instrumental in espousing a modern Philippine music rooted in old Asian practices
and life concepts. With generation upon generation of students and teachers that
have come under his wing, he continues to shape a legacy of modernity anchored on
the values of traditional Asian music.
FILM
Lamberto V. Avellana
National Artist for Theater and Film (1976)
born on August 31, 1912
Lamberto V. Avellana, director for theater and film, has the distinction of being
called “The Boy Wonder of Philippine Movies” as early as 1939. He was the first to
use the motion picture camera to establish a point-of-view, a move that
revolutionized the techniques of film narration. Avellana, who at 20 portrayed Joan of
Arc in time for Ateneo’s diamond jubilee, initially set out to establish a Filipino
theater. Together with Daisy Hontiveros, star of many UP plays and his future wife,
he formed the Barangay Theater Guild which had, among others, Leon Ma .Guerrero
and Raul Manglapus as members. It was after seeing such plays that Carlos P.
Romulo, then president of Philippine Films, encouraged him to try his hand at
directing films. In his first film Sakay, Avellana demonstrated a kind of visual rhythm
that established a new filmic language.
Sakay was declared the best picture of 1939 by critics and journalists alike and set
the tone for Avellana’s career in film that would be capped by such distinctive
achievements as the Grand Prix at the Asian Film Festival in Hong Kong for Anak
Dalita (1956); Best Director of Asia award in Tokyo for Badjao, among others.
Avellana was also the first filmmaker to have his film Kandelerong Pilak shown at
the Cannes International Film Festival. Among the films he directed for worldwide
release were Sergeant Hasan (1967), Destination Vietnam(1969), and The Evil
Within (1970).
Manuel Conde
National Artist for Cinema (2009)
(October 9, 1915 – August 11, 1985)
Born on October 9, 1915 and christened Manuel Pabustan Urbano, Manuel

Conde grew up and studied in Daet, Camarines Norte.In the decades before and
after World War II when Philippine society was being inundated by American popular
culture, Conde invested local cinema with a distinct cultural history of its own through
movies that translated onto the silver screen the age-old stories that Filipinos had
told and retold from generation to generation for at least the past one hundred years.
Among the narratives that Conde directed and/or produced for the screen were three
of the most famous metrical romances in Philippine lowland culture: Siete Infantes
de Lara, Ibong Adarna, and Prinsipe Tenoso.
Through the more than forty films he created from 1940 to 1963, Manuel Conde
contributed in no small measure to the indigenization of the cinema, specifically: by
assigning it a history and culture of its own; by revitalizing folk culture with urgent
issues, fresh themes and new techniques; by depicting and critiquing Filipino
customs, values and traditions according to the needs of the present; by employing
and at the same time innovating on the traditional cinematic genres of his time; and
by opening the local cinema to the world.
With a curious mind and restless spirit that could not be contained by what is, Conde
went beyond the usual narratives of the traditional genres and ventured into subject
matter that would have been deemed too monumental or quixotic by the average
producer. Conde dared to recreate on screen the grand narratives of larger-than-life
figures from world history and literature, like Genghis Khan and Sigfredo. In doing
films on these world figures, Conde had in effect forced the Filipino moviegoer out of
the parochial and predictable concerns of the run-of-the-mill formulaic film and thrust
him into a larger world where visions and emotions were loftier and nobler and very
very far from the pedestrian whims and sentiments that constituted the Filipino
moviegoer’s usual fare.
Serendipitously, as these movies opened the vistas of the Filipino film to other
cultures, they also unlocked the doors of western cinema to the Filipino film, allowing
it entry into one of the most prestigious film festivals of the globe. Later, when these
films were bought by foreign distributors, they were exhibited in all parts of the
cinematic world of the time, establishing the presence of the Filipino cinema in the
eyes of that world.
Major works: Ibong Adarna (1941), Si Juan Tamad (1947), Siete Infantes de

Lara (1950), Genghis Khan (1950),Ikaw Kasi! (1955) Juan Tamad Goes To
Congress (1959).
CINEMA
Gerardo De Leon
(September 12, 1913 – July 25, 1981)
Gerardo “Gerry” De Leon, film director, belongs to the Ilagan clan and as such
grew up in an atmosphere rich in theater. Significantly, De Leon’s first job — while in
still in high school — was as a piano player at Cine Moderno in Quiapo playing the
musical accompaniment to the silent films that were being shown at that time. The
silent movies served as De Leon’s “very good” training ground because the pictures
told the story. Though he finished medicine, his practice did not last long because he
found himself “too compassionate” to be one, this aside from the lure of the movies.
His first directorial job was “Ama’t Anak” in which he directed himself and his brother
Tito Arevalo. The movie got good reviews. De Leon’s biggest pre-war hit was “Ang
Maestra” which starred Rogelio de la Rosa and Rosa del Rosario with the still
unknown Eddie Romero as writer.
In the 50s and 60s, he produced many films that are now considered classics
including “Daigdig ng Mga Api,” “Noli Me Tangere,” “El Filibusterismo,” and
“Sisa.” Among a long list of films are “Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo,” “Dyesebel,”
“The Gold Bikini,” “Banaue,” “The Brides of Blood Island.”.
Lino Brocka
(April 3, 1939 – May 22, 1991)
Catalino “Lino” Ortiz Brocka, director for film and broadcast arts, espoused the
term “freedom of expression” in the Philippine Constitution. Brocka took his social
activist spirit to the screen leaving behind 66 films which breathed life and hope for
the marginalized sectors of society — slumdwellers, prostitute, construction workers,
etc. He also directed for theater with equal zeal and served in organizations that offer
alternative visions, like the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and
the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP). At the same time, he garnered
awards and recognition from institutions like the CCP, FAMAS, TOYM, and Cannes
Film Festival. Lino Brocka has left behind his masterpieces, bequeathing to our
country a heritage of cinematic harvest; a bounty of stunning images, memorable
conversations that speak volumes on love,betrayal and redemption, pestilence and
plenty all pointing towards the recovery and rediscovery of our nation.
To name a few, Brocka’s films include the following: “Santiago” (1970), “Wanted:
Perfect Mother” (1970), “Tubog sa Ginto” (1971), “Stardoom” (1971), “Tinimbang
Ka Ngunit Kulang” (1974), “Maynila: Sa Kuko ng Liwanag” (1975), “Insiang”
(1976), “Jaguar” (1979), “Bona” (1980), “Macho Dancer” (1989), “Orapronobis”
(1989), “Makiusap Ka sa Diyos” (1991).
Ishmael Bernal
(September 30, 1938 – June 2, 1996)
Ishmael Bernal was a filmmaker of the first order and one of the very few who can
be truly called a maestro. Critics have hailed him as “the genius of Philippine
cinema.”
He is recognized as a director of films that serve as social commentaries and bold

reflections on the existing realities of the struggle of the Filipino. His art extends
beyond the confines of aesthetics. By polishing its visuals, or innovating in the
medium, he manages to send his message across: to fight the censors, free the
artists, give justice to the oppressed, and enlighten as well as entertain the audience.
Among his notable films are “Pahiram ng Isang Umaga” (1989), “Broken Marriage”
(1983), “Himala” (1982), “City After Dark” (1980), and “Nunal sa Tubig” (1976).
He was recognized as the Director of the Decade of the 1970s by the Catholic Mass
Media Awards; four-time Best Director by the Urian Awards (1989, 1985, 1983, and
1977); and given the ASEAN Cultural Award in Communication Arts in 1993.
Eddie Romero
(July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013)
Eddie Romero, is a screenwriter, film director and producer, is the quintessential

Filipino filmmaker whose life is devoted to the art and commerce of cinema spanning
three generations of filmmakers. His film “Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo
Ngayon?,” set at the turn of the century during the revolution against the Spaniards
and, later, the American colonizers, follows a naïve peasant through his leap of faith
to become a member of an imagined community. “Aguila” situates a family’s story
against the backdrop of the country’s history. “Kamakalawa” explores the folkloric of
prehistoric Philippines. “Banta ng Kahapon,” his ‘small’ political film, is set against
the turmoil of the late 1960s, tracing the connection of the underworld to the corrupt
halls of politics. His 13-part series of “Noli Me Tangere” brings the national hero’s
polemic novel to a new generation of viewers.
Romero, the ambitious yet practical artist, was not satisfied with dreaming up grand
ideas. He found ways to produce these dreams into films. His concepts, ironically, as
stated in the National Artist citation “are delivered in an utterly simple style –
minimalist, but never empty, always calculated, precise and functional, but never
predictable.”
Fernando Poe, Jr.,

(August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004)
Ronald Allan K. Poe, popularly known as Fernando Poe, Jr., was a cultural icon of
tremendous audience impact and cinema artist and craftsman–as actor, director,
writer and producer.*
The image of the underdog was projected in his films such as Apollo
Robles(1961), Batang Maynila (1962), Mga Alabok sa Lupa (1967), Batang
Matador and Batang Estibador (1969), Ako ang Katarungan (1974), Tatak ng
Alipin(1975), Totoy Bato (1977), Asedillo (1981), Partida (1985), and Ang
Probisyano (1996), among many others. The mythical hero, on the other hand, was
highlighted in Ang Alamat (1972), Ang Pagbabalik ng Lawin(1975) including
his Panday series (1980, 1981, 1982, 1984) and the action adventure films adapted
from komiks materials such as Ang Kampana sa Santa Quiteria(1971), Santo
Domingo (1972), and Alupihang Dagat (1975), among others.
Poe was born in Manila on August 20, 1939. After the death of his father, he dropped
out of the University of the East in his sophomore year to support his family. He was
the second of six siblings. He married actress Susan Roces in a civil ceremony in
December 1968.
He died on December 14, 2004
ARCHITECTURE
Juan F. Nakpil
National Artist for Architecture, 1973
(May 26, 1899 – May 7, 1986)
Juan F. Nakpil, architect, teacher and civic leader, is a pioneer and innovator in
Philippine architecture. In essence, Nakpil’s greatest contribution is his belief that
there is such a thing as Philippine Architecture, espousing architecture reflective of
Philippine traditions and culture. It is also largely due to his zealous representation
and efforts that private Filipino architects and engineers, by law, are now able to
participate in the design and execution of government projects. He has integrated
strength, function, and beauty in the buildings that are the country’s heritage today.
He designed the 1937 International Eucharistic Congress altar and rebuilt and
enlarged the Quiapo Church in 1930 adding a dome and a second belfry to the
original design.
Among others, Nakpil’s major works are the Geronimo de los Reyes

Building,Magsaysay Building, Rizal Theater, Capitol Theater, Captain Pepe
Building, Manila Jockey Club, Rufino Building, Philippine Village
Hotel, University of the Philippines Administration and University Library, and
the reconstructed Rizal housein Calamba, Laguna.
Pablo Antonio
Architecture (1976)
(January 25, 1901 – June 14, 1975)
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“. The other thing that characterizes an Antonio structure is the maximum use
of natural light and cross ventilation. Antonio believes that buildings “should be
planned with austerity in mind and its stability forever as the aim of true architecture,
that buildings must be progressive, simple in design but dignified, true to a purpose
without resorting to an applied set of aesthetics and should eternally recreate truth”.
Antonio’s major works include the following: Far Eastern University Administration

and Science buildings;Manila Polo Club; Ideal Theater;Lyric Theater; Galaxy
Theater; Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building; Boulevard-Alhambra (now Bel-Air)
apartments; Ramon Roces Publications Building (now Guzman Institute of
Electronics).
Leandro V. Locsin
(August 15, 1928 – November 15, 1994)
Leandro V. Locsin reshaped the urban landscape with a distinctive architecture

reflective of Philippine Art and Culture. He believes that the true Philippine
Architecture is “the product of two great streams of culture, the oriental and the
occidental… to produce a new object of profound harmony.” It is this synthesis that
underlies all his works, with his achievements in concrete reflecting his mastery of
space and scale. Every Locsin Building is an original, and identifiable as a Locsin
with themes of floating volume, the duality of light and heavy, buoyant and massive
running in his major works. From 1955 to 1994, Locsin has produced 75 residences
and 88 buildings, including 11 churches and chapels, 23 public buildings, 48
commercial buildings, six major hotels, and an airport terminal building.
Locsin’s largest single work is the Istana Nurul Iman, the palace of the Sultan of
Brunei, which has a floor area of 2.2 million square feet. The CCP Complex itself is
a virtual Locsin Complex with all five buildings designed by him — the Cultural
Center of the Philippines, Folk Arts Theater, Philippine International
Convention Center, Philcite and The Westin Hotel (now Sofitel Philippine
Plaza).
Ildefonso Santos
(September 5, 1929 – January 29, 2014)
Ildefonso Paez Santos, Jr., distinguished himself by pioneering the practice of

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

National Artist for Architecture (2014)
(1912-1994)
José María V. Zaragoza’s place in Philippine architecture history is defined by a

significant body of modern edifices that address spiritual and secular requirements.
Zaragoza’s name is synonymous to modern ecclesiastical
architecture.Â Notwithstanding his affinity to liturgical structures, he greatly excelled
in secular works: 36 office buildings, 4 hotels, 2, hospitals, 5 low-cost and middle-
income housing projects; and more than 270 residences – all demonstrating his
typological versatility and his mastery of modernist architectural vocabulary.
Zaragoza graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila in 1936, passing
the licensure examinations in 1938 to become the 82nd architect of the Philippines.
With growing interest in specializing in religious architecture, Zaragoza also studied
at International Institute of Liturgical Art (IILA) in Rome in the late 1950s, where he
obtained a diploma in liturgical art and architecture. His training in Rome resulted in
innovative approaches, setting new standards for the design of mid-century Catholic
churches in the Philippines. His prolificacy in designing religious edifices was
reflected in his body of work that was predominated by about 45 churches and
religious centers, including the Santo Domingo Church, Our Lady of Rosary in Tala,
Don Bosco Church, the Convent of the Pink Sisters, the San Beda Convent, Villa
San Miguel, Pius XII Center, the Union Church, and the controversial restoration of
the Quiapo Church, among others.
Zaragoza is a pillar of modern architecture in Philippines buttressed by a half-century
career that produced ecclesiastical edifices and structures of modernity in the
service of God and humanity.
Major Works: Meralco Building (Pasig Cty), Sto. Domingo Church and Convent
(Quezon City), Metropolitan Cathedral of Cebu City, Villa San Miguel,
Mandaluyoung.
FASHION DESIGN
Ramon Valera
National Artist for Fashion Design (2006)
(August 31, 1912 – May 25, 1972)
The contribution of Ramon Valera, whose family hails from Abra, lies in the tradition
of excellence of his works, and his committment to his profession, performing his
magical seminal innovations on the Philippine terno.
Valera is said to have given the country its visual icon to the world via the terno. In
the early 40s, Valera produced a single piece of clothing from a four-piece ensemble
consisting of a blouse, skirt, overskirt, and long scarf. He unified the components of
the baro’t saya into a single dress with exaggerated bell sleeves, cinched at the
waist, grazing the ankle, and zipped up at the back. Using zipper in place of hooks
was already a radical change for the country’s elite then. Dropping the panuelo–the
long folded scarf hanging down the chest, thus serving as the Filipina’s gesture of
modesty–from the entire ensemble became a bigger shock for the women then.
Valera constructed the terno’s butterfly sleeves, giving them a solid, built-in but
hidden support. To the world, the butterfly sleeves became the terno’s defining
feature.
Even today, Filipino fashion designers study Valera’s ternos: its construction,
beadworks, applique, etc. *Valera helped mold generations of artists, and helped
fashion to become no less than a nation’s sense of aesthetics. But more important
than these, he helped form a sense of the Filipino nation by his pursuit of excellence.
THEATER DESIGN
Salvador Floro Bernal
(1945 – October 26, 2011)
Salvador Floro Bernal was an acclaimed 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.
THEATER
Honorata “Atang” Dela Rama
National Artist for Theater and Music (1987)
(January 11, 1902 – July 11, 1991)
Honorata “Atang” Dela Rama was formally honored as the Queen of Kundiman in

1979, then already 74 years old singing the same song (“Nabasag na Banga”) that
she sang as a 15-year old girl in the sarsuela Dalagang Bukid. Atang became the
very first actress in the very first Tagalog film when she essayed the same role in the
sarsuela’s film version. As early as age seven, Atang was already being cast in
Spanish zarzuelas such as Mascota, Sueño de un Vals, andMarina. She counts
the role though of an orphan in Pangarap ni Rosa as her most rewarding and
satisfying role that she played with realism, the stage sparkling with silver coins
tossed by a teary-eyed audience. Atang firmly believes that the sarswela and the
kundiman expresses best the Filipino soul, and has even performed kundiman and
other Filipino songs for the Aetas or Negritos of Zambales and the Sierra Madre, the
Bagobos of Davao and other Lumad of Mindanao.
Among the kundiman and the other songs she premiered or popularized
were Pakiusap, Ay, Ay Kalisud, Kung Iibig Ka and Madaling Araw by Jose
Corazon de Jesus, and Mutya ng Pasig by Deogracias Rosario and Nicanor
Abelardo. She also wrote her own sarswelas: Anak ni Eba, Aking Ina, and Puri at
Buhay.
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero

National Artist for Theater (1997)
(January 22, 1910 – April 28, 1995)
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero is a teacher and theater artist whose 35 years of devoted
professorship has produced the most sterling luminaries in Philippine performing arts
today: Behn Cervantes, Celia Diaz-Laurel, Joy Virata, Joonee Gamboa, etc. In 1947,
he was appointed as UP Dramatic Club director and served for 16 years. As founder
and artistic director of the UP Mobile Theater, he pioneered the concept of theater
campus tour and delivered no less than 2,500 performances in a span of 19
committed years of service. By bringing theatre to countryside, Guerrero made it
possible for students and audiences in general to experience the basic grammar of
staging and acting in familiar and friendly ways through his plays that humorously
reflect the behavior of the Filipino.
His plays include Half an Hour in a Convent, Wanted: A Chaperon, Forever,

Condemned, Perhaps, In Unity, Deep in My Heart, Three Rats, Our Strange
Ways, The Forsaken House, Frustrations.
Rolando S. Tinio
National Artist for Theater and Literature (1997)
(March 5, 1937 – July 7, 1997)
Rolando S. Tinio, playwright, thespian, poet, teacher, critic and translator, marked
his career with prolific artistic productions. Tinio’s chief distinction is as a stage
director whose original insights into the scripts he handled brought forth productions
notable for their visual impact and intellectual cogency. Subsequently, after staging
productions for the Ateneo Experimental Theater (its organizer and administrator as
well), he took on Teatro Pilipino. It was to Teatro Pilipino which he left a considerable
amount of work reviving traditional Filipino drama by re-staging old theater forms like
the sarswela and opening a treasure-house of contemporary Western drama. It was
the excellence and beauty of his practice that claimed for theater a place among the
arts in the Philippines in the 1960s.
Aside from his collections of poetry (Sitsit sa Kuliglig, Dunung – Dunungan,

Kristal na Uniberso, A Trick of Mirrors) among his works were the following: film
scripts for Now and Forever, Gamitin Mo Ako, Bayad Puri andMilagros;
sarswelas Ang Mestisa, Ako, Ang Kiri, Ana Maria; the komedya Orosman at
Zafira; and Larawan, the musical.
Daisy H. Avellana
(January 26, 1917 – May 12, 2013)
Daisy H. Avellana, is an actor, director and writer. Born in Roxas City, Capiz on
January 26, 1917, she elevated legitimate theater and dramatic arts to a new level of
excellence by staging and performing in breakthrough productions of classic Filipino
and foreign plays and by encouraging the establishment of performing groups and
the professionalization of Filipino theater. Together with her husband, National Artist
Lamberto Avellana and other artists, she co-founded the Barangay Theatre Guild in
1939 which paved the way for the popularization of theatre and dramatic arts in the
country, utilizing radio and television.
She starred in plays like Othello (1953), Macbeth in Black (1959), Casa de
Bernarda Alba (1967), Tatarin. She is best remembered for her portrayal
of Candida Marasigan in the stage and film versions of Nick Joaquin’s Portrait of
the Artist as Filipino. Her directorial credits include Diego Silang (1968),
and Walang Sugat (1971). Among her screenplays were Sakay (1939) and Portrait
of the Artist as Filipino (1955).
Severino Montano
Playwright, director, actor, and theater organizer Severino Montano is the

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

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National Artist Award

The National Artist Award is the highest distinction bestowed

President Ferdinand E. Marcos through proclamation no.1001 dated April 2 1972,

• Artists who have distinguished themselves by pioneering in a mode of

• Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or

Carlos “Botong” Francisco,

He was the second Filipino who received the title of National Artist in Painting in

Vicente Manansala‘s paintings are described as visions of reality teetering on the

He trained at Paris and at Otis School of Drawing in Los Angeles. Manansala

Manansala’s works include A Cluster of Nipa Hut, San Francisco Del

J. (Jeremias) Elizalde Navarro, was born on May 22, 1924 in Antique. He is a

A pioneer “Neo-Realist” of the country, Cesar Legaspi is remembered for his

Among his works are Gadgets I, Gadgets II, Diggers, Idols of the Third

Hernando R. Ocampo, a self-taught painter, was a leading member of the pre-war

Ocampo’s acknowledged masterpiece Genesis served as the basis of the curtain

Among his other significant paintings are Bagong Taon, Vendador de

Ang Kiukok died on May 9, 2005

Madonna with Objects, 1991

Abdulmari Asia Imao

Abdulmari Asia Imao, a native of Sulu, is a sculptor, painter, photographer,

Industry Brass Mural, Philippine National Bank, San Fernando, La Union

Federico Aguilar y Alcuaz

Proclamation No. 1825, s. 2009

Francisco Coching, acknowledged as the “Dean of Filipino Illustrators” and son of

He also left a lasting influence on the succeeding generations of younger cartoonist

Guillermo Estrella Tolentino is a product of the Revival period in Philippine art.

At 46 then, Napoleon V. Abueva, a native of Bohol, was the youngest National

Some of his major works include Kaganapan (1953), Kiss of Judas (1955),Thirty

Francisca Reyes Aquino is acknowledged as the Folk Dance Pioneer. This

Her books include the following: Philippine National Dances (1946); Gymnastics

Leonor Orosa Goquingco

Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, choreographer, dance educator and researcher, spent

Ramon Obusan was a *dancer, choreographer, stage designer and artistic director.

Among the full-length productions he choreographed are the following:

“Vamos a Belen! Series” (1998-2004) Philippine Dances Tradition

The name Alice Reyes has become a significant part of Philippine dance parlance.

Perhaps the biggest contribution of Alice Reyes to Philippine dance is the

Among her major works: Amada (1969), At a Maranaw Gathering (1970) Itim-

Jose Garcia Villa

“Art is a miraculous flirtation with Nothing!

Nick Joaquin, is regarded by many as the most distinguished Filipino writer in

Carlos P. Romulo‘s multifaceted career spanned 50 years of public service as

(from “The Mats”, Philippine Contemporary Literature, 1963)

Some of his short stories are Frankie, The Man Who Would Be Poe, Death in a

Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez, better known as N.V.M. Gonzalez, fictionist,

“You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a good person”

Bienvenido Lumbera, is a poet, librettist, and scholar.

Prize-winning writer Lazaro A. Francisco developed the social realist tradition in

His reputation as the “Master of the Tagalog Novel” is backed up by numerous

Cirilo F. Bautista is a poet, fictionist and essayist with exceptional achievements

As a teacher of literature, Bautista has realized that the classroom is an important

Thus, Bautista continues to contribute to the development of Philippine literature: as

Major works: Summer Suns (1963), Words and Battlefields (1998), The Trilogy of

Antonino R. Buenaventura vigorously pursued a musical career that spanned

Lucrecia R. Kasilag, as educator, composer, performing artist, administrator and

Her orchestral music include Love Songs, Legend of the Sarimanok, Ang

His orchestral music include The Devil’s Bridge, Malakas at Maganda

Felipe Padilla de Leon

Felipe Padilla de Leon, composer, conductor, and scholar, Filipinized western

De Leon’s orchestral music include Mariang Makiling Overture (1939), Roca

Jose Maceda, composer, musicologist, teacher and performer, explored the

Usually performed as a communal ritual, his compositions like Ugma-

Levi Celerio is a prolific lyricist and composer for decades. He effortlessly