Ma. Cristina Arayata/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) chairperson, Virgilio Almario, gave a piece of advice to the country’s new set of National Artists — always behave and be prepared.
“Now that you are National Artists, you must always behave,” Almario told them during the Tribute to the 2018 National Artists held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City on Thursday night.
“Kailangang tumingkad ang ating sektor. Napakataas ng hinihintay at inaasahan sa sinumang National Artist, upang matingnan ang kultura at sining bilang bukal ng mga gawaing marangal, malikhain, mapagbago, at maipagmamalaki ng bawat Pilipino (Our sector must shine. Expectations from a National Artist are high so that culture and arts would be seen as a wellspring of activities that are dignified, creative, reformative, and are something Filipinos can be proud of)” he remarked.
The 2018 National Artists are Ryan Cayabyab (Music), Francisco Mañosa (Architecture), Ramon Muzones (Literature), Resil Mojares (Literature), Larry Alcala (Visual Arts), Amelia Lapeña Bonifacio (Theater), and Kidlat Tahimik (Film).
Alcala, Muzones and Mañosa were represented by their kin during the tribute.
The Order of National Artist was created in 1972 to honor Filipinos who have made outstanding contributions to Philippine arts and letters. This is being conferred by the Philippine government, upon recommendation of the NCCA and CCP.
Cayabyab was given the honor for his musical compositions, which captures the essence of Filipino soul, according to the NCCA.
“It embodies the Filipino values and social experiences,” it said.
Lapeña-Bonifacio wrote plays and experimented on different techniques of Asian theater arts and puppetry.
Alcala was recognized for his comic strips that illustrate the lives of Filipinos. He had more than five decades of cartooning experience.
Tahimik, on the other hand, introduced alternative modes of film making. The way Tahimik produces his films shows his independence as an artist, NCCA said.
A fictionist, essayist, educator and historian, Mojares is the founding director of the Cebuano Studies Center. He has published a diverse literary works on various disciplines, such as cultural studies, and biography.
Muzones, meanwhile, was a Hiligaynon poet. His literary career spanned more than 50 years. He had authored more than 60 novels, according to NCCA.
The Tribute to the 2018 National Artists was open to the public. Some of the artists’ works were showcased during the event.
