Art Sold

THE CLOUDS ARE GREY for Filipino artists today. The air, dry for us, cannot be breathed for sustenance of life. I refer, of course, to the death of dignity and honor of the Order of the National Artists in our country. Interestingly, at the time of writing, I am in Manila waiting for the road to Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, to be opened again for traffic. Bayombong is the birth place of one of the greatest influences of Philippine literature, National Artist for Literature Dr. Edith Tiempo, and she will be paid tribute there.

The National Artist Awards is supposed to be the highest honor a Filipino artist may achieve. The award is given to an artist for elevating Filipino culture and art to the highest possible standard. A National Artist is a pride of our race and a manifestation of Filipino genius. It is given to actors, architects, composers, designers, directors, filmmakers, musicians, painters, playwrights, sculptors, and other artists, who in their respective works have shown the whole world the most dignified pursuit to respond to the call of the Muse.And this supposedly most dignified field of human existence is at the risk of crumbling down because of politics and corruption.

Last month, the selection committee for the Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining finally came up with the names of Federico Alcuaz (Visual Art), Manuel Conde (Film), Lazaro Francisco (Literature, Posthumous), Ramon Santos (Music) as the new National Artists. The official declaration from the Office of the President dropped Santos, and added to the list the names Cecile Guidote Alvarez, Pitoy Moreno, Carlo Caparaz, and Frankie Mañoza. Alvarez is a presidential adviser and current Executive Director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, which makes her the center of indignation for these matters. Caparaz, a filmmaker, is known for his formulaic bioflicks that capitalized on and romanticized real crime stories of the 90s—Vizconde Massacre, Fatima Buen Story, Cory Quirino Kidnapping Story, and others. Moreno is a known fashion designer and Mañoza is a celebrated architect.

For me, except for Caparaz (Oh, my God!), all the rest deserve to be National Artists. The clamor, however, was with how they came to be NAs. As educator and prizewinning playwright Dr. Isagani Cruz puts it, (Alvarez) deserves to be a National Artist. But Gloria Arroyo robbed her of earning it her own way.” Or might I add that Alvarez herself too, for wanting too much of this award, took away from herself the proper and honorable way of earning it.

Of all these controversial winners, Architect Mañoza is at the losing end. He really is worth of becoming a National Artist; and he can really achieve it his own way. The question now is: are they going to accept the medallion of honor and thereafter lose their very being or deny it and wait for their respective moments?

In indignation, National Artists Almario, F. Sionil José and Bienvenido Lumbera (Literature), Salvador Bernal (Theatre Design), Napoleon Abueva and Benedicto Cabrera (Visual Arts), and Eddie Romero (Film), did a ceremonial burial of their respective National Artist’s medallions and pledged that they will only wear it when they are sure the National Artist Awards has regained its dignity. For Filipino artists, this is too much to bear.

Representative Riza Baraquiel had eloquently said it, “art is supposed to be where politics has no place, and now someone has had it tainted with greed.” Perhaps, this is what those whom Dr. Lumbera calls Dagdag National Artist should know: that the basis for selecting National Artists is solely based on art in its very definition and function. It is not based on political affiliations and favors given or received. It does not profit from political powers; rather, is springs from the power to create something beautifully meaningful and meaningfully beautiful. For its quintessential meaning, it is not based on loyalty to anyone or anything except art itself. It is based on what one has done to and for art with and through art itself.

If Gloria Arroyo will continue to defend her decision with the alibi that these Dagdag National Artists also deserve the award (I feel sorry for Moreno and Mañoza.), this only shows two things: one is that corruption is even more hopeless for she was able to corrupt even art; and the other is that she simply has really poor aesthetic taste.

Vic Nierva blogs at http://aponihandiong.blogspot.com.