‘Malacañang side’ in nat'l artist selection hit in House hearing
JOHANNA CAMILLE L. SISANTE, GMANews.TV
09/14/2009 | 11:02 PM
Leaders of the art community on Monday maintained during a hearing at the House of Representatives that due process was not observed in the selection of the recipients of this year's National Artist awards.
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) board member and lawyer Lorna Kapunan insisted before members of the committee on basic education and culture that the honors committee under the Office of the President had no right to choose who should be given the prestigious title.
"The process is very clear, and that is precisely because there is a deliberate attempt to remove culture and arts from politics," Kapunan said, noting that officials from the executive branch comprise the honors committee.
The controversy broke out after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo dropped the name of Dr. Ramon Santos (music) from the shortlist of awardees recommended by the CCP and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
The President was also hit for inserting in the shortlist the names of NCCA executive director Cecile Guidote Alvarez (theater), Magno Jose Carlo Caparas (visual arts and film), Jose 'Pitoy' Moreno (fashion design), and Francisco 'Bobby' Mañosa (architecture) even though the four did not go through the rigorous selection process.
National artist for literature Bienvenido Lumbera, a member of the final selection committee of the NCCA, said he felt that their efforts to select the country's most deserving artists were not recognized.
"Parang sinalbahe lang kami, pinagtrabaho kami, ang utak namin ay hinilod upang makuha ang mga irerekomenda namin pagkatapos hindi pinahalagahan ng opisina ng Presidente yung rekomendasyon ng komite namin," he told the committee.
(We were made to work, our minds were exhausted to get our recommendations. But after that the Office of the President gave no value to our recommendations.)
Lumbera is one of the petitioners who asked the Supreme Court to to issue a writ of prohibition "enjoining the conferment of the award on the respondents and the release to them of the awards and benefits arising from such conferment and recognition."
Last August 25, the high court blocked the conferment of the awards to the four controversial recipients and to the three others recommended by the CPP and NCCA while it looked into the petition filed by Lumbera and several other leaders of the art community.
During the hearing, Alvarez maintained that the President's office had the prerogative to make changes in the shortlist of recommended national artists. NCCA chairman Vilma Labrador also said the shortlist was not final when it was submitted to President Arroyo.
"Even until the final deliberations at napili na po namin, walang nagbigay sa akin ng patunay o assurance na yung makukuha namin ay yun na nga," Labrador said.
(Even when we have already made our selections, no one gave the assurance that our selections would be the ones that would be awarded.)
There was still another phase to the selection process, which was the "Malacañang side," Labrador said.
The House hearing on the issue was held in response to two resolutions filed separately by Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño and Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, who are seeking a review of the presidential prerogative in the selection of national artists. - GMANews.TV
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) board member and lawyer Lorna Kapunan insisted before members of the committee on basic education and culture that the honors committee under the Office of the President had no right to choose who should be given the prestigious title.
"The process is very clear, and that is precisely because there is a deliberate attempt to remove culture and arts from politics," Kapunan said, noting that officials from the executive branch comprise the honors committee.
The controversy broke out after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo dropped the name of Dr. Ramon Santos (music) from the shortlist of awardees recommended by the CCP and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
The President was also hit for inserting in the shortlist the names of NCCA executive director Cecile Guidote Alvarez (theater), Magno Jose Carlo Caparas (visual arts and film), Jose 'Pitoy' Moreno (fashion design), and Francisco 'Bobby' Mañosa (architecture) even though the four did not go through the rigorous selection process.
National artist for literature Bienvenido Lumbera, a member of the final selection committee of the NCCA, said he felt that their efforts to select the country's most deserving artists were not recognized.
"Parang sinalbahe lang kami, pinagtrabaho kami, ang utak namin ay hinilod upang makuha ang mga irerekomenda namin pagkatapos hindi pinahalagahan ng opisina ng Presidente yung rekomendasyon ng komite namin," he told the committee.
(We were made to work, our minds were exhausted to get our recommendations. But after that the Office of the President gave no value to our recommendations.)
Lumbera is one of the petitioners who asked the Supreme Court to to issue a writ of prohibition "enjoining the conferment of the award on the respondents and the release to them of the awards and benefits arising from such conferment and recognition."
Last August 25, the high court blocked the conferment of the awards to the four controversial recipients and to the three others recommended by the CPP and NCCA while it looked into the petition filed by Lumbera and several other leaders of the art community.
During the hearing, Alvarez maintained that the President's office had the prerogative to make changes in the shortlist of recommended national artists. NCCA chairman Vilma Labrador also said the shortlist was not final when it was submitted to President Arroyo.
"Even until the final deliberations at napili na po namin, walang nagbigay sa akin ng patunay o assurance na yung makukuha namin ay yun na nga," Labrador said.
(Even when we have already made our selections, no one gave the assurance that our selections would be the ones that would be awarded.)
There was still another phase to the selection process, which was the "Malacañang side," Labrador said.
The House hearing on the issue was held in response to two resolutions filed separately by Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño and Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, who are seeking a review of the presidential prerogative in the selection of national artists. - GMANews.TV
