Issues in Contemporary

Philippine Art
1. The National Artist of
the Philippines
controversies
 The 2009 National Artist of the
Philippines controversy

 refers to the controversial proclamation

as National Artists of the Philippines of four
individuals via the Presidential prerogative
of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, when the four
had not been nominated by the selection
committee, composed of representatives
from National Commission for Culture and
the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of
the Philippines (CCP
 The 2009 National Artist of the
Philippines controversy

 refers to the controversial proclamation

as National Artists of the Philippines of four
individuals via the Presidential prerogative
of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, when the four
had not been nominated by the selection
committee, composed of representatives
from National Commission for Culture and
the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of
the Philippines (CCP
 The 2009 National Artist of the
Philippines controversy

-Prerogative-a right or
privilege exclusive to a
particular individual or
class.
 The 2009 National Artist of the
Philippines controversy

On July 16, 2013, the controversy

finally ended after the Supreme
Court of the Philippines voted 12-
1-2 that voided the four
proclamations created by former
President Gloria Arroyo that made
these people National Artists.
 President’s prerogative
The controversy began when
conferred the Order of National
Artists to seven individuals in
July, 2009.

 President’s prerogative
 Controversy arose from the revelation
that musicianRamon Santos had been
dropped from the list of nominees
short-listed in May that year by the
selection committee, and four other
individuals had been nominated to the
title via "President’s prerogative":
Proclamation of Four
individuals via President’s
Prerogative
 Cecille Guidote-Alvarez (Theater),
 Magno Jose "Carlo” Caparas (Visual
Arts and Film),
 Francisco Mañosa (Architecture), and
 Jose “Pitoy” Moreno (Fashion Design)
Cecille Guidote-Alvarez
 According to Lumbrera“It was Cecile
Guidote-Alvarez, as executive
director of the NCCA, who had
insisted on the President’s right to
add names that were not discussed in
the committee.”
 “Sheshould have not allowed herself
to be named as national artist. She’s
close to the President. Nobody in the
committee thought that she deserved
to be named."
Jose Caparas
 Caparas did not illustrate the comic books
he wrote and therefore did not meet the
qualifications for being honored under the
visual arts categoryand the assertion of
protesting artists that his work in the
category of Film is supposedly "sub-par",
being largely "pito-pito"("seven-seven")
films rush-finished in seven days, and
"massacre films" whose focus was
sensational crimes.
Jose Caparas
 Lumbera remarked that Caparas’
nomination was twice rejected by
two NCAA panels:
 Leo Martinez noted that "He was
obviously added by Malacañang."
Caparas is known as a vocal
supporter of President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo.
 Non-inclusion of
Ramon Santos
 Protestersalso lamented the
dropping of musician Ramon Santos
from the list of new National Artists.
Philippine entertainment news
website PEP says that a CCP official,
who had asked not to be named,
revealed that Santos actually won
the most number of votes during the
selection process.
 Non-inclusion of
Ramon Santos
 "What makes this even more
outrageous is that Ramon Santos,
who received a good number of
votes in the panel selection, was
dropped from the list. The basis for
him being scrapped, one doesn't
know"
Defense
Arroyo Administration
 "Ithink we can defend [their] track
record and qualifications and
reasons [for their selection].”
 He also said the administration
would “stand by the qualifications,
qualities, track record and
reputation of those named as
National Artists.”
 Aftermath:
 On July 16, 2013, the Supreme Court
voided former President Arroyo's
proclamations awarding National Artists
to Alvarez, Caparas, Mañosa and Moreno,
four years after the said proclamations.
Arroyo inserted these names although
they were not part of the
recommendations created by the
Cultural Center of the Philippines and
the National Commission on Culture and
Arts.
 Aftermath:
 Theoriginal nominees were Lazaro
Francisco (literature), Dr. Ramon Santos
(music), Manuel Conde (film and
broadcast) and Federico Aguilar
Alcuaz (visual arts, painting, sculpture
and mixed media). The justices voted
12-1-2 that struck down the 4
proclamations.
 OnJune 20, 2014, Dr. Ramon Santos was
named as one of six new National Artists.
2. Heritage vs. “Modernity”
 The photobombing issue against
the P2.7-billion Torre de Manila
condominium cannot be the basis
of a case because even if some
sectors consider the building
“annoying” or “offending to the
senses,” there is no legal basis to
use aesthetics as reason to stop
the construction of the 49-story
structure.
 Senator Pia Cayetano on
Wednesday said that the
construction of DMCI
Homes' condominium
building Torre de Manila is
a "wake-up call" for
FIlipinos to give more
attention to the
preservation of arts,
culture, and heritage in
the country.
 Celdran provided another
suggestion: planting trees
right behind the Rizal
Monument to "stop DMCI
from photobombing the
sanctity of Jose Rizal.“
 Torrede Manila could also
use reflective glass to
bounce back the image of
the national monument,
said NHCP chairperson
Maria Serena Diokno.
3. Freedom of Expression
vs. Censorship
• MMDA Art as a form of
‘beautification’ censorship
 Freedom of Expression
Right to express one's ideas and
opinions freely through speech,
writing, and other forms of
communication but without
deliberately causing harm to others'
character and/or reputation by
false or misleading statements.
Freedom of press is part of freedom
of expression.
 Censorship
 Censorship is the suppression of free
speech, public communication or other
information which may be considered
objectionable, harmful,
sensitive, politically incorrect or
inconvenient as determined by
governments, media outlets,
authorities or other groups or
institutions.
 Censorship
To "censor" is to review something
and to choose to remove or hide
parts of it that are considered
unacceptable. Censorship is the
name for the process or idea of
keeping things like obscene word or
graphic images from an audience.
Censorship
Isthe Pen truly
Mightier than the
Sword?
 Censorship
 Arroyo’s record of impunity in the murder of
journalists and media people is also
unprecedented. Since her assumption into office in
2001 uo to 2007, 60 journalists have been killed–9
every year. About 70 out of 82 journalists killed
since 1986 perished in the early years of Arroyo’s
rule.
Last month, two journalists engaged in denouncing
government corruption were assassinated: Dennis
Cuesta, program director of radio-station DXMD-
RMN in General Santos City, Cotabato; and Martin
Roxas of DyVR station, Roxas City, Capiz.
 Censorship
 International protests, from the International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and France-based
Reporters Without Borders, reinforced that of the
Philippine group, National Union of Journalists of
the Philippines (NUJP); its secretary-general,
Rowena Carranza-Paraan, accused the Arroyo
government of inaction, fostering the “culture of
impunity” that is universally cited as Arroyo’s
signature claim to notoriety. It is a culture,
Carranza-Paraan insists, nurtured by the
government’s “inaction, apathy and its outright
attempts to stifle press freedom” (Bulatlat August
10-16, 2008).
Freedom of Expression vs.
Censorship
• The Neo-Angono Press Freedom
Mural
Freedom of Expression vs.
Censorship
• Mideo Cruz’s
Poleteismo