MANILA | President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has proclaimed 10 Filipino artists as new National Artists, honoring major contributions to literature, visual arts, architecture, dance, design, film and broadcast arts, theater and music.
The new honorees are Nicanor Tiongson and Gregorio Brillantes for Literature; Imelda Cajipe Endaya and Nunelucio Alvarado for Visual Arts; Gabriel Formoso for Architecture; Rafael “Nonoy” Froilan for Dance; Maria Beatriz “Patis” Tesoro for Design; Armando “Bing” Lao for Film and Broadcast Arts; Teodoro Hilado for Theater; and Alfredo S. Buenaventura for Music.
The proclamation gives national recognition to artists whose work has helped shape Philippine cultural life across several generations. Brillantes, one of the country’s most respected fiction writers, is being honored posthumously following his death in 2025.
Tiongson is a prominent cultural scholar, writer and educator whose work has covered Philippine theater, cinema, literature and traditional performance. The University of the Philippines has identified him as a professor emeritus, while the Cultural Center of the Philippines has published his extensive work on Philippine cultural history and cinema.
In the visual arts, Cajipe Endaya is recognized for a career spanning printmaking, painting and mixed-media installation, frequently addressing social issues, women’s experiences and Filipino identity. The National Museum lists her among notable Filipino printmakers, while the CCP has featured her work in major exhibitions.
Alvarado, meanwhile, has been associated with contemporary Philippine visual art and social-realist practice. His work has appeared in major CCP exhibitions documenting the country’s artistic responses to social and political issues, including the Martial Law period.
The recognition also spans other major cultural disciplines. Formoso is honored for architecture; Froilan for dance; Tesoro for design; Lao for film and broadcast arts; Hilado for theater; and Buenaventura for music.
The National Artist title carries particular significance in Philippine cultural history. Established in 1972 through Presidential Proclamation No. 1001, the Order of National Artists recognizes Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts. The selection process traditionally involves the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Cultural Center of the Philippines before the final recommendations are submitted to the President.
The latest proclamation adds another generation of artists to a roster that includes such figures as Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Jose Garcia Villa, Nick Joaquin, Leandro Locsin, Lino Brocka, Francisca Reyes Aquino and Lucresia Kasilag.
The new group also reflects the breadth of Philippine artistic achievement, extending recognition beyond traditionally dominant fields of painting, literature and music to include design, contemporary visual practice, film, architecture, dance and theater.
Their elevation to the Order of National Artists places their individual bodies of work within the country’s official cultural heritage and gives renewed national attention to the role of Filipino artists in documenting, interpreting and shaping the nation’s identity.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
