Categories

of the Order
of National
Artists
 There are 7 categories of arts,
which are:
• Visual
• Arts music
• Dance
• Theater
• Literature
• Film and broadcast arts
• Architecture and allied arts
 Visual
Arts
• including but not limited to painting,
sculpture, printmaking,
photography, installation art, mixed
media works, illustration, graphic
arts, performance art and/or
imaging.
• There are 17 National Artists for
Visual Arts
.
 Fernando Amorsolo
197
2
• the first National Artist of the
Philippines with the official title,
“The Grand Old Man of
Philippine Arts”

• he helped develop Philippine

Art through his paintings of
rural landscapes and
portraits.
 His famous works include;

Defence of a Filipina
El Ciego Planting Womans Honour
Rice

.
 Carlos “Botong” Francisco
197
• is credited to have single-handedly
3
revived the dying art of mural
painting.
• His famous works include;
The
Filipino Struggles Martyrdom Blood
in History of Rizal Compact
 Guillermo Tolentino
1973
• is renowned as the “Father of Philippine Arts”.
He is known for his classical style sculptures
and busts of famous people.
• His famous works include
the; The seal of the
Original The Bonifacio
University of the Monument in Republic of the
Philippines Caloocan Philippines
Oblation,
 Napoleon Abueva
1976
• is known as the “Father of Modern
Philippine Sculpture”. He is the
youngest to be bestowed the award
at age 46.
• Abueva’s famous works include;

Nine Muses of The Transfiguration Sunburst at the

Arts in UP Diliman at the Eternal Garden Peninsula Manila
Memorial Park Hotel
 Victorio Edades
1976
• is the “Father of Modern Philippine Painting”
because he introduced the Modern Art
movement in the country during the time that
Amorsolo’s style of works.
• Edades famous work are;

The
Artist
The and Japanese
Sketch Model Girl
 Abdulmari Asia Imao
2006
• is the first Muslim National Artist and known as a
patron of Muslim art and culture because of his
works in multiple mediums, such as paintings,
sculptures, photos, film, and ceramics. He has
multiple sculptures and paintings of sarimanok
and his other works include “Sulu Warriors” in
Sulu, “Industry Brass Mural”, and “Mural Relief on
Filmmaking”.
 Francisco Coching
2014
• is acclaimed as the “King of Komiks” and
acknowledged as the “Dean of Filipino
Illustrators”. He was one of the pillars in
Philippine comics especially during the golden
age of comics in the 1950‟s and 1960‟s. All his
comics, except for 3, were adapted into films.
His works include “Pedro Penduko”, “Satur”, and
“Hagibis”.
 Music
• including but not limited
to singing, composition,
direction, and/or
performance.
• There are 14 National
Artists for Music.
 Antonio Molina
1973
• contributed to the development of
Filipino music beyond the genre of
folk, thus acclaimed as the “Dean of
Filipino Composers”. "Misa
Antoniana Grand Festival Mass",
"Hatinggabi", and "Awit ni Maria
Clara" are among his notable works.
 Jovita Fuentes
1976
• helped in making a statement
with her role as Cio-cio in
Giacomo Puccini’s “Madame
Butterfly” in the world of
European opera at the time
when the Philippines was
relatively unknown. Her other
notable roles include her
portrayal of Liu Yu in “Turandot”
and Mimi in “La Boheme”.
 Honorata “Atang” Dela Rama
1987
• is a National Artist for both Music
and Theater. Hailed as the “Queen
of Kundiman”, she fought for the
dominance of kundiman along with
sarsuela during the American
occupation. She popularized
kundiman songs such as “Pakiusap”
and “Mutya ng Pasig” and
performed in sarsuelas like
“Dalagang Bukid” and “Pangarap ni
Rosa”
 Lucio San Pedro
1991
• believed in the philosophy
“creative nationalism” in his
works like “Lahing Kayumanggi”
which incorporated elements of
folk music to exhibit the Filipino
heritage. His compositions
include “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan” and
“Angononian March”.
 Levi Celerio
1997
• is credited for writing more
than 4,000 songs, for that, he
was honored as a National Artist
for Music and Literature. He also
became known for playing
music using a leaf. Among his
works include writing the lyrics
for “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan”,
“Maligayang Pasko at Manigong
Bagong Taon” (popularly known
as “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit”), and
“Ikaw”.
 Andrea Veneracion
1999
• is a choirmaster and choir
arranger who founded the
Philippine Madrigal Singers
who have won multiple
competitions nationally and
internationally, thus prompted
the progress of Philippine
choral music
 Ryan Cayabyab
2018
• Mr. C is regarded for his music in
various styles and extensive
genres, such as opera,
concertos, symphonies,
religious, folk, and OPM. He also
composes for theater, dance,
and films, which include songs
such as “Da Coconut Nut”,
“Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling
Ka”, and “Paraiso”.
 Dan
ce
• including but not limited to
choreography, direction
and/or performance.

• There are 5 National Artists

for Dance .
 Francisca Aquino
1973
• is recognized as the “Mother of
Philippine Dancing” and “The Folk
Dance Pioneer” as she was credited
to have preserved numerous
Philippine cultural traditions with
her life-long dedication to research,
for which she travelled all over the
country for. She preserved dances,
such as “Tinikling”, “Pandanggo sa
Ilaw”, and “Cariñosa”, through
research, writing books, and
teaching.
 Leonor Goquingco
1975
• produced original choreographies of native
folk dance that depict the country’s culture
from pre-colonial times until the modern
times for over 50 years, thus she is
regarded as the “Trailblazer”. She is also a
founding member of the Philippine Ballet
Theater for which she was honored as the
“Mother of Philippine Theater Dance” and
the “Dean of Filipino Performing Arts
Critics”.
 Lucrecia Urtula
1988
• was one of the founders of The
Bayanihan Dance Company, with
which she staged their signature
dance “Singkil”. Her career in
committing to the discovery and
study of Philippine folk and
ethnic dances spans almost four
decades, which includes staging
dances such as “Vinta”,
“Tagabili”, and “Pagdiwata”.
 Alice Reyes
2014
• is known to have introduced and
developed contemporary dances in
the Philippines as she
choreographed, taught, and
directed dance concerts across the
country. In 1969, she started the
CCP Dance Workshop Company,
which later became known as
Ballet Philippines.
 Theater

• Including but not limited to direction,

performance and/or production
design .

• There is a total of 8 National Artists for

Theater, including 1 for Theater Design
 Daisy Avellana
1997
• known as the “First Lady of
Philippine Theater”, was an
actress, director, producer, and
writer who co-founded the
Barangay Theater Guild, along
with her husband, Lamberto
Avellana, and other artists; it
helped promote theater and
dramatic arts through mass
media (i.e. radio and television).
 Salvador
Bernal 2003

• is the only National Artist for

Theater Design. Hailed as the
“Father of Philippine Theater
Design”, he designed over 300
productions with an emphasis in
utilizing local materials.
 Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio
2018
• is renowned as “The Grande Dame
of Southeast Asian Children’s
Theater” for her art of integrating
theater, folklore, children’s
literature, and puppetry. She
founded the Teatrong Mulat ng
Pilipinas, which further placed the
country in the artistic map of
theater. Her works include “Papet
Pasyon”, “Sepang Loca”, and
“Abadeja: Ang Ating Sinderela”.
 Literature

• including but not limited to

poetry, fiction, essay, playwriting,
journalism, and/or literary
criticism.
• There are 18 National Artists for Literature
 Amado Hernandez
1973
• believed that the purpose of a writer
is to represent the society‟s
conscience and spirit in times of
oppression. His most distinguished
work, “Mga Ibong Mandaragit”, was
written while he was in prison during
the 1950‟s to the nation‟s problems.
 Nick Joaquin
1976
is regarded as one of the most
influential Filipino writers in English
because of his works that portray
aspects of Filipinos. He has written
novels, poems, plays, short stories, and
essays, and served as a journalist under
the pen name “Quijano de Manila”. His
works include “A Portrait of an Artist as
Filipino”, “The Woman Who Had Two
Navels”, and “May Day Eve”.
 Carlos P. Romulo
1982
• served as a writer, journalist,
educator, soldier, diplomat, as well
as being the President of the
University of the Philippines and the
first Asian President of the United
Nations General Assembly. He won a
Pulitzer Prize in Journalism in for his
articles predicting the Second World
War. His works include his
autobiography, “I Walked with
Heroes”, “The United”, and “I Saw
the Fall of the Philippines
 Carlos Quirino
1997
• is the only National Artist for
Historical Literature. His works
include the first biography of Jose
Rizal, “The Great Malayan”, and
Philippine history and culture books,
such as “Maps and Views of Old
Manila”.
 Lazaro Francisco
2009
• is reputed as the “Master of the
Tagalog Novel” for representing the
common Filipino, writing about the
oppressed, and forming the Filipino
nationalism which developed the
culture of social realism in literature.
“Maganda pa ang Daigdig”,
“Daluyong”, and “Ang Pamana ng
Pulubi” are among his works.
 Resil Mojares
2018
• wrote books on Philippine history and
known for his contributions to Visayan
Literature, pioneering the Cebuano
identity who served as the founding
director of the research institution,
Cebuano Studies Center. His notable
works include “Waiting for Mariang
Makiling: Essays on Philippine Cultural
History” and "The War Against the
Americans: Resistance and Collaboration
in Cebu"
 Ramon Muzones
2018
• is hailed as the “Greatest Ilonggo Writer
of the Century” because of his
contributions to Hiligaynon literature,
with his poems, essays, short stories,
critiques, and 61 completed novels.
These include the first feminist
Hiligaynon work, “Bag-ong Maria Clara”,
and the longest serialized novel, “Dama
de Noche” with over 125 installments
for over 2 years.
 Film and Broadcast Arts

• including but not limited to

direction, writing, production
design, cinematography,
editing, camera work, and/or
performance .
• There are 8 National Artists for Film
and Broadcast Arts.
 Lamberto Avellana
1976
• is a National Artist for Film and
Theater. He is called “The Boy
Wonder of Philippine Movies” due to
the success of his first film,
“Sakay”. Avellana’s “Kandelerong
Pilak” is also the first Filipino film to
be shown at the Cannes Film
Festival in 1954
 Gerardo de Leon
1982 )

• is the most awarded film director in

the history of the Filipino Academy of
Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS)
Awards with 7 wins. His films include
the adaptation of Jose Rizal’s “Noli
me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo”,
as well as “Daigdig ng mga Api”
 Ishmael Bernal
2001
• was a director known for his social
realistic films depicting the struggles of
Filipinos, with critics giving him the title
“The Genius of Philippine Cinema” and
awarded as the “Director of the Decade
of the 1970s” by the Catholic Mass
Media Awards. His works include
“Himala”, “Pagdating sa Dulo”, and
“Hulog ng Langit”.
 Ronald Allan Poe
2006
• or Fernando Poe Jr., was an actor,
director, writer, and producer
known for his action films that
portray the poor and oppressed,
hence earned him the title “The
King of Philippine Movies” and the
nickname “Da King”. Among his
works are “Ang Probinsyano”,
“Isang Bala Ka Lang”, and “Ang
Panday”.
 Kidlat Tahimik
2018
• is an esteemed director and actor who is
known for his experimental narratives
about inequality and credited to have
founded this movement as the Philippine
New Wave Cinema. He is hailed by critics
and peers as the “Father of Philippine
Independent Cinema”. His works include
“Perfumed Nightmare”, “Who Invented the
Yoyo?”, and “Why is Yellow the Middle of
the Rainbow?”.
 Architecture and Allied Arts

• including but not limited to architecture,

interior design, industrial arts design,
landscape architecture, and fashion design.

• There are 6 National Artists for

Architecture, and 1 for Allied Arts
(fashion design).
 Juan F. Nakpil
1973
• is acknowledged as the “Father of
Philippine Architecture”. He is lauded
for reflecting the Philippine traditions
and cultures in his works, which
includes the University of the
Philippines Administration Building
(Quezon Hall) and Library (Gonzalez
Hall), the reconstruction of both the
Quiapo Church in 1933 and the Rizal
House in Calamba, Laguna
 Leandro Locsin
1990
• is well-known for reshaping the urban
landscape of the Philippines with his
works such as the Cultural Center of the
Philippines and the NAIA Terminal 1. He is
also recognized internationally because
of his design of the Istana Nurul Iman,
the official residence of the Sultan of
Brunei, which is distinguished by the
Guinness Book of World Records as the
largest residence in the world.
 Ildefonso Santos Jr.
2006
• is acclaimed as the “Father of
Philippine Landscape Architecture”
and the pioneer of the practice, with
decades of works, such as parks and
plazas. His most famous works
include Paco Park, Tagaytay Highland
Resorts, Bantayog ng mga Bayani,
Rizal Park, and multiple Loyal
Memorial Parks.
 Francisco Mañosa
2018
• pioneered the neo-vernacular style of
architecture which combines traditional
Filipino design and modern architecture.
This style is present in his works such
as the Coconut Palace, San Miguel
Corporations Headquarters in
Mandaluyong (based on the Rice
Terraces of the Cordilleras), and EDSA
Shrine.
 Ramon Valera
2006
• is known as the “Dean of
Philippine Fashion” and the only
National Artist in Allied Arts. His
biggest influence in the art is the
onepiece terno, in which he
combined the 4 pieces which
comprise the baro‟t saya.