CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS

FROM THE REGION

SYNCHRONOUS SESSION 6

KAREN NICOLE S. GAETOS, LPT

LET US PRAY .
THINGS TO DO DURING THE SESSION:

 Turn off your microphone/audio

before joining the session.
 Use raise hand sign
if you have concerns or suggestions.
 Focus for the whole session
 Lastly, remember that YOU ARE AMAZING!
 USAPANG
THOUGHTS
 Factors Affecting the Traditional Artist’s Production
Process
1. Christianization. The impact of Christianity and the discussion of the locals to a
remote religion have made individuals from the network reject their indigenous
ceremonies and customs. At more regrettable, individuals are persuaded that the last are
crude and thusly their training has no spot in contemporary culture. Now and again
notwithstanding, the network figures out how to syncretize their indigenous ways with
customs of Christianity.
2. Mining and framework venture – mining and system adventures expel
individuals from their homes and seriously harm the earth. Denied the
abundance of the land, indigenous gatherings are provoked to look for
short – term work from these businesses to get by in a cash economy.
3. Tourism – plays a big role in one's nation. This is to promote the culture,
environment, and the life of a nation to others. Along these lines, land
regions are changed over into locales for traveler utilization. Environmental
spaces become increasingly vulnerable to harm with the consolidated
powers of catastrophic events and visitor convenience. Works of art local to
the network will in general reduce in quality. Expelled from their unique
setting, the works are changed into mass delivered ornaments so as to
satisfy the needs of the traveler exchange. Neon hues and structures woven
from engineered strands have been made accessible as of late to make
projects of levelheaded material plans for business purposes.
4. Militarization. The weakness and pressures realized by hostile
areas capture the individuals' capacity to make workmanship. It keeps
individuals from having public social events were trades and passing
information can happen.
Lesson 2.
National Artists
of the Philippines
and their
Contribution
What is the
National Artists
Award?
• Among the different honors and
acknowledgment instruments, the
National Artists Award (NAA)
presents the most elevated type of
acknowledgment to Filipino
craftsmen for their noteworthy
commitments in expressions of
the human experience and letters.
What is the National Artists
Award?
• NAA was built up in 1972 under Presidential
Decree No. 1001 gave by then President
Ferdinand Marcos. The first was Fernando
Amorsolo, who was presented the honor after
death. Much has changed since the organization
of the honor. As of this composition, the list has
included 66 awardees from seven disciplinal
zones, to be specific: engineering, structure and
associated expressions, film and communicate
expressions, visual expressions, writing, movie,
music, and theater.
Who are the awardees? How
it was paved its way? Who
are the National Artists in
music, dance, theater,
architecture, and visual arts?
What are their most important
contributions in the country?
Are their criteria set as basis in
choosing them? These
questions are some of the few
questions that comes into mind
when we talk about awardees.
 The National Artist of the Philippines are based on a broad
criterion, as set forth by the Cultural Center of the Philippines
and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts:

1. Living artists who have been Filipino citizens for the last ten
years prior to nomination as well as those who have died after the
establishment of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the
time of their death.
2. Artists who have helped build a Filipino sense of nationhood
through the content and form of their works.
 The National Artist of the Philippines are based on a broad
criterion, as set forth by the Cultural Center of the Philippines
and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts:
3. Artists who have distinguished themselves by pioneering in a mode of creative
expression or style, making an impact on succeeding generations of artists.
4. Artists who have created a significant body of works and/or have consistently
displayed excellence in the practice of their art form, enriching artistic expression
or style; and
5. Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or
international recognition, awards in prestigious national and/or international
events, critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works, and/or respect, and esteem
from peers within an artistic discipline.
 PABLO S. ANTONIO
National Artist for Architecture (1976)
(January 25, 1902 – June 14, 1975)

•His basic design is grounded

on simplicity, no clutter. The lines
are clean and smooth, and where
there are curves, these are made
integral to the structure.
 LEANDRO V. LOCSIN
National Artist for Architecture, 1990
(August 15, 1928 – November 15, 1994)

•He reshaped the urban landscape with

a distinctive architecture reflective of
Philippine Art and Culture. He believes
that the true Philippine Architecture is “the
product of two great streams of culture, the
oriental and the occidental… to produce a
new object of profound harmony.” It is this
synthesis that underlies all his works, with
his achievements in concrete reflecting his
mastery of space and scale.
Istana Nurul Iman
 JUAN F. NAKPIL
National Artist for Architecture, 1973
(May 26, 1899 – May 7, 1986)

•An architect, teacher, and civic leader

is a pioneer and innovator in Philippine
architecture. Nakpil’s greatest contribution
is his belief that there is such a thing as
Philippine Architecture, espousing
architecture reflective of Philippine
traditions and culture.
Rizal Theater Rizal house University of the Philippines Administration
ILDEFONSO P. SANTOS, JR.
National Artist for Architecture, 2006
(September 5, 1929 – January 29, 2014)

•Ildefonso Paez Santos, Jr.,

distinguished himself by pioneering the
practice of landscape architecture–an
allied field of architecture–in the
Philippines and then producing four
decades of exemplary and engaging
work that has included hundreds of
parks, plazas, gardens, and a wide
range of outdoor settings that have
enhanced contemporary Filipino life.
Tagaytay Highland Resort Mt. Malarayat Golf
 FRANCISCO T. MANOSA
National Artist for Architecture and Allied Arts (2018)
Birthday: 12 February 1931

• For all his more than 60 years of architecture life,

Arc. Bobby Mañosa designed Filipino. From the
1960s in his landmark design of the Sulo Hotel
until his retirement about 2015, he courageously
and passionately created original Filipino forms,
spaces with intricate and refined details. But what
is most valuable is that Mañosa was in the heart
and soul of a Philippine architectural movement.
Major Works:
• San Miguel Building, Ortigas Center, Pasig City (designed with the Mañosa Brothers)
• Chapel of the Risen Lord, Las Piñas City
• Our Lady of Peace Shrine, EDSA, Quezon City
• World Youth Day Papal Altar, Quirino Grandstand, Manila, 1995
• Metrorail Transit System Stations for LRT 1, circa 1980s
• Quezon Memorial Circle Development Plan
• Lanao del Norte Provincial Capitol, Tubod, Lanao del Norte
• Tahanang Pilipino (Coconut Palace), CCP Complex, Manila
• Amanpulo Resort, Palawan
• Pearl Farm Resort, Samal Island, Davao, completed 1994
• La Mesa Watershed Resort and Ecological Park, La Mesa Dam, Quezon City
 LAMBERTO V. AVELLANA
National Artist for Theater and Film (1976)
(February 12, 1915 – April 25, 1991)

• Lamberto V. Avellana, director for theater and

film, has the distinction of being called “The Boy
Wonder of Philippine Movies” as early as 1939.
He was the first to use the motion picture camera
to establish a point-of-view, a movie that
revolutionized the techniques of film narration.
 LINO BROCKA
National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts (1997)
(April 3, 1939 – May 22, 1991)

• Catalino “Lino” Ortiz Brocka, director for film

and broadcast arts, espoused the term “freedom of
expression” in the Philippine Constitution. Brocka
took his social activist spirit to the screen leaving
behind 66 films which breathed life and hope for
the marginalized sectors of society — slum-
dwellers, prostitutes, construction workers, etc.
 ISHMAEL BERNAL
National Artist for Cinema (2001)
(September 30, 1938 – June 2, 1996)

• Ishmael Bernal was a filmmaker of the first

order and one of the very few who can be truly called
a maestro. Critics have hailed him as “the genius of
Philippine cinema.”
Among his notable films are “Pahiram ng Isang
Umaga” (1989), “Broken Marriage” (1983), “Himala”
(1982), “City After Dark” (1980), and “Nunal sa
Tubig” (1976). He was recognized as the Director of the
Decade of the 1970s by the Catholic Mass Media
Awards; four-time Best Director by the Urian Awards
(1989, 1985, 1983, and 1977); and given the ASEAN
Cultural Award in Communication Arts in 1993.
 FERNANDO POE, JR.
National Artist for Cinema (2006)
(August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004)

•Ronald Allan K. Poe, popularly known as

Fernando Poe, Jr., was a cultural icon of
tremendous audience impact and cinema artist and
craftsman–as actor, director, writer and producer.
The image of the underdog was projected in his
films such as Apollo Robles(1961), Batang
Maynila (1962), Mga Alabok sa Lupa (1967),
Batang Matador and Batang Estibador (1969),
Ako ang Katarungan (1974), Tatak ng
Alipin(1975), Totoy Bato (1977), Asedillo (1981),
Partida (1985), and Ang Probisyano (1996),
among many others.
 KIDLAT TAHIMIK
National Artist for Film (2018)
Birthday: 3 October 1942

• Kidlat Tahimik has continually invented himself

through his cinema, and so his cinema is
assingular as the man. His debut film,
Mababangong Bangungot (1977), was praised by
critics and filmmakers from Europe, North
America, Asia, and Africa and is still considered
by many as a pioneering postcolonial essay film.
 Notable Works:
• Balikbayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment Redux (2015)
• Japanese Summers of a Filipino Fundoshi (1996)
• Why Is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow? (1983-1994)
• Orbit 50: Letters to My 3 Sons (1990-1992)
• Turumba (1983)
• Who Invented the Yoyo? Who Invented the Moon Buggy? (1979)
• Mababangong Bangungot/Perfumed Nightmare (1977)
 FERNANDO AMORSOLO
National Artist for Visual Arts
(May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972)

• Fernando C. Amorsolo the first National Artist awardee. He

was titled “Grand Old Man of Philippine Art” was bestowed
on Amorsolo when the Manila Hilton inaugurated its art
center on January 23, 1969, with an exhibit of a selection of
his works. Among others, his major works include the
following: Maiden in a Stream(1921)-GSIS collection; El
Ciego (1928)-Central Bank of the Philippines collection;
Dalagang Bukid (1936) – Club Filipino collection; The
Mestiza (1943) – National Museum of the Philippines
collection; Planting Rice (1946)-UCPB collection; Sunday
Morning Going to Town (1958) -Ayala Museum Collection.
 HERNANDO R. OCAMPO
National Artist for Visual Arts (1991)
(April 28, 1911 – December 28, 1978)

•He is a self-taught painter and was a leading

member of the pre-war Thirteen Moderns, the
group that charted the course of modern art in the
Philippines. His works provided an understanding
and awareness of the harsh social realities in the
country immediately after the Second World War
and contributed significantly to the rise of the
nationalist spirit in the postwar era.
 ABDULMARI ASIA IMAO
National Artist for Visual Arts (2006)
(January 14, 1936 – December 16, 2014)

• A native of Sulu, Abdulmari Asia Imao is a

sculptor, painter, photographer, ceramist,
documentary filmmaker, cultural researcher,
writer, and articulator of Philippine Muslim art and
culture. Through his works, the indigenous ukkil,
sarimanok and naga motifs have been popularized
and instilled in the consciousness of the Filipino
nation and other peoples as original Filipino
creations.
 GUILLERMO TOLENTINO
National Artist for Sculpture (1973)
(July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976
• Guillermo Estrella Tolentino is a product of the
Revival period in Philippine art. The result was the
UP Oblation that became the symbol of freedom at
the campus. Acknowledged as his masterpiece and
completed in 1933, The Bonifacio Monument in
Caloocan stands as an enduring symbol of the
Filipinos’ cry for freedom Other works include the
bronze figures of President Quezon at Quezon
Memorial, life-size busts of Jose Rizal at UP and
UE, marble statue of Ramon Magsaysay in GSIS
Building; granolithic of heroic statues representing
education, medicine, forestry, veterinary science, fine
arts and music at UP. He also designed the gold and
bronze medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Award
and did the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.
 LAURO “Larry” ALCALA
National Artist for Visual Arts (2018)
(18 August 1926-24 June 2002)

• His comic strips spiced up the slices of Filipino lives

with witty illustrations executed throughout his 56
years of cartooning. He created over 500 characters
and 20 comic strips in widely circulated
publications. Alcala’s most iconic work, Slice of
Life, not only made for decades long of widely
circulated images of Filipino everyday life, it also
symbolically became an experiential way for his
followers to find a sense of self in the midst of an
often cacophonic, raucous and at odds environment
that Filipinos found themselves amidst.
Notable Works:
• Slice of Life Weekend 1980-1986
• Asiong Aksaya, Daily Express, Tagalog Klasiks, 1976-1984
• Smolbatteribols, Darna Komiks 1972-1984
• Siopawman, Daily Express, 1972-1983, 2002
• Kalabogesyons, Pilipino Komiks, 1966-1972
• Congressman Kalog, Aliwan Komiks, 1966-1972
• Baryo Pogspak, Holiday Komiks, 1966-1972
• Loverboy, Redondo Komiks, 1964-1969
• Mang Ambo, Weekly Graphic, 1963-1965
• Kalabog en Bosyo, Pilipino Komiks, 1949-1983
• Islaw Palitaw, 1946-1948
 FRANCISCO ARCELLANA
National Artist for Literature (1990)
(September 6, 1916 – August 1, 2002)

•Francisco Arcellana, writer, poet, essayist,

critic, journalist, and teacher is one of the most
important progenitors of the modern Filipino short
story in English. He pioneered the development of
the short story as a lyrical prose-poetic formA
brilliant craftsman, his works are now an
indispensable part of a tertiary-level-syllabi all over
the country. Arcellana’s published books are
Selected Stories (1962), Poetry and Politics: The
State of Original Writing in English in the
Philippines Today (1977), The Francisco
Arcellana Sampler (1990).
 EDITH L. TIEMPO
National Artist for Literature (1999)
(April 22, 1919 – August 21, 2011)

• A poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic, Edith

L. Tiempo is one of the finest Filipino writers in
English. Her works are characterized by a
remarkable fusion of style and substance, of
craftsmanship and insight. Born on April 22, 1919
in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, her poems are
intricate verbal transfigurations of significant
experiences as revealed, in two of her much-
anthologized pieces, “The Little Marmoset” and
“Bonsai”.
CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS
FROM THE REGION
SYNCHRONOUS SESSION 6

KAREN NICOLE S. GAETOS, LPT

 BIENVENIDO LUMBERA
National Artist for Literature (2006)

•Bienvenido Lumbera, is a poet, librettist, and

scholar. As a poet, he introduced to Tagalog
literature what is now known as Bagay poetry, a
landmark aesthetic tendency that has helped to
change the vernacular poetic tradition. He is the
author of the following works: Likhang Dila,
Likhang Diwa (poems in Filipino and English),
1993; Balaybay, Mga Tulang Lunot at
Manibalang, 2002; Sa Sariling Bayan, Apat na
Dulang May Musika, 2004; “Agunyas sa
Hacienda Luisita,” Pakikiramay, 2004.
 VIRGILIO S. ALMARIO
National Artist for 2003

• He is also known as Rio Alma, is a poet, literary

historian, and critic, who has revived and reinvented
traditional Filipino poetic forms, even as he
championed modernist poetics. In 34 years, he has
published 12 books of poetry, which include the
seminal Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon, and the
landmark trilogy Doktrinang Anakpawis, Mga
Retrato at Rekwerdo and Muli, Sa Kandungan ng
Lupa. In these works, his poetic voice soared from
the lyrical to the satirical to the epic, from the
dramatic to the incantatory, in his often severe
examination of the self, and the society.
 RAMON L. MUZONES
National Artist for Literature (2018)
(20 March 1913-17 August 1992)

• Ramon Muzones was a Hiligaynon poet, essayist,

short story writer, critic, grammarian, editor,
lexicographer, and novelist who authored an
unprecedented 61 completed novels. A number of
these represent groundbreaking “firsts’ in
Hiligaynon literature such as the feminist Ang
Bag-ong Maria Clara, the roman a clef
Maambong Nga Sapat (Magnificent Brute,1940),
the comic Si Tamblot (1946), the politically
satirical Si Tamblot Kandidato Man (Tamblot is
Also a Candidate, 1949), the 125- installment
longest serialized novel Dama de Noche (1982-
84), etc.
Notable Works:
• Shri-Bishaya (1969)
• Malala nga Gutom (Malignant Hunger,1965)
• Babae Batuk sa Kalibutan (Woman Against the World,1959)
• Ang Gugma sang Gugma Bayaran (Love with Love Be Paid, 1955)
• Si Tamblot (1948)
• Margosatubig (1946)
 RAMON VALERA
National Artist for Fashion Design(2006)
(August 31, 1912 – May 25, 1972)

• The contribution of Ramon Valera, whose family

hails from Abra, lies in the tradition of excellence
of his works, and his commitment to his
profession, performing his magical seminal
innovations on the Philippine terno. Valera is said
to have given the country its visual icon to the
world via the terno. In the early 40s, Valera
produced a single piece of clothing from a four-
piece ensemble consisting of a blouse, skirt,
overskirt, and long scarf. He unified the
components of the baro’t saya into a single dress
with exaggerated bell sleeves, cinched at the
waist, grazing the ankle, and zipped up at the
back.
 SALVADOR F. BERNAL
National Artist for Theater Design (2003)
(January 7, 1945 – October 26, 2011)

•Salvador F. Bernal designed more than 300 productions

distinguished for their originality. Sensitive to the budget
limitations of local productions, he harnessed the design
potential of inexpensive local materials, pioneering or
maximizing the use of bamboo, raw abaca, and abaca fiber,
hemp twine, rattan chain links and gauze cacha.As the
acknowledged guru of contemporary Filipino theater design,
Bernal shared his skills with younger designers through his
classes at the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de
Manila University, and through the programs he created for the
CCP Production Design Center which he himself
conceptualized and organized.
 CARLOS QUIRINO
National Artist for Historical Literature (1997)
(January 14, 1910 – May 20, 1999)

• Carlos Quirino, a biographer, has the distinction

of having written one of the earliest biographies
of Jose Rizal titled The Great Malayan. Quirino’s
books and articles span the whole gamut of
Philippine history and culture–from Bonifacio’s
trial to Aguinaldo’s biography, from Philippine
cartography to culinary arts, from cash crops to
tycoons and president’s lives, among so many
subjects.
 FRANCISCA REYES AQUINO
National Artist for Dance (1973)
(March 9, 1899 – November 21, 1983)

• Francisca Reyes Aquino is acknowledged as the Folk-

Dance Pioneer. This Bulakeña began her research on folk
dances in the 1920s making trips to remote barrios in Central
and Northern Luzon. Her research on the unrecorded forms
of local celebration, ritual, and sport resulted into a 1926
thesis titled “Philippine Folk Dances and Games,” and
arranged specifically for use by teachers and playground
instructors in public and private schools. Her books include
the following: Philippine National Dances (1946);
Gymnastics for Girls (1947); Fundamental Dance Steps
and Music (1948); Foreign Folk Dances (1949); Dances
for all Occasion (1950); Playground Demonstration
(1951); and Philippine Folk Dances, Volumes I to VI.
 RAMON OBUSAN
National Artist for Dance (2006)
(June 16, 1938 – December 21, 2006)

• Ramon Obusan was a dancer, choreographer,

stage designer, and artistic director. He achieved
phenomenal success in Philippine dance and
cultural work. He was also acknowledged as a
researcher, archivist and documentary filmmaker
who broadened and deepened the Filipino
understanding of his own cultural life and
expressions.
 ALICE REYES
National Artist for Dance (2014)

•She is a dancer, choreographer,

teacher, and director, she has made a
lasting impact on the development and
promotion of contemporary dance in the
Philippines. Her dance legacy is evident in
the dance companies, teachers,
choreographers, and the exciting Filipino
modern dance repertoire of our country
today.
 LEONOR OROSA GOQUINGCO
National Artist for Dance
(July 24, 1917 – July 15, 2005)

• Dubbed the “Trailblazer”, “Mother of

Philippine Theater Dance” and “Dean of
Filipino Performing Arts Critics”, Leonor
Orosa Goquingco, pioneer Filipino
choreographer in balletic folkloric and Asian
styles, produced for over 50 years highly
original, first-of-a-kind choreographies,
mostly to her own storylines.
LUCRECIA REYES-URTULA
National Artist for Dance (1988)
(June 29, 1929 – August 4, 1999)

• A choreographer, dance educator and

researcher, spent almost four decades in
the discovery and study of Philippine folk
and ethnic dances. She applied her findings
to project a new example of an ethnic
dance culture that goes beyond simple
preservation and into creative growth.
 ANTONINO BUENAVENTURA
National Artist for Music (1988)
(May 4, 1904 – January 25, 1996)

•In 1935, Buenaventura joined Francisca

Reyes-Aquino to conduct research on
folksongs and dances that led to its
popularization. Buenaventura composed
songs, compositions, for solo instruments as
well as symphonic and orchestral works
based on the folksongs of various
Philippine ethnic groups.
 JOSE MACEDA
National Artist for Music (1997)
(January 31, 1917 – May 5, 2004)

• Jose Maceda, composer,

musicologist, teacher and performer,
explored the musicality of the Filipino
deeply. Maceda embarked on a life-
long dedication to the understanding
and popularization of Filipino
traditional music.
 LUCRECIA R. KASILAG
National Artist for Music
August 31, 1918 – August, 2008

•An educator, composer, performing

artist, administrator, and cultural
entrepreneur of national and international
caliber had involved herself wholly in
sharpening the Filipino audience’s
appreciation of music.
 ERNANI J. CUENCO
National Artist for Music (1999)
(May 10, 1936 – June 11, 1988)

• Ernani J. Cuenco is a seasoned musician born on

May 10, 1936 in Malolos, Bulacan. A composer,
film scorer, musical director, and music teacher,
he wrote an outstanding and memorable body of
work that resonates with the Filipino sense of
musicality and which embody an ingenious voice
that raises the aesthetic dimensions of
contemporary Filipino music.
 RYAN CAYABYAB
National Artist for Music (2018)
Birthday: 4 May 1954

• Mr. C is the most accomplished composer, arranger,

and musical director in the Philippine music
industry since this bloomed beginning 1970s. His
learned, skillful, and versatile musical style spans a
wide range of genres: from conservatory or art
compositions such as concert religious music,
symphonic work, art song, opera, and concerto to
mainstream popular idioms in the music industry
and in live contemporary multimedia shows
(musical theater, dance, and film).
 Notable Works:

• Rama-Hari (Two-act musical ballet, 1980) • Da Coconut Nut

• Katy! The Musical (Two-act musical, 1988) • Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika
• Smokey Mountain (Pop CD album, 1990) • Nais Ko
• One Christmas (Christmas Album, 1993) • Paraiso
• Noli Me Tangere (Tele-sine musical, 1995) • Kahit Ika’y Panaginip Lang
• Spoliarium (Three-act opera, 2003) • Kailan
• Ignacio Of Loyola (Film Score, 2016) • Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka
• Larawan: The Musical (Full-length musical film,
2017)
 DAISY H. AVELLANA
National Artist for Theater (1999)
(January 26, 1917 – May 12, 2013)

• Daisy H. Avellana, is an actor, director, and writer. Born

in Roxas City, Capiz on January 26, 1917, she elevated
legitimate theater and dramatic arts to a new level of
excellence by staging and performing in breakthrough
productions of classic Filipino and foreign plays and by
encouraging the establishment of performing groups and
the professionalization of Filipino theater. Together with
her husband, National Artist Lamberto Avellana and
other artists, she co-founded the Barangay Theatre Guild
in 1939 which paved the way for the popularization of
theatre and dramatic arts in the country, utilizing radio
and television.
 ROLANDO S. TINIO
National Artist for Theater and Literature (1997)
(March 5, 1937 – July 7, 1997)

• Rolando S. Tinio, playwright, thespian,

poet, teacher, critic, and translator marked
his career with prolific artistic productions.
Tinio’s chief distinction is as a stage
director whose original insights into the
scripts he handled brought forth
production’s notable for their visual impact
and intellectual cogency.
 WILFRIDO MA. GUERRERO
National Artist for Theater (1997)
(January 22, 1910 – April 28, 1995)

• Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero is a teacher and theater artist whose

35 years of devoted professorship has produced the most
sterling luminaries in Philippine performing arts today: Behn
Cervantes, Celia Diaz-Laurel, Joy Virata, Joonee Gamboa, etc.
In 1947, he was appointed as UP Dramatic Club director and
served for 16 years. As founder and artistic director of the UP
Mobile Theater, he pioneered the concept of theater campus
tour and delivered no less than 2,500 performances in a span of
19 committed years of service.
 HONORATA “ATANG” DELA RAMA
National Artist for Theater and Music (1987)
(January 11, 1902 – July 11, 1991)

• Honorata “Atang” Dela Rama was

formally honored as the Queen of
Kundiman in 1979, then already 74
years old singing the same song
(“Nabasag na Banga”) that she sang
as a 15-year old girl in the sarsuela’s
Dalagang Bukid.
 World-class Artist
 The most recent performers to be acknowledge is El Gamma Penumbra, is a
shadow play group of young local from Tanauan, Batangas.
 Among the first contemporary artists to be acclaimed internationally is Cecil
Licad, a gifted classical pianist.
 And, of course, who can forget Lea Salonga? She is a former member of
Repertory Philippines, a theater company founded by the late Zenaida Amador
that produces Broadway and other plays.
 Lisa Macuja- Elizalde, the country’s first prima ballerina is the first foreign
soloist to join Kirov Ballet, a famous Russian ballet company.
 Charice Pempengco, who became famous when Ellen Degeneres discovered her
on You Tube a few years ago.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!