21 June 2014, 9:22 a.m. – TWO THOMASIANS are set to be given the state’s highest recognition for the arts.
Writer Cirilo Bautista and the late architect Jose Maria Zaragoza were named National Artists for Literature and Architecture, respectively, in proclamations signed by President Benigno Aquino III.
Bautista, a former literary editor of the Varsitarian, received nine Carlos Palanca awards for his works such as The Cave and Other Poems, 1968; The Archipelago, 1970; Ritual, 1971; The Man Who Made a Covenant with the Wind, 1975; Charts, 1973; Telex Moon, 1975; Crossworks, 1979; and Philippine Poetics: The Past Eight Years, 1981.
“The works and achievements of Cirilo Bautista as a poet, fictionist, and essayist have greatly contributed to the development of the country’s literary arts and has strengthened the Filipino’s sense of nationalism,” according to Proclamation No. 809 published on the government’s official website.
Zaragoza, who was awarded posthumously, designed iconic structures like the Santo Domingo Church and the Pink Sisters’ Convent in Quezon City, the Union Church of Manila in Makati, and the Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Muntinlupa. He also designed the Meralco Building on Ortigas Avenue, the National Library, and the Commercial Bank and Trust Company buildings in Makati and Escolta, Manila.
“The secular and religious works and achievements of Jose Maria V. Zaragoza demonstrate his typological versatility and mastery of the modernist architectural vocabulary,” Proclamation No. 812 stated.
Bautista and Zaragoza join the roster of Thomasian National Artists that include Nick Joaquín (1976), F. Sionil Jose (2001) and Bienvenido Lumbera (2006) for Literature and Juan Nakpil (1973), Leandro Locsin (1990) and I.P. Santos (2006) for Architecture.
The title of National Artist, first introduced in 1972, is given to Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the Philippine arts and letters.
Along with Bautista and Zaragoza, the others proclaimed national artists this year were Francisco V. Coching for Visual Arts; Alice Reyes for Dance, and Francisco F. Feliciano and Ramon Santos for Music. J. B. M. Ramil
