AHEAD OF the expected national artist conferment this year, writers and critics are demanding clearer standards for the literature category, citing concerns over opaque lobbying, gender imbalance, and biases toward region and language.
The National Artist title, conferred every three years, is the highest recognition for Filipino artists, honoring their contributions to the development of Philippine arts.
Katrina Stuart Santiago, a writer and critic, said the lobbying process becomes a form of election campaign, where candidates with popularity, financial resources, and strong public relations or social media support gain an advantage in the selections.
“I think to begin with, lobbying is a questionable exercise,” Santiago told the Varsitarian.
Santiago cited the circulation of promotional materials on social media, including printed commendations, film reviews, and compiled creative works.
“How do we make the lobbying process [fairer] if we cannot abolish the lobbying process? To me, it’s to be clearer what the criteria are,” Santiago said.
She added that the criteria for selecting a National Artist should set what “national” means and how it is defined in relation to literature.
In an interview with the Varsitarian, writer Jerry Gracio pointed to the lack of national awareness in establishing a consistent standard for Philippine literature.
“To be declared a national artist, an artist should be able to imagine and reimagine the nation through his or her work, inspire the people to deeply reflect not just on the past but on our current dilemma as people,” the multi-awarded author and recipient of the Southeast Asian writer’s award said.
Gracio said a narrowed-down linguistic focus often results in recognition of works written in English and Filipino, despite the country having over 100 languages.
He suggested addressing these issues by acknowledging writers working in different dialects, funding translation programs, and increasing publication opportunities.
“Ganito rin ang isyu sa gender, ayokong sabihin na dahil lalaki ang karamihan ng namimili para sa [National Artist], pero hindi pa rin pumapasok sa utak ng judges ang idea ng representation kaya ang konti ng babaeng [National Artist],” Gracio said.
In a Facebook post dated Feb. 18, 2024, he criticized the gender imbalance among National Artists for Literature, noting that Edith Tiempo is the only Filipino woman on a roster of 13 male awardees.
“Nakakaligtaan lang natin dahil hanggang ngayon, hindi natin kinukuwestiyon ang napakalaking ‘di pantay na bilang ng mga lalaki at babae sa talaan ng national artists. Mali ito. At kailangan nating itama ang mali,” Gracio stated in his post.
He called for expanding the panel of judges to include more women to ensure gender diversity in the conferment.
A former female nominee from the Visayas told the Varsitarian her regional affiliation had disadvantaged her.
“It might be said that a local nomination for national artist is always accompanied by a sense of despair, the awareness that despite one’s accomplishments, the most tremendous handicap of all is being an ”outsider” in the geopolitical sphere and its so-called “national” priorities,” she said.
When asked about the role of gender in her nomination, she said she was unsure if it played a part.
“As of now, I am not aware that my being a woman has something to do with my losing, but it is possible that being male has something to do with someone else’s winning,” she added.
She called for transparency in the selection of the National Artists for Literature and encouraged greater public engagement.
This year’s edition of the National Artist selection involves a stricter process, a member of the selection panel told the Varsitarian.
Panel members were required to sign a nondisclosure agreement to keep the list of nominees confidential.
Each nominee undergoes three levels of screening by an undisclosed panel, with a resource person assigned at each level to present and defend their accomplishments.
The panel member also mentioned that while anyone could nominate a candidate previously, the last two to three editions had limited the nominations to those from qualified cultural organizations and educational institutions.
Under the Order of National Artists Guidelines, nominees must be Filipino citizens whose body of work has significantly contributed to the development of a Filipino sense of nationhood, pioneered creative expression, and enriched artistic practice across generations.
They are categorized into seven classical Western arts, namely, literary arts, dramatic arts, visual arts, cinema, music, architecture, and allied arts.
Critics opined that the selection process fails to take public opinion into account, with institutions such as the University of the Philippines able to nominate the same candidates rather than spotlight emerging artists. John Kobe S. Balod and Charlize Ann D. Lavastida
