10 New National Artists

Order of National Artists (Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining)

Award began in 1972 under Ferdinand Marcos Sr.; the 2026 batch, proclaimed by Ferdinand Marcos Jr., brings the roster to 91 National Artists

Total number of National Artists after the 2026 batch

91

Artists awarded posthumously in 2026 (†)

Gabriel Formoso, Bing Lao, Gregorio Brillantes, and Teddy Hilado

Largest single batch in history

10 honorees at once, the largest cohort in a single proclamation since 1972

Gabriel P. Formoso (1915-1996)

National Artist for Architecture (posthumous); among the first 100 licensed architects in the Philippines

Formoso's place in Philippine architecture

Pioneer of postwar Philippine architecture and key figure in Philippine tropical modernism

Formoso's design approach

Fused modern principles with traditional bahay kubo and bahay na bato concepts

Formoso's style

Structural restraint, functional clarity, minimal ornamentation, honesty of materials

Formoso's major works

Over 80 major buildings and 150+ residences in Metro Manila

Formoso founded

GFP Architects, Architectural Center Club, and Kanlungan Architectural Foundation

Formoso's awards

UAP Likha Award, PRC Outstanding Architect of the Year, Republic Cultural Heritage Award

Formoso's notable projects

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Complex, The Peninsula Manila, Pacific Star Building and Lepanto Building

Rafael "Nonoy" Catalino Froilan

National Artist for Dance; Samar-born dancer who helped establish dance as a viable professional career for Filipino men

Froilan's career as a dancer

Leading male dancer for two decades starting in 1973, starring in over 100 principal roles

Froilan's lead roles

Giselle, Swan Lake, Rama Hari, Itim Asu, Ang Sultan

Froilan as master educator

Longtime faculty at CCP Dance Workshop (since 1977) and Philippine High School for the Arts (since 1994)

Froilan as choreographer and director

Created original works and restaged classical and Filipino ballets for Ballet Philippines and Tanghalang Pilipino

Froilan as global coach

Trained Filipino dancers for international competitions and served as a guest teacher abroad

Froilan's documentary

Encantada: The Creation of a Dance (1994), award-winning; he also performed as a stage, film, and TV actor

Maria Beatriz "Patis" Fabella Pamintuan Tesoro

National Artist for Design; over five decades preserving and reinterpreting traditional Filipino attire (terno, Maria Clara gown, barong Tagalog)

Tesoro's known craft

Indigenous Craftsmanship; integrates native materials (piña, jusi, abaca, silk, cotton) with ethnolinguistic motifs and contemporary silhouettes

Tesoro's "circular fashion"

Pioneered long before it became a global trend, using natural dyes, traditional weaving, and repurposed vintage textiles

Tesoro's collaborations

Works with local weavers, embroiderers, and farmers nationwide for sustainable heritage-based livelihoods

Tesoro's foundation

Led major craft and textile revival initiatives through the Katutubong Filipino Foundation

Works featuring Tesoro

The Art of Philippine Embellishment (1994), Postura (2008), Patis Tesoro: Filipiniana Is Forever (2024)

Tesoro's international reach

Elevated Philippine textile heritage on platforms across Europe, North America, and Asia

Slide 14 (Tesoro)

Editorial visual feature showcasing her design works, marked with VOGUE

Armando "Bing" Lao (1948-2024)

National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts (posthumous); screenwriter, director, and creative consultant who revolutionized narrative structures in Philippine cinema

Lao's contribution to 1980s films

Infused 1980s commercial genre films with psychological depth, emotional realism, and social awareness

Lao's mentorship

Legendary screenwriting workshops at UP, Mowelfund, and indie film circles

Lao's impact on independent cinema

Elevated Philippine independent cinema onto the global stage through grounded, authentic Filipino narratives

Lao's iconic screenplays

Takaw Tukso (1987), Pila Balde (1999), Tuhog (2001), Kubrador (2006), Serbis (2008), Kinatay (2009)

Lao's directed films

Biyaheng Lupa (2009) and Dukit (2013)

Gregorio C. Brillantes (1932-2025)

National Artist for Literature (posthumous); premier English-language short story writer exploring Catholic sensibility, provincial roots, and postwar Philippine reality

Brillantes' philosophical depth

Quiet epiphanies, emotional restraint, complex interior life, spiritual doubt, and social change

Brillantes' technique

Blended classic short story structures with modernist techniques, non-linear narration, and parodic modes influenced by James Joyce

Brillantes' output

Nearly 50 short stories and hundreds of essays across a five-decade literary career

Brillantes' classics

"The Distance to Andromeda" (1960) and "Faith, Love, Time and Dr. Lazaro" (1960)

Brillantes as editor and journalist

Long-time editor and journalist with three major nonfiction essay collections on politics, culture, and religion

Brillantes as teacher

Faculty member at Ateneo de Manila University and Far Eastern University (FEU)

Brillantes' works' reach

Widely anthologized, translated into multiple languages, and adapted for film

Brillantes' book covers (slide 23)

The Collected Stories of Gregorio C. Brillantes; The Cardinal's Sins, General's Cross, Martyr's Testimony and Other Affirmations

Nicanor G. Tiongson

National Artist for Literature; playwright, scholar, critic, and institution-builder who championed the Filipinization of Philippine literature and theater

Tiongson's approach to performance forms

Reinterprets sarsuwela, komedya, sinakulo, and epics to address modern social concerns

Pilipinas Circa 1907

Tiongson's modern sarsuwela examining Fil-American history

Realizing Rama (1998) and Labaw Donggon (2013)

Tiongson's works based on Southeast Asian and Panay-Bukidnon epics

Mabining Mandirigma (2015)

Tiongson's award-winning steampunk musical on revolutionary history

Tiongson's academic contribution

Established Philippine theater history as a formal academic discipline through Kasaysayan ng Komedya sa Pilipinas and Komedya sa Parañaque

CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art

Conceptualized and spearheaded by Tiongson; the nation's definitive reference work

Tiongson's broader role

Bridged creative practice, historical research, and cultural governance to strengthen national identity

Tiongson's CCP post

VP and Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (1986-1994), driving decentralization and regional cultural exchange

Alfredo S. Buenaventura

National Artist for Music; prolific composer, conductor, and educator whose career spanned over seven decades

Buenaventura's repertoire

More than 1,000 compositions including symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, masses, and chamber music

Buenaventura's musical style

Integrated Western classical structures with Filipino folk materials, historical narratives, and indigenous themes

Buenaventura's notable works

Opera Mariang Makiling (1961), Kayumanggi Symphony (1971), Bagong Pilipinas Symphony (1973)

Buenaventura and the rondalla

Revived and localized the rondalla through Filipino folk songs and kundiman; his arrangements became standard repertoire in schools and community ensembles and shaped music education nationwide

Teodoro "Teddy" L. Hilado

National Artist for Theater (posthumous); recognized as the father of stage lighting design in the country

Hilado's distinction

First National Artist recognized primarily for theater lighting design and the professionalization of technical theater in the Philippines

Hilado's body of work

Designed lighting for hundreds of major stage, dance, and cultural productions over several decades

Hilado's premier clients

Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company and Ballet Philippines

Hilado's CCP leadership

Technical Director for the Folk Arts Theater and CCP Theater Operations

Hilado's heritage site work

Lit landmark historical structures, including Corregidor's Malinta Tunnel

Hilado's World Expo designs

Philippine Pavilions in Seville (1992), Lisbon (1998), and Nagoya (2004)

Hilado's inaugural award

First Gawad CCP for Excellence in Lighting Design (1997)

Nunelucio M. Alvarado

National Artist for Visual Arts; expanded Philippine social realism beyond Metro Manila, grounding his art in Visayan labor struggles and lived realities

Alvarado's iconic imagery

Portraits of sakadas (sugarcane plantation workers) embodying hunger, endurance, and quiet defiance

Alvarado's symbolism

Transformed tubó (sugarcane) into a symbol of resistance, blending dense compositions, bold colors, and vernacular humor

Alvarado's Martial Law activism

Joined the Kaisahan collective, using comics, posters, and cartoons to mobilize public consciousness

Alvarado's VIVA-EXCON

Co-founded Black Artists of Asia and established Southeast Asia's longest-running artist-led biennial

Alvarado's grassroots advocacy

Founded Syano Artlink in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, to empower local communities through art education

Alvarado's national legacy

Cemented Visayan workers' lived experiences at the center of Philippine art history

Slide 36 (Alvarado)

Artpiece image showcase by Nunelucio M. Alvarado

Imelda Cajipe-Endaya

National Artist for Visual Arts; feminist art pioneer linking contemporary visual arts with gender, history, and social transformation

Cajipe-Endaya's distinction

First female National Artist for Visual Arts in the Philippines

Cajipe-Endaya's mixed-media innovation

Uses vernacular materials (sawali, lace, cloth, indigenous textiles) in prints, assemblages, and installations

Cajipe-Endaya's core themes

Female labor, faith, resistance, and identity (notably in her Mga Ninuno print series)

KASIBULAN

Landmark feminist art collective co-founded by Cajipe-Endaya in 1987

Cajipe-Endaya's women-centered platform

Championed female artists and developed gender-conscious visual languages

Cajipe-Endaya as curator and scholar

Promoted feminist cultural advocacy through critical writing, lectures, and exhibition curation

Cajipe-Endaya's lasting impact

Embedded women's lived realities into the core narrative of Philippine art

Slide 39 (Cajipe-Endaya)

Artpiece gallery showcasing works by Imelda Cajipe-Endaya