Press Update:
Gawad CCP Para sa Sining awarded eleven
individuals and two organizations for their outstanding achievements and
contributions to Philippine arts and culture recently at the Cultural Center of
the Philippines Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater).
The
Gawad CCP Para sa Sining is the highest award given by the CCP. The award was
conferred on Denisa G. Reyes for Dance; Fides Cuyugan-Asensio for Music; Antonio
O. Mabesa for Theater; Roberto Chabet for Visual Arts; Ricardo A. Lee for
Literature; Nora C. Villamayor a.k.a. Nora Aunor for Film and Broadcast Arts; Paulo
G. Alcazaren for Architecture; Ben S. Farrales for Fashion Design; Leoncio P. Deriada
for Literature, Talaandig School of Living Tradition for Cultural Work, Armida
Siguion-Reyna for Cultural Advocacy, and Basilio Esteban Villaruz for Cultural
Research. The Missionary Society of St. Columban received the Tanging Parangal
for Heritage Preservation.
Denisa
Reyes holds an impressive line of choreographic works that won critical
recognition in the international dance scene. Her works focus on Philippine and
Asian Contemporary dance and the possibilities of presenting current local
issues through dance expressions.
Fides
Cuyugan-Asensio is an icon in the development of opera and musical theater in
the Philippines. She has also realized her nurtured gifts to conceptualize and
stage the art and craft of theater in the country. She continues to promote
young classical singers through the Music Theater Foundation of the
Philippines, the non-profit organization she has established.
Antonio
Mabesa is a theater artist and mentor who has involved himself in nearly every
field of theater arts. While he is known as one of the country's premier
directors, directing over 130 stage productions, he is also an actor who has
worked with the top theater companies and film directors.
Roberto
Chabet, the first curator of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, is
credited with having introduced conceptual art into the Philippine art scene.
He spearheaded the acquisition of notable works of Filipino masters and
contemporary artists. He also founded the 13 Artists Exhibit.
Ricardo
Lee championed the use of Filipino in fiction since the 1960s and screenplay
writing since the 1980s. His numerous books are the embodiment of his creative
and imaginative power enriching Philippine Literature and Cinema.
Nora
Aunor is a multi-awarded Filipina actress, singer, and producer. She has also
topbilled several stage plays, television shows, and concerts, and has received
numerous national and international awards and nominations. She is regarded as
the "Superstar in Philippine Entertainment Industry".
Paulo
Alcazaren has been contributing works to the field of architecture that are not
only aesthetically pleasing but environmentally sensitive as well. Owing to his
education of architecture and landscape architecture at the University of the
Philippines, his works and that of his company, Paulo G. Alcazaren and
Associates (PGAA), have adeptly integrated verdure in the urban setting.
Ben
Farrales took his imagination to the next level and brought indigenous designs
and materials into dazzling creations we see today, worn by prominent personalities
in elegant balls, society affairs, and fashion shows. His patterns are based on
the Muslim culture, taking the malong fashion in other parts of the world like
Canada, Los Angeles, and New York through an exhibit called "Maranaw.”
Leoncio
Deriada has won all the prestigious literary awards including the Palanca Hall
of Fame for his works in English, Filipino and Hiligaynon. His most important
contribution is his having encouraged and trained young writers in West Visayas
and produced prize winners for writing in Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a and Aklanon
besides English and Filipino.
The
Talaandig School of Living Tradition is a haven for pre-school children who
learn reading, writing and arithmetic alongside traditional Talaandig values
and mythologies, dance techniques, and music. The knowledge on the Talaandig
people including their roots and identity are disseminated in the form of
entertainment such as storytelling, chanting, music and instrument playing.
Armida
Siguion-Reyna's contribution to both the musical theater and the film industry
is far reaching. In the field of musical theater, the television program
"Aawitan Kita" for which she has produced, hosted and sang was aired
for three decades. Her outstanding contribution to the arts is underscored by
the awards she has received from different award-giving bodies.
Basilio
Esteban Villaruz holds the distinction of establishing and sustaining the
34-year old program at the University of the Philippines College of Music and
the UP Dance Company. He is nationally and internationally recognized and
respected in the field of dance.
Since
their arrival in the Philippines in 1929, the Missionary Society of St. Columban
has been housed in the Malate Church (also known as the Nuestra Señora de los
Remedios), and has continued to cater to the Malate area's ecclesiastical
needs. They have gone beyond their spiritual service to the congregation by
also taking care of the church that they have called home.
The
Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, which is given every three years, is awarded to
artists or groups of artists who have consistently produced outstanding works,
enriched the development of their art form. The award is also given to cultural
workers, who through their works in research, curatorship and administration,
have helped to develop and enrich Philippine art. The Tanging Parangal is given
to individuals or organizations to honor their outstanding contributions to the
development of the arts in the country. (Photos by Kiko Cabuena)
