Dolphy, Zenaida Amador to be posthumously honored at Gawad CCP awards

King of Comedy Rodolfo “Dolphy” Quizon may not have received the National Artist award yet despite public clamor, but the Cultural Center of the Philippines has named the late comedy veteran its 2012 Gawad CCP Para sa Sining awardee for Film and Broadcast Arts. Dolphy, who passed away in July, is credited with elevating Philippine comedy in cinema to new heights. "Through his stage, radio, television, and film work, he has delighted generations of Filipinos with his comic antics and touched audiences with his range of thespian skills that include heartfelt drama as well," the CCP said in a press release. Many of the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining Awardees in the past have become National Artists, Reinerio Alba noted in an article on the National Commission for Culture and Arts website. Among them are Arturo Luz, Cesar Legaspi, Jose Joya, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, Daisy Hontiveros Avellana, F. Sionil Jose, N.V.M Gonzalez, Andrea Veneracion, Jose Maceda, Levi Celerio, Ishmael Bernal, Lino Brocka, and Eddie Romero. The 2012 Gawad CCP Para sa Sining award for Theater will be given to the late Zenaida Amador, whose name is synonymous with Repertory Philippines. "As the driving force behind Repertory Philippines and with a passion for excellence, Amador succeeded in honing a generation of theater actors disciplined and dedicated to their craft as well as building an enthusiastic and loyal theater audience," the CCP said. The CCP will also award five other individuals and an organization for their outstanding achievements and contributions to Philippine arts and culture. The awarding will be on February 27, 2013. The Gawad CCP Para sa Sining will be conferred on Cirilo F. Bautista for Literature; Brenda V. Fajardo for Visual Arts; Agnes D. Locsin for Dance, Ramon P. Santos for Music; Florentino H. Hornedo for Cultural Research. The Silliman University National Writers Workshop will receive the Tanging Parangal for the development of creative writing and the literary arts, CCP said in the release. 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 and enriched the development of their art form, the release said. The award is also given to cultural workers, who through their work in research, curatorship and administration have helped develop and enrich Philippine art. The Tanging Parangal is given to an individual or organizations to honor their outstanding contributions to the development of the arts in the country. Awardees For 2012, the CCP's Tanging Parangal will be given to the oldest creative writing program in Asia, the Silliman University National Writers Workshop. The workshop has been bringing together in creative and critical discussion young writers from all over the country and honing their skills in the craft of fiction, poetry, nonfiction and drama since 1962. "The Gawad CCP 2012 award is a timely recognition of the Workshop as it celebrates its golden anniversary this year," the CCP said. "Realizing the importance of regional writing, it has endeavored to include writers in the Visayan languages. Its roster of alumni and panelists is veritably a 'who’s who' in Philippine letters," it said of the workshop. Poet, fictionist and critic Cirilo Bautista is the author of the Trilogy of Saint Lazarus composed of the award-winning poetry collections Archipelago, Telex Moon and Sunlight on Broken Stones. "He has won all the important literary awards and he continues to write criticism as well as literary reviews and essays in Panorama where he serves as literary editor. Having been a lecturer and critic in literary workshops in various universities, he has mentored many young writers," the CCP said. Visual artist Brenda Fajardo was cited for her works, which carry strong historical and nationalist themes as folk and mythological tales. "Because Fajardo was not an artist contented with isolation, she explored her expression with other art organizations and institutions...She has been instrumental in founding or revitalizing artist groups bonded by a common advocacy such as art education, gender issues, and community enrichment programs. Her efforts at revitalizing her family's farm through cultural awareness prove to be a further testimony to this vocation," the CCP said. Choreographer, dancer and teacher Agnes Locsin is described as "one of the most progressive contemporary choreographers in the Philippines." "Her neo-ethnic choreographies derives inspiration on Filipino tribal practices, beliefs, more, folklores and rituals which gave a new voice to our ethnic traditions," the CCP said, adding that her body of works enriched Philippine dance’s treasure of original Filipino works. "As a teacher, she has produced outstanding dancers that have become members of leading dance companies abroad." Dr. Ramon Santos was cited for his outstanding contribution to Philippine music, comprised of his numerous Filipino contemporary compositions that reflect traditional and Asian music aesthetics. "A leading composer of contemporary music, he is recognized by other composers in Asia for his works which have been showcased in festivals and conferences abroad. His scholarly research in Philippine music have been published in journals and books both locally and internationally, helping contribute to the understanding of Philippine and Asian music aesthetics. His active involvement as officer of international music organizations has helped put the country in a prominent position in the field of contemporary music in the global arena," the CCP said. Writer, scholar, researcher, anthropologist and professor Florentino Hornedo is a leading researcher and anthropologist who has participated in various training programs of the CCP Outreach for over a decade. Hornedo, who has recorded and studied Ivatan entho-history cultural expressions and traditional arts since 1969, is described as  "a prominent advocate for the preservation of culture and heritage in the regions, particularly in Batanes and through his involvement in the Batanes Development Foundation Inc.," CCP said. He has played a crucial role in the cultural education of local artists and institutions through his teaching engagements at the Ateneo University, UST, St. Dominic College of Batanes. In 1971, he founded the St. Louis University Museum of Culture and Arts in Northern Luzon, now the biggest museum of Northern Luzon and Cordillera culture and arts. — Carmela G. Lapeña/BM, GMA News