Seven individuals and an organization received the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining for their outstanding achievements and contributions to Philippine arts and culture at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The Gawad CCP Para sa Sining is the highest award given by the CCP.
The award was conferred on Zeneida A. Amador for Theater; Cirilo F. Bautista for Literature; Brenda V. Fajardo for Visual Arts; Agnes Locsin for Dance; Ramon P. Santos for Music; Rodolfo “Dolphy” Quizon for Film and Broadcast Arts; and Florentino H. Hornedo for Cultural Anthropology. The Silliman University National Writers Workshop received the Tanging Parangal for arts training and education.
The late Zeneida Amador was a theater director and actress whose career spanned 45 years. Her name is synonymous with Repertory Philippines, the theater company dedicated to bringing Broadway and West End productions. 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.
Poet, fictionist and critic Cirilo Bautista is a preeminent voice in Philippine Literature in English and Filipino. He 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.
Visual artist Brenda Fajardo’s works carry strong historical and nationalist themes as folk and mythological tales. Fajardo participated in prestigious exhibitions both here and abroad and represented the county in various biennales notably in France, Cuba, Japan, the USA, Korea, Chile, India and Australia. 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.
Choreographer, dancer and teacher Agnes Locsin is one of the most progressive contemporary choreographers in the Philippines. Her neo-ethnic choreographies derive inspiration from Filipino tribal practices, beliefs, more, folklores and rituals which gave a new voice to our ethnic traditions. Her body of works enriched Philippine dance’s treasure of original Filipino works. As a teacher, she has produced outstanding dancers who are now artistic directors of dance companies, renowned choreographers and dance teachers in the Philippines, while some have become members of leading dance companies abroad.
Dr. Ramon Santos’ outstanding contribution to Philippine music is comprised of his numerous Filipino contemporary compositions that reflect traditional and Asian music aesthetics which have been performed not only locally but also in different parts of the world. 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 country’s most beloved comedian and King of Philippine comedy Dolphy, who passed away on July year, was credited with elevating Philippine Comedy in Cinema to new heights. Through his stage, radio, television, and film work, he delighted generations of Filipinos with his comic antics and touched audiences with his range of thespian skills that included heartfelt drama as well.
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. He is 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. 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. He founded the founded the St. Louis University Museum of Culture and Arts in Northern Luzon in 1971, now the biggest museum of Northern Luzon and Cordillera culture and arts. He has recorded and studied Ivatan entho-history cultural expressions & traditional arts since 1969. He has published books and ethnographic and historic articles.
The Silliman University National Writers Workshop is the oldest creative writing program in Asia since 1962. It 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. Realizing the importance of regional writing, it has endeavoured to include writers in the Visayan languages. Its roster of alumni and panelists is veritably a “who’s who” in Philippine letters. The Gawad CCP 2012 award is a timely recognition of the Workshop as it celebrates its golden anniversary this year.
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 Individual or organizations to honor their outstanding contributions to the development of the arts in the country.
