House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, and 22 other lawmakers have endorsed the late Senator Ramon Revilla Sr. for the National Artist Award for Film.
The Romualdez couple filed House Resolution 1176 expressing the sense of the 300-strong House of Representatives to include Revilla, father of Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., in the roster of awardees.
They said the popular action star’s immense contributions to the Philippine culture and arts, particularly to the country’s entertainment industry “should not go unrecognized.”
“Ramon Revilla Sr. is a renowned entertainment icon, actor, producer,writer and director, and a public servant. Through the years, he has contributed immensely in the development of Philippine art,” the Romualdezes said.
"His movies depicted not only the Filipino way of life, but also our unique culture and strong ideas,” they added.
Several lawmakers co-authored the Romualdezes' HR 1176.
They were Reps. Aleta Suarez of Quezon, Marilou Arroyo of Negros Occidental, Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay Jr. of Surigao del Sur, Yasser Balindong of Lanao del Sur, Leonardo Babasa of Zamboanga del Sur, Fredenil Castro of Capiz, Rep. Roger Mercado of Southern Leyte, Paz Radaza of Lapu-Lapu City, Geraldine Roman of Bataan, Hector Sanchez of Catanduanes, Christopher De Venecia of Pangasinan, Elizalde Co and Alfredo Garbin Jr. of AKO Bicol, Sonny Lagon of Ako Bisaya, Adriano Ebcas of Ako Padayon Pilipino, Romeo Momo Sr. of CWS, RECOBODA party-list Rep. Godofredo Guya, Jose Teves of TGP, Alfred Delos Santos of Ang Probinsyano, and Sergio Dagooc of APEC. Maricel Cruz
Proclamation 1001, issued in 1972, created the National Artist Award, which is jointly administered by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and conferred by the President of the Philippines.
The Order of the National Artists is the highest honor conferred to Filipino artists who have made distinct contributions to the fields of literature, music, dance, theater, visual arts, film, broadcast arts, fashion design and architecture and the arts.
Lawmakers noted that the nominations for National Artist are based on the following criteria, as set forth by the CCP and the NCCA:
-Living artists who are Filipino citizens at the time of the nomination, as well as those who died after the establishment of the award in 1972, but were Filipino citizens at the time of their death;
-Artists who through the content and form of their works have contributed in building a Filipino sense of nationhood;
-Artists who pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus earning distinction and making an impact on succeeding generations of artists;
-Artists who have created a substantial and significant body of workers and/or consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form thus enriching artistic expression or style; and
-Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or international recognition, critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works, and respect and esteem from peers.
The authors of resolution are mostly members and allies of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) led by Majority Leader Romualdez as President and Sen. Bong Revilla as chairman.
They took note that Revilla Sr. received several notable awards, which include FAMAS Best Actor award in 1973, Outstanding Producer Award in 1976, Most Outstanding Actor in 1979, and Box Office King.
They also cited that the former senator also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Catholic Mass Media in 2011 and on July 1 this year, he was conferred with the Sino-Phil Asia International Peace Award for Performing Arts.
“Senator Ramon Revilla Sr.’s contribution to Philippine society in general and to the Philippine entertainment in particular should not go unrecognized as he is a genuine gem who has contributed much to the proliferation and appreciation of the arts in our country,” they said.
Some of the notable films he made were "Nardong Putik: Kilabot ng Cavite," "Pepeng Agimat: Sa Daigdig ng Kababalaghan," and "Hulihin si Tiagong Akyat."
"Senator Ramon Revilla, Sr is an embodiment of talent, intelligence, artistry that makes him befitting of the title of National Artist,” the lawmakers said.