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Sep

23

Komiks Writers and the National Artist Award

Filed Under Comics Artists, Filipino Artists, Philippine Comics | 12 Comments

For those familiar with this site, I’ve been running a protest agaist former President GMA’s addition of Carlo J. Caparas to the roster of Philippine National Artists. Because of a supreme court ruling, the conferment of the title to CJC was stopped, and the case is left pending. That’s how it stands now. So no, as of this moment, Carlo J. Caparas is not a National Artist yet, regardless of what some so called “legitimate” journalists are saying in the print world.

If you wish to know what I’m talking about, please refer to this post.

The very core of my argument against CJC was that he is unqualified for the title, based on the guidelines of the NCCA with regards to the National Artist Awards, specifically in the category of “Visual Arts”. To keep the argument objective and clear cut, I point out a provision that does not include “komiks writers” or writers of any kind among the qualifications for the Visual Arts Category. It is probably the most objective case I can make against CJC that is simply beyond argument. Nobody can fault this as the provision is clear cut as it is written.

Adam David recently pointed out in a Facebook discussion that he didn’t agree with the basis of my objection because it disqualifies practically ALL komiks writers. That based on my arguments, people like Budjette Tan or Pablo Gomez can never qualify. I am sure many of those out there who have seen my protest have thought the same thing. For how can someone Mars Ravelo NOT be qualified to be National Artist?

The thing is, Adam David is right. Based on my argument, no komiks writer can ever be qualified to be National Artist for the category of “Visual Arts”.

Does that seem unfair? Yes, it is. But unfortunately, that is how the NCCA guidelines seem to say as they are written today. Let me quote from the guidelines here:

Candidates may be nominated under one or more of the following categories:

Visual Arts – painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation art, mixed media works, illustration, graphic arts, performance art and/or imaging;

It is clear that in the Visual Arts category, “Komiks writer” is nowhere to be found, or any description that remotely resembles writing in any form. However, “Illustration” is, which makes illustrators qualify, but not writers.

Clearly, the writers of this guidelines never considered the comic book form when they were drafting this set of rules. To a certain degree it’s indicative of the the lack of attention and respect the comic book form gets from the Philippine Government. I can consider this a flaw in the guidelines that I hope could be rectified soon.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it is the same flaw that quite neatly disqualifies Carlo J. Caparas from getting the National Artist Title for Visual Arts.

That is the essence of my objective protest.

If and when the guidelines are ever amended and komiks writers are now qualified to win the award in the Visual Arts category, my objective protest goes out the window. However, that is not the entire basis of my protest. There is a much larger, more subjective discussion in which I feel CJC could never qualify either, but since the issues would be of quality and beauty, the discussion becomes more debatable.

I’m firmly in the corner of people who believe CJC is not qualified simply because his work does not meet the standard of what I could consider good or even “great”. There are plenty of other creators out there who should have gotten the title long before CJC ever could: Francisco V. Coching, Mars Ravelo, Larry Alcala, Tony Velasquez, Clodualdo Del Mundo, Pablo Gomez, Nestor Redondo, Alfredo Alcala, Alex Niño, and many many more.

For foreign readers of this blog, this situation is akin to Rob Liefeld winning a Lifetime Achievement Award long before the likes of Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, etc. Nothing wrong with Rob Liefeld or his accomplishments, but recognition of such historic significance needs to point to those older guys first before anyone else.

Comments

12 Responses to “Komiks Writers and the National Artist Award”

  1. Carlo J. Caparas is a National Artist? (Lord, Have Mercy!) : KOMIKERO DOT COM on September 23rd, 2011 10:54 am

    [...] Komiks Writers and the National Artist Award [...]

  2. Jose Mari Lee on September 23rd, 2011 9:45 pm

    Well, if writers are to be given an NA, then it should belong under the literature category. Unfortunately, KOMIKS, again, is not included there, so, if one wants to become an NA he/she better writes prose.

    Komiks is a unique art form that should have its own category, and this is just my personal opinion. If the Pulitzer prize (the highest award one can get in the USA despite one’s citizenship or country of origin) would give the award to almost all creative human beings on earth, why not do the same for the NA?

    When Imelda Marcos started the NA, her main objective was to recognize the Filipino artists for their creative work. But, what was good that time, she never had PERSONAL CHOICES. She let the designated judges do their work without being influenced by anybody.

    However, during the Joseph Estrada administration, the scenario was revised. Estrada gave the NA to ERNANI CUENCO even if Cuenco was not included amongst the short listed candidates. Fortunately, Cuenco belonged to the right category, and even if his selection was questionable (I mean, let’s face it, who would think that Cuenco will have the same caliber as JULIO SAN PEDRO, for heaven’s sake), many accepted the situation as an anomaly, pinched their nostrils and breathed through their mouths. The CAPARAS awarding, however, is truly a case of a President RUNNING AMOK! For how can you give the visual arts award to a person who can’t even draw? This time, it was just too much for the Filipinos to handle and the reaction of many artists against it is truly justified. Caparas should not be given the NA because he never belonged to this category in the first place. Simply put, giving Caparas an NA would be akin to: GIVING WILLIAM HUNG (she bangs, she bangs) a GRAMMY AWARD.

    It is indeed that RIDICULOUS.

  3. Auggie on September 23rd, 2011 9:57 pm

    Gerry, It’s time to amend the Guidelines, with exceptions to include THE KATHA’T GUHIT of : FV COCHING,NESTOR REDONDO,JESSE JODLOMAN,LARRY ALCALA, ALFREDO ALCALA, RUBEN YANDOC, Etc…

  4. Flor, the super kapre on September 24th, 2011 4:30 am

    Suppose a writer describes the visual in his script and an artist illustrates it. Here the writer is the VISUAL WRITER and the artist is the VISUAL ARTIST.

    Imaging is included in visual arts as given above. The definition of IMAGING is DESCRIBING OR PORTRAYING IN WORDS …, or CALLING UP A MENTAL PICTURE OF …. Clearly, in imaging, comics writers are “imagers,” artists are partly not.

    Lumalabas dito na puwedeng-puwede sa visual arts as “imagers” ang mga comics writers pero medyo parang hindi puwede ang mga comics artist dito. Hahaha, ang gulo na, ano?

    So, Caparas can be considered as an “imager” under the imaging category of visual arts.

  5. Allan on September 24th, 2011 9:45 am

    If a writer is really good, he/she helps create images in the reader’s mind (which includes the illustrator’s mind). But then again, that demonstrates that he/she is good in literature not in visual arts.

  6. Jose Mari Lee on September 24th, 2011 11:18 am

    Supremong Kapre: Long time no write. HHHHH. Under imager na pala si Caparas. Tama nga, kasi yung mga description niya noon sa illustration guide, eh: “BAHALA KA NA.”Pinag-isip niya ngayon ang Illustrator kung ano ang i-do-drawing. Kaya pala naisama sa DAGDAG-BAWAS :)

    Btw, noong magpupunta sa na ako sa SanDiego (na hindi natukloy dahil namatay yung auntie ko sa Sacto) napadaan nga pala ako diyan sa Bahay mo sa Sun Valley. Pumarada ako sa tapat ngbahay mo sa Haddon Avenue, mga 10:00 PM na yun, kakatok sana ako, pero kinabahan ako at baka ibalibag mo ako sa ilog na malapit diyan sa lugar mo. HHHHHH. Nausyoso ko sana ang animation mo. Sayang. Kaya tumuloy na lang ako sa Sacto.

  7. Auggie on September 24th, 2011 11:02 pm

    Flor, hindi pa rin pwede dyan si CJC, dahil yung Visualizations niya eh BAHALA KA NA sa mga illustrators, sabi nga ni JM. Sabi ni CJC, kasi daw mi respeto siya sa mga artists, mga professional din daw yun ,kaya nasa discretion na nila ang pag illustrate sa kaniyang 800 scripts kuno….Hindi talaga pwede, Foul Ball ,kumbaga!

  8. Flor on September 26th, 2011 6:17 am

    JM, alas 10:00 P.M. ng gabi? Ay sarado na ang bakod namin dahil ang daming naglilipana na mga ladrones sa lugar namin, hahaha. Baka ikaw nga iyong pumarada sa harap namin na napansin ko nuon, mabuti kamo at hindi ko tinawag ang polis. Nakatuwaan ko minsan iyong maingay na nagpa-party sa lugar namin, tinawag ko ang polis, biglang tigil at malamang namultahan ito ng $3000 dolyares.

    Pero medyo may katok ang gumawa ng guidlines ng visual arts diyan sa Pilipinas dahil hindi defined masyado ang IMAGING, lahat puwede dito pati basurero, hehehe.

    Tumpak talaga na ginamit ni Caparas ang BAHALA KA NA dahil ang CAPTIONS at DIALOGUES niya ay pareho lang kung gagawan niya ito ng DESCRIPTIONS, kagaya ba ni Ravelo na ang kanyang captions at dialogues ay pareho sa kanyang descriptions. Lumalabas na PRACTICAL itong si Caparas, hihihi.

    Ergo, puwedeng NATIONAL ARTIST itong si Caper bilang “IMAGER” sa ilalim na IMAGING CATEGORY ng visual arts.

    Matanong nga, meron bang definition ang IMAGING CATEGORY ng visual arts sa national artist, o IMAGING lang at walang ibinigay na definition? Dahil kung hindi defined ito ay ito ang BUTAS na puwedeng lusutan ni Caparas sa korte suprema.

  9. Gerry Alanguilan on September 26th, 2011 7:57 am

    Personally Ser Flor, hindi ako agree sa inyong pananaw na ang “Imager” ay maaring interpret na “writer”. Para sa akin, reaching na masyado. Grasping at straws. Desperate kung baga. Pinipilit ipasok ang square sa bilog na butas. Obvious naman na hindi kasya.

    Pero tulad naman ng sabi ko, kahit man maging pwede na ang writer na manalo ng award na ito, challange pa rin kay Ginoong Caparas na pumasa sa iba pang requirement. Sa totoo lang, iisang requirement lang ng National Artist Awards ang paniniwala kong pasado si Ginoong Caparas: Filipino Citizen. Sa ibang requirement, sa pananaw ko talagang hindi nya kayang pumasa:

    Artists who through the content and form of their works have contributed in building a Filipino sense of nationhood;
    Artists who have 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 works 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, such as the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, CCP Thirteen Artists Award and NCCA Alab ng Haraya;
    - critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works;
    - respect and esteem from peers.

  10. auggie on September 26th, 2011 8:34 pm

    Flor, hindi pa din lulusot sa tingin ko. Granted nga na pwede siya sa IMAGER na sinasabi mo, di pwede din si COCHING, na nauna pang na nominate sa kanya, si Mars Ravelo, Pablo S.Gomez, Clodualdo del Mundo, Larry Alcala ,etc…di ba? mas matino at nauna pa sa kanya, di ba?

  11. narj on September 26th, 2011 10:18 pm

    The issue here are two: the need to define clearly what is an artist and second, what is the rightful party to vote for a person to become a national artist.

    Based on the NCCA guidelines CJC is indeed not qualified by being just a comic writer—-somebody who writes the script. But sadly this narrow definition of an “artist” also categorizes Mars Ravelo, and Budgette Tan not as comic artists. I cannot imagine Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, or somebody in the comic industry close to these writer’s status not as artists. It’s ridiculous! An artist must be defined first before giving somebody an award. As for the governing party, I think it should be the National Artists themselves who must endorse and vote for that person who deserves the similar stature, who belonged in their group. Sad but true, any award giving body is never free from politics—even the Nobel Peace Prize is tainted by politics throughout its rich and colorful history.

    Our government must provide a proper action for these issues to finally settle the stalemate. Nakakalungkot na maging national artist ang isa samantalang meron namang iba dyan na mas hinahangaan at nirerespeto pero sa hindi sila nakikigulo sa pamumulitika, hindi na sila naging priority. Francisco Coching is still not a National Artist, but his works are already printed in our postage stamps! Does it mean that the Philippine Post Office knows better than the NCCA? Only in the Philippines!

    But no matter what happens after this, you artists and writers must continue to develop your craft. With or without this s#itty awards, genuine readers know how bad or good your work is.

  12. Gio Paredes on September 29th, 2011 1:54 pm

    Kasalanan lahat ito ni Gloria. :-(