REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES

Fifth Regular Session

S. No. 240
H. No. 35146

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7355

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL LIVING TREASURES,

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN, AND THE PROMOTION AND
DEVELOPMENT OF TRADITIONAL FOLK ARTS, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress

assembled:

SECTION 1. Title.– This Act shall be known as the “Manlilikha ng Bayan Act”.

SEC 2. Policy and Objectives. – It is hereby declared to be the policy of the State to preserve
and promote its traditional folk arts whether visual, performing, or literary. For their cultural
value, and to honor and support traditional folk artists for their contribution to the national
heritage by ensuring that the artistic skills which they have painstakingly cultivated and
preserved are encouraged and passed on to future generations of Filipinos.

The objectives of this Act shall be as follows:

to acknowledge the importance of traditional folk artist as singular conduit between skills of the
past and the future;

to revitalize a community’s artistic tradition thereby protecting a valuable fact of Philippine

culture;

to provide mechanisms for identifying and assisting qualified traditional folk artists to transfer
their skills to the community; and

to create opportunities for popularizing their works locally and internationally.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. – For the purpose of this Act, “Manlilikha ng Bayan” shall mean a
citizen or a group of citizens engaged in any traditional art uniquely Filipino, whose distinctive
skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence and have been passed
on to and widely practiced by the present generation in his/her community with the same degree
of technical and artistic competence.
“Traditional Folk Art” refers to expressions of distinctiveness and artistic quality created to serve
a decorative and/or utilitarian or sociocultural functions of traditional folk artists commonly
known for such works.

SEC. 4. Criteria and Qualification. – To become a Manlilikha ng Bayan, the candidate must
satisfy the following minimum criteria:

Technical and creative skill – The candidate must possess a mastery of the tools and materials
needed by the art, and must have an established reputation in the art as master and maker of
works of extraordinary technical quality;

Artistic quality – The work of the candidate must be outstanding aesthetically, and he/she must
have consistently produced over a significant period, works of superior quality;

Community tradition – The candidate must have transferred and/or willing to transfer to other
members of the community, skills in the folk art for which the community has become nationally
known.

Folk art tradition – The candidate must have engaged in a folk art tradition that has been in
existence and documented for at least fifty (50) years; and

Character and integrity – As a precious treasure of the country, the candidate must command
the respect and admiration of the country for his character and integrity.

The implementing agency may require additional criteria and qualifications in pursuance of the
purposes of this Act.

SEC. 5. Award and other Incentives – The award given to the Manlilikha ng Bayan shall be
called Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan.
In addition, the following incentives shall be enjoyed:

Plaque/Medal – The awardee shall each receive a commemorative plaque and/or medal, a
duplicate set of which is to be donated to and permanently displayed in the pertinent provincial
museum or largest cultural center in order to broaden community awareness of the significance
of our traditional folk arts and to accord them the recognition they richly deserve;

An initial grant of One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) and Ten thousand pesos
(P10,000.00) a month thereafter for life, shall be given, unless the Commission after due
hearing finds good reason to discontinue the grant arising from violations of pertinent terms and
conditions herein stated.

This grant may be increased whenever circumstances so warrant provided, that the increase
shall not be given retroactive effect.

Documentation – All surviving samples of works by the awardee shall be catalogued and
photographed, and his/her work methods and tools shall likewise be documented;
A vocational course using materials, tools, methods and designs of the awardee may be offered
at the nearest arts and trades school through the cooperative efforts of the Department of Trade
and Industry, the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports, and a private foundation and/or
private corporation, to effect the transfer of his/her skills and the preservation of folk art tradition;

A feasibility study of converting the awardee’s art into a specialized cottage industry in the
awardee’s province, preferably in the recipient’s barangay or town, may be undertaken by the
Department of Trade and Industry in collaboration with private investors; and

The recipient shall be invited to Manila-based and regional cultural events that salute the
importance of traditional folk arts in the Filipino cultural heritage.

SEC. 6. Duties and Responsibilities of Awardees. – The Manlilikha ng Bayan is a link between
the past, in which his/her traditional folk art found fertile soil for growth, and the future, during
which he/she seeks his/her art to be permanently sustained. It becomes his/her responsibility
therefore to undertake the following:

to transfer the skills of his/her traditional folk art to the younger generation through
apprenticeship and such other training methods as are found to be effective;

to cooperate with the implementing agency, as provided for in Section 7 of this Act, in the
promotion and propagation of his/her traditional folk arts; and

to donate to the National Museum a sample or copy of his/her work.

SEC. 7. Implementing Agency. – The Presidential Commission on Culture and Arts, created
under Executive Order No. 118, dated January 30, 1987, shall develop and adopt a program to
effectuate the provisions of this Act and promulgate such rules, regulations and criteria that will
govern the selection of the Manlilikha ng Bayan.

For purposes of this Act the Commission shall have the following powers and functions:

to constitute and appoint panels of experts including, but not limited to, the nominee of the
Office of Muslim Affairs, Office for Southern Cultural Communities and Office for Northern
Cultural Communities in each of the traditional folk arts categories to assist the Commission in a
thorough search for and fair selection of the awardees; such categories of traditional folk arts
shall include but will not be limited to the following: weaving, woodcarving, metal-working,
jewelry-making, embroidery, furniture-making using indigenous materials, dance, song,
instrumental folk music, folk literature, drama, boat-making, pottery-making, and other
indigenous technology and architecture such as rice-terracing;

to increase the monetary grant whenever circumstances so warrant provided, that the increase
shall not be given retroactive effect;
to design, monitor and evaluate appropriate programs that shall ensue that the Manlilikha ng
Bayan transfers his/her skills to others, and to coordinate with pertinent agencies, public and
private, for program implementation;

to undertake measures that shall protect the intellectual/cultural property rights of the awardees;

to promote the widest utilization and improvement of the awardees’ design and patterns as well
as their materials, tools and techniques in coordination with pertinent agencies, public and
private;
to undertake information dissemination programs intended to broaden community awareness of
and instill pride in the achievements of the Manlilikha ng Bayan;

to facilitate or undertake activities, public and private in coordination with the Department of
Trade and Industry, the Department of Science and Technology, and the Department of Tourism,
that shall make the efforts of the awardees not only aesthetically rewarding but also
economically profitable; and

to generate funds from the government and the private sector for the implementation of the
provisions of this Act.

SEC. 8. Appropriations. – The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be
included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and
thereafter.

SEC. 9. Tax Privileges. – Pursuant to the existing provisions under the National Internal
Revenue Code (NIRC), as amended, and the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines
(TCCP), as amended, any gifts or donations which shall be made to or for the use of the
Philippine Commission on Culture and Arts, exclusively for the Manlilikha ng Bayan, shall be
entitled to the following privileges:

Exemption from donor’s tax pursuant to Section 94 (a) (3) of the NIRC, as amended;

Deductibility of donations from the donor’s gross income for purposes of computing taxable
income in accordance with Section 29 (h) of the NIRC, as amended; and

Exemption from taxes and duties of donations from foreign countries subject to the provisions of
Section 105 of the TCCP, as amended, and Section 103 of NIRC, as amended.

SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. – All laws, issuances, decrees, or any part or parts thereof
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are deemed amended or repealed accordingly.

SEC. 11. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
In April 1992, the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National Living Treasures Award was institutionalized through Republic Act
No. 7355. Tasked with the administration and implementation of the Award is the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the
highest policy-making and coordinating body for culture and the arts of the State. The NCCA, through the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng
Bayan Executive Council, conducts the search for the finest traditional artists of the land, adopts a program that will ensure the
transfer of their skills to others, and undertakes measures to promote a genuine appreciation of and instill pride among our people
about the genius of the Manlilikha ng Bayan.

The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan logo is a stylized representation of the human form used in traditional cloth. Below the motif is
‘Manlilikha ng Bayan’ written in ancient Filipino script extensively used throughout the Philippines at the time of Western contact in
the sixteenth century.

First awarded in 1993 to three outstanding artists in music and poetry, the Gawad sa Manlilikha
ng Bayan has its roots in the 1988 National Folk Artists Award organized by the Rotary Club of
Makati-Ayala. As a group, these folk and traditional artists reflect the diverse heritage and
cultural traditions that transcend their beginnings to become part of our national character. As
Filipinos, they bring age-old customs, crafts and ways of living to the attention and appreciation
of Filipino life. They provide us with a vision of ourselves and of our nation, a vision we might be
able to realize someday, once we are given the opportunity to be true to ourselves as these
artists have remained truthful to their art.

As envisioned under R.A. 7355, “Manlilikha ng Bayan” shall mean a citizen engaged in any
traditional art uniquely Filipino whose distinctive skills have reached such a high level of
technical and artistic excellence and have been passed on to and widely practiced by the
present generation in his/her community with the same degree of technical and artistic
competence.

The Order of National Artists (Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) is the highest
national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the
development of Philippine arts; namely, Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film,
Broadcast Arts, and Architecture and Allied Arts. The order is jointly administered by the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP) and conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by
both institutions.

Architecture
According to the rules of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, the Order of
National Artists should be conferred every three years.

The insignia of the Order of National Artists

The insignia of the Order of the National Artists is composed of a Grand Collar featuring circular
links portraying the arts, and an eight-pointed conventionalized sunburst suspended from a
sampaguita wreath in green and white enamel. The central badge is a medallion divided into
three equal portions, red, white, and blue, recalling the Philippine flag, with three stylized letter
Ks—the “KKK” stands for the CCP’s motto: “katotohanan, kabutihan, at kagandahan” (“the true,
the good, and the beautiful”), as coined by then first lady Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos, the
CCP’s founder. The composition of the Grand Collar is silver gilt bronze. In place of a rosette
there is an enameled pin in the form of the insignia of the order.

When was the Order of National Artists created?

It was established by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1001, s. 1972, which created the
Award and Decoration of National Artist, “to give appropriate recognition and prestige to
Filipinos who have distinguished themselves and made outstanding contributions to Philippine
arts and letters,” and which posthumously conferred the award on the painter Fernando
Amorsolo, who had died earlier that year.
Legal basis of the Order of National Artists
Proclamation No. 1144, s. 1973 named the CCP Board of Trustees as the National Artist
Awards Committee (or Secretariat). Presidential Decree No. 208, s. 1973 reiterated the
mandate of the CCP to administer the National Artist Awards as well as the privileges and
honors to National Artists.

Executive Order No. 236 s. 2003, otherwise known as the Honors Code of the Philippines,
conferred additional prestige on the National Artist Award by raising it to the level of a Cultural
Order, fourth in precedence among the orders and decorations that comprise the Honors of the
Philippines, and equal in rank to the Order of National Scientists and the Gawad sa Manlilikha
ng Bayan. The National Artist Award was thereby renamed the Order of National Artists (Orden
ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining). This reflected the consensus among government
cultural agencies and the artistic community that the highest possible international prestige and
recognition should be given our National Artists. Section 5 of EO 236 stated the President may
confer the Order of National Artists “upon the recommendation of the Cultural Center of the
Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).”

Executive Order No. 435, s. 2005 amended Section 5 (IV) of EO 236, giving the President the
power to name National Artists without need of a recommendation, relegating the NCCA and
the CCP to mere advisory bodies that may or may not be heeded. This expanded President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s flexibility to proclaim National Artists at her discretion, which led to
the controversy of 2009 and the subsequent intervention of the Supreme Court by issuing a
status quo ante order against the awardees that year.

In May 2009, four recommendations were sent to President Arroyo by the Secretariat. President
Arroyo issued proclamations on July 2009 for three, excluding for one nominee, Ramon P.
Santos.

In addition, President Arroyo issued proclamations for four individuals who were not
recommended, namely, Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, Francisco T. Mañosa, Magno Jose J. Caparas,
and Jose “Pitoy” Moreno. These four artists have not been vetted and deliberated upon by the
Secretariat.

As a result, the majority of living national artists (Almario, Lumbera, et. al.) filed a petition
questioning President Arroyo’s abuse of her discretion by proclaiming as national artists
individuals (Guidote-Alvarez, Caparas, Mañosa, and Moreno) who have not gone through the
rigorous screening and selection process of the NCCA and the CCP.

In July 2013, the Supreme Court, in the case of Almario vs the Executive Secretary (GR No.
189028, July 16, 2013), invalidated President Arroyo’s proclamations of four national artists. It
decided that, as the source of all honors, the President has the discretion to reject or approve
nominees. However, the President does not have the discretion to amend the list by adding
names that did not go through the NCCA-CCP process. The discretion is confined to the names
submitted by the NCCA and CCP.
From 2009 until 2011, in the absence of any resolution by the Supreme Court, the Secretariat
had the impression that they may not process any future nominations. The Order of the National
Artists is supposed to be proclaimed every three years.

When the Secretariat consulted the Office of the Solicitor General, clarification was provided.
The Supreme Court’s status quo ante order only applied to the batch of 2009 nominees.
Therefore, upon the advice of the Solicitor General, the Secretariat decided to once more
proceed with the process.

Process of nomination and conferment of the Order

Criteria for the Order of National Artists

1. Living artists who are Filipino citizens at the time of 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;

2. Artists who, through the content and form of their works, have contributed in building a
Filipino sense of nationhood;

3. Artists who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus earning distinction
and making an impact on succeeding generations of artists;

4. Artists who have created a substantial and significant body of work and/or consistently
displayed excellence in the practice of their art form thus enriching artistic expression or style;
and

5. 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.

Those submitting nominations for National Artist must submit the following:

• A cover letter from the nominating organization. The cover letter shall be accompanied by a
Board Resolution approving the nomination concerned with the said resolution signed by the
organization President and duly certified by the Board Secretary.

• A duly accomplished nomination form;

• A detailed curriculum vitae of the nominee;

• A list of the nominee’s significant works categorized according to the criteria;

• The latest photograph (color or black and white) of the nominee, either 5″ x 7″ or 8″ x 11″;

• Pertinent information materials on the nominee’s significant works (on CDs, VCDs and DVDs);

• Copies of published reviews; and

• Any other document that may be required.

To the following addresses:

The NATIONAL ARTIST AWARD SECRETARIAT Office of the Artistic Director Cultural Center
of the Philippines Roxas Boulevard, 1300 Pasay City

The NATIONAL ARTIST AWARD SECRETARIAT Office of the Deputy Executive Director
National Commission for Culture and the Arts 633 General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila

A member of the Order of National Artists are granted the following honors and
privileges:

1. The rank and title of National Artist, as proclaimed by the President of the Philippines;

2. The insignia of a National Artist and a citation;

3. A lifetime emolument and material and physical benefits comparable in value to those
received by the highest officers of the land such as:

a. a cash award of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00) net of taxes, for living
awardees;

b. a cash award of Seventy Five Thousand Pesos (P75,000.00) net of taxes, for posthumous
awardees, payable to legal heir/s;

c. a monthly life pension, medical and hospitalization benefits;

d. life insurance coverage for Awardees who are still insurable;

e. a state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani;

f. a place of honor, in line with protocular precedence, at national state functions, and
recognition at cultural events.

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ARCHITECTURE