LThe newly declared National Artists are Gabriel “Gabby” Formoso in the field of architecture and allied arts; Rafael “Nonoy” Froilan in dance; Maria Beatriz “Patis” Tesoro in design; Armando “Bing” Lao in film and broadcast arts; Gregorio C. Brillantes and Nicanor G. Tiongson in literature; Alfredo S. Buenaventura in music; Teodoro L. Hilado in theater; and Imelda Cajipe-Endaya and Nunelucio M. Alvarado in visual arts. Formoso, Lao, Brillantes and Hilado received the recognition posthumously.

The conferment ceremony is yet to be determined.

With 10 honorees, the 2025 class surpasses the nine National Artists declared in 1997, the previous largest group named in one cycle. The addition of the new awardees brings the roster of National Artists from 81 to 91.

The batch also marks another milestone: Cajipe-Endaya becomes the first woman to be proclaimed National Artist in the field of visual arts.

Meanwhile, Hilado is the first to be recognized primarily for theater lighting. Previous theater honorees included actors, directors, playwrights and production designer Salvador Bernal. Hilado’s recognition places lighting and technical theater — often working behind the scenes — at the center stage. Froilan is the first to be recognized principally for male ballet performance.

This new batch represents a remarkable breadth of Philippine creativity — from buildings that shaped the postwar metropolis and lighting that transformed the Philippine stage to ballet, fashion, music, literature, cinema, and visual art rooted in feminism, social struggle, and regional experience.

The nation’s highest recognition for the arts

Jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Order of National Artist, or Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining, is conferred on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts and culture. They are recognized for their substantial and significant bodies of work, pioneering contributions to their respective fields, sustained artistic excellence, and role in developing Filipino nationhood and cultural identity.

The selection of National Artists undergoes a rigorous process. Nominations submitted by qualified organizations and institutions are reviewed for completeness, after which a research group verifies and expands the information on each nominee. The candidates then pass through three levels of deliberation: evaluation by a Council of Experts; further review by a Jury of Experts; and final deliberation by the NCCA Board of Commissioners, CCP Board of Trustees, and living National Artists. Voting is conducted by secret ballot, and nominees who receive more than half of the votes at the final level are endorsed to the Office of the President for confirmation, proclamation and conferral.

The honor carries the rank and title of National Artist, a medallion and citation, financial and medical benefits for living awardees, a place of honor at state functions, and a state funeral upon death. Posthumous honors are received by the awardees’ families or legal heirs.

The new National Artists

The recognition of the new National Artists affirms the many ways artists help build a nation — not only by creating enduring works, but also by preserving traditions, mentoring younger practitioners, establishing institutions, and finding new forms through which Filipinos can understand themselves and their place in history.

Gabriel “Gabby” Formoso (1915-1996) was a leading figure in postwar Philippine architecture and tropical modernism. His climate-responsive designs combined modernist simplicity with deep overhangs, recessed windows, and natural ventilation. His major works include the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Main Complex, Asian Institute of Management, Manila Peninsula Hotel, Philippine National Bank Financial Center, Bank of America-Lepanto Building and Pacific Star Building. Through the firm now known as GF and Partners Architects, Formoso also helped professionalize architectural practice and mentored succeeding generations of Filipino architects.

The honor carries the rank and title of National Artist, a medallion and citation, financial and medical benefits for living awardees, a place of honor at state functions, and a state funeral upon death. Posthumous honors are received by the awardees’ families or legal heirs.

Rafael “Nonoy” Catalino Froilan is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and actor who helped establish dance as a viable profession for Filipino men. As principal male dancer of Ballet Philippines for about two decades, he performed more than a hundred leading roles in classical, modern and contemporary works. He distinguished himself in productions by National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes, including Amada, Itim Asu, Ang Sultan, Carmen, Rama Hari and Carmina Burana. Froilan also served as a longtime faculty member of the Philippine High School for the Arts, training and mentoring younger generations of dancers.

Maria Beatriz “Patis” Fabella Pamintuan Tesoro, known as the Grand Dame of Philippine Fashion, has devoted more than half a century to preserving and reimagining Filipiniana. Tesoro elevated the terno, Maria Clara gown and barong Tagalog through her use of piña, jusi, abaca, cotton and traditional embroidery. Working closely with weavers, embroiderers, farmers, and other craftspeople, she promoted indigenous materials, sustainable practices, and the continued transmission of traditional knowledge. Her work brought Philippine textiles and craftsmanship to local and international audiences while supporting and providing livelihoods for artisan communities.

Armando “Bing” Lao (1948-2024) was a screenwriter, director, creative consultant and mentor who contributed significantly to the development of contemporary Philippine cinema. His notable works include Takaw Tukso, Itanong Mo sa Buwan, Pila Balde, Tuhog, La Vida Rosa, Minsan Pa, Kubrador, Serbis and Kinatay. He also directed Biyaheng Lupa and Dukit. Lao developed the influential “Found Story” approach to filmmaking, which emphasized research, immersion, actual locations and social environment. Through his workshops and mentorship, he influenced a generation of independent Filipino filmmakers.

Gregorio C. Brillantes (1932-2025) was one of the country’s foremost writers of the short story in English. Born in Camiling, Tarlac, he explored faith, memory, mortality, war, and middle-class Filipino life with philosophical depth and formal precision. Among his most celebrated stories are “The Distance to Andromeda” and “Faith, Love, Time and Dr. Lazaro.” Brillantes also had a long career as a journalist and editor. His works have been included in major anthologies, translated into several languages and studied by generations of readers and scholars.

Nicanor G. Tiongson is a playwright, scholar, critic, editor, teacher and cultural administrator known for his extensive work in Philippine theater and cultural studies. He championed traditional dramatic forms such as the komedya, sinakulo and sarsuwela and demonstrated their continuing artistic and historical importance. His plays include Pilipinas Circa 1907, Realizing Rama, Labaw Donggon, Ang Banog ng Sanlibutan and Mabining Mandirigma. Tiongson also conceptualized and led the production of the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, a comprehensive reference on the country’s artistic traditions, practices and practitioners.

Alfredo S. Buenaventura is a composer, conductor, educator and cultural advocate who created more than a thousand musical works. His compositions encompass operas, operettas, symphonies, concertos, ballets, masses and pieces for choirs, bands and rondallas. He combined Western classical forms with Philippine legends, folk melodies, and indigenous musical materials. His opera Maria Makiling received the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1964, while his Kayumanggi Symphony received the same distinction in 1972. As an educator, Buenaventura taught in numerous universities and conservatories and helped train generations of Filipino musicians.

Teodoro L. Hilado (1938-2015), regarded as the “Father of Theater Lighting in the Philippines,” elevated lighting design into an essential part of theatrical storytelling. Hilado worked with many of the country’s professional dance and theater companies. As technical director of the Folk Arts Theater and director of the CCP Theater Operations Department, he introduced systems and professional standards that influenced the development of technical theater in the country. He also trained generations of lighting designers and theater technicians. In 1997, he became the first recipient of the Gawad CCP for Excellence in Lighting Design and Technical Theater.

Imelda Cajipe-Endaya is a feminist artist, printmaker, painter, installation artist, curator, writer and cultural organizer whose works brought women’s experiences and social concerns to the forefront of Philippine visual art. Through prints, paintings, assemblages, and installations, she has examined history, colonialism, national identity, faith, political struggle, and the condition of Filipino women. Her notable works include Mga Ninuno, May Bukas Pa, Inay, Sa Lupang Golgota and Pasyong Bayan. Cajipe-Endaya helped establish KASIBULAN, or Kababaihan sa Sining at Bagong Sibol na Kamalayan, a pioneering organization of Filipino feminist artists. She is the first woman to be declared National Artist for Visual Arts.

Nunelucio M. Alvarado is a social realist artist whose work is rooted in the communities and sugarlands of Negros. His recurring images of sakadas and sugarcane depict exploitation, hardship, resistance, survival and hope. Apart from painting, he produced posters, cartoons, and comics that made art and its social messages more accessible to ordinary people. Alvarado co-founded the Black Artists in Asia and became an important mentor and community organizer in Negros. He received the CCP Thirteen Artists Award in 1992 and won the grand prize at the Philippine Art Awards in 1997 and 1999.