Palace: No politics on national artist award for FPJ, please

Malacañang officials appealed yesterday to President Arroyo’s critics to refrain from questioning her decision to approve a recommendation by culture and arts officials to confer the rank of national artist on her late election rival, action film star Fernando Poe Jr.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Poe’s memory should be respected as he denied reports that the late movie icon might be stricken off the list of awardees.

Poe will be posthumously conferred the national artist for film title in ceremonies scheduled June 9 at Malacañang that also will pay tribute to five other national artists.

Ermita said Poe deserved the honor for his lifelong contribution to Philippine cinema, pointing out that it was a recommendation of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Malacañang had earlier announced that Mrs. Arroyo had approved the recommendation but confusion ensued after Bunye said the decision was not yet final.

Ermita explained that the necessary paperwork have yet to be signed by Mrs. Arroyo and that more names might be added to the list.

"No one is going to be removed. No one made a mistake. Maybe the release (of the information) was too early but we did not give and take back (the honor on Poe)," Ermita told reporters.

Poe died of a stroke on Dec. 14, 2004, six months after the tightly contested election that Mrs. Arroyo’s critics claim she stole. His widow, former movie star Susan Roces, has joined opposition rallies and accused Mrs. Arroyo of cheating to win the ballot.

The five other artists to be honored are Bienvenido Lumbera for literature, Ramon Obusan for dance, Benedicto Cabrera for visual arts, Ildefonso Santos for architecture and the late Ramon Valera for fashion design.

The Order of National Artist is the highest national recognition given to Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the arts.

It is jointly administered by the NCCA and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and conferred by the president upon their recommendation.

An awardee receives a medallion and citation, P100,000 for living awardees and P70,000 for posthumous awardees’ legal heirs, a monthly pension, medical benefits and a state funeral.

Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor earlier said the administration would not pose any objection to Poe’s nomination as national artist.

He appealed against speculation that the move was meant to appease the opposition, emphasizing that the honor was "an apolitical matter."

Poe filed an electoral protest against Mrs. Arroyo after the elections before the Supreme Court, which was junked after his death. — With Paolo Romero, Michael Punongbayan