MANILA, Philippines?The horror! The horror!

Filipino students may have to sit through Carlo J. Caparas? films such as ?Vizconde Massacre: God Have Mercy on Us? and the ?The Marita Gonzaga Rape-Slay: In God We Trust? because President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has named him National Artist for Visual Arts and Film.

Singer-songwriter Jim Paredes and comedian Leo Martinez said the films of the self-styled Filipino master of massacre movies would be required viewing for students since the state was compelled to promote the ?great works? of its National Artists.

The government normally spends P1 million a year to promote the works of each National Artist nationwide, according to Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño. He said the amount was on top of the P100,000 a National Artist gets (P50,000 for posthumous awards) and P24,000 a month.

?I think President Arroyo should sit through a 24-hour movie marathon of Caparas films before naming him national artist and junking the selection process altogether,? Paredes said after a press conference at the House of Representatives Monday.

Artists in House

Paredes and Martinez, along with National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, Carlos Siguion Reyna and a number of arts and culture workers, went to the House to seek its help in blocking the naming of Caparas and three others as National Artists in Proclamations No. 1823 and No. 1829. Ms Arroyo signed the proclamations on July 6.

The three others are Presidential Adviser on Culture Cecilia Guidote Alvarez for theater, Francisco Mañosa for architecture, and Jose ?Pitoy? Moreno for fashion design.

The protesters said the President dropped composer Ramon Santos from the official list endorsed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and instead proclaimed Caparas, Alvarez, Mañosa and Moreno as National Artists.

Casiño said he would seek a House inquiry into the controversy aimed at legislating guidelines to check abuses and political favoritism in the selection of national artists.

Lumbera said the proclamation would only take effect upon receipt of the President?s order by the CCP and the NCCA.

Court injunction

Should Ms Arroyo stick to her decision, Lumbera said the artists? group would seek a court injunction to suspend the proclamation of Caparas, Alvarez, Mañosa and Moreno as National Artists.

?The President should have just confirmed our recommendations. Instead, she added four names that did not pass through the process. Our protest is directed toward the observance of the process,? Lumbera said.

Siguion-Reyna said the President should have left alone the selection of National Artists to the peer group because she had the option anyway of conferring a presidential merit on her favorite director or tailor. (Caparas already has one).

Dolphy, Celso

Martinez said the President could have chosen either comedian Dolphy and director Celso Ad Castillo as National Artist for visual arts and film because they were considered in the selection process along with eventual winner Manuel Conde instead of Caparas.

?This is based on the quality of a person?s body of works and not on the highest grossing films,? Martinez said.

At the end of the press conference, Paredes said that if the artists? group would allow the President to have her way, ?there is no stopping her from naming (Pampanga Rep.) Mikey Arroyo a National Artist.?

Outraged

Even artists in the provinces were shocked and outraged by Ms Arroyo?s choices.

Nina Tesoro Poblador, an arts and culture enthusiast and co-owner of restaurant Kusina Salud in San Pablo City in Laguna province, said she was ?disappointed and outraged.?

?It is [already] so hard to get the rest [of the people] into arts and GMA (Ms Arroyo) belittles it. The whole process was demeaned,? said Poblador, daughter of Tanghalang Pilipino at the CCP founder Tito Tesoro and fashion designer Patis Tesoro,

She said she was concerned about the impact of the controversy on the National Artist awards.

She noted that Alvarez, who was recognized for her contributions to theater, was ?kicked out? of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) that she herself founded.

Poblador said her mother was even more surprised with the results.

She said Tesoro was asked to defend the late Jo Salazar, who like Moreno, was nominated for this year?s selection.

?Both Pitoy and Jo were nominated but Pitoy did not make it in the shortlist, whereas Jo did. Pitoy received the award,? she said.

Jay Herrera, who is into theater and film making, said he was ?shocked? when he heard that Caparas was chosen.

?There are others who are more deserving. I?m not saying that he is not but what about Peque Gallaga and others?? said Herrera, also owner of Kinabuhayan Café in Dolores, Quezon. With Inquirer Southern Luzon