EVEN before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo named him National Artist for Fashion Design, there had been controversy over José ?Pitoy? Moreno?s selection. Was he being honored for his creative work, or for his fashion shows abroad, extensive list of foreign VIP clients, self-published coffee-table books and scholarships?

Is his newly minted status a triumph of quantity over quality?

Moreno dismisses such talk like the proverbial water running off a duck?s back. A few days after receiving news of his award, his attitude was business-as-usual, as he sat down with Philippine Daily Inquirer.

How old are you now?

I?m not sure if I?m 79.

If your life were a river, how would you describe its course?

In the flow [of life], there are flowers and birds around it. I?ve been very lucky. I?ve had 103 shows, 43 of them abroad.

When was the last time you cried?

Lately, when they gave me the honor. It was a beautiful gesture of the government. Not that I don?t expect it. At least my work was recognized.

What was your reaction when the news you got the National Artist Award finally sunk in?

I got scared. Baka may gulo-gulo [there?s trouble]. They might attack me. You know how Filipinos are.

Who in particular would savage you?

People who don?t believe in me. There are some who just contradict people. I keep quiet. I don?t bother. Many times they make remarks that are painful for me, I?d rather close my door.

What has been the most painful thing somebody has told you?

I?d rather forget.

How do you handle criticism? In the ?50s and ?60s, National Artist Ramon Valera called you copione.

It didn?t bother me at all. In fact, I went to his wake (1972). I don?t want to hit. I have a bad temper. I just let go of the things that he did to me. I don?t know if he felt I was very competitive, but I admired his work. I feel so much when people hit me. There are times I hit back. As much as possible, I try not to get entangled. That?s why I?ve survived it all. I don? let things bother me.

Some tongues wag that you don?t make good clothes. That your fitting is far from desirable, or that somebody else designs for you.

That?s to be expected. But when people see, they say, ?Ay, how nice!? This is talk started by people who don?t like me. All designers have problems with fitting. I?m not the only one ? like one woman could be very stout. I?m sure all designers have problems with women who don?t have perfect figures. Why make an issue of it? You accept when you have faults. I went through all that. I don?t want to deal with pressures from these people. I can?t be perfect. Nobody is.

Have you made amends with your enemies like doctor-art connoisseur Teyet Pascual?

Yes, only last week. I tapped him on the shoulder then I disappeared. It was in the wake of one of our first models.

What caused your rift which lasted for over a decade?

I don?t know exactly, but he was mean to me. I highly respected him. He was one of my best friends. We were together with Imelda Marcos. Sometimes he would say something, but I hope he didn?t mean it. But then I hit back. I?m like that.

You don?t have enemies anymore?

I just laugh them off so I don?t get involved. You are in a ticklish business. But I have a lot of friends who will defend. They?ve protected me.

What about your rivalry with Ben Farrales?

I never had problems with designers. I have many groups of friends. I can?t join them all the time.

In all the social events, weddings, glossy magazines, people are patronizing younger designers. How do you feel about that?

It?s okay. I can?t tackle those things. Fashion has to be in the hands of other designers. I can?t afford to make so many clothes [at one time].

You don?t feel bad that once upon a time, you were in the limelight? Now it?s the new guard?

No problem for me. Thank God. Instead of making 100, I will make only 14 gowns. Every weekend I?d suffer. Either my clothes are not yet finished or there are problems here and there. I?m not a selfish man. I never complain about what other designers do. I never criticize. That?s their own idea. I?m not an angel, though.

Who are your clients today?

My loyal clients ? usually the old families and friends. I still get a lot of [orders for] weddings and important occasions. That?s why I can afford to put up fashion shows if people tap me. Gloria (Arroyo) calls for shows in Malacañang. It?s not only Gloria, but also Ms Marcos.

You?ve dressed up First Couples since the Carlos Garcia administration. Do you dress up the First Gentleman in your barong (he?s partial to Ermenegildo Zegna suits though)?

Oo [Yes]. Not all the time... Even the former first ladies still come over.

Did your award have something to do with your longtime relationship with the Macapagals? You dressed up Doña Eva Macapagal when she was first lady and you made the barongs of President Diosdado Macapagal.

No. Once she (GMA) became president, mayroon ng harang (there was a cordon sanitaire). Although in very important occasions she has to ask me ? because my shows are beautiful.

You?re the only designer who has the distinction of having a gala (Golden Years of the Art and Life of Moreno, 2004) at the Cultural Center of the Philippines? Main Theater.

All my fashion shows are fund drives.

Will you produce a fashion show this year?

A foreign couple came over. The husband is disabled. They want a fund drive to raise awareness. I said yes. I told them don?t pay me a single centavo. But then some things came up. It?s supposed to be on December 1, Christmastime. Maguguluhan ako (I will be overwhelmed). Besides, the proposed venue is too small. I said they should transfer to another venue. You have to protect yourself.

In all my shows abroad, I go to the venue first and check everything... You must prepare for everything ? transportation, food, fees of the models. I don?t allow anybody else (to handle it). Follow it or nothing. You don?t pay me, but do what I want. I see to it everything is planned. Did you know I had a fashion show on an airplane?

Yes, ?Fashion on Wings? onboard Philippine Airlines in the ?60s. Nobody else has done it. Your bride wore a long train along the aisle.

The models dressed in the cubicles. I also had another show on Korean Airlines from Seoul to Paris. I even had a show in Russia twice in their theaters. Some were publicized, others forgotten.

What year was that?

You ask such questions that I have to think again and again.

Describe your typical day.

I wake up at 7 a.m. I attend to my designing and my little sidelines like houses here or there. These are my means of livelihood. When you invest in something, you see to it that it?s well-protected. I don?t know how to manage money. Then I have luncheons and I go to a lot of parties. Today I have four socials.

You?ve never had a love life?

I love a lot of my friends.

How about sex life?

No, I?d rather not get involved. It?s something I don?t understand.

Who have been the biggest influences in your life?

I don?t want to brag.

How do you see yourself in the next five years?

Helping more people.

You already have your J. Moreno Foundation that provides scholarships for deserving students from the UP School of Fine Arts and the College of Medicine.

They?ve been going on for 20 years. I support 10 scholars from each college. I get annoyed with them. I ask them to write a thank-you letter to Imelda Cojuangco. She has nothing to do with UP. She?s just my friend. I ask her if she?d like to make a donation. She?s been giving all these years. I don?t want people to be ungrateful. One of my scholars who has been to the States visited me. She said her mother was just a labandera (laundry woman) from the province. She could not afford to send her children to school, UP especially. For me, that was enough.

How do you stay young?

Do I look young? I?m just short. I don?t bother about problems. But when I feel hurt, I cry when somebody dies or is mistreated.

But when people criticize you, you don?t care. Right?

I can criticize if I want to. But I don?t. Burden.