The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) on Thursday defended the last minute inclusion of some names for the newly conferred National Artist awards as it denied that the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) was not consulted in the selection of the awardees.

NCCA chairman Wilma Labrador, also education undersecretary, said that they never violated any laws in choosing the awardees. He added that they are all qualified in choosing the winners.

Filipino artists are expected to hold a protest action today over the last-minute inclusion of award-winning director Carlo Caparas and Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, executive director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and also the founder of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) at the CCP grounds.

Labrador said that the NCCA and CCP helped in the process, but their mandate in the selection is only “recommendatory.”

She said the President’s decision to include some names was based on the recommendation of other sectors which consistently endorsed the nominees.

She explained that the nomination of famous comedian Dolphy was not included in the second phase of the selection not because he is a friend of late actor Fernando Poe Jr., but because no one has sent his nomination for such screening.

The NCCA chief also revealed that Alvarez was about to resign last April, but she did not accept her resignation letter.

“Hindi sana mangyayari ito kung pinayagan ko sya na magresign,” Labrador said, as she maintained that they will not recommend the withdrawal of such awards.