CARLO J. CAPARAS

Calling his detractors “elitist snobs,” writer-director Carlo J. Caparas is unyielding in his position on his conferment as a National Artist of the Philippines.

“I deserve this award. These people - those who keep on clucking like chickens over [the award] - they are all ‘political slaves’,” he said during a press conference held Aug. 7 at the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) offices..

“They are just using me to hit at the president [Arroyo].”

Not a few derided Caparas’ conferment, deeming him “undeserving”.

Caparas said he doesn’t understand his critics, which included singer-composer Jim Paredes, actor-director Leo Martinez and writer-illustrator Gerry Alanguilan.

“These people are making it appear as if I asked for [the award]… I didn’t ask for it.

“They also say that the president went through the selection blindly by picking me…it is so unfair…the president saw my hard work…saw how much I contributed to society through the arts…through my work… and decided to give me the award.

“What’s wrong with that?”

Past National Artist awardees called on Malacañang on Aug. 6 to withdraw its proclamation of Caparas in this year’s crop.

In a press conference at the University of the Philippines Film Center, National Artists for Literature Virgilio Almario and Bienvenido Lumbera said the names of Caparas, and that of Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, should be stricken off the list of the 2009 National Artists.

The choice of Alvarez as National Artist for Theater is “wrong,” they said, because she heads the NCCA which administers the awards along with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

They added that Caparas is unworthy because he did not draw any of his famous "komiks" stories, including “Panday” and “Totoy Bato.”

Caparas was a joint awardee together with painter Federico Aguilar Alcuaz for this year’s National Artist for Visual Arts plum.

Almario and Lumbera also assailed Caparas’ “massacre movies” as “unimportant”.

A big issue here, they said, is that as national artist, the two will receive “monetary rewards.”

A national artist will receive the sum of P100,000 upon awarding, a monthly stipend of P24,000, a million-peso project grant for a year, among other benefits. 

“These are public funds and it would be a waste if these are spent on those who don’t deserve the award,” NCCA commissioner Elmar Beltran Ingles said.

NCCA Chair and Education Undersecretary Vilma Labrador defended Caparas and Guidote-Alvarez.

“[Critics] should not put any political color to this,” Labrador said during the same press conference.

“A Presidential Award is given by the President. Why are we questioning her powers? The president does her selection with great deliberation…she studies these things carefully.”

She said the NCCA would not withdraw its recommendations, and that it was up to each  National Artists to reject their proclamation.

“Yes, it’s true, there are a lot of [other] qualified persons, but Cecile and Carlo are also qualified,” she said. “If their critics would only consider their qualifications—baka manliit sila.”

Labrador said Alvarez and Caparas, “passed the criteria” to be proclaimed National Artists.

“Sometimes there are people who simply ignore the credentials or greatness of some persons because of some personal agenda ... If they look at the credentials, they’d know the selection is valid,” she said.

“I don’t know why these people are doing this to me…it saddens me that our industry had been invaded by elitists…sectoral artists who refuse to see the merits of my work only because I came from the masses,” Caparas says.

Caparas said that through his work in TV, film and comics, he was able to provide employment to hundreds of Filipinos.

“Until today, my works have been sustaining a great sector of our ailing industry. I ask this question of other National Artists: Have you helped anyone in your work? I did. I helped so many. Not only did my works entertain, it also provided jobs for many.”