University of the Philippines (UP) artists and cultural workers have joined the ranks of past recipients of the National Artist awards in protest of the selection of this year’s National Artist awardees, as they call for the immediate review of the law governing the awards.

In a statement, UP’s Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA) expressed strong exception on how the National Artists were named this year.OICA members who signed the statement were acting director Prof. Rubén D.F. Defeo, College of Music Dean Ramón Ma. Acoymo, College of Fine Arts Dean Florentina Colayco, College of Human Kinetics Dean Leilani Gonzalo, College of Home Economics Dean Adelaida Mayo, College of Arts and Letters Dean Elena Mirano, College of Architecture Dean José Danilo Silvestre, College of Mass Communication Dean Rolando Tolentino, Dr. Patrick Flores of the College of Arts and Letters, College of Fine Arts Prof. Cesar Hernando, Dr. Gerard Rey Lico of College of Architecture, and Asian Institute of Tourism Prof. Evangeline Ortiz.

They pointed out that the spirit of the process was not upheld in the final selection of the awardees, noting that “national artists deserve a process equal to their stature.”

The honors committee created by Malacañang acted over and above the boards of Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, which jointly select the National Artists awardees.

“The art community judiciously took part in this exercise, with the hope that an even-handed process would produce truly worthy National Artists. This good faith in government has been subverted,” they said.

“It has made us distrust any effort to involve us in what may ultimately turn out to be a charade, or a farce in fact,” they added.

Malacañang said it is respectful of the decision of top Filipino artists to “express their sentiments” over the non-inclusion of their bets in this year’s National Artists awards.

Several artists led a demonstration at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to protest 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).

“We respect the sentiments of these artists, but in protesting they are also hurting the sentiments of other artists,” Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said in an interview, shortly after the signing of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) extension with Reform (CARPer) Bill or the Republic Act 9700 at the Don Jose Mariano Park in Plaridel, Bulacan.

The protesters further pointed out that the selection process was “totally amiss — unethical, dishonest, morally bereft, and abusive — that those who oversaw the process ended up being honored and reaping the gains of their own auspice.”

The UP workforce particularly noted the power of the President “to supersede the judgment of art’s public sphere and the unbecoming conduct of those in the civil service who are sworn to transcend conflicts of interest and defend democratic ideals.”

Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro “Teddy” Casino underscored the need for Congress to come up with measures aimed at limiting the President’s power to choose National Artists following the controversy over this year’s set of awardees.