09/09/2026
2025 National Artists
Malacañang has named 10 National Artists for 2025 under Proclamation No. 1414, according to a Sept. 9 report by The Varsitarian, the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas.
The list includes architect Gabriel P. Formoso, dancer Rafael “Nonoy” Catalino Froilan, fashion designer Maria Beatriz “Patis” Fabella Pamintuan Tesoro, filmmaker Armando “Bing” Lao, writer Gregorio C. Brillantes, theater scholar Nicanor G. Tiongson, composer Alfredo S. Buenaventura, theater lighting designer Teodoro L. Hilado, visual artist Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, and visual artist Nunelucio M. Alvarado.
Moments before The Varsitarian’s report, a copy of the proclamation circulated on Facebook.
The document includes a transmittal letter dated Sept. 2 and marked received by the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Sept. 4. It was addressed to CCP President and CEO Kaye Tinga and signed by Atty. Katrisha Analine B. Kok, Director IV of the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Support Services.
The letter reads: “I have the honor to transmit for your information and guidance, a certified copy of Proclamation No. 1414 dated September 1, 2026 entitled ‘Declaring Gabriel P. Formoso (posthumous), Rafael "Nonoy" Catalino Froilan, Maria Beatriz "Patis" Fabella Pamintuan Tesoro, Armando "Bing" Lao (posthumous), Gregorio C. Brillantes (posthumous), Nicanor G. Tiongson, Alfredo S. Buenaventura, Teodoro L. Hilado (posthumous), Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, and Nunelucio M. Alvarado, as National Artists for 2025. Thank you.’”
Formoso designed some of the country’s most recognizable postwar buildings, including the Asian Institute of Management and the former Bank of America-Lepanto Building.
Froilan elevated and popularized male ballet in the country.
Tesoro reinvented indigenous textiles, turning the traditional terno, piña, and native embroidery into modern fashion masterpieces. In radar’s November 2025 Convergence feature on piña fiber, “How Patis Tesoro turned piña into the ‘fabric of forever,’” she discussed the fabric’s role in preserving Filipino identity, sustaining traditional craftsmanship, and passing the art on to future generations.
Lao pioneered the “Found Story” in Philippine indie cinema, a technique capturing raw, unmanipulated real-life human experiences.
Brillantes was a master of the short story, whose elegant, lyrical prose grappled with existentialism, alienation, spirituality, and moral ambiguity.
Tiongson helped define how Filipinos understand theater, film, and popular culture, and served as editor-in-chief of the landmark CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art.
Buenaventura was best known for major orchestral and operatic works that wove Filipino history, epics, folk legends, and indigenous melodies into classical Western musical forms.
Hilado helped establish lighting design as a creative force in Philippine theater and transformed local stage lighting into a high-art form.
Cajipe-Endaya is known for politically and socially engaged paintings, prints, and installations exploring women’s lives, Filipino identity, history, migration, and human rights.
Alvarado has built a body of socially conscious work rooted in Negros, depicting workers, coastal communities, and the realities of life in the Visayas.
The list comprises two women and eight men, with three of the 10 honorees receiving the recognition posthumously.
National Artists receive the following benefits:
🏅 A gold-plated medallion crafted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
🏅 ₱200,000 cash award for living awardees and ₱150,000 for posthumous recipients, net of tax
🏅 ₱50,000 monthly lifetime stipend
🏅 Up to ₱750,000 medical and hospitalization benefits per year
🏅 Lifetime insurance coverage for insurable awardees
🏅 State funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani
🏅 Place of honor at national state functions and cultural events
(✍️: radar Lifestyle)
