Tony Mabesa Conferred as National Artist for Theater

Jun 11, 2022

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Tony Mabesa has just been conferred as a National Artist for Theater.

Mabesa established Dulaang UP in 1976 and the UP Playwrights Theatre in 1986. According to the UP Diliman website, he spearheaded the development of the theater arts curriculum at the university, which includes the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Master of Arts, and Certificate in Theatre Arts. He also directed and acted in hundreds of plays and films. Mabesa passed away in 2019.

This conferment for Tony Mabesa is the ninth to be awarded under the Theater category. He joins Daisy Avellana, Honorata “Atang” de la Rama, Rolando S. Tínio, Salvador F. Bernál, Lamberto V. Avellana, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, Severino Montano, and Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio.

New National Artists for 2022 also include Agnes Locsin for Dance, Salvacion Lim-Higgins for Design (Fashion), Nora Villamayor a.k.a Nora Aunor, Ricardo “Ricky” Lee and Marilou Diaz-Abaya for Film and Broadcast Arts, Gemino Abad for Literature, and Fides Cuyugan-Asensio for Music.

The Order of National Artists (Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining), established under Proclamation no. 1001 signed in 1972, is the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts, namely, Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Broadcast Arts, and Architecture and Allied Arts. The order is jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both institutions.

Tony Mabesa Conferred as National Artist for Theater