ARNOLD ALMACEN
A highly placed insider has told Inquirer Entertainment that it’s all systems go for the declaration of the newest batch of National Artists—which include architect Jose Ma. Zaragoza, poet Cirilo F. Bautista, choreographer Alice Reyes, composer Francisco F. Feliciano, komiks novelist Francisco V. Coching and actress-producer Nora Aunor.
These artists had undergone the stringent nomination process and received the coveted endorsement from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
There were rumors that Aunor had hit a minor snag, but the source said even that kink had been ironed out.
A petition requesting President Benigno Aquino to sign the proclamation was put up online.
Barring yet another unforeseen circumstance, it’s just a matter of time before NA finally becomes an NA, the source concluded. Bayani San Diego Jr.