WHEREAS,
the arts and letters are under the patronage of the State, as embodied
in the Constitution;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, the arts and letters are truly reflective of the national
genius, in the manner that they are given expression by artists who can
retrieve, for the nation, what is true and what is beautiful in
Philippine culture;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Government to grant special privileges
to National Artists, in recognition of their contributions to the
cultural heritage of the country, as well as in encouragement of a
spirit of excellence in the arts and letters;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines,
by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution as
Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and
pursuant to Proclamation No. 1081 dated September 21, 1972, and General
Order No. 1 dated September 22, 1972, and in furtherance of
Proclamation No. 1144 dated May 15, 1973, do hereby order and decree:cralaw:red
The following privileges and honors, among others, shall henceforth be
made available to National Artists:cralaw:red
1. A cash award of ten thousand pesos (P10,000) upon
conferment of the award and decoration of National Artist;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
2. A life pension of two thousand pesos (P2,000)
payable monthly;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
3. Medical and hospitalization benefits;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
4. Coverage by a lifetime insurance policy in the
amount of fifty thousand pesos (P50,000) by the Government Service
Insurance System and/or private insurance companies from date of
conferment of the award, in the event the National Artist is insurable,
the premiums for which shall be paid by the National Government or by
donation from any governmental or private entities; chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
5. A place of honor in state functions, national
commemoration ceremonies and all other cultural presentations; and
6. A state funeral, the arrangements for and the
expenses of which shall be borne by the Government, upon the death of
the National Artist.
In addition, the National Artists Awards Committee, composed of the
members of the Board of Trustees of the Cultural Center of the
Philippines created to administer the Award and Decoration of National
Artist under Proclamation No. 1144 dated May 15, 1973, may authorize
the disbursement of funds for the travel expenses of National Artists
to and from the places where their works of art may be on official
exhibition, for the benefit of the Philippine public.
Any person who has been conferred the award and decoration of National
Artist shall, as a condition for the retention of such award and
decoration, and the privileges and honors decreed hereunder, remain a
citizen of the Philippines.
There is hereby created a Special Account in the annual General
Appropriations Act, with an initial appropriation of Five Hundred
Thousand Pesos which is hereby authorized to be appropriated out of any
funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to carry out
the purposes of this Decree. Thereafter, such sum as may be necessary
to replenish said Special Account shall be included in the annual
General Appropriation Act.
The National Artists Awards Committee shall make and supervise the
disbursement of funds in the Special Account: Provided, That the
disbursements shall be subject to audit by the Commission on Audit: And
provided, further, That a report of such disbursements shall be
submitted to the Office of the President of the Philippines once every
six months. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
This Decree is hereby made part of the law of the land and shall take
effect immediately.
Done in the City of Manila,
this 7th day of June, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and
seventy-three.
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