Press Release
March 14, 2009

Gordon supports Francis M nomination for national artist

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today expressed support to calls by some quarters to nominate the late Francis Magalona as the next national artist as he expressed sympathy and sincere condolences on his death.

In filing Senate Resolution 933, Gordon commended Francis M.. for his patriotism articulated in his songs and exhibited in his art, through painting, photography and fashion, for which he should be named the next National Artist of the country.

"Through the content and form of his works, Francis M. made significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the country and in building a Filipino sense of nationhood," he said.

"Francis M. should be named National Artist for Music, having satisfied the criteria for the grant of this prestigious award," he added.

The 44-year-old Filipino "Master Rapper" was diagnosed with leukemia last year. He died last March 6 at 12:20 p.m. at the Medical City hospital in Pasig City .

Francis M. was the pioneer in hip-hop or rap music in the country, being the first to release albums in this music genre in 1990 which ushered in the advent of other rap artists who expressed themselves and entertained the public through this kind of music.

Some sectors moved for Francis M.'s nomination as a National Artist but it was stalled and would have to wait for the next round of nominations since the National Commission on Culture and Arts said the nomination for the next set of National Artist awardees is already closed..

The NCCA explained that the nominations for this year are already in and the voting will start next month. According to NCCA guidelines, nominations received beyond the announced deadline for the submission of nominations shall not be considered.

Gordon stressed that Francis M. not only entertained the public through his songs, but he also expressed his patriotism through them, thus uniting Filipinos and giving them, especially the youth, a sense of identity.

"The late 1980s to the early 1990s were times of uncertainty for the entire nation, having been recently under the clutches of a dictatorship which left the country and millions of our countrymen devastated and divided," he said.

"It was at this moment in our history when Francis M. entered the entertainment industry and began giving hope and identity to Filipino who were then at a loss as to who they were and what their role was in society," he added.

News Latest News Feed