of heroes and honor

I wish we don't give title so easily. Heroes fight for a cause bigger than themselves and their loved ones. They change the course of history and the forces that move it when all circumstances tell them it should go one way. With all due respect, what Aquino did was ride - and not without reluctance - on its tide, when millions of small heroes who bravely faced tanks and guns armed only with flowers and their faith, needed a clear, bright ink to write the history they were making.

Give Aquino all the honors she deserves, and give our heroes what's rightfully theirs and theirs alone.

***

Butch Dalisay was being polite when he insisted on TV that the issue is not with Carlo J. Caparas but with the National Artist selection process being compromised. As much as I'd like to think that is the case, I doubt if the protests would be this loud if he wasn't conferred as one. I also think that contrary to Dalisay's assertion, the selection process is not entirely devoid of dirty politics to begin with. Our creative community has a highly tribal nature, and awarding decisions are not immune to the asarans and inisans they get into during their inuman sessions. Cecille Alvarez has every reason to be paranoid: had she left Malacanang out, she can say goodbye to the award for good - there is talk she is not well-liked by our respected "artists", and there's no chance in Dante's hell that she would be nominated for the title without some external intervention.

But the divine comedy is in the tarpaulin-waving Caparas, who equates the title with box-office earnings and masa appeal. It doesn't matter that he had not won a single award for any of his works, nor a recognition of the literary values of the komiks na kanyang pinagpupuyatan at pinagpapaguran. His arguments remind me of Erap-talk, that philosophy where giving away grocery gift bags equate to good governance. If these will be our criteria, then by all means let's already give Lito Camo and Salbakuta the award for music.

***

They say every dark cloud has a silver lining, and this controversy brings to light an important discourse on the value and the subject of art. In a country where art lessons end with the color wheel chart, its great to see people talk about these things with equal airtime as anything Kris Aquino.

My sad prediction however, is that the awards will never recover from this controversy. Its a lose-lose situation - whether they revoke the awards (a very long shot) or not (Caparas receiving the honorifics forever).