This is in reference to Elmar Beltran Ingles? article titled ?Of truth, honor and ?delicadeza,? or how to bake your cake and eat it, too? (Inquirer, 8/10/11/09), particularly that portion subtitled ?Compelled.? I would like to clarify that the NCCA (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) Secretariat was never ?compelled? by anyone.
Since the article was ?Of truth,? I write to give a truthful account of what transpired with regard to the tarpaulin banners. In the afternoon of July 29, 2009, Wilyan Maglente of the NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office announced that Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, NCCA executive director, had been proclaimed by President Macapagal-Arroyo National Artist for Theater. Following customary practice and SOP, I, as NCCA chief administrative officer, immediately requested the NCCA graphic artist to design a tarpaulin congratulating Ms Alvarez. Since it was a presidential award, I had two pieces made, one for the lobby and one for the façade. The two tarpaulins were hung the following day, July 30, 2009, per my instruction.
I don?t know where Ingles got the information that the NCCA Secretariat was ?compelled? to be present at a meeting a day before the board meeting to congratulate the executive director because no meeting was held whatsoever for such purpose on July 30, 2009. The only meeting held that day was a meeting of the NCCA-PMED, Finance with the members of the National Museum regarding a project funded by the NCCA. The chair, myself, the chief accountant and a representative from the Planning, Policy Formulation and Programming Division just made a courtesy call to the executive director to congratulate her.
?MARLENE RUTH S. SANCHEZ,
chief administrative officer,
National Commission
for Culture and the Arts,
633 General Luna St., Intramuros, Manila
The author of the article is an elected member of the NCCA Board. As an NCCA insider, he has sources in the NCCA Secretariat. Ms Sanchez misses the point and betrays the blasé attitude of the NCCA bureaucracy toward the National Artist row.
?LITO B. ZULUETA,
Lifestyle arts and books subsection editor
