DOLPHY

Someone has written to the Inquirer saying Dolphy cannot qualify to the national artist award because he lacks morality, having sired 18 children all out of wedlock.  The writer says Dolphy cannot therefore be considered a role model.

In this country, negative reactions often end up very contagious.   I earnestly hope the said letter will not start a series of negative opinions, like dengue, about Dolphy's qualifications for the award.

Truth is, nobody may question Dolphy's philandering history.  Unfortunately -- and rightly or wrongly -- the duly prescribed criteria for the selection of national artists do not include, in fact they do not mention a bit about, the candidate's morality or immorality.  Here are the criteria:

1. The artist must be a Filipino citizen.
2. The content or form of his works must have contributed in building a Filipino sense of nationhood.
3. The artist was a pioneer in his field, with a particular unique style, and proved influential on later   generations of artists.
4. He must have been consistently outstanding in the practice of his art form, consistently honing artistic expression and style.
5.  He must have achieved wide acceptance and distinction in his field as shown by any of the following:
          *  the artist's prestigious national and/or international recognition and awards;
          *  critical acclaim and/or reviews of his work, and
          *  respect and esteem from peers within an artistic discipline.

Now, who can rightly say Dolphy does not possess all of these qualifications?