I suggest that Atty. Kapunan et al should push on with this legal remedy once they receive the official notice of the proclamation, since the reason we're raising a howl after all is to stop an illegal act, let alone an immoral one, dead in its tracks. In other words, the goal should be to declare the act of adding four names, and striking off another, illegal. This should have been done a long time ago, when President Ramos started messing with the process and we allowed an illegal act to continue and become a tradition (perhaps due to ignorance or polite deference or just plain laziness on our part -- "Let it be since it's just one name after all."). We're just now reaping the whirlwind. However, we've learned our lesson, and are now prepared to make amends by slaying the monster that our sin of omission has become.

For more details, and for a complete outline of my position, please read my article Thoughts on Media in Focus' Episode on the National Artist Controversy , including the comments.

Best,
Dino Manrique
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