'Ex-Nat'l Artist': Kidlat Tahimik returns medallion in protest vs CHEd

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — National Artist of the Philippines for Film Kidlat Tahimik said Thursday that he is relinquishing his national artist status and returning his medallion as a symbol of protest against changes in college curriculum, which, according to him, pushed courses to make graduates more employable at the expense of the humanities and social sciences.

“You are witnesses to my act of protest,” Tahimik, whose real name is Eric de Guia, expressed as he raised his medallion in front of youth leaders at a forum in Teachers Camp.

The Baguio-based filmmaker, who was proclaimed national artist in 2018, had written Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Chair Shirley Agrupis to say he was relinquishing the title in protest of policies regarding the Reframed General Education Curriculum (RGEC).

Kidlat Tahimik: ‘Regression toward colonial education’

In his letter dated June 15, Tahimik said the RGEC seeks to produce students with “easy-to-quantify skills in job fairs,” but it’s “a regression backwards to our colonial-imposed education.”

READ: Academic groups oppose CHEd overhaul of GE curriculum

“Simply teach them the 3-‘R’s. Yes, the American slang for Reading, ‘Ritin n ‘Rithmetic by the good-intentioned Thomasites—for the little brown brothers in the new island possessions,” he said, referring to the American teachers sent to the Philippines in 1901 on the ship US Army Transport Thomas.

“To me, the total assimilation of Philippine education into this Thomasite philosophy was so successful, it continues today,” he added. “The colonial policy had a less visible aim—by homogenizing the youth for maximizing GDP [gross domestic product], the natives would also be easier to govern. And yes, easier to employ—by calibrating our islander kids’ brains toward ‘competitive competencies.’”

“I am surrendering my prestigious medallion of the Order of National Artists, and I will forgo my national artist’s amenities [monthly stipends, health care, a privilege to be buried in Libingan ng mga Bayani] as a sort of hunger strike,” Tahimik added, describing himself further as “ex-national artist.”

READ: GE curriculum shift moved to 2028

‘Precious’ distinction

Kidlat Tahimik said he will return his medallion to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts on June 17, to “make people, our authorities, think, ‘Hey, are we really going to just follow the educational trending abroad, or are we going to keep our cultural input intact?’”

Speaking at the forum, Tahimik reported that colleges had been instructed to reduce general units under RGEC from 71 to 36, and further down to 18.

This weakens lessons on “our history, our heroes, our language and our origins,” he said.

Still, Tahimik said, being named national artist remained “precious to me. I think this [medallion] was minted at the [Bangko Sentral], and it’s really a very special award.”

“My individual act should by no means taint the prestige of my distinguished fellow national artists,” he also said. “This is my personal gesture in good faith to spotlight that somehow our country’s ‘walang-paki’ [we don’t care] DNA might be traceable to the 3-‘R’s-only pedagogy of our colonizers. If this elementary-level menu is today being extended to college levels, quo vadis [where are we going]?”

‘Indio-genius’ clothing, art

The filmmaker appeared in Teachers Camp wearing a Cordillera-inspired jacket and loincloth. He has long used traditional clothes in his public appearances or what he called his “indio-genius” attire.

As in many of his presentations, Tahimik also resorted to installation art to illustrate his message about the value of education.

READ: Kidlat Tahimik’s ‘Indio-Genius’ finds new home at Mactan airport

One such installation featured a “dap-ay” circle of “bulul” (Ifugao guardian figures) led by a storyteller, while another placed similar figures facing a movie screen.

He said the dap-ay symbolizes learning through communal storytelling and tradition, while the cinema installation represents modern audiences.

Among Tahimik’s notable films are “Perfumed Nightmare [Mababangong Bangungot],” “Balikbayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment,” and “Redux VII.” /cb

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