Armando 'Bing' Lao, 2026 National Artist for Film

Armando 'Bing' Lao is 2026's National Artist for FilmThis September 2026 Armando 'Bing' Lao (1948 - 2024) was posthumously granted the title of National Artist of the Philippines, generally considered the highest honor the state can give one of its citizens.Personally ambivalent about this. First instituted by Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in 1972, the award-- meant to recognize those who contributed significantly to the Philippine arts-- is actually an attempt to ingratiate the president into the Philippine artistic community, possibly give folks something to talk about beside the inflation crisis; after declaring Martial Law later that year Marcos used the award to give his 'New Society' a progressive air, signal his support for Filipino artists (who were becoming increasingly critical of him), distract the public from the more fascistic actions of his regime. Nowadays this aspect of the National Artist is largely forgotten or willfully ignored. Subsequent presidents-- Cory Aquino, Fidel…