IN commemoration of the fifth death anniversary of highly-esteemed and multi-awarded actor and director Eduardo “Eddie” Garcia popularly known as “Manoy Eddie” this Thursday, AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert “Manoy” T. Lee filed a measure urging the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to bestow upon him posthumously the National Artist Award.

“As we commemorate the beautiful and meaningful life of Manoy Eddie, it is only fitting that we confer to him the National Artist Award that he truly deserves. Noon pa dapat ito naigawad sa kanya, at hindi na dapat ito pinagdedebatehan pa,” Lee who is also known as “Manoy” for the GMA TV show “Si Manoy ang Ninong Ko” said.

Lee, like Manoy Eddie, also hails from Sorsogon, Bicol. He recognized the latter’s “significant contributions to the development of Philippine Arts, more particularly, under the category of Film and Broadcasting or Broadcast Arts.

Under House Resolution No. 1769, Lee maintained that Manoy Eddie more than deserves to be conferred the National Artist Award given his unparalleled skills, talent and passion exemplified in his career in show business for seven decades.

The said Resolution further cited Manoy Eddie’s outstanding works spanning from the 1940s until his last notable movie “ML” in 2018. He also highlighted the historic achievement by Manoy Eddie as the only individual to garner three-straight victory in the prestigious award-giving body, the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS).

“Institusyon na maituturing si Manoy Eddie sa larangan ng pelikulang Pilipino. Mapa-komedya man, action o drama, serye man sa telebisyon o sa pelikula, bilang aktor at director, pambihirang husay, talento, at propesyunalismo ang ipinamalas ni Manoy Eddie,” the solon said.

“He served as a beacon of Filipino artistry which paved the way for other artists to pursue the arts and craft more stories that could last generations,” he added.

In 2019, Manoy Eddie died after being in a coma for almost two weeks due to a cervical spine injury after he tripped on a cable while filming GMA teleserye “Rosang Agimat.” He was 90 years old.

The Bicolano lawmaker who also supported the recently passed Republic Act No. 11996 or the “Eddie Garcia Law”, underscored the importance of demanding better treatment and protection of workers in the movie and television industry.

“Dugo’t pawis ang inaalay ng mga artistang Pilipino tulad ni Manoy Eddie para sa kanilang sining. Maliban sa proteksyon sa kanilang trabaho, mahalaga na may karampatang proteksyon para sa kanila at pagkilala sa kasaysayan at kultura ang mga kontribusyon nila sa larangang buong puso nilang minamahal, pinaghuhusay at ipinaglalaban,” Lee stressed.

“Ang pagbibigay ng nararapat na pagpupugay kay Manoy Eddie ay hindi lang pagkilala sa kanyang husay at obra, kundi magsisilbi ring inspirasyon sa iba pang mga artista sa pagpapabuti ng kanilang propesyon at talento na nagpapakilala sa husay ng mga Pilipino, hindi lang sa bansa, kundi maging sa buong mundo—pagkilala kung saan winner tayo lahat!” he added.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Ryan Ponce Pacpaco