▁to ▁be ▁named ▁as ▁national ▁artist . ▁She ’ s ▁close ▁to ▁the ▁President . ▁Nob ody ▁in ▁the ▁committee ▁thought ▁that ▁she ▁des erved ▁to ▁be ▁named ." ▁Al vare z ▁heads ▁the ▁N CC A ▁secret ariat ▁that ▁receives ▁nomin ations ▁for ▁national ▁artists . ▁ ▁Cap ar as ▁Comp la ints ▁regarding ▁Cap ar as ' ▁pro clam ation ▁centered ▁on ▁the ▁compla ints ▁that ▁he ▁did ▁not ▁illustrate ▁the ▁com ic ▁books ▁he ▁wrote ▁and ▁therefore ▁did ▁not ▁meet ▁the ▁qual ifications ▁for ▁being ▁hon ored ▁under ▁the ▁visual ▁arts ▁category , ▁and ▁the ▁assertion ▁of ▁protest ing ▁artists ▁that ▁his ▁work ▁in ▁the ▁category ▁of ▁Film ▁is ▁supposed ly ▁" sub - par ", ▁being ▁largely ▁explo itation ▁films : ▁" p ito - p ito " ▁(" se ven - se ven ") ▁films ▁r ush - fin ished ▁in ▁seven ▁days , ▁and ▁" mass acre ▁films " ▁whose ▁focus ▁was ▁sens ational ▁cr imes . ▁ ▁Bien ven ido ▁L umber a ▁remarked ▁that ▁Cap ar as ’ ▁nom ination ▁was ▁twice ▁rejected ▁by ▁two ▁NCAA ▁pan els : ▁“ [ Cap ar as ] ▁was ▁first ▁proposed ▁as ▁a ▁nom ine e ▁for ▁literature , ▁but ▁the ▁committee ▁rejected ▁him . ▁He ▁was ▁again ▁proposed ▁as ▁nom ine e ▁for ▁visual ▁artist ▁but ▁the ▁panel ▁again ▁turned ▁him ▁down ." ▁Film ▁Academy ▁of ▁the ▁Philippines ▁director ▁general ▁Leo ▁Mart ine z ▁noted ▁that ▁" He ▁was ▁obviously ▁added ▁by ▁Mal ac añ ang ."