Eddie Garcia 

AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee is batting for the declaration of the late multi-awarded actor and director Eduardo “Eddie” Garcia as a National Artist. 

“As we commemorate the beautiful and meaningful life of Manoy Eddie (Garcia), 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 said in a statement. 

(This should have been conferred to him a long time ago, and it's beyond debate.) 

The neophyte congressman filed for this purpose House Resolution (HR) No.1769. 

Incidentally, Thursday, June 20 marked the fifth death anniversary of Garcia, considered an icon of Philippine cinema. 

Lee, like Manoy Eddie, also hails from Sorsogon in 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 HR No. 1769, Lee reckoned that Garcia more than deserves to be conferred the National Artist Award given his unparalleled skills, talent and passion, as exemplified in his career in show business for seven decades.

The measure further cited Garcia's outstanding works spanning from the 1940s until his last notable movie “ML” in 2018. 

Lee also highlighted the historic achievement of Manoy Eddie as the only individual to garner three-straight wins in the prestigious award-giving body, the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS). 

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

The Bicol lawmaker, who also backed the recently signed Republic Act (RA) No.11996 or the “Eddie Garcia Law”, underscored the importance of demanding better treatment and protection of workers in the movie and television industry.