MANILA -- President Gloria Arroyo yesterday proclaimed her deceased 2004 presidential election opponent, movie star Fernando Poe, as a national artist along with six other outstanding Filipino achievers.

The actor, who died of heart failure seven months after the election whose result he had challenged in the Supreme Court, was recognized for his achievements in the field of film, Arroyo said in a presidential proclamation.

Poe starred in several award-winning Filipino movies in a career spanning five decades.

The award is "reflective of this preeminent excellence and of the national genius that contributes to the artistic heritage of the Philippines and the world," Arroyo said in her citation.

The National Artist award, created in 1972, acknowledges Filipino achievements that have enhanced the country's cultural heritage. Others named national artists were Bienvenido Lumbera for literature, Ramon Obusan, dance; Benedicto Cabrera, visual arts (painting); Ildefonso Santos, Jr., architecture; the late Ramon Valera, fashion design, and Abdulmari Asia Imao for sculpture.*AFP

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