Lea Salonga, while humbled by the public’s push for her to be named a National Artist, expressed that she believes the title should be given to the late comedian Dolphy instead. Speaking at the 2024 CCP Gawad Para sa Sining awards, Salonga noted that Dolphy’s recognition as a National Artist is “long overdue.”
“No, no, no! There are folks who are far more deserving than me, and whose National Artist Awards are long overdue. I would love to see somebody like Dolphy,” she said, emphasizing the importance of judging the comedian for his extensive body of work.
Salonga highlighted Dolphy’s contributions, particularly his portrayal of gay characters in films like “Fefita Fofonggay viuda de Falayfay (1973),” “Ang Tatay Kong Nanay (1978),” and “Markova: Comfort Gay (2001). She explained how these roles contributed to increasing tolerance and acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community, even if that wasn’t his original intention.
Salonga shared that she hopes to champion Dolphy for the National Artist title in the future. “Hopefully, I will be given an opportunity to champion him,” she added.
This September has been a milestone-filled month for Salonga, who was also honored at the CCP event and saw the unveiling of her wax figure at Madame Tussauds Singapore. She is set to release a new album, “Sounding Joy,” in November and will be part of several performances throughout the rest of 2024.