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NATIONAL ARTIST Ramon Valera will be given full military honors when
his remains are transferred to the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig
on his 95th birthday, tomorrow, August 31. The hero’s burial
follows his conferment as National Artist in the field of
Architecture, Design and Allied Arts (Fashion Design) in 2006.
Valera, who died in 1972 at the age of 60, is
the first fashion designer to be proclaimed as National Artist by
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo upon the recommendation of the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Cultural Center
of the Philippines.
During his career, Valera created illustrious
gowns and timeless ternos for prominent Philippine First Ladies,
from the time of Aurora Quezon to the amazing years of Imelda
Marcos. He was the only male couturier among his contemporaries like
Pacita Longos, Marina Antonio, Purita Escurdia and Mina Roa who
could design, cut, paste and sew all by himself. He was known to be
very strict, and was known to discard a finished gown if it did not
meet his standards.
Acknowledging Valera as a master of couture
innovation, well-respected fashion editor Thelma San Juan once
wrote: “Valera produced a single piece of clothing from a 4-piece
ensemble consisting of a blouse, skirt, overskirt and long scarf. He
unified the baro’t saya into a single dress with exaggerated bell
sleeves, cinched at the waist, grazing the ankle, and zipped up at
the back. Using zipper in place of hooks was already a radical
change. Dropping the panuelo became an even bigger shock.”
Just recently, his high-school alma mater, De La
Salle University, bestowed on Valera the Distinguished LaSallian
Award, the highest and most prestigious honor given by the De La
Salle Alumni Association to an alumnus who earned distinction for
his vision, leadership, management and integrity in his chosen
fields.
Valera’s hero’s burial will be attended by
his only surviving sister, Lulu Valera-Zulueta, nieces, nephews and
other close family members.
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