OMG! Awards 2012 honors Dolphy

Yahoo! OMG! Awards paid a fitting recognition to Comedy King Dolphy (real name: Rodolfo Quizon) on Friday, July 6. It is the leading digital company’s way of saying thank you to an icon who has – and continues to make millions of Filipinos laugh and forget about their problems, even for a while, through his films, TV shows and even stage plays.

Dolphy has been confined at the Makati Medical Center Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for almost a month now due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The clamor for Dolphy to be named National Artist continues to gain steam. Batangas governor Vilma Santos, who won the Yahoo! OMG! Major Impact award, shunned a proposal to declare her a National Artist since she thinks Dolphy deserves it more.

Lawmakers headed by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, the Akap Bata party-list, bishops and 83 year old Dolphy’s fellow stars agree with Vilma in saying that Dolphy should have been declared National Artist many years back.

Social media overflowed with messages urging the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to declare Dolphy a National Artist.

Dolphy’s name was included in the list of possible National Artist awardees in 2009 – the time of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He didn’t make it to the final cut.

President Noynoy Aquino conferred on Dolphy the Grand Collar of the Order of the Golden Heart in 2010 for his contribution to the local entertainment industry.

Maridol Rañoa-Bismark | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom