MALACAÑANG has declared September 12, 2026, a day of national mourning over the death of National Artist for Literature Resil B. Mojares, whose works helped shape the understanding of Cebuano and national identity.
Under Proclamation 1434, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed that the Philippine flag be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on all government buildings and installations throughout the country and abroad on that day.
The proclamation described Mojares’ death as “a great loss to the Filipino people and to the nation’s cultural and artistic community.”
Mojares was declared a National Artist in 2018 in recognition of his work as a teacher, scholar, essayist, fictionist and historian.
The Palace cited his role in promoting regional literature and history, as well as his contributions to the formation of Cebuano and national identity.
His work in Philippine literature and cultural studies enriched the nation’s understanding and appreciation of its literary and cultural heritage, according to the proclamation.
The declaration also expressed the nation’s solidarity with Mojares’ family and friends in their grief and remembrance.
It cited the implementing rules of the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, in relation to the proclamation establishing the National Artist award, which provide for flying the flag at half-mast as a sign of mourning on the day of a National Artist’s interment. (SunStar Cebu)