President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared the period from March 7, 2012 to March 6, 2013 as the centennial year of National Artist for Dance Francisca Reyes Aquino.

The Chief Executive issued Proclamation No. 282 on November 8, this year, with the directive to enjoin the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to lead in the celebration of the centennial birthday of the national artist. Aquino was born on March 9, 1899 in Lolomboy, Bocaue, Bulacan.

The category of National Artist was created under Proclamation No. 1001 signed in 1972.

"Preeminent achievements that have enhanced the cultural heritage of the Filipino people deserve the recognition and acknowledgment of our government in pursuit of its policy of preserving and developing the Filipino culture and a national identity," President Aquino said.

He said that "the works and achievements of Aquino are reflective of this preeminent excellence and of the national genius that contributed to the national heritage of the Philippines and the world."

Acknowledged as the Folk Dance Pioneer, Aquino began her research on folk dances in the 1920's making trips to remote barrios in Central and Northern Luzon. Her research on the unrecorded forms of local celebration, ritual and sport resulted into a 1926 thesis titled "Philippine Folk Dances and Games," and arranged specifically for use by teachers and playground instructors in public and private schools.

In the 1940's, she served as supervisor of physical education at the Bureau of Education that distributed her work and adapted the teaching of folk dancing as a medium of making young Filipinos aware of their cultural heritage.

In 1954, she received the Republic Award of Merit given by the late President Ramon Magsaysay for "outstanding contribution toward the advancement of Filipino culture", one among the many awards and recognition given to her.

Her books include the Philippine National Dances (1946); Gymnastics for Girls (1947); Fundamental Dance Steps and Music (1948); Foreign Folk Dances (1949); Dances for all Occasion (1950); Playground Demonstration (1951); and Philippine Folk Dances, Volumes I to VI.