Actor and director Laurice Guillen is 2017 Patron of the Arts awardee

This year's Patron of the Arts awardee is acclaimed actor and director Laurice Guillen. The honor will be bestowed by the Archdiocese of Manila on December 12 at the Meralco Theater, coinciding with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the anniversary of the installation of His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle as Archbishop of Manila.

Guillen has multiple FAMAS, Gawad Urian, and Metro Manila Film Fest awards and nominations, most notably for her work in "Salome" (1981), "Magkano Ang Iyong Dangal?" (1988) and "Tanging Yaman" (2000).

Guillen, a Marian devotee, currently serves as competition director for the annual Cinemalaya Film Festival.

Cardinal Tagle said in a statement shared with the press that the Patron of the Arts award aims to "affirm Filipino talent" and recognize Filipino artists who feature Christian values in their work.

The Patron of the Arts award was first given in 2012 to ballerina Lisa Macuja and director Marilou Diaz-Abaya.

Artist Napoleon Abueva (2013), musician Ryan Cayabyab (2014), painter Joey Velasco (2015) and composer of religious songs Rev. Fr. Eduardo Hontiveros, SJ (2016) has since won the distinction.

This year's Patron of the Arts Benefit Concert proceeds will go to the Mothers-In-Crisis Fund, a special fund dedicated to the needs of indigent mothers and mothers in very critical circumstances — LA, GMA News

For inquiries on how to get tickets to the concert and how to help the Mothers-In-Crisis Fund of the Archdiocese of Manila, please call Dit Sablan at tel. 426-5971 or 72 local 121 or email esablan@admu.edu.ph