MANILA -  Palace officials said Monday they stand by the President's nominees for the National Artist award, after the Supreme Court blocked the conferment of the nation's highest cultural award.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the President is not planning to alter the list of National Artist nominees for 2009.

He said the President has the power to decide the final list, as stated in Republic Act 7356 (the law creating the National Commission on Culture and the Arts), and Executive Orders (EO) 435 in 2005 and EO 236 in 2003.

"We believe that on the primacy of the President's authority as the one mandated by the law to be the one to make the final choice. That could very well  be considered by the SC. But, of course, we are not dictating upon the SC, but I'm very sure that fundamentals of the existing laws will come up," Ermita said.

"The President has the final say on those that should be awarded, and for as long as there's nothing  violated in the law, nothing illegal done. I think the president has the authority to igawad yung award sa mga National Artists na ginawa na nya," he said.

"For the moment we will stand by the action of the President and that is having approved and actually signed the award to 7 people," he added. -- With a report from Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News