Republic of the Philippines

Bulacan State University

City of Malolos

AAH 101d: READING VISUAL ART

Unit Title III Remembering the Filipino Artists

Title of the Lesson 2 Recognizing our National Living Treasures
Lesson (Manlilikha ng Bayan)
Duration 3 Hours

In April 1992, the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National Living

Treasures Award was institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355.
Tasked with the administration and implementation of the Award is the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the highest
policy-making and coordinating body for culture and the arts of the
Introduction State. The NCCA, through the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
Committee and an Ad Hoc Panel of Experts, conducts the search for
the finest traditional artists of the land, adopts a program that will
ensure the transfer of their skills to others and undertakes measures to
promote a genuine appreciation of and instill pride among our people
about the genius of the Manlilikha ng Bayan.

At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

1. Recognize and classify the Filipino artists. Artists who through
the content and form of their works have contributed in building
a Filipino sense of nationhood;
2. State the background, honors and privileges, criteria and
selection process, nomination procedure and the presentation
of awards;
3. Distinguish Filipino Artists who have distinctively pioneered in a
mode of creative expression or style and made an impact on
succeeding generations of artists;
4. Classify the roster of National Living Treasures;
Objectives

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 First awarded in 1993 to three outstanding artists in music and poetry,
the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan has its roots in the 1988 National
Folk Artists Award organized by the Rotary Club of Makati-Ayala. As a
group, these folk and traditional artists reflect the diverse heritage and
cultural traditions that transcend their beginnings to become part of our
national character. As Filipinos, they bring age-old customs, crafts and
ways of living to the attention and appreciation of Filipino life. They
provide us with a vision of ourselves and of our nation, a vision we
might be able to realize someday, once we are given the opportunity to
be true to ourselves as these artists have remained truthful to their art.

As envisioned under R.A. 7355, “Manlilikha ng Bayan” shall mean a

citizen engaged in any traditional art uniquely Filipino whose distinctive
skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence
and have been passed on to and widely practiced by the present
generation in his/her community with the same degree of technical and
artistic competence.

Befitting their national status, the presence of Gawad ng Manlilikha ng

Bayan Awardees are required in the events under the institutional
programs and projects of the NCCA such as the Philippine National
Arts Month, the National Heritage Month, and other important national
and regional cultural celebrations and similar future events.

How Does One Become a Manlilikha ng Bayan?

Lesson
Proper To become a “Manlilikha ng Bayan”, the candidate must possess the
following qualifications:

a. He/she is an inhabitant of an indigenous/traditional cultural

community anywhere in the Philippines that has preserved indigenous
customs, beliefs, rituals and traditions and/or has syncretized whatever
external elements that have influenced it.

b. He/she must have engaged in a folk art tradition that has been in
existence and documented for at least fifty (50) years.

c. He/she must have consistently performed or produced over a

significant period, works of superior and distinctive quality.

d. He/she must possess a mastery of tools and materials needed by

the art, and must have an established reputation in the art as master
and maker of works of extraordinary technical quality.

e. He/she must have passed on and/or will pass on to other members

of the community their skills in the folk art for which the community is
traditionally known.

A traditional artist who possesses all the qualities of a Manlilikha ng

Bayan candidate, but due to age or infirmity has left him/her incapable
of teaching further his/her craft, may still be recognized if:

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a. He/she had created a significant body of works and/or has
consistently displayed excellence in the practice of his/her art, thus
achieving important contributions for its development.

b. He/she has been instrumental in the revitalization of his/her

community’s artistic tradition.

c. a. He/she has passed on to the other members of the community

skills in the folk art for which the community is traditionally known.

d. His/her community has recognized him/her as master and teacher of

his/her craft.

Categories

The Award shall be given in each, but not limited to the following
categories of traditional folk arts: folk architecture, maritime
transport, weaving, carving, performing arts, literature, graphic
and plastic arts, ornament, textile or fiber art, pottery and other
artistic expressions of traditional culture. Consideration shall be
given to geographical distribution and balance of artistic categories.

What are the privileges received by the awardee?

The Manlilikha ng Bayan shall have the following privileges:

A. Benefits and privileges for the individual awardee:
1. The rank and title of Manlilikha ng Bayan, as proclaimed
by the President of the Philippines in accordance with
Executive Order No. 236 or Honors Code of the
Philippines;
2. The GAMABA gold-plated medallion minted by the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and citation;
3. A lifetime emolument and material and physical benefits
comparable in value to those received by the highest
officers of the land such as:
a) A minimum cash award of Two Hundred
Thousand Pesos (PhP200, 000.00), net of taxes.
b) A minimum lifetime personal monthly stipend of
Fifty Thousand Pesos (PhP50, 000.00).
c) Medical and hospitalization benefits not exceeding
PhP750, 000.00 per year.
d) A state funeral, the arrangements for and the
expenses of which shall be borne by the
Government, upon the death of the Manlilikha ng
Bayan; and,
e) A place of honor, in line with protocol precedence,
in state functions, national commemoration
ceremonies and all other cultural presentations

B. Benefits and privileges for the group awardee

1. The rank and title of Manlilikha ng Bayan, as
proclaimed by the President of the Philippines in

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 accordance with Executive Order No. 236 or Honors
Code of the Philippines.
2. The GAMABA plaque for the group.
3. A one-time award of Two Hundred Thousand Pesos
(PhP200, 000.00), net of taxes.
4. The group shall designate its leader who will
represent and attend events and functions on behalf of
the group. The said representative will also have a place
of honor, in line with protocol precedence, in
state functions, national commemorations and
ceremonies, and all other cultural presentations.

Ad Hoc Panel of Experts

To ensure a fair selection of the potential awardees, the Gawad sa

Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee shall be assisted by an Ad Hoc Panel
of Experts consisting of experts in the traditional folk arts categories
listed above. The names of those selected to become members of the
Ad Hoc Panel of Experts shall be submitted to the NCCA Board of
Commissioners for proper designation. The Ad Hoc Panel of Experts
may be composed of the members of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng
Bayan Committee, one representative from each of the
committees of the Subcommission on Cultural Communities and
Traditional Arts, representatives from the Office of Muslim Affairs
(OMA), National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), and
representatives from other government and non-government
instrumentalities or other appropriate institutions whose
representation shall be instituted by the NCCA Board from time to time.
The term of the members shall expire upon completion of the search
and selection process.

Recipients

1. Ginaw Bilog (d. 2003), artist and poet, Mansalay, Oriental

Mindoro, Poetry (Ambahan), 1993
 The ambahan is a literary
product and poetic
expression of the Southern
Mangyans of Mindoro,
Philippines.
 The ambahan is traditionally
sung and may focus on
various topics such as
courtship, giving advice to
the young, asking for a place
to stay, and saying goodbye
to a friend.
 Ambahan is traditionally
recorded on bamboo. It is
inscribed in the material using Surat Mangyan, an
indigenous script predating the Spanish colonial era in
the Philippines.

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2. Masino Intaray (d. 2013), musician and epic chanter, Brooke's
Point, Palawan, Poetry (Kulilal and Bagit)/Music (Basal / Gong),
1993
 The kulilal is a highly lyrical
poem expressing passionate
love sang with the
accompaniment of the
kusyapi (two-stringed lute),
played by a man, and
pagang (bamboo zither), and
played by a woman.
 The bagit, also played on the
kusyapi, is strictly
instrumental music depicting
the rhythms, movements
and sounds of nature, birds,
monkeys, snakes, chirping
of insects, rustling of leaves, the elements and the like.
 The Palawan call their ensemble, composed of four
gongs, a basal.

3. Samaon Sulaiman (d. 2011), musician, Mamasapano,

Maguindanao, Music (Kutyapi),
1993
 The kutiyapi, or kudyapi, is
a Philippine two-stringed,
fretted boat-lute. It is the only
stringed instrument among
the Palawano people, and
one of several among other
groups such as the Maranao
and Manobo. It is four to six
feet long with nine frets made
of hardened beeswax. The
instrument is carved out of
solid soft wood such as that
from the jackfruit tree.
 It exists in a great variety of designs, shapes, and sizes
and known by such names as kotapi (Subanon), fegereng
(Tiruray), faglong (B’laan), hegelong (T’boli) and kuglong
or kudlong (Manobo).

4. Lang Dulay, (d. 2015) textile weaver, Lake Sebu, South

Cotabato, Weaving (T’nalak), 1998
 T’nalak is a sacred cloth woven by the T'boli people in
communities around Lake Sebu, Mindanao Island.
Traditionally made by women of royal blood, thousands
of patterns that reference folklore and stories are known
to the T’boli women by memory. Fu Dalu, a spiritual

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 guardian, guides t’nalak
weaving, a process that
is enriched with taboo
and ritual.
 T’nalak has a distinctive
tri-colour scheme:
White for the pattern, red
for relief elements and
black (or deep brown) for
the background. Fibres
used in weaving are
harvested from the
abaca tree and prepared
in a process known as
kedungon.
 T’nalak is used for ritual
purposes, as an offering to the spirits and during festival
celebrations. It is also exchanged between families for
food and supplies in the T'bolis’ barter economy, which
endures to this day.

5. Salinta Monon (d. 2009), weaver, Bansalan, Davao del Sur,

Weaving (Abaca – ikat / Inabal), 1998
 Inabal is a traditional textile
made from abaca with a
special weave, either in
patterns of kinatkat or ine,
the cloth with a central panel,
worn only by women. These
textiles woven in the ikat-
style and colored by
vegetable and natural dyes
were customarily used as
the garment for ancestral
royalty.

6. Alonzo Saclag, musician and dancer, Lubuagan, Kalinga,

Music and Dance (Kalinga), 2000
 Saclag has worked tirelessly
to help promote his culture
and village to the outside
world for so long, and
eventually bought hectares of
land in his hometown and
converted it into a cultural
village and park called
Awichon.
 The village brings out the best
of Kalinga culture: from its
beautiful rituals and

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 ceremonies, to its native and traditional dress, to its
delicious local food, and of course, the beautiful
traditional music it’s so proud to showcase.
 The houses are built in the native style of Kalinga house-
making, and guests are more than welcome to stay
overnight and fully experience the beauty of Kalinga
culture through cultural performances and immersion in
their traditions.

7. Federico Caballero, epic chanter, Sulod- Bukidnon, Iloilo,

Poetry and Epic Chant (Sugidanon), 2000
 Caballero comes from a long
family line of epic chanters.
Such exposures harnessed his
skill and love for epic chanting
(Sugidanon) at an early age.
 He was proclaimed in 2000 for
his mastery in chanting the epic
poem, Sugidanon, the epic
tradition of central Panay and
for ceaselessly working for the
documentation of the epics of
his people, painstakingly
piecing together the elements
of this nearly lost oral tradition.
 In SY 2000–2001, he helped pioneer the first School of
Living Traditions (SLT) in the Visayas located in
Barangay Garangan on the border of Tapaz, Capiz and
Calinog, Iloilo. In that informal weekend schooling, he
was assisted by his talented wife Lucing and his siblings
as co-monitors in teaching epic chanting together with the
other arts.

8. Uwang Ahadas, musician, Lamitan, Basilan, Music (Yakan

specifically Kulintang, kwitangan kayu, gabbang, agung, and
tuntungan), 2000
 Ahadas is the recognized
master of Yakan musical
instruments in the whole of
Basilan province. He was
proclaimed in 2000 for his
virtuosity in playing Yakan
musical instruments such as
the kwintangan,
kwintangan kayu,
gabbang, agung,
tuntungan, among others.
He has devoted his life to the
teaching of Yakan musical
tradition.

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9. Darhata Sawabi, (d. 2005), weaver, Parang, Sulu, Weaving (Pis
Syabit), 2004
 The pis headcloth is a social
marker where the position of
a member is indicated by the
way the cloth is wrapped
about the head and the color
and richness of the woven
design.
 The Tausug headcloth is the
most distinctive of these
headwear. Proclaimed in
2004 for weaving the pis
syabit, Darhata Sawabi not
only used the discontinuous
weft weave on a tapestry
loom, but the particularly intricate geometric design
patterns known only to have been produced by the
Tausug and the Yakan of southern Philippines.

10. Eduardo Mutuc, metalsmith / metal sculptor, Apalit, Pampanga,

Metalwork (Bronze and Silver), 2004
 In the history of the Gawad
ng Manlilikha ng Bayan
Awards, there has been
only one Kapampangan
recipient to date, Mr.
Eduardo Tubig Mutuc of
Apalit, Pampanga who was
conferred this prestigious
recognition in 2004.
 Eduardo Mutuc is a
Kapampangan master
craftsman of religious and
secular art in plated silver.
He ventured into the metal
craft locally called pinukpuk because of the process by
which designs are embossed on metal sheets which are
used as adornments in mostly ecclesiastical items.
 Eduardo Mutuc is an artist who has dedicated his life to
creating religious and secular art in silver, bronze, and
wood. His intricately detailed retablos, mirrors, altars, and
carosas are in churches and private collections.

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11. Haja Amina Appi (d. 2013), weaver,
Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi, Weaving
(Mat), 2004
 Haja Amina Appi of Ungos
Matata, Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi,
is recognized as the master
mat weaver among the Sama
indigenous community of
Ungos Matata.
 Her colorful mats made from
wild pandan leaves from the
forest and with their complex
geometric patterns exhibit her
precise sense of design, proportion and symmetry and
sensitivity to color.
 Her unique multi-colored mats are protected by a plain
white outer mat that serves as the mat’s backing. Her
functional and artistic creations take up to three months
to make.

12. Teofilo Garcia, casque maker, San Quintin, Abra, Casque

Making (Tabungaw), 2012
 Ilokanos are popularly known
to be industrious, thrifty,
generous, kind, patient and
God-fearing. As an Ilokano,
Teofilo possesses all these
traits and had helped him
achieve all his goals in life.
 Having maintained these traits
from his childhood to his
present age, he was able to
come up with a product named
Kattukong a Tabungaw
(Gourd Hat).
 This is an Ilokano hat made out
of the vegetable called “Tabungaw” (Gourd/Upo) now
loved to be used as a hat or decoration in offices and
homes by Filipinos and foreigners not only in the
Philippines but in other parts of the world.
 The “Kattukong a Tabungaw” made by Teofilo is made
from the round-shaped gourd harvested in his vast
plantation in the place he named as Third Mountain
situated at Sabulod, San Quintin, Abra.

13. Magdalena Gamayo, master weaver, Pinili, Ilocos Norte,

Weaving (Inabel), 2012
 Now 96 years old, "Lola Magdalena" is known to be a
master weaver not only of traditional Ilocano textile but
also designs new patterns.
 According to Lola Magdalena, the most important traits of
an Inabel weaver are patience and passion. It is the same

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 passion that drives her to
continue creating beautiful
textile with intricate designs
and sturdy weaves. Lola
Magdalena’s Inabel is known
for high thread count,
durability and distinctive
designs.
 Inabel is an Ilokano
handwoven fabric, depicting
the simplest or plain to the
most intricate designs,
persistently weaved by
women weavers. It is well-
known and loved for its softness, beautiful designs, and
strength.

14. Ambalang Ausalin, master weaver, Lamitan, Basilan, Weaving

(Yakan tennun), 2016
 A well-known magtetenun
(weaver) from Lamitan City,
Basilan; Ambalang Ausalin
was selected for being able to
master two of the most intricate
categories of Yakan weaving
using strips of coconut leaves
– the sinalu’an and the
seputangan.
 She was recognized for her
commitment to safeguarding
and promoting the Yakan
tennun or tapestry-weaving
tradition.
 Aside from that, the 75-year-old weaver is highly
regarded in the community for weaving and creating
traditional attires and costumes of a royal family in
Mindanao.

15. Estelita Tumandan Bantilan,

master weaver, Malapatan,
Sarangani, Weaving (B'laan igem
(mat)), 2016
 Estelita Tumandan Bantilan,
78, hails from Sarangani.
Bantilan started showing her
interest in weaving igem, a
B’laan term for mats when
she was six. Since then, she
has been creating
exceptional mats using
naturally dyed Romblon
leaves.

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 16. Yabing Masalon Dulo (d. 2021), master weaver, Polomolok,
South Cotabato, Weaving (Ikat),
2016
 Yabing Masalon Dulo or Fu
Yabing is from Mount
Matutum, Polomolok, South
Cotabato. At 14, Fu Yabing
created two masterpieces of
tabih (handwoven dyed
abaka). Both in good
condition, her masterpieces
are either displayed at the
National Museum or kept in
her possession.
 Fu Yabing did not just transfer
the craft of tabih to her only daughter, Lamina Dulo Gulili,
but also to a few women who want to preserve the
tradition of weaving in their community.

The Emblem

The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan logo is a

stylized representation of the human form
used in traditional cloth. Below the motif is
‘Manlilikha ng Bayan’ written in ancient
Filipino script extensively used throughout
the Philippines at the time of Western
contact in the sixteenth century.

Excerpts from the message of His Excellency, President Rodrigo

Duterte on the National Artist Awardees on October 24, 2018 at the
Rizal Hall, Malacañan Palace:
Reflection/
“Our cultural heritage is vital to the formation to identify Filipinos.
Learning
Congruent to our vision and fostering a proud and flourishing nation,
Insights
the government has taken steps to show our deep appreciation for the
inherent talents and skills of our national folk artists, the conservation
of our heritage sites, and the relentless pursuit for excellence of our
Filipino artists.”

Suggested ❏ Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures)

Readings https://youtu.be/_9SDzVNkJhk
and
Websites

1. "Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan"

References https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/gamaba/

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2. (2018, October 24). President Duterte recognizes Filipino
artists and institutions .... Retrieved October 14, 2020, from
https://pcoo.gov.ph/news_releases/president-duterte-
recognizes-filipino-artists-and-institutions-preserving-cultural-
heritage/

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