LESSON 4: GAWAD SA

MANLILIKHANG BAYAN (GAMABA)

NATIONAL LIVING AWARD
• The Award was institutionalized in 1992 through
Republic Act No. 7335. The National Commission for
Culture and Arts (NCCA), which is the highest policy-
making and coordinating body of the Philippines for
culture and the arts, was tasked with implementation.

• The award is conferred upon Filipino citizen or group

of Filipino citizens engaged in any traditional art
uniquely Filipino, whose distinctive skills have reached
such high level of technical and artistic excellence and
have been passed on to and widely practiced by the
present generations in his/her community with the
same degree of technical and artistic competence.
How Does One Become a Manlilikha ng Bayan

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
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 and established reputation in the art as
master and maker of works extraordinary technical quality.
e. He/she have passed on and/or will pass on to the 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:
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 revitalization of his/her
community’s artistic tradition.
c. 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.
 Duties and Responsibilities of Awardees

The Manlilikha ng Bayan is a link between the past, in

which his/her traditional folk art found fertile soil for growth,
and future, during which he/she seeks his/her art to be
permanently sustained. It becomes his/her responsibility
therefore to undertake the following:
a. to transfer the skills of his/her traditional folk art to the
younger generation through apprenticeship and such other
training methods as are found to be effective;
b. to cooperate with implementing agency, as provided for in
Section 7 of this Act, in the promotion and propagation of
his/her traditional folk arts; and
c. to donate to the National Museum a sample od copy of
his/her work.
 Categories
The Award shall be given in each, but not limited
to the following categories of traditional folk art:
Folk Architecture - These are simple structures
usually intended to provide only basic shelter for
the surrounding terrain without concern for the
following any architectural style; built of local
materials and available tools by people who
would inhabit them.
Some Philippine
Simple
Architecture

The Bahay Kubo

(Kamalig, or Nipa Hut)
is a type of stilt house
indigenous to most of
the lowland cultures
of the Philippines. It
often serves as an
icon of broader
Filipino culture more
specifically, Filipino
rural Culture.
The Ifugao
Houses

Were usually similar

in architectural
designs but they
differ in decorative
details depending on
the tribes. Their
houses were
harmoniously
located with the
contour of the rice
terraces.
The Batanes
House

The Batanes House

is a unique
vernacular
architecture
developed in the
province of batanes.
Its compact structure
is divided into four
areas: the main
house, the cooking
house, toilet, and
bathhouse.
The Maranao
House

A torogan, which
literally means “a
place for sleeping,” is
the stately house of
elite members of the
Maranao tribe in the
province of Lanao del
Sur in the island of
Mindanao, Philippines.
As the house of the
datu or sultan, it is a
symbol of status and
leadership.
The Houses on
Stilts

Stilt houses or pile

dwellings or raised on
piles over the surface
of the soil or body of
water. Stilt houses
are built primarily as
a protection against
flooding, but also
serve to keep out
vermin or pest
(nuisance animal).
Maritime
Transports

These are simple

marine vessels
made for the
transport of goods
(cargo) and people
by the sea and other
waterways in the
surrounding regions.
Wooden Banca

Outrigger Canoe is a
small wooden boat. It is
used for transport in daily
activities such as going to
the market to transport
goods to other places
and in going to school.
They are sometimes
highly decorated used to
move from island to
another island specially
on coastal places around
various regions.
Vinta Boats

Locally known as lepa-

lepa or sakayan is a
traditional boat found
near the Philippine
island of Mindanao.
The boats are made by
Sama-Bajau and
Moros living in the
Sulu Archepilago,
Zamboanga peninsula,
and southern
Mindanao.
 Weaving

This traditional art form as practiced around the

region involves many threads being measured,
cut, and mounted on a wooden platform. The
threads are dyed and weaved on a loom. Early
Filipinos weaved using fibers from abaca,
pineapple, cotton, and bark cloth. Textiles, clothes,
rugs, and hats were weaved. Basket are also
weaved and used vessels of transport and
storage, and for hunting.
Weaving in the
Philippines

When it comes to
handwoven textile
production in the
Philippines, the process
is a slow and tedious
one. From harvesting
crops from which fiber
for weaving will be
stripped, to knotting and
tying each fiber, it can
take months before a
final fabric or garment is
produced.
The Piña leaves
of Kalibo, Aklan

Located on the island of

Panay in Visayas, is
known to be the oldest
and primary
manufacturer of piña.
The weaving of fibers
derived from pineapple
leaves began centuries
ago when Red Spanish
Pineapple – which is not
indigenous to the
Philippines - was
introduced by Spanish
colonizers.
The T’nalak of the
T’boli of Lake Sebu

T’nalak abaca
tapestries crafted by
T’boli people are
often described
“woven dreams,” as
the process typically
begins with the spirit
of the abaca showing
the weaver in her
dreams a pattern laid
out on loom.
The Tingkep baskets
of the Pala’wan tribe
of Palawan

Tingkep baskets woven

by the Pala’wan tribe in
the southern half of
Palawan province is
used foe a variety of
purposes: as storage
container for rice, salt
and personal belongings;
in hunting; in bartering,
where it is exchange for
rice, wraparound skirts,
and blankets, among
others things.
The Hinabol of the
Higaonon of Impasug-
ong, Bukidnon.
Higaonon hinabol
weavers hail from
Bukidnon, a
mountainous region
in North Central
Mindanao. In the
Binukid dialect
“hinabol” means
woven. Weaving is
generally a happy
activity for hinabol
weavers.
The Geometric weaves
of the Yakan tribe of
Zamboanga and
Basilan

Yakan weaving features

elaborate geometric designs
and patterns that are inspired
by nature. Fabrics produced
by Yakan weavers are used
foe religious and ritual
purposes: they are bartered
for daily necessities, given as
a gifts and used for peace
offerings in times of conflict.
Originally from Lamitan,
Basilan in Mindanao, many
Yakan communities were
forced to flee to Zamboanga
City due to the conflict in
Basilan that took place from
1970s through the 1990s.
The Tapis of the
Kalinga Tribe
The tapis, a costume
indigenous to the Kalinga
and Apayao. It is a
rectangular cloth women
wear as a wraparound
skirt. The garment is
woven with backstrap
body-tension looms,
embroidered with nature
inspired patterns and are
sometimes adorned with
mother-of-pearl platelets
and shells, which
represent wealth and
prestige in the area.
 Carving
• Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material
by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be
applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when
pieces have been removed from it, and yet soft enough for portions to
be scraped away with available tools.
• The Philippines has been known for a lot different art forms, but
woodcraft is something we are naturally good at. From the northern
part of the country particularly the Cordilleras down to the south,
there is always a wood carving or sculpting province that will amaze
us that is Paete in Laguna, the woodcarving capital of the Philippines.
• Common materials used in carving in the Philippines is wood which is
widely used in Paete, Laguna and the Cordillera regions. Other
materials such as stone abundance of said materials. Silver and
bronze are also used to create religious images.
 Carving using wood as material

Carving using stone done in Maragodon,

Cavite
 Performing Art
These maybe folk dances and music which are developed
by a individual or groups of people that reflect the
traditional life of the people of a certain province or region
in the country.

An ifugao women playing the Kalinga GAMABA Awardee Alonzo

native flute Saclag playing the gong
 Literature
Philippine folk literature refers to the traditional oral literature of
the Filipino people. Thus, the scope of the field covers the
ancient folk literature of the Philippines’ various ethnic groups, as
well as various pieces of folklore that have evolved since
Philippines became a single ethno-political unit.
Drawing of Malakas and Maganda, the first man and women of
the Philippine folklore, awakened and emerging from split giant
bamboo tree.
 Graphic and Plastic Arts
Plastic arts are artistics activities or producing works or
effects that are three-dimensional, as sculpture or
ceramics. Graphic arts are mainly 2D, like sketching,
painting, photography and calligraphy. Also drawn plans
and layouts for interior and architectural designs.

The art of taka-making begins with the process by hand

carving hardwood sculpture that becomes the takaans or
the actual mold where layers upon layers of paper are
glued, sundried before the paper-mache figures are
hand-painted.
Sarimanok
Shown above the most well-known of
the old designs, the sarimanok. The
figure represents a fowl with wings,
feathered tail, and head decorated
with ornaments of scrolled and
painted motif of leaves, spirals, and
feather-like forms. It usually stands
on a fish and another one hangs
from its break. The wooden figure,
usually perched atop a bamboo pole.
Stands among decorative flags
during weddings and other festive
occasions.
 Ornament
It is something used for decoration to embellish parts of a
building or object.
Bulul is a carved Anito figures of the Ifugaos: these
represent their ancestral spirit and granary gods. Bululs
placed in the rice granaries are considered guardians of the
harvest.
Parol making in Pampanga is a tradition passed
from one generation to another. Aside from the
traditional star design, huge flowers, angels,
Christmas trees and other holiday symbols.
 Textile or Fiber Art
Filipinos who are awarded under this category
are those who promoted traditional textile art
weaving and fiber art in their place of locality.

A Textile art A Fiber art

 Pottery
Traditional pot-making in certain areas of the Philippines would
use clay found near the Sibalom River: Molding the clay required
the use of wooden paddles, and the clay had to kept away from
sunlight.
Native Filipinos created pottery since 3500 years ago. They used
these ceramic jars to hold the deceases which serve as a
secondary burial jar.
Other pottery used to hold remains of the deceased were
decorated with anthropomorphic designs. These
anthropomorphic earthenware pots date back to 5 BC,-225 A.D
and had pot covers shaped like human heads.
Manunggul Jar

Throughout the
centuries, pots have
been made for cooking,
like traditional palayok.
They may also be used
foe storage, like banga
and tapayan that were
once used for storing
liquids. In the time of
the early Filipinos, jars
were used to keep the
remains of corpses: the
Manunggul Jar is an
example of such a burial
jar:
Maitum
Anthropomorphic
Potteries
Evidence of the
Philippine pottery-
making dated as early
6000 BC has been
found in Sanga-sanga
Cave, Sulu and
Laurente Cave,
Cagayan. It has been
proven that by 5000
BC, the making of
pottery was practiced
throughout the
country.
 GAMABA AWARDEES
EDUARDO MUTUC
2005 Awardee
Region 3
Province - Pampanga

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. A number
of these works are quite large, some exceeding forty feet, while some are very
small and feature very fine and delicate craftsmanship.
DARHATA SAWABI
2005 Awardee Region - ARMM
Province – Sulu

Darhata Sawabi - is a Tausug weaver of pis syabit - the traditional

cloth tapestry worn as a head cover. In Barangay Parang, in the island
of Jolo, Sulu province, women weavers are hard at work weaving the
pis syabit, the traditional cloth tapestry worn as a head covering by the
Tausug of Jolo. This is what they have grown up with and learned from
their mothers. Darhata Sawabi is one of those who took the art of pis
syabit making to heart.
HAJA AMINA APPI
2005 Awardee Region - ARMM
Province – Tawi-Tawi

Haja Amina Appi - she is recognized as a master mat weaver among the sama
indigenous community for her unique designs, straightness of her edging
(tabig) and fineness of her sasa and kima-kima.
LANG DULAY
1998 Awardee Region - 12
Province – South Cotabato (Lake Sebu)

Lang Dulay she is a T’boli traditional weaver of “tinalak” or T’boli cloth made of
colorful abaca fabrics.
Using Abaca fibers a fine as hair, Lang Dulay speaks more eloquently than
words can. Images from the distant past of her people, the T’bolis, are
recreated by her nimble hands - the crocodile, butterflies, and flowers, alaong
with mountains and streams of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, where she and her
ancestors were born – fill the fabric with longing to be remembered.
SALINTA MONON
1998 Awardee Region - 11
Province – Davao Del Sur

Salinta Monon she is a Tagabawa-Bagobo traditional weaver of distinct abaca

fabrics call inabal.
Practically, since she was born, she had watched her mother’s nimble hands
glide over the loom, weaving traditional Bagobo textiles. At 12 she represented
herself to her mother, to be taught how to weave herself.
ALONZO SACLAG
2000 Awardee Region - CAR
Province – Kalinga

Alonzo Saclag was declared Manlilikha ng Bayan for 2000 (CAR Region). He
is a Kalinga master of dance and the performing arts who mastered not only the
Kalinga musical instruments but also the dance patterns and movements
associated with his people’s ritual.
FEDERICO CABALLERO
2000 Awardee Region - 6
Province – Iloilo

Federico Caballero is a Sulod-Bukidnon epic chanter from Kalinog, Iloilo who

ceaselessly works for the documentation of the oral literature. He is considered
as a bantugan, a person who has attained distinction. He strives to dispense
justice in the community through his work as a managhusay – an arbiter of
conflicts.
MASINO INTARAY
1993 Awardee Region – 4B
Province – Palawan

Masino Intaray is a prolific and pre-eminent epic chanter and story teller
recognized for his outstanding mastery of various traditional musical
instruments of Palaw’an people such as basal, kulilal, and bagit.
SAMAON SULAIMAN
1993 Awardee Region – ARMM
Province – Maguindanao

The Maguindanaon, who are among the largest of Filipino Islamic groups, are
concentrated in the towns of Dinaig, Datu Piang, Maganoy and Buluan in
metalwork and brassware, their art is Southeast Asian yet distinct in character.
UWANG AHADAS
2000 Awardee Region – ARMM
Province – Basilan

Uwang Ahadas he is from Lamitan, Basilan. His near-blindness eyesight made

his constant companion. Ahadas is a Yakan, a people to whom instrumental
music is of much significance, connected as is it with both the agricultural cycle
and the social realm. He is hands-on-teacher to interested individuals who
wants to learn playing Yakan instruments including the kwintangan, kayu, and
tuntungan. A GAMABA (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) 2000 awardee.
GINAW BILOG
1993 Awardee Region – 4B
Province – Oriental Mindoro

Ginaw Bilog is a Hanunoo Mangyan poet who is considered as a master of the

ambahan poetry. To this day. Ginaw shares old and new ambahans with his
fellows Mangyans and promotes this poetic form in every occasions. A common
cultural aspect among cultural communities nationwide is verses which are
either sung or chanted.
 TEXTILE OR FIBER ART
MAGDALENA GAMAYO
Region 1
Province – Ilocos Norte

Magdalena Gamayo was bron on August 13, 1942 a Filipino master weaver
who makes “inabel”, an Ilokano handwoven cloth. She is Gawad Manlilikha ng
Bayan Award (GAMABA) recipient from Pili, Ilocos Norte for her wide array
skills in textile weaving.