MODULE: HCMA22_CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AND ARTS

TRADITIONAL ART: GAWAD SA

MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN (GAMABA)

At the end of this module, learners will be able to:

 Explain how traditions becomes contemporary and vice versa
through the practices of artist awardees of Gawad sa
Manlilkha ng Bayan (GAMABA) Awards.
 Identify the works of National Artists and recognize their
contributions to Philippine art and culture.
 Creates a work / poster that promotes traditional art with
local and GAMABA awardees as examples.

In this lesson, you will learn about our National living treasures, more
formally known as the awardees of Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA).
Their incomparable dedication to craftsmanship and excellence show how
these Filipinos lives and work. Many cultural practices of indigenous
communities were preserved because of their passion, abilities, and tenacity in
passing down their tradition to the youngsters. It’s one thing to be recognized as
a living legend of the arts in the Philippines, and it’s a whole other thing
completely to be acknowledged as an artist who has kept a rare sort of traditional
Filipino creativity and ingenuity alive.
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In 1992, the National Commission on Culture and therefore the Arts

(NCCA) began selecting and honoring recipients of the National Living Treasures
Award, also referred to as Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA), through
Republic Act No. 7355. It continues to be awarded today and is handed out in
the form of a medal.
Traditional art is based on indigenous people’s cultures that are largely
honed by oral tradition. It finds deep affinities with nature, place, society, ritual,
and spirituality and everyday life. In traditional integrative art, forms and
expressions do not normally end up as objects distanced from everyday living.
The site of dissemination and knowledge transfer is neither in the formal spaces
of a museum nor a theater. The process of creation is usually shared among
members of the community, and appeals to broader aspects of life.(extracted from
Contemporary Art from the Regions textbook , Flaudette May Datulin et.al pp. 58 )
Thus, it emphasis on the intangible and communal aspects of art production
that are closely aligned with the process based and collaborative inclination of
some contemporary art practices.
The worker of a farmer named Teofilo Garcia of San Quintin in the Province
of Abra, 2012 GAMABA awardee who have discovered and popularized the
durable tabungaw hat out of enlarged upo or gourd. He hollowed out the upo /
tabungaw, varnished and polished it to make it more durable and unique yellow
sheen.
He used different mediums such as varnish to strengthens organic
material, strips of rattan (uway) to line the hat, fern (nito) is placed on the mouth
of the hat as decoration. He intended to transform the harvest into durable hats
to protect the people who are exposed for long hours under the heat of the sun,
especially the farmers. Until now, he shared his knowledge and skills of making
the Tabungaw hat at San Quintin National High School and inspires the youth
to value tradition and to ensure its preservation.
Base from the given example of the work of Teofilo Garcia, we reiterate that
Philippine traditional art, though based on long - standing , established
practices, has always been contemporary in a sense that it is art that is being
made now, and that it persists as part of continuing performance of tradition
((extracted from Contemporary Art from the Regions textbook , Flaudette May
Datulin et.al pp. 57 ) .
On the other hand, contemporary-traditional art refers to an art produced at the
present period that reflects the current culture by utilizing classical techniques
in drawing, painting, and sculpting. Practicing artists are mainly concerned with
the preservation of time-honored skills in creating works
of figurative and representational forms of fine art as a means to express human
emotions and experiences. Subjects are based on the aesthetics of balancing
 MODULE: HCMA22_CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AND ARTS

external reality with the intuitive, internal conscience driven by emotion,

philosophical thought, or the spirit. The term is used broadly to encompass all
styles and practices of representational art, such
as Classicism, Impressionism, Realism, and Plein Air (En plein air) painting.
Technical skills are founded in the teachings of the Renaissance, Academic Art,
and American Impressionism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary-
Traditional_Art

What is GAMABA?
The word GAMABA stands for GAWAD SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN (
National Living Treasures). It is an award given to recognize the outstanding
work of the artists in the Philippines. The given award was established in 1992
through Republic Act No. 7355 until 2012. There were thirteen finest folk artists
of the land who have received this distinction for their dedication in creating the
craft, using skills, and indigenous methods and materials. Artists who received
the recognition for preserving the traditional art of the Philippines which kept
the art alive even in the contemporary period (Sandagan & Sayseng 2016).
Who are the GAMABA awardees? What are their qualifications?
The GAMABA awardees are the people who have adopts a program that will
ensure the transfer of their skills to others. They undertake measures to promote
a genuine appreciation of traditional craft and art and instill pride among our
people about the skill of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA). Filipinos
conferred as the forefront of the practice, preservation, and promotion of the
nation’s traditional folk arts. (https://aboutphilippines.org/files/Gamaba-
Awardees.pdf)

To become a GAMABA awardees is same as joining a contest there are mechanics

and guidelines to follow.
1. Must be 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.
2. Must have engaged in a folk-art tradition that has been in
existence and documented for at least fifty (50) years.
3. Must have consistently performed or produced over a significant
period, works of superior and distinctive quality.
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4. He/she/group 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.
5. 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.
GAMABA Awardees

Uwang Ahadas, musician

A Yakan of Lamitan, Basilan was awarded for his

dexterity in playing Yakan musical instruments such
as the kwintangan, gabbang, agung, kwintangan
kayu, tuntungan among others. He has a deep
knowledge of the aesthetic possibilities and social
contexts of those instruments. In spite of the
dimming of his eyesight, he has devoted his life to the
teaching of Yakan musical traditions
(https://aboutphilippines.org/files/Gamaba-Awardees.pdf)

Yakan musical instruments are not the easiest or most affordable to maintain,
but Uwang Ahadas of Lamitan, Basilan made it his life’s work to master them.
From an early age, he and his siblings were encouraged to play these
instruments, and he developed a passion for them, training himself by observing
older members of the community. At age 20, he broke tradition by reaching
excellence in playing the kwintangan, an instrument typically played by a
woman. The instrument, made up of logs arranged beneath a tree near a rice
field, is used to call for abundant grains and rice growth. He is also dedicated to
sharing his knowledge to younger folk; his teaching style is hands-on and
supportive, giving his students his full attention. He was awarded in 2000.
( https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-artists-
national-living-treasures.html
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Magdalena Gamayo, textile weaver

Based in Pinili, Ilocos Norte, Magdalena Gamayo

took up weaving when she was 16, guided by her aunt’s
patterns. She received her first loom from her father
three years later, which she would end up using for 30
years. She taught herself traditional patterns, such as
kusikus (whirlwind), marurup (Milky Way), and sinan
paddak ti pusa (cat’s pawprint), building on the more
common inuritan (geometric design) and sinan-sabong
(flowers)

.Gamayo’s skill and instinct are none more apparent than

they are in her ability to replicate designs she’s only seen once. Her binakol, or
woven cloth, continues to draw praise and awe for its above-average thread count
and uniform weave. To keep Ilocos’ abel weaving tradition alive, she teaches her
practice to her cousin’s daughter-in-law and sister-in-law. She was awarded in
2012.
(https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-artists-
national-living-treasures.html

Eduardo Mutuc, metalsmith, and artist

A Kapampangan from Central Luzon is recognized

for reviving the Spanish colonial-era craft of Plateria.
This self-taught master craftsman found his calling in
producing religious
4 and secular art in silver, bronze,
and wood. In doing so, and in his pursuit of perfection
for himself and his apprentices, he assures the
continuity of this rich tradition. Having finished up to
elementary school, Eduardo Mutuc, a farmer at the
time, became an apprentice to furniture carvers to
earn additional income. He had no prior knowledge of
the work he was getting into, but this did not stop him
from expanding his experience and becoming one of the
most respected creators of religious and secular art today. He uses wood, silver,
and bronze to create exquisitely detailed and lifelike pieces of varying sizes:
altars, mirrors, retablos, and even carosas. Mutuc is based in Apalit, Pampanga.
He was awarded in 2004.
 MODULE: HCMA22_CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AND ARTS

Lang Dulay, T’nalak weaver

A T'boli of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, was

awarded for weaving the abaca ikat cloth called t'nalak
. She has produced creations which remain faithful to
the T’boli tradition as manifested in the complexity of
her design, fineness of workmanship and quality of
finish. In Lang Dulay’s family, the weaving of the t’nalak
(a fine abaca cloth) took place before or after farm work,
when the weather was cool and the conditions were better
for the product. Dulay, who grew up in Lake Sebu, South
Cotabato, was taught to weave by her mother when she was 12.
As demand grew for new designs, she persisted and kept working with traditional
patterns, even though they were harder to complete — she knew around a
hundred, including bulinglangit (clouds), kabangi (butterfly), crocodiles, and
flowers. She valued purity, so much so that she never washed her t’nalak with
soap. She was awarded in 1998 and died in 2015.
(https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-artists-
national-living-treasures.html ).

Samaon Sulaiman, musician

A Maguindanaon of Mamasapano,
Maguindanao. He was awarded for his outstanding
artistry and dedication to his chosen instrument, the
Magindanao kutyapi. Kutyapi is a two-stringed
plucked lute, regarded as one of the most technically
demanding and difficult to master among Filipino
traditional. (https://aboutphilippines.org/files/Gamaba-Awardees.pdf)

Musician Samaon Sulaiman was a master of the kutyapi, a two-stringed

lute that requires highly technical skill to play. The Maganoy, Maguindanao
native learned from his uncle, Pinagunay, at age 13, developing and learning
different forms and styles of playing the instrument.

The sound is melodic and rhythmic, its effect meditative and captivating.
He was also proficient in playing instruments such as the kulintang, agong (a
suspended gong with a wide rim), gandingan (a gong with a narrow rim), and
tambul. Sulaiman’s fascination for his craft led him to become an influential
teacher. He was awarded in 1993 and died in 2011.
(https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-artists-
national-living-treasures.html ).
 MODULE: HCMA22_CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AND ARTS

Haja Amina Appi, Pandan mat weaver

Lives in Ungos Matata, Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi,.

She is recognized as the master mat weaver among
the Sama indigenous community of Ungos Matata.
Her colorful mats with their complex geometric
patterns exhibit her precise sense of design,
proportion and symmetry and sensitivity to color.
(https://aboutphilippines.org/files/Gamaba-
Awardees.pdf)

Weaving pandan mats is a long and difficult

process that is handed down from woman to woman
across generations: Pandan leaves are harvested and made into
narrow, long strips, sun-dried, pressed, and dyed before finally becoming
suitable for weaving. The resulting mats are used for sleeping and saying prayers
or given as gifts to newly-weds. Haja Amina Appi of Ungos Matata, Tandubas,
Tawi-Tawi created intricate mats that boast beautiful geometric designs, vibrant
colors, and fine symmetry. She was awarded National Living Treasure in 2004.
She experimented with her work and developed her own tints to create the hues
she had in mind. Appi died in 2013, but her art lives on through her children
and other young women in her community.
((https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-artists-
national-living-treasures.html ).

Federico Caballero, chanter and educator

A Panay-Bukidnon of Calinog, lloilo was awarded for

his mastery of chanting the sugidanon, the epic
tradition of Central Panay. He ceaselessly worked for
the documentation of the epics of his people
painstakingly piecing together the elements of this oral
tradition nearly lost.
((https://aboutphilippines.org/files/Gamaba-
Awardees.pdf)

He was best known for his expertise in the

Sugidanon, a Central Panay epic traditionally chanted
while lying on a hammock, and his work in the
preservation of oral literature, documenting 10 Panay-
Bukidnon epics in an extinct language with close ties to
Kinaray-a. His love of folklore began when he was young, hearing tales of grand
adventures as bedtime stories, and his mother taught him to recite epics in lieu
 MODULE: HCMA22_CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AND ARTS

of doing household chores. In his spare time, he also works with the Department
of Education’s Bureau of Non-Formal Education, teaching elders to read and
write. He was awarded in 2000.
(https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-artists-
national-living-treasures.html ).

Ginaw Bilog, poet

A Hanunuo Mangyan of Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro.

Awarded for faithfully preserving the Hanunuo Mangyan
script and Ambahan poetry. He has promoted the local
script and poetry so that the art will not be lost but
preserved. The Mangyan script is one of the four
remaining syllabic scripts in the country, and Ginaw
Bilog’s work has been crucial to its preservation. Based
in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, the poet was known for
writing Ambahan (a metaphoric poem comprising
seven-syllable lines), first in a notebook, then on
traditionally used bamboo tubes. The poems, often
recited with music at social gatherings and used to convey
messages among the Hanunuo Mangyan, had topics like
advising the young, bidding a friend goodbye, and asking for a place to stay.
Bilog, who was awarded in 1993, died in 2003.

Salinta Monon, textile weaver

A GAMABA awrdee of Tagabawa Bagobo of

Bansalan, Davao del Sur. She was awarded for fully
demonstrating the creative and expressive aspects of
the Bagobo abaca ikat weaving called Inabal at a time
when such art is threatened with extinction. Salinta
Monon was 12 when she began learning to weave the
Inabal, a traditional Bagobo textile. In her home in
Bansalan, Davao del Sur, Monon would isolate herself
from family to be able to concentrate on creating her
cloths and skirts, which took three to four months to
finish, respectively.

Her favorite pattern, despite or because of its difficulty, was the Binuwaya
(crocodile), and she continued weaving until her death in 2009. For her, not only
was it a source of income, it was a source of pride as well. She and her younger
sister were the only Bagobo weavers left in their community, and she dreamt of
having a structure built for teaching new would-be weavers. She was awarded
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in 1998. (https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-
artists-national-living-treasures.html)

Darhata Sawabi, textile weaver

A GAMABA awardee of barangay Parang, Jolo

Island, Sulu province. Has preserved the art of Pis
Syabit weaving. It is difficult art of tapestry weaving
that creates the traditional squares used by the Tausug
for ornamentation. Despite the conflict in Jolo,
Sawabi’s dedication to her art enhanced the
preservation of traditional Tausug designs. Darhata
Sawabi’s mission was to lead young women towards
making a living out of her craft. The Parang, Sulu-based
textile weaver’s primary creation was the headpiece Pis
Siyabit — pis stands for the pattern, which is said to be
derived from India’s mandala, depicting spirituality through geometric forms,
and Siyabit refers to the hook and technique. She gained recognition for the
precision of her work and her passion for preserving traditional designs, as well
as teaching the youth and was awarded in 2004. She died in 2005.

Teofilo Garcia, gourd hatmaker

A GAMABA awardee of San Quintin Abra who have

discovered and popularized the durable Tabungaw hat out
of enlarged upo or gourd. He hollowed out the upo /
tabungaw, varnished and polished it to make it more
durable and unique yellow sheen. In San Quintin, Abra,
Teofilo Garcia would often walk around town wearing his
gourd casques. Through word of mouth and his
participation in the annual local harvest festival, Garcia
was able to introduce the Tabungaw plant as a good and
sturdy material for functional, elegant, and protective
hats. He produces everything he needs — planting and
harvesting the gourds, splitting, and refining rattan for the
lining, and weaving Nito and bamboo for accents himself — and usually takes
seven days to finish a hat. Awarded in 2012, he continues to experiment and
work on new designs.
 MODULE: HCMA22_CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AND ARTS

Alonzo Saclag, traditional dancer and musician

A Kalinga of Lubuagan, Kalinga was awarded for his

mastery of the Kalinga dance and the performing arts. He
was also recognized for his persistence to create and
nurture a greater consciousness and appreciation of
Kalinga culture among the Kalinga themselves and beyond
their borders. It was through observation, time, and
experience — rather than education or training or any kind
— that Alonzo Saclag of Lubuagan, Kalinga mastered local
musical instruments, along with dance patterns associated
with rituals. Some of these are rarely performed, but done
so with special purposes, whether it’s preparing for
retaliation, a victorious vindication for the community, or
forging successful peace pacts. Saclag understands the importance of his
practice and is a strong advocate of passing on his knowledge and continuing
the use of traditional dress and adornments. His efforts have included formal
education, reaching radio stations, and the formation of the Kalinga Budong
Dance Troupe. He was awarded in 2000.

Masino Intaray, chanter and musician

A Pala'wan of Brookes Point, Palawan. He was

awarded for his exemplary skills in basal or gong music
ensemble. He was also recognized for his versatility as
musician, poet, epic chanter, and storyteller of the
Kulilal and Bagit traditions of the Pala'wan. A member
of the Pala’wan tribe, musician and epic chanter
Masino Intaray was a master of the basal, a gong
music ensemble played during rice cooking (tambilaw)
and sharing (tinapay) rituals, which gather the
community as they serve offerings to Pala’wan rice god
Ampo’t Paray. Intaray also performed the Kulilal, a lyrical
poem expressing love, accompanied by two-stringed lute
and bamboo zither, and the bagit, an instrumental piece about nature.
His memory and determination guided him in chanting through many successive
nights, reciting epics, stories, myths of origin, and the teachings of ancestors.
Intaray, who was awarded in 1993, died in 2013.
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For further reading please refer to the link provided:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxvjHvMTPJ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i1-bV2desw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yKyVIGG7Nk

References:
https://www.google.com/search?q=gamaba%20awardees&tbm=isch&hl=e
n&sa=X&ved=0CB0QtI8BKABqFwoTCJCfqPjn1e8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAW
&biw=833&bih=788