GAMABA (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) is an award that acknowledges folk and indigenous artists who, despite the modern times, remain true to their traditions. There are currently 13 artists that are given this award who persevered to pursue and protect their culture. National Artist Award, on the other hand, is the highest recognition in the Philippines given to Filipino individuals who have contributed to the development of Philippine arts.
Both awards give pride to us Filipinos and inspire us to stay true to our cultures. They instill in the minds of the people that no matter what comes our way and how far we'll go, we should never forget our roots and our past. Their works and artistry reflect our diverse cultural heritage and traditions including weaving, metalsmith, and our individual skills in the different fields of art as Filipinos.
Preserving one's culture is the duty of many. It is right that the government did not fail to acknowledge our own culture and is also trying to preserve it. Not many countries can do the same, so I'm proud that we are different. Filipinos, by nature, are simple and old-fashioned. Revealing all these things to the world by the efforts of GAMABA and NAA will surely freshen things up. Simplistic culture and philosophies has the tendency to leave a mark in a person's heart. GAMABA and NAA should be continued, so culture and heritage of Filipinos has a greater chance of being preserved.
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.
The Gamaba Artist Awardees
Ginaw Bilog
Ginaw Bilog, poet
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 for posterity.
Masino Intaray
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.
Samaon Sulaiman, musician
• AMagindanao of Mama
sa pano, 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
instruments.
1988 Awardees
Lang Dulay, textile 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.
Salinta Monon
Salinta Monon, textile weaver
• A 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.
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.
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.
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.
Darhata Sawabi, textile weaver
•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.
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 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.
Haja Amina Appi, pandan mat weaver
•of Ungos Matata,
Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi,
• 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.
Teofilo Garcia
Teofilo Garcia
• Casque maker, Ilokano, San Quintin, Abra
• He make to wear Tabungaw, the gourd hat he makes and wears, is uniquely distinct in craftsmanship.
Magdalena Gamayo
• Textile weaver, Ilokano, Pinili, Ilocos Norte
•Abel – the textile weaving of Ilokano from local Cotton and other fibers. Traditional Patterns: Binakol and Inuritan (geometric design) Kusikos (spiral forms similar to orange) Sinan-sabong (Flowers)
Apuh Ambalang Ausali
•a Filipino master weaver from the city of Lamitan, Basilan. Apuh Ambalang is renowned for her mastery of the crafts of sinaluan and sputangan, two of the most intricately designed textiles of the indigenous Yakan community.
Estelita Bantilan
•a Filipino textile weaver from the municipality of Malapatan, Sarangani. She is credited with creating "some of the biggest, most subtly beautiful mats to be seen anywhere in Southeast Asia.
Fu Yabing Masalon Dulo
•a Filipino textile master weaver and dyer, credited with preserving the Blaan traditional mabal tabih art of ikat weaving and dyeing.
