SLG No.

5
Subject Code/Number: CORE13
Subject Description: The subject covers various contemporary arts practices of the region where the
school is located. It aims to provide students with an appreciation of a broad range of styles in the
various disciplines with consideration on their elements and principles, and engage them to an
integrative approach in studying arts. Through this subject, students will broaden and acquire the
necessary creative tools that open opportunities in pursuing their individual career goals and
aspirations.
Time Frame: 6th week

I. Introduction
In the previous lessons, we learned about GAMABA as an award given to exceptional
practitioners of the traditional arts. Here we will learn about another national award
for, artists who engage in particular disciplinal areas, such as the visual arts. We
might encounter some of the artists we have cited previously. In this lesson, we look
at their works more closely, especially in terms of collaboration and exchange, as we
view the National Artist Award in the spirit of the public sphere, to whom artists and
award- giving bodies are held accountable.

A. Learning Competency
- -Explains Filipino artists’ roles and identify their contribution to contemporary arts
- Compares forms of art from the different region.

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

 Identify the works of National artists and recognize their contributions to Philippine
art culture through research project report;
 Evaluate the criteria of the National Artists Award (NAA) through creative group
projects; and
 Explain issues related to NAA through a report or a critical paper.
II. Learning Content

What is National Artist Award?

Among the various institutional awards and recognition instruments, the National Artists Award
(NAA) bestows the highest form of recognition to Filipino artists for their significant contributions in
the arts and letters. It shares the same prestige as GAMABA and National Scientist Award. The award is
conferred every 3 years through a rigorous deliberation and selection process jointly facilitated by two
major cultural offices, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts and Cultural Center of the
Philippines. NAA was established in 1972 under Presidential Decree No. 1001 issued by then President
Ferdinand Marcos. The first recipient was Fernando Amorsolo, who was conferred the award
posthumously. Much has changed since the institutionalization of the award. As of this writing, the
roster has included 66 awardees from seven disciplinal areas, namely: (1) architecture, design and
allied arts (2) film and broadcast arts (3) Visual Arts (4) Literature (5) dance (6) music, and (7) theater.
In the history of the NAA, other categories have been considered by virtue of the president’s
prerogative, among them, historical literature, and fashion design.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4fZsl13YPk

Lesson 4. The GAMABA

What is GAMABA?

Garcia has been named Manlilikha ng Bayan (one who creates for the country) or
National Living Treasure. More individuals have received this distinction from the time of the
establishment of the award in 1992 through republic Act no. 7355 until 2012. National Commission for
Culture and the arts, including the National Artist award, which will be discussed in Lesson 5. The said
award and the GAMABA recognize the outstanding work of artists in the Philippines.

Traditional art is based on indigenous people’s cultures that are largely honed by oral tradition. A
distinct feature of the GAMABA is its emphasis on the in tangible and communal aspects of art
production, which as pointed out in Lesson 1, are closely aligned with the process- based and
collaborative inclination of some contemporary art practices. Traditional art 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 a broader aspect of life.
Things produced such as textiles, hats, baskets, or utensils are commonplace, usually found and used in
people’s home. Songs and dances performed as a group as part of the ritual and as a way of affirming
one’s cultural identity or sense of belonging.

The GAMABA awardees

Weaving

Manlilikha ng Bayan Year of Conferment Ethnicity/ Location Expertise

Lang Dulay 1998 T’boli/ Lake Sebu, Tinalak
South Cotabato, Mindano, weaving
Southern Philippines

Salinta Monon 1998 Tagabawa Bagobo/ Inabal

Bansalan, Davao Del Sur weaving
Southeastern Mindanao island,
southern Philippines
Darhata Sawabi (d. 2004 Tausug/ Parang, Sulu, Pis siyabit
2005) southern Philippines Weaving
Haja Amina Appi 2004 Sama/ tandubas,
(d. 2013) Tawi- Tawi, southern Mat weaving
Philippines
Magdalena Gamayo 2012 Ilocano/ Pinili, Ilocos Inabel
Norte, Northern Luzon island, weaving
Northern Philippines

Literature and Performing Arts

Manlilikha ng Bayan Year Ethnicity/

of location Expertise
Conferment
Ginaw Bilog 1993 Hanunuo Surat Mangyan and
(d. 2003) Mangyan/ Mansalay ambahan Poetry
Oriental Mindoro,
Central Philippines
Masino Intaray 1993 Pala’wan/ Brookes Lyrical Poems
Point, Palawan island, (kulial, basal, and bagit)
Central Philippines and playing their
accompanying
instruments; epic
chanting and
story telling
Sumaon Sulaiman 1993 Magindanao/ Mama sa
(d. 2011) Pano, Maguindanao Playing the kudyapi
Western Mindanao
Island, Southern
Philippines
Alonzo Saclag 2000 Kalinga/ Lubuagan,
Kalingaw Northern Playing Kalinga
Luzon Islan, musical instruments;
Northern Philippines. dance patterns and
movements associated with
rituals
Federico Caballero 2000 Sulod Bukidnon/ Chanting the sugidanon
Calinog. Iloilo, Panay epic of the
Island, Central the Panay Bukidnon
Philippines.
Uwang Ahadas 2000 Yakan/ Lamitan, Basilan Palying Yakan
 Island, Southern Philippines
musical Instruments

Plastic Arts

Manlilikha ng Bayan Year of Conferment Ethnicity/ Location Expertise

Eduardo Mutuc 2004 Kapampangan/ Silver Plating of
Apalit, Pampanga Religious and
Central Luzon, secular art.
Northern
Philipppines
Teofilo Garcia 2012 Ilocano/ San Quintin, Gourd Casque
Abra, northern Luzon making
Island, northern
Philippines

What are some of the issues related to awards?

I. The Production Process and the changing Environment

The Traditional artist’s mode of production continues to be affected with dynamics of

change. Environmental degradation ushered in by calamities, modernization, and capitalistic
endeavors displace the indigenous people from their ancestral land. As their home base, it is
considered of paramount importance—this is where resources are gathered and shared, and where
culture is performed.

1. Tourism- Land areas are converted into sites for tourist consumption. Ecological Domains
become more susceptible to damage with the combined forces of the natural disasters and
tourist mobility. Dances and rituals are staged for an external audience rather than for the
community’s observance of tradition. Art forms native to the community tends to diminish in
quality. Removed from their original context, the works are transformed into mass produced
of souvenirs in order to meet the demands of the tourist trade. Neon colors and designs woven
from synthetic fibers have been made available in recent years to create appropriations of
traditional textile designs for commercial purposes.

2. Mining and infrastructure projects- The construction of dams and the establishment of oil
and mining companies evict people from their dwellings and severely damage the
environment. Deprived of the bounty of land, indigenous groups are prompted to seek short-
term employment from these industries in order to make ends meet in a money economy.

3. Militarization- The insecurity and tensions brought about by Militarized zones arrest the
people’s ability to create art. It prevents people from having communal gatherings, where
exchanges and passing of knowledge can take place.
 4. Christianization- The influence of Christianity and the conversion of the natives to a foreign
religion have caused members of the community to forsake their indigenous rituals and
traditions. At worse, people are led to believe that the latter are primitive and therefore their
practice has no place in the contemporary culture. In some cases, however, the community
finds a way to syncretize their indigenous ways with traditions of Christianity.

II. Difficulties in the Selection Process

The archipelagic orientation of the Philippines makes some locations challenging to reach by
land, air, or sea. Places that pose security risk, particularly militarized zones prevent the
sustained entry of researchers and possibly diminish reception outside the locality. This is
partly why the awarding does not follow a regular pattern, as the column on the Year of
Conferment on the table of GAMABA. The award- giving body, through its cultural workers, is
entrusted with an equally significant and difficult responsibility of being critical, transparent,
and judicious in the process entailed by the GAMABA, from the selection, awarding, and even
beyond.

III. effects of GAMABA in the communities

Since the artists are very much entrenched in their localities, the award system might create a
division within the communities when one person is elevated to the status of a national awardee.
The attention and the entry of outsiders may create a disruption that may also change, not just
social and economic relationships, but also the people’s attitudes, concepts, and definitions of the
art forms and the processes.

Summaries and General ideas

GAMABA- (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) Highest national awards for culture and arts.
- It recognizes exceptional artist who are engaged in the traditional arts.
- Forms which are produced or performed within the context of the community.
- As a culture bearer, the role of the GAMABA is to pass on their artistic knowledge to the
community to inspire them, and to ensure that aspects of their cultural identity
continue to thrive.
NCCA- (National Commission for Culture and Arts) Philippines is the overall policy making body,
coordinating, and grants giving agency for the preservation, development and promotion of
Philippine arts and culture; an executing agency for the policies it formulates; and task to
administering the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA) — fund exclusively for
the implementation of culture and arts programs and projects.

Tabungaw- term for upo or gourd in Ilo- ilo.

 Inabal weaving - 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.

Inabel weaving - Abel is Ilocano for “weave,” and inabel literally means “woven.”

- can interpret inabel as pertaining to any kind of woven fabric, but it is mostly used to refer
to that distinctly Ilocano textile of plain or patterned woven cotton made in hardwood looms
using techniques passed down through generations.
Pi Syabit - is the traditional cloth tapestry made from cotton or silk worn as a head covering by the Tausug
of SULU.

T’nalak weaving - is a weaving tradition of the T'boli people of South Cotabato, Philippines. T'nalak cloth
are woven from abacá fibers. The traditional female weavers are known as dream weavers, because the
pattern of the t'nalak cloth are inspired by their dreams. 

Ambahan Poetry - The ambahan is the traditional poetry of the Hanunuo Mangyans of

Oriental Mindoro. It is usually written on bamboo in the Surat Mangyan, a centuries-old pre-
Spanish script. The syllabic script and the ambahan poetry have complemented each other,
contributing to their continued existence today.

Sugidanon Epic- Sugidanon (from sugid, literally "to tell"), is the term the. tumandok
gives to the long narratives chanted by community. chanters which tells about the heroic
exploits of the ancestors of the. mountain people inhabiting areas in Central Panay like
Calinog and. Lambunao in Iloilo, Tapaz and Jamindan in Capiz, Valderama.

III. Assessment
For Online Class Students
Direction: Watch any of the following documentaries and write a reaction.

a. Dreamweaver (1999), directed by Fruto Corre, 45 mins.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7lePCAkZbM)
b. Katutubo: Memory of Dances (2001), directed by Fruto Corre and Nancey Ro
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOrbP5HAtvc)
c. Ifugao: Bulubunduking Buhay (1998), directe by fruto Corre and Nancy Rodriguez, 45 mins.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7lePCAkZbM)

Guided Questions

a. What forms of traditional art can you identify in the video?

b. What do these narratives tell us about the character of traditional arts?
c. how are the artists portrayed in the video? Take for example, the Dream weavers, which
talk about how manlilikha ng Bayan Like Lang Dulay derives her pattern from dreams. Does
Lang Dulays’s dreamwork came across as strange or exotic? Or do this account of dreams and
creativity give you another perspective in the other process of creation? And that it is possible to
create something out of dreams? Click this Link for more information
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p443TQqJT6c&t=422s
d. What specific factors cause changes in art production?
 Use the Rubric as a guide for this task

For

Modular Students Only

Direction: Read the Documentary about the GAMABA artist named Lang Dulay and create a
critique about her life as a dream weaver.

Lang Dulay’s eyes were occasionally shut, as if going in between sweet slumbers while we were taking
her photos. She was still noticeably sleepy when we met her that morning to see her home, a museum of
sorts to her works doubling as a weaving center of T’nalak for other T’boli women. But beyond those sleepy
eyes and quiet demeanor, her presence exudes the depth of her experience, a master of her craft, a National
Living Treasure, the master dream weaver.
 Realizing the dream
At the age of 12 her first work of art came in the form of a dream, having received the first
pattern of her design from the god, Fu Dalu. Her dream didn’t stop from her designs.
When she was recognized with Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Award, she dreamed
more for the T’boli tribe (especially for her grandchildren) and established a weaving
center – Manlilikha ng Bayan Center – for the women to continue on with the art of
T’nalak weaving.

**I just had to quote this review for a Murakami book I am currently reading that also
seem fitting for the master dream weaver.  — “Anyone can tell a story that resembles a
dream, but it’s a rare artist, like this one, who can make us feel that we are dreaming it
ourselves.” – The New York Times

Shadow of the past

Both women were staring at me, both wearing the same intricate fabric. I know they are the same, but
between her and the faded photograph,  you can clearly observe the stark contrast from the portrait of her
young self. She was already in her 90’s, the creases on her face are now more defined, her stance easily
tired and her gaze far-off. Old age had already hindered her to continue weaving, and had to be contented
to inspire T’nalak weaving on the sidelines through her designs.
Fortunate and Unfortunate

We visited her last December. We even had a T’nalak fabric ordered to be finished in 3
months. But just a month after our visit, we were surprised by the news that she fell into a
coma after suffering from a stroke. Now, we are deeply saddened by the loss of a national
artist.

We still consider ourselves fortunate to have met Lang Dulay just before she got sick.We
have not only known for her world-renowned T’nalak fabrics but simply for her fascination
for lipsticks, a token we brought her and her grand children, who were all excited and
giddy while each one choosing the perfect color. It was just a simple appreciation for their
hospitality and for the creativity and inspiration they all bring.

In Memory of Lang Dulay 

August 3, 1928 – April 30, 2015

Keeping the Tradition Alive

We can still support the indigenous tribe of the T’boli’s by supporting their products.
Located in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, below are the places you can visit to experience
the tradition of the T’boli people and buy their products.

Manlilikha ng Bayan Center, Sitio Tukolefa, Lamdalag – “Lang Dulay’s Home”

TSIKAT – T’boli School of Indigenous Knowledge and Tradtions, Lembaning,
Poblacion
COWHED – Cooperative Women in Health and Development, Tuko Ful, Poblacion
Lake Sebu is a fairly small community, you can get around these known places easily by
hiring a habal-habal.

Source: https://hapipaks.com/2015/05/26/lang-dulay-re-living-the-dreams-of-a-master-
dreamweaver/
 Guided Questions

a. What forms of traditional art can you identidy in the video?

b. What do these narratives tell us about the character of traditional arts?
c. how are the artists portrayed in the video? Take for example, the Dream weavers, which
talk about how manlilikha ng Bayan Like Lang Dulay derives her pattern from dreams. Does
Lang Dulays’s dreamwork came across as strange or exotic? Or do this account of dreams and
creativity give you another perspective in the other process of creation? And that itt is possible
to create something out of dreams? Click this Link for more information
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p443TQqJT6c&t=422s
d. What specific factors cause changes in art production?

Use the Rubric as a guide for this task

IV. Extension of Learning

Enhancing Ideas
 Direction: Research some contemporary artist found in your region (Central Visayas, Region
7) through the following categories. You can cite only 1 artist in every category

a. Folk architecture
b. Maritime transport
c. Weaving
d. Carving
e. Performing arts
f. Literature
g. Graphic and plastic arts
h. Ornament
i. Textile or fiber art
j. Pottery

V. REFERENCES

Datuin, F., Paulino, R., Ramirez, E. L., & Marcelino, L. (2016). Contemporary Philippine Arts from the
Region. Manila: Rex Book Store.
Guillermo, Alice 1998. “Art and Society” Humanities: Art and Society Handbook, University of the
Philippines College of Arts and Letters (CAL) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Tiongson, Nicanor (ed) 1991, Tuklas Sining, Cultural center of The Philppines.
Mecada, Jose. 1998 Gongs and Bamboo, University of the Philippine Press.
Peralta, Jesus (ed) 2003. Enumerations from the Philippine Inventory of intangible Cultural Heritage,
NCCA and UNESCO-ICHCAP.
Respicio, Norma. 2004. Journey of a thousand Shuttles: The Philippines Weave.

Submitted by:

JIMWELL DEIPARINE BERHN VINCENT C. DOSDOS

Senior High School Teacher Senior High School Principal

Reviewed by:

MS. APPLE JOY L. RUPEREZ

Academic Program Coordinator

Noted by:
MRS. ANDRESA S. BULAWAN
Assistant Principal

Approved by:

DR. JUNREL P. ZARCO

Vice- President for Academic Affairs