Gawad sa Manlilikha
ng Bayan
Ginaw
Bilog
Ginaw Bilog was a Filipino poet who was recognized as
a National Living Treasure by the Philippine government.
Born on January 3, 1953, Bilog was a
Hanunuo Mangyan who was a native
of Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro. He was known for his
efforts in preserving the Mangyan poetry tradition
of ambahan. Then-President Fidel V. Ramos, conferred
the National Living Treasure Award to Ginaw Bilog on
December 17, 1993, in recognition of his people's
preservation efforts of the ambahan poetry, which is
recorded on bamboo. Ginaw Bilog, Hanunoo Mangyan
from Mansalay, Mindoro, grew up in such a cultural
environment. Already steeped in the wisdom that the
ambahan is a key to the understanding of the Mangyan
soul, Ginaw took it upon himself to continually keep
scores of ambahan poetry recorded, not only on
bamboo tubes but on old, dog-eared notebooks passed
on to him by friends.
Alonzo
Saclag
Alonzo Saclag was born on August 4, 1942. A member of
the Kalinga people and a native of Lubuagan, Kalinga
province, Saclag taught himself of his people's traditions in
the performing arts. He learned how to play traditional
Kalinga musical instruments and Kalinga ritual dance
movements without formal or informal instruction. Alonzo
Saclag from Lubuagan, Kalinga is known for his talent in
playing different Kalinga musical instruments. He has
contributed a lot in preserving Kalinga culture through
dances, music and customs. Saclag worked to revive the
dying tradition of playing the gangsa, a type of Kalinga gong.
Saclag lobbied for two years with the provincial government
to grant funds to convert the abandoned Capitol Building
into a museum. With support from the provincial
government and other financiers, a branch of the National
Museum was established in Lubuagan.