The Contemporary in

Traditional Art:
Gawad sa Manlilikha
ng Bayan
( GAMABA )
How does tradition become contemporary,
and the contemporary traditional?

•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 a continuing
performance of tradition.
What is the GAMABA?
Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan. Award given to
people who produce art forms that are woven
into everyday life.

This is bestowed by The National Commission

for culture and the Arts (NCCA).

GAMABA recognize the outstanding work of

artists in the Philippines.
Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures).mp4
TEOFILO GARCIA
- 2012 awardee
- A farmer in the town of San Quintin, a
municipality of Abra
- Better known for tending a plot of land filled
with enlarged upo or gourd
- Transform the harvest into durable hats
protecting people, especially farmers
exposed for long hours under the heat of the
sun.
TEOFILO GARCIA
- Was instrumental in fortifying the tradition
through six decades worth of persistent
practice.

- His artistic rendering a functional object,

dedication to craft, and commitment to
the community makes him bearer of
culture.
TEOFILO GARCIA
- He initiated training for students at San
Quintin National High School to pass the
knowledge of tabungaw hat making,
inspiring the youth to value the tradition
and to ensure its upkeep.
- Each upo or tabungaw (in Ilocano) is
hallowed out, polished, and varnished,
which gives the tabungaw hat a
distinctive yellow sheen.

- Thin strips of rattan or uway are woven to

line the hat, while another type of intricate
weave, usually made of fern or nito is
placed on the mouth of the hat as
decoration.
- Each upo or tabungaw (in Ilocano) is
hallowed out, polished, and varnished,
which gives the tabungaw hat a
distinctive yellow sheen.

- Thin strips of rattan or uway are woven to

line the hat, while another type of intricate
weave, usually made of fern or nito is
placed on the mouth of the hat as
decoration.