10 Agung • Number 4 • 2015
Women and their Weaves Of the thirteen Manlilikha ng Bayan, five are women. All of them are weavers. Except for Magdalena Gamayo who lives in Ilocos Norte, all of them hail from Mindanao. Except for Haja Amina Appi from Tawi-Tawi, who wove colorful pandanus mats, all of them are textile weavers. LANG DULAY T’boli Lake Sebu, South Cotabato Lang Dulay was a T’boli weaver from Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. She was known for weaving the traditional t’nalak or the abaca ikat cloth of the T’boli. She produced creations of high quality, displaying rich colors and fine workmanship. She knew a hundred designs, spun in textiles reflecting the wisdom and visions of her people. She was conferred the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan in 1998 and died on April 30, 2015, at the age of 86.
Photos by Renato S. Rastrollo
SALINTA MONON Tagabawa Bagobo Bansalan, Davao del Sur Salinta Monon of Davao del Sur fully demonstrated the creative and expressive aspects of the Bagobo abaca ikat weaving, the inabal, at a time when such art was threatened with extinction. Her mastery of the inabal was unparalleled. With her keen eye for traditional designs, she used to identify the design as well as the weaver just by a glance. She was conferred the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan in 1998 and passed away on June 4, 2009, at the age of 88. DARHATA SAWABI Tausug Parang, Sulu From Sulu, Darhata Sawabi was hailed as an expert in weaving colorful squares of cloth used for the pis syabit¸ the traditional head covering of the Tausug, and for adornment of the native attire, bags and accessories as well as in teaching the art to the younger generation. Her art is distinguished for its bold, contrasting colors, the evenness of the weave and faithfulness to traditional designs. She was conferred the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan in 2004 and died on March 12, 2005.
THE GAWAD SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN (NATIONAL LIVING TREASURES AWARD)
In April 3, 1992, President Corazon C. Aquino signed Republic Act Number 7355, providing for the recognition of the national living treasures, otherwise known as the Manlilikha ng Bayan, and the promotion and development of traditional folk arts. It has its roots in the 1988 National Folk Artists Award organized by the Rotary Club of Makati-Ayala. The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National Living Treasures Award gives recognition to Filipino traditional craftsmen whose skills have reached a high level of technical and artistic excellence and who are tasked to pass on to the present generation knowledge threatened with extinction. In September 19, 2003, Executive Order No. 236 was signed, conferring additional prestige on the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan by raising it to the level of a Cultural Order, fourth in precedence among the orders and decorations that comprise the Honors of the Philippines, and equal in rank to the National Artist Award and the Order of National Scientists. The NCCA, through the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee and an ad hoc panel of experts, conducts the search for the finest practitioners of traditional arts and crafts, adopts a program that will ensure the transfer of their skills to others and undertakes measures to promote a genuine appreciation of and instill pride among our people about the genius of the Manlilikha ng Bayan.