National Living Treasures Guidelines

Posted on May 5, 2015

Share

In April 1992, the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National Living Treasures
Award was institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355. Tasked with the
administration and implementation of the Award is the National Commission for Culture
and the Arts (NCCA), the highest policy-making and coordinating body for culture and
the arts of the State. The NCCA, through the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee
and an Ad Hoc Panel of Experts, conducts the search for the finest traditional artists of
the land, 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.

First awarded in 1993 to three outstanding artists in music and poetry, the Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan has its roots in the 1988 National Folk Artists Award organized by
the Rotary Club of Makati-Ayala. As a group, these folk and traditional artists reflect the
diverse heritage and cultural traditions that transcend their beginnings to become part of
our national character. As Filipinos, they bring age-old customs, crafts and ways of living
to the attention and appreciation of Filipino life. They provide us with a vision of
ourselves and of our nation, a vision we might be able to realize someday, once we are
given the opportunity to be true to ourselves as these artists have remained truthful to
their art.

As envisioned under R.A. 7355, Manlilikha ng Bayan shall mean a citizen engaged in
any traditional art uniquely Filipino whose distinctive skills have reached such a high
level of technical and artistic excellence and have been passed on to and widely
practiced by the present generation in his/her community with the same degree of
technical and artistic competence.

Befitting their national status, the presence of Gawad ng Manlilikha ng Bayan Awardess
are required in the events under the institutional programs and projects of the NCCA
such as the Philippine National Arts Month, the National Heritage Month, and other
important national and regional cultural celebrations and similar future
events. (Download copy of NCCA Board Resolution 2008-486: Requiring the
Participation of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Awardees in National Celebrations).

How Does One Become a Manlilikha ng Bayan?

To become a Manlilikha ng Bayan, the candidate must possess the following

qualifications:
a. He/she is an inhabitant of an indigenous/traditional cultural community anywhere in
the Philippines that has preserved indigenous customs, beliefs, rituals and traditions
and/or has syncretized whatever external elements that have influenced it.

b. He/she must have engaged in a folk art tradition that has been in existence and
documented for at least fifty (50) years.

c. He/she must have consistently performed or produced over a significant period,

works of superior and distinctive quality.

d. He/she must possess a mastery of tools and materials needed by the art, and must
have an established reputation in the art as master and maker of works of extraordinary
technical quality.

e. He/she must have passed on and/or will pass on to other members of the community
their skills in the folk art for which the community is traditionally known.

A traditional artist who possesses all the qualities of a Manlilikha ng Bayan candidate,
but due to age or infirmity has left him/her incapable of teaching further his/her craft,
may still be recognized if:

a. He/she had created a significant body of works and/or has consistently displayed
excellence in the practice of his/her art, thus achieving important contributions for its
development.

b. He/she has been instrumental in the revitalization of his/her communitys artistic

tradition.

c. a. He/she has passed on to the other members of the community skills in the folk art
for which the community is traditionally known.

d. His/her community has recognized him/her as master and teacher of his/her craft.

Categories

The Award shall be given in each, but not limited to the following categories of
traditional folk arts, viz.: folk architecture, maritime transport, weaving carving,
performing arts, literature, graphic and plastic arts, ornament, textile or fiber art,
pottery and other artistic expressions of traditional culture. Consideration shall be
given to geographical distribution and balance of artistic categories.

What are the incentives received by the awardee?

A Manlilikha ng Bayan awardee receives a specially designed gold medallion, an initial
grant of P100,000 and P10,000 monthly stipend for life. In consonance with the
provision of Republic Act No. 7355, which states that the monetary grant may be
increased whenever circumstances so warrant, the NCCA board approved an
additional monthly personal allowance of P14,000 for the awardees as well as a
maximum cumulative amount of P750,000 medical and hospitalization benefits annually
similar to that received by the National Artists and funeral assistance/tribute fit for a
National Living Treasure.

Ad Hoc Panel of Experts

To ensure a fair selection of the potential awardees, the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
Committee shall be assisted by an Ad Hoc Panel of Experts consisting of experts in the
traditional folk arts categories listed above. The names of those selected to become
members of the Ad Hoc Panel of Experts shall be submitted to the NCCA Board of
Commissioners for proper designation. The Ad Hoc Panel of Experts may be composed
of the members of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee, one representative
from each of the committees of the Subcommission on Cultural Communities and
Traditional Arts, representatives from the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA), National
Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), and representatives from other government
and non-government instrumentalities or other appropriate institutions whose
representation shall be instituted by the NCCA Board from time to time. The term of the
members shall expire upon completion of the search and selection process.

The Ad Hoc Panel of Experts shall constitute from among themselves Ad Hoc Search
Committees that shall be deployed to the various parts of the country, after determining
the priority areas, to conduct a thorough search and documentation of candidates for
the awards in the traditional folk arts category respectively assigned to them.

Nominations may come from the members of the Ad Hoc Panel of Experts based on
their knowledge and expertise. Additional nominations may come from the
Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts, cultural, government and
private institutions, local cultural offices, universities and other persons knowledgeable
in any of the identified categories.

In the process of their search, the Ad Hoc Search Committees may identify additional
nominees.
In conducting the search, the Ad Hoc Search Committees shall be guided by and shall
faithfully adhere to the criteria and qualifications for becoming a Manlilikha ng Bayan as
set forth in the law and these Rules and Regulations.

The duration of the nomination process ends upon submission of the final list of
nominees of the Ad Hoc Search Committees to the Ad Hoc Panel of Experts.

Ad Hoc Panel of Reviewers

The Ad Hoc Panel of Experts shall then constitute an Ad Hoc Screening Committee who
shall recommend nominees for the award to an Ad Hoc Panel of Reviewers.

The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee and Ad Hoc Panel of Experts shall
constitute from among scholars, practitioners and experts in the field of traditional arts
an Ad Hoc Panel of Reviewers that shall review the recommendations of the Ad Hoc
Screening Committee and evaluate the qualifications of the nominees. The
documentation previously undertaken by the Ad Hoc Search Committees shall be a key
factor in the evaluation process.

The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee shall submit to the NCCA the
recommendations of the Ad Hoc Panel of Reviewers for appropriate action.

The names of the awardees approved by the NCCA Board shall be submitted to the
President of the Philippines for proclamation.

Guidelines on Documenting a GAMABA Awardee

Posted on May 5, 2015

Share

This guideline is intended for individuals and institutions interested in conducting

research, recording, filming or photographing the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
Awardees including samples of works, work and training methods and tools.

1. Requests to document a Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Awardee (Awardee) should

be accompanied by a formal letter of request from the head of the organization
(Documentor) which is conducting the documentation. If the requesting party is an
individual (Documentor), the letter should be accompanied by an endorsement letter
from the head of a reputable research institution, preferably a cultural agency affiliated
with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

2. The letter of request should be addressed to the Chairperson of the Gawad sa

Manlilikha ng Bayan Executive Committee (Committee) and received by the GAMABA
office at least three (3) months before the start of the documentation.

3. The letter of request should contain the following information:

Purpose and aim of the documentation.

Format (i.e. video, photo, audio recording, etc.).
The use that will be made of the documentation or information gathered.
Schedule of documentation.
Copy of script, guide or storyboard.
4. The request requires review and approval by the Committee.

5. The request should likewise be accepted by the Awardee.

6. Compensation of the Awardee shall be determined by the Committee in consultation
with the Awardee and shall be based on the amount of time spent with the Documentor,
and should be in keeping with the daily or monthly income that the Awardees normal
activity would provide, the value of the material or information volunteered and the
eventual use that will be made of it.

7. Compensation of interpreters, guides, security escorts and other sources shall be the
responsibility of the Documentor.

8. The Awardee shall be provided with a copy of the research paper, photographs,
sound or audiovisual documents recorded.

9. GAMABA office shall be provided with a copy of the research paper, photographs,
sound or audiovisual documents recorded for archival purposes. Said materials shall be
stored in the NCCA Portal Cultural Databank, the NCCAs intranet for cultural
information, which shall remain confidential and may be given only upon prior consent
of the private owner.

10. A Letter of Agreement shall be prepared upon approval of the request and
acceptance by the Documentor of the foregoing terms and conditions.

11. These guidelines shall apply to the general public, GAMABA and NCCA committee
members, officials and staff.

12. Documentors/researchers who violate these policies will not be allowed to work with
any of the GAMABA Awardees for three (3) years after the event.

Approved per Committee Resolution No. 2011-01 on February 28, 2011. For the
Executive Committee:

ELENA RIVERA MIRANO, PH.D.

Chairperson

Contact the Gamaba Program Secretariat at tel. no.: 5272192 local 504.

First awarded in 1993 to three outstanding artists in music and poetry, the Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan has its roots in the 1988 National Folk Artists Award organized by
the Rotary Club of Makati-Ayala. As a group, these folk and traditional artists reflect the
diverse heritage and cultural traditions that transcend their beginnings to become part of
our national character. As Filipinos, they bring age-old customs, crafts and ways of living
to the attention and appreciation of Filipino life. They provide us with a vision of
ourselves and of our nation, a vision we might be able to realize someday, once we are
given the opportunity to be true to ourselves as these artists have remained truthful to
their art.

As envisioned under R.A. 7355, Manlilikha ng Bayan shall mean a citizen engaged in
any traditional art uniquely Filipino whose distinctive skills have reached such a high
level of technical and artistic excellence and have been passed on to and widely
practiced by the present generation in his/her community with the same degree of
technical and artistic competence.

How does one become a Manlilikha ng Bayan?

LIST OF AWARDEES

Ginaw Bilog Masino Intaray Samaon Sulaiman

Lang Dulay Salinta Monon Alonzo Saclag

Federico Caballero Uwang Ahadas Darhata Sawabi

Eduardo Mutuc Haja Amina Appi Teofilo Garcia

Magdalena Gamayo