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

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?

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 community’s 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  ornament

 maritime transport  textile or fiber art
 weaving, carving  pottery and other artistic
 performing arts expressions of traditional culture
 literature, graphic and plastic
arts
Consideration shall be given to geographical distribution and balance of artistic
categories.