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.

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

GAMABA Ambalang Ausalin GAMABA Estelita Bantilan
Magdalena Gamayo Ambalang Ausalin Estelita Bantilan
GAMABA Yabing Masalon Dulo
Yabing Masalon Dulo