LESSON 7 NATIONAL LIVING TREASURES
for at least fifty years of existence and documentation.
National Living Treasures
- In April 1992, The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or
the National Living Treasures Award was
institutionalized through the Republic Act No. 7355.
- Republic Act No. 7355 states, “An act providing for the
recognition of national living treasures, otherwise
known as the Manlilikha ng Bayan, and the promotion
and development of traditional folk arts, providing
funds therefore, and for other purposes.”
- The NCAA or National Commission for Culture and
Arts is responsible for administering and conducting
this award.
- The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National
Living Treasures Award is conferred on Filipinos who
are at the forefront of the practice, preservation, and
promotion of the nation’s traditional folk arts.
- The main objective of this award is to honor and
support traditional folk artists and to see to it that their
skills and crafts are preserved.
- The award is tied with a program that ensures the
transfer of their skill to the next generation and the
promotion of the craft locally and internationally.
Emblem
- The award logo is a representation of the human form
used in traditional cloth.
- Below the logo is the phrase “Manlilikha ng Bayan”
written in Baybayin, an ancient Filipino script used in
the Philippines in the 16th century.
Criteria
⮚ The awardee should be a Filipino Citizen…
⮚ Should have been engaged in the tradition and craft
⮚ Should have produced and performed of artistic,
distinctive, and superior quality.
⮚ Should possess mastery of tools and materials that
are needed for the art and must have a reputation for
being an art master and craft maker in the community
where he/she belongs.
⮚ Should have passed on and/or will pass on the
traditional crafts and skills to other members of the
community by virtue of teaching.
Process
The Panel
- The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan is administered by
a committee, which is assisted by an ad hoc panel of
experts. The panel is composed of a representative
from each of the committees of the Subcommission on
Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts, the Office
of the Muslim Affairs (OMA), the National Commission
on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and other appropriate
institutions.
- The ad hoc panel of reviewers is composed of five
members of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
Committee and 4 individuals among scholars,
practitioners, and experts in traditional art.
The Nominations
- Nominations can come from the members of the ad
hoc panel of experts, the sub-commissions on cultural
communities and traditional arts, government and
private institutions, universities, and other people
knowledgeable of: folk architecture, maritime
transport, weaving, carving, performing arts, literature,
graphic and plastic arts, ornament, textile and fiber art,
pottery, etc…
The Screening
- The ad hoc search committees are deployed to
various priority areas in the country to conduct
searches and document the candidates’ arts or craft.
- The ad hoc panel of reviewers reevaluates the
qualifications of the candidates and submit their
recommendations to the NCCA Board of
Commissioners.
- Once selected, the President of the Philippines confer
the awardees in a public ceremony in Malacañang
Palace.

Awards & Incentives

- The awardee receives a specially designed medallion
or plaque, with a duplicate set that should be donated ✔ Salinta Monon (1920 - 2009) - was a Filipino textile
to and displayed in a provincial museum or the largest weaver.
center in the awardee’s community.

- The awardee is given an initial grant of Php 100,000

and a Php 14,000 lifetime stipend per month.

- The awardee is granted a maximum cumulative

amount of Php 750,000 medical and hospitalization
benefits as well as funeral assistance, similar to those
received by the National Artists.

✔ Ginaw Bilog (1953 - 2003) - was a Filipino Poet

✔ Masino Intaray (1943 - 2013) - was a Filipino poet,

bard artist, and musician.

✔ Samaon Sulaiman (1953 - 2011) - was a Filipino

musician.