GINAW BILOG

A common cultural aspect among cultural communities nationwide is the oral tradition characterized
by poetic verses which are either sung or chanted. However, what distinguishes the rich Mangyan
literary tradition from others is the ambahan, a poetic literary form composed of seven-syllable lines
used to convey messages through metaphors and images. The ambahan is sung and its messages
range from courtship, giving advice to the young, asking for a place to stay, saying goodbye to a dear
friend and so on. Such an oral tradition is commonplace among indigenous cultural groups but the
ambahan has remained in existence today chiefly because it is etched on bamboo tubes using
ancient Southeast Asian, pre-colonial script called surat Mangyan.

Ginaw Bilog, Hanunoo Mangyan from Mansalay, Mindoro, grew up in such a cultural environment.
Already steeped in the wisdom that the ambahan is a key to the understanding of the Mangyan soul,
Ginaw took it upon himself to continually keep scores of ambahan poetry recorded, not only on
bamboo tubes but on old, dog-eared notebooks passed on to him by friends.

Most treasured of his collection are those inherited from his father and grandfather, sources of
inspiration and guidance for his creative endeavors. To this day, Ginaw shares old and new
ambahans with his fellow Mangyans and promotes this poetic form in every occasion.

Through the dedication of individuals like Ginaw, the ambahan poetry and other traditional art forms
from our indigenous peoples will continue to live.

The Filipinos are grateful to the Hanunoo Mangyan for having preserved a distinctive heritage form
our ancient civilization that colonial rule had nearly succeeded in destroying. The nation is justifiably
proud of Ginaw Bilog for vigorously promoting the elegantly poetic art of the surat Mangyan and the
ambahan. (Prof. Felipe M. de Leon, Jr.)

Ginaw Bilog was a Filipino poet who was recognized as a National Living Treasure by the Philippine
government.[1]

Born on January 3, 1953,[2] Bilog was a Hanunuo Mangyan who was a native of Mansalay, Oriental
Mindoro. He was known for his efforts in preserving the Mangyan poetry tradition of ambahan.[3]

Then-President Fidel V. Ramos, conferred the National Living Treasure Award to Ginaw Bilog on
December 17, 1993, in recognition of his people's preservation efforts of the ambahan poetry, which
is recorded on bamboo.[4]

He died on June 3, 2003, at age 50 due to a lingering illness.[5]

MARINDUQUE

Marinduque is a heart-shaped island which lies between the Bondoc Peninsula at the south- eastern
part of Luzon and the island of Mindoro.  It is bounded by four bodies of water, on the north by
Tayabas Bay, northeast by Mongpong Pass, South-east by Tayabas Strait, and Sibuyan at the south.

The first inhabitants of Marinduque were Malay natives. They established trade relation with the
Chinese as early as the Sung Dynasty as evidenced by the artifacts and shards still found in caves
that abound on the island.

Marinduque is thought to have been under the administrative influence – if not controlled-of the
Bonbon (Batangas) settlement founded by Datus Dumangsil and Balkasusa, members of the ten-
datu expedition from Borneo.

While the original name of the island was Malandik, the Spaniards called it Mare Unduque, findingit
hard to pronounce the Malay word, meaning sea everywhere. While Malandik was thought to pertain
to the sloping terrain and as reference to Mt. Malindig and Balagbag mountain range at the southern
end and central part of the island respectively.

In 1571, the first Spanish Governor Miguel Lopez de Legaspi assigned the encomienda of
Marinduque to a certain Fr. Pedro de Herrera, the first Agustinian father which introduced the
Christianity to the native islanders.

On April 28, 1898, with the overthrow of the last Spanish casadores (Tagalog soldiers) after armed
conflict and hostilities with the revolutionists during the Philippine-Spanish War, Marinduque declared
its separation from Mindoro and from Spanish rule, a move that was ratified by the ruling class from
the different towns of the island-province. The local struggle was led by Martin Lardizabal,  who was
appointed  as military  governor of Marinduque during the first revolutionary provincial government.

During the American regime, the first major victory of the Filipino soldiers in the secondphase
of the Philippine revolution occurred in Torrijos, Marinduque was written known as the Battle
of Pulang Lupa on September 13, 1900 (during the Filipino – American War), when local forces
led by Lt. Col. Maximo Abad defeated the American contingent under the command of Capt.
Devereaux Shields. (The said battle was considered one of the most dramatic reversals the
Americans suffered during the war with the Philippines). Later on May 1, 1901, the United States-
Philippine Commission passed Act No. 125 which created the Province of Marinduque and
established the provincial government at the municipality of Boac, its capital.

A year later by virtue of Act No. 423, dated June 23, 1902, the US-Philippine Commission annexed
the island of Mindoro, including the island of Lubang (then separated from the Province of Cavite), to
the Province of Marinduque, Boac remained as the capital of the consolidated provinces. Four
months after, on November 10, by virtue of an Act No. 499 Marinduque was made a part of Tayabas
(now Quezon). Later on May 17, 1907 under Act No. 1649, the Commission made Marinduque as
sub-province of Tayabas. And finally, on February 21, 1920, Act No. 2880, sponsored by then
representative Hon. Ricardo Paras, Jr. separated the sub- province of Marinduque from
Tayabas and re-established the former province of Marinduque. That Law was signed by
American Governor Francis Burton Harrison.