Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions
Significant
Contemporary
Artists from the
Regions
Learning Objective:
Identify various GAMABA (National Living Treasures) /
National Artists (Orden ng Gawad Pambansang
Alagad ng Sining) based on their location and artistic
field
Display an appreciation to GAMABA (National Living
Treasures) national artists’ contribution in his
community and the contemporary field of arts
Create a poem, spoken poetry or song expressing
feelings of gratitude and inspiration for national
artists.
THE NATIONAL ARTISTS AWARD
The Order of National Artists (Orden ng mga
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) is the highest national
recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made
significant contributions to the development of
Philippine arts namely; Music, Dance, Theater,
Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Broadcast Arts, and
Architecture and Allied Arts. The order is jointly
administered by the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural
Center of the Philippines (CCP) and conferred by
the President of the Philippines upon recommendation
by both institutions.
Selection Criteria for the National Artists of the
Philippines
For a person to be considered in the selection of the
National Artists Order of the Philippines, he or she must
possess the following qualities, according to the Official
Gazette:
Must be a Filipino citizen;
Work has contributed to nation-building;
Their distinctive style and pioneering works impacts succeeding
generations of artist;
There is excellence in the practice of their art form;
Their art form enriches artistic expression or style; and
Their work is prestigious national and international recognition.
LEANDRO V. LOCSIN National
Artist for Architecture, 1990
Locsin reshaped the urban
landscape with a distinctive
architecture reflective of Philippine
Art and Culture. He believes that
the true Philippine Architecture is
“the product of two great
streams of culture, the oriental
and the occidental… to produce a
new object of profound
From 1955 to 1994, Locsin has
produced 75 residences and 88
buildings, including 11 churches
and chapels, 23 public
buildings, 48 commercial
buildings, six major hotels, and
an airport terminal building.
Locsin’s largest single work is
the Istana Nurul Iman, the
palace of the Sultan of Brunei,
which has a floor area of 2.2
million square feet. The CCP
Complex (inserted, right) itself
is a virtual Locsin Complex with
all five buildings designed by
him — the Cultural Center of
the Philippines, Folk Arts
Theater, Philippine
International Convention
Center, Philcite and The
Westin Hotel (now Sofitel
Philippine Plaza).
Francisco T. Mañosa National Artist for Architecture and
Allied Arts, 2018
For all of his more than 60 years of architecture life, Ar. Bobby
Mañosa designed Filipino. From the 1960s in his landmark
design of the Sulo Hotel until his retirement about 2015, he
courageously and passionately created original Filipino forms,
spaces with intricate and refined details. But what is most
valuable is that Mañosa was in the heart and soul of a Philippine
architectural movement. He has developed a legacy of
Philippine architecture, which is essential to our Filipino identity
and at the same time, deeply appreciated and shared in our
world today
Major Works:
• San Miguel Building, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
(designed with the Mañosa
Brothers)
• Chapel of the Risen Lord,
Las Piñas City
• Our Lady of Peace Shrine,
EDSA, Quezon City
• World Youth Day Papal
Altar, Quirino Grandstand,
Manila, 1995
• Metrorail Transit System
Stations for LRT 1,
circa 1980s
• Quezon Memorial Circle
Development Plan
Lanao del Norte Provincial Capitol, Tubod, Lanao del Norte
• Tahanang Pilipino (Coconut Palace), CCP Complex,
Manila
• Amanpulo Resort, Palawan
• Pearl Farm Resort, Samal Island, Davao, completed
1994
• La Mesa Watershed Resort and Ecological Park, La Mesa
LINO BROCKA National Artist for
Film and Broadcast Arts, 1997
Catalino “Lino” Ortiz Brocka,
director for film and broadcast arts,
espoused the term “freedom of
expression” in the Philippine
Constitution. Brocka took his social
activist spirit to the screen leaving
behind 66 films which breathed life
and hope for the marginalized
sectors of society — slum-dwellers,
prostitutes, construction workers,
etc...
FERNANDO AMORSOLO National
Artist for Visual Arts
The country had its first National Artist
in Fernando C. Amorsolo. The
official title “Grand Old Man of
Philippine Art” was bestowed on
Amorsolo when the Manila Hilton
inaugurated its art center on January
23, 1969, with an exhibit of a selection
of his works.This light, Nick Joaquin
opines, is the rapture of a sensualist
utterly in love with the earth, with the
Philippine sun, and is an accurate
expression of Amorsolo’s own
exuberance.
National Museum of the Philippines
collection; Planting Rice (1946)-
UCPB collection (inserted, left) ;
Sunday Morning Going to Town
(1958)-Ayala Museum Collection.
After the second world war, Amorsolo
resumed painting idyllic scenes
depicting the countryside. In 1953, he
created The Bathers, which is a
representative of one of Amorsolo’s
favorite themes: maidens in the water.
CARLOS “BOTONG”
FRANCISCO National
Artist for Painting
(1973)
Carlos “Botong”
Francisco, the poet of
Angono, single-handedly
revived the forgotten art
of mural and remained its
most distinguished
practitioner for nearly
GUILLERMO TOLENTINO National
Artist for Sculpture (1973)
Guillermo Estrella Tolentino is a
product of the Revival period in
Philippine art. Returning from Europe
(where he was enrolled at the Royal
Academy of Fine Arts, Rome) in 1925,
he was appointed as professor at the
UP School of Fine Arts where the idea
also of executing a monument for
national heroes struck him. The result
was the UP Oblation that became the
symbol of freedom at the campus.
Acknowledged as his masterpiece and
completed in 1933, The Bonifacio
Monument in Caloocan (photo below)
stands as an enduring symbol of the
Filipinos’ cry for freedom.
ABDULMARI ASIA IMAO National
Artist for Visual Arts (2006) A
native of Sulu, Abdulmari Asia Imao
is a sculptor, painter, photographer,
ceramist, documentary filmmaker,
cultural researcher, writer, and
articulator of Philippine Muslim art
and culture. Through his works, the
indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and
naga motifs have been popularized
and instilled in the consciousness of
the Filipino nation and other peoples
as original Filipino creations.
Mother and Child, 1967
VICENTE MANANSALA National Artist for
Painting (1981)
Vicente Manansala‘s paintings are described as
visions of reality teetering on the edge of
abstraction. As a young boy, his talent was revealed
through the copies he made of the Sagrada Familia
and his mother’s portrait that he copied from a
AMADO V. HERNANDEZ
National Artist for
Literature
Amado Hernandez is a poet,
playwright, and novelist, which
is among the Filipino writers
who practiced “committed
art.” In his view, the function of
the writer is to act as the
conscience of society and to
affirm the greatness of the
human spirit in the face of
inequity and oppression..
CARLOS P. ROMULO National
Artist for Literature (1982)
Carlos P. Romulo‘s multifaceted
career spanned 50 years of public
service as an educator, soldier,
university president, journalist, and
diplomat. It is common knowledge
that he was the first Asian
president of the United Nations
General Assembly, then Philippine
Ambassador to Washington, D.C.,
and later minister of foreign affairs.
Essentially though, Romulo was
very much into writing: he was a
reporter at 16, a newspaper editor
by the age of 20, and a publisher
at 32.
HONORATA “ATANG” DELA RAMA
National Artist for Theater and
Music (1987) Honorata “Atang”
Dela Rama was formally honored as
the Queen of Kundiman in 1979,
then when she was already 74 years
old singing the same song
(“Nabasag na Banga”) that she sang
as a 15-year old girl in the sarsuela
Dalagang Bukid. Atang firmly
believes that sarswela and
kundiman express best the Filipino
soul, and even performed kundiman
and other Filipino songs for the
Aetas or Negritos of Zambales and
the Sierra Madre, the Bagobos of
Davao and other Lumad of
Mindanao.
Francisca Reyes Aquino National
Artist for Dance (1973)
Francisca Reyes Aquino is
acknowledged as the Folk Dance
Pioneer. This Bulakeña began her
research on folk dances in the 1920s
making trips to remote barrios in
Central and Northern Luzon. Her
research on the unrecorded forms of
local celebration, ritual, and sport
resulted into a 1926 thesis titled
“Philippine Folk Dances and Games,”
and arranged specifically for use by
teachers and playground instructors in
public and private schools.
Levi Celerio
National Artist for Literature & Music,
1997
Levi Celerio is a prolific lyricist and
composer for decades. He effortlessly
translated/wrote a new the lyrics to
traditional melodies: “O Maliwanag Na
Buwan” (Iloko), “Ako ay May Singsing”
(Pampango), “Alibangbang” (Visaya)
among others.
Born in Tondo, Celerio received his
scholarship at the Academy of Music in
Manila that made it possible for him to join
the Manila Symphony Orchestra,
becoming its youngest member. He made
it to the Guinness Book of World Records
as the only person who was able to make
music using just a leaf.
NATIONAL LIVING TREASURES / GAWAD
SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN
In April 1992, the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or
the National Living Treasures Award was
institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355. The
National Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA), the highest policy-making and coordinating
body for culture and the arts of the State was tasked
with the administration and implementation of the
award.
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.
Some of the GAMABA
Awardees:
Uwang Ahadas, musician
Yakan musical instruments
are not the easiest or most
affordable to maintain, but
Uwang Ahadas of Lamitan,
Basilan made it his life’s
work to master them.
At age 20, he broke tradition
by reaching excellence in
playing the kwintangan, an
instrument typically played
by a woman.
Magdalena Gamayo, textile
weaver
Based in Pinili, Ilocos Norte,
Magdalena Gamayo took up
weaving when she was 16, guided
by her aunt’s patterns. She
received her first loom from her
father three years later, which she
would end up using for 30 years.
She taught herself traditional
patterns, such as kusikus
(whirlwind), marurup (Milky Way),
and sinan paddak ti pusa (cat’s
pawprint), building on the more
common inuritan (geometric
design) and sinan-sabong (flowers).
Eduardo Mutuc,
metalsmith and artist
He uses wood, silver, and
bronze to create
exquisitely detailed and
lifelike pieces of varying
sizes: altars, mirrors,
retablos, and even
carosas. Mutuc is based
in Apalit, Pampanga. He
was awarded in 2004.
Teofilo Garcia, gourd casque “tabungaw”
maker
Garcia was able to introduce the tabungaw
plant as a good and sturdy material for
functional, elegant, and protective hats. He
produces everything he needs — planting and
harvesting the gourds, splitting and refining
rattan for the lining, and weaving nito and
bamboo for accents himself — and usually
takes seven days to finish a hat. Awarded in
2012, he continues to experiment and work on
new designs.
Lang Dulay, textile weaver
In Lang Dulay’s family, the weaving of the
t’nalak (a fine abaca cloth) took place before
or after farm work, when the weather was
cool and the conditions were better for the
product.
As demand grew for new designs, she
persisted and kept working with traditional
patterns, even though they were harder to
complete — she knew around a hundred,
including bulinglangit (clouds), kabangi
(butterfly), crocodiles, and flowers.
Masino Intaray, chanter and
musician
A member of the Pala’wan tribe,
musician and epic chanter
Masino Intaray was a master of
the basal, a gong music
ensemble played during rice
cooking (tambilaw) and sharing
(tinapay) rituals, which gather
the community as they serve
offerings to Pala’wan rice god
Ampo’t Paray.
Darhata Sawabi, textile
weaver
Darhata Sawabi’s mission was to
lead young women towards
making a living out of her craft.
The Parang, Sulu-based textile
weaver’s primary creation was
the headpiece pis siyabit — pis
stands for the pattern, which is
said to be derived from India’s
mandala, depicting spirituality
through geometric forms, and
siyabit refers to the hook and
technique.
1.How do awards like NAA and GAMABA aid
in the preservation of our country’s
cultural heritage and national identity?
How does it help future artists?
2.Can you name some of the GAMABA
awardees? What category of folk arts did
they belong? Where are they from?
3.How is their location related to the kind of
art they were producing/performing?
The National Artist Award is the highest national recognition given to
Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of
Philippine arts and letters. It was created through Presidential
Proclamation No. 1001 on April 27, 1972.
Jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the
Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the award
is conferred by the Philippine President upon recommendation by both
institutions.
In 1992, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) began
selecting and honoring recipients of the National Living Treasures
Award, also known as Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA),
through Republic Act No. 7355.
The lives and work of these Filipinos exhibit a dedication to craftsmanship
and excellence that are unparalleled. Through their passion, abilities, and
tenacity in passing down their heritage to the youth, many cultural
practices of indigenous communities were preserved.
