‘Iloco abel’ weaver Magdalena Gamayo and ‘tabungaw’ maker Teofilo Garcia named 2012 Manlilikha ng Bayan

Iloco abel weaver Magdalena Gamayo from Ilocos Sur and tabungaw (gourd casque) maker Teofilo Garcia of Abra have been named 2012 Manlilikha ng Bayan by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and was conferred in Malacañang on November 8.

Manlilikha ng Bayan is an award which honors folk and traditional artists for their artistic excellence and efforts to conserve Filipino culture and includes government support to enable them to teach their craft to students.

 “Gamayo and Garcia exemplify the best of Filipino craftsmanship and ingenuity. Through their life’s work, the next generation can learn how much talent the Filipino has to offer,” NCCA Chairman Felipe de Leon Jr. said.

Gamayo’s skill lies in the complex arrangement of different-colored threads on her four-pedal loom and weaving them to ensure that the patterns are sharp and crisp and evenly spaced.

Meanwhile, Garcia’s handcrafted tabungaw are the product of years of study and careful attention to the materials used to make a practical alternative all-weather headgear. With the proper care, a well-made tabungaw can last up to three to four generations, resistant to the wind and sun and rain.

Previous Manlilikha ng Bayan awardees are traditional poet Ginaw Bilog, traditional musicians Masino Intaray, Samaon Sulaiman, Uwang Ahadas, and Alonzo Saclag, traditional weaver Lang Dulay, Salinta Monon, Darhata Sawani and Haja Amina Appi, oral narrative Federico Caballero, and metal craftsman Eduardo Mutuc. Since 1993, NCCA has identified 11 Manlilikha ng Bayan.

For more information, visit http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca/org-awards/org-awards-gamaba-guidelines.php or contact NCCA at 632.527.2192.