Manlilikha ng Bayan Ginaw Bilog

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines

The #NationalMuseumPH commemorates the birth anniversary of Ginaw Bilog, the first awardee of Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan in 1993. 

Manlilikha ng Bayan Ginaw Bilog was recognized for the preservation of the surat Mangyan, or Mangyan script and the ambahan, a metaphoric poem with seven–syllable lines etched on bamboo tubes used in conveying messages among the Hanunuo Mangyan of southern Mindoro. The ambahan is recited during social gatherings and accompanied by musical instruments such as guitars, fiddles, flutes, and jew’s harps. One of the four remaining syllabic scripts in the country, the surat Mangyan, is instrumental in perpetuating the use of ambahan. The Philippine syllabic scripts were declared National Cultural Treasure in 1997 by the National Museum of the Philippines, and have been officially inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 1999.

According to Manlilikha ng Bayan Ginaw Bilog, ambahan is the key to the Mangyan soul and this was his motivation to continue keeping its scores that were both written on bamboo nodes and in his notebook for this purpose. He has also maintained the ambahan collection of his father and grandfather, which served as his inspiration and guidance in his endeavors. He has shared both collections with his fellow Mangyan and promoted them to other groups on every possible occasion.

Manlilikha ng Bayan Ginaw Bilog passed away in 2003.

#GAMABA

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#GinawBilog

Text and poster by the NMP Ethnology Division and NCCA GAMABA Executive Council

© The National Museum of the Philippines (2022)