Visayas has only one GAMABA awardee. NCCA wants more nominees

ILOILO CITY — Cultural experts have urged institutions and communities across the Visayas to identify and nominate more traditional artists for the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA), or the National Living Treasures Award, citing the region’s thin representation among the country’s recognized bearers of traditional and folk arts.

During a recent regional press conference organized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) at the University of the Philippines Visayas Iloilo City campus, members of the GAMABA Executive Council called on universities, cultural organizations, researchers, and local communities to conduct more extensive research on the region’s traditional art forms and the practitioners who continue to preserve them.

Joycie Alegra, a professor at UP Tacloban and a member of the GAMABA Executive Council, emphasized the need for more nominations from the region.

“Only one awardee has been recognized from the Visayas, so we still have work to do,” Alegra said.

Of the 25 GAMABA awardees cited during the presentation, 16 came from Mindanao, eight from Luzon, and only one from the Visayas.

The lone Visayan awardee was Federico Caballero of Calinog, Iloilo, who was recognized for preserving and transmitting Sugidanon, the epic chanting tradition of the Panay Bukidnon.

Felipe M. de Leon Jr., a member of the GAMABA Executive Council and former NCCA chairman, said the region has numerous traditional art forms that deserve closer examination for their cultural and artistic significance.

Among the practices he identified were Daigon, a traditional Christmas caroling practice in Iloilo and Antique; Komposo, a form of traditional musical storytelling or composition; Binalaybay, a form of poetry; indigenous rituals; and traditional dances and martial arts, including the sword-fighting tradition in Maasin, Iloilo.

De Leon highlighted Daigon as a particularly promising subject for further research. He stressed that these traditions should be studied not only for their artistic qualities but also for their historical roots, cultural significance, and continued transmission within their communities.

However, cultural experts cautioned that identifying a traditional art form does not automatically qualify its practitioners for GAMABA recognition.

Comprehensive documentation is necessary to establish the tradition’s history, the practitioner’s mastery, and the art form’s importance to the community.

Under the award’s criteria, the traditional art form must have been practiced for at least 50 years.

Candidates must demonstrate exceptional technical skills and artistic excellence, while their communities must recognize the value of the tradition they preserve.

The 50-year requirement applies to the tradition itself, not to the age of the individual practitioner.

Established in 1992 under Republic Act No. 7355, GAMABA is the country’s highest national recognition for outstanding practitioners of traditional and indigenous folk arts.

The NCCA, the government’s lead agency for culture and the arts, was created the same year under Republic Act No. 7356.

The award honors individuals whose exceptional mastery, creativity, and knowledge help safeguard the country’s cultural heritage and ensure that traditional practices are passed on to future generations.

Beyond national recognition, GAMABA awardees receive benefits intended to support their welfare and continued practice of their art, including a monetary award, a monthly stipend, medical and hospitalization benefits, and other forms of assistance provided under applicable government guidelines.

The recognition also helps raise public awareness of their contributions and encourages the preservation and transmission of their cultural knowledge.

For the 2026 award cycle, the NCCA is encouraging qualified organizations and institutions to nominate deserving practitioners.

Eligible nominators include nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, local government units, academic institutions, and church or religious groups.

Nomination dossiers may be submitted in hard copy to the GAMABA Secretariat at the NCCA Awards and Recognition Office, 633 General Luna St., Intramuros, Manila, or electronically to gamaba@ncca.gov.ph.

The deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2026.

Incomplete nominations and those submitted after the deadline will not be considered.