THE Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GaMaBa), or the National Living Treasures Awards, has started its call for nominations.
The GaMaBa is the Philippines’ highest honor for indigenous traditional artists under Republic Act 7355 in 1992. It honors Filipino artists who have attained exceptional mastery in traditional and indigenous folk arts and continue to pass on their knowledge and practices to their communities.
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) held its third and final leg of the call for nominations press conference on October 9 at the Rogen Inn in Davao City to invite more nominees from Mindanao.
Among the notable Mindanao awardees are Estelita Bantilan (awarded 2016), a B’laan master weaver; Samporonia Madanlo (awarded 2024), a Mandaya dagmay weaving artisan; the late Samaon Sulaiman (awarded 1993), a Maguindanao musician known for his mastery of the kudyapi; Marife Ganaon (awarded 2023), a Higa-onon ikam mat master weaver; and the late Salita Monon (awarded 1998), a Bagobo Tagabawa inabel weaver.
According to University of the Philippines-Tacloban professor Joycie Dorado Alegre, a member of the GaMaBa Executive Council, Mindanao has the highest number of GaMaBa awardees. They are looking for more nominees coming from the Visayas, which only has one awardee in its 33-year history.
“Labin anim po ang galing Mindanao, walo sa Luzon at isa lang po galing sa kabisayaan kaya kailangan namin mangusog sa kabisayaan,” says Alegre said.
(There are 16 coming from Mindanao, eight from Luzon, and one from the Visayas, which is why we need to exert more in the Visayas areas.)
“Ang layunin po ay bigyan kahalagahan ang ating manlilikhang katutubo at tradisyon na sila po ay bilang ugnay ng nakaraan para sa kinabukasan at ito ay nangyayari ngayon,” Alegre cited the importance of the awards as a connection of the past, present and future of the country.
(The aim is to give importance to indigenous creatives and traditions as they are the link that threads through the past, present, and the future of the country.)
The GaMaBa awards undergo a rigid search and selection process, and awardees will receive benefits and privileges from the state which include: the conferment of the rank Manlilikha ng Bayan, a gold-plated medallion from the Bangko Sentral, a P300,000 cash award, a lifetime monthly allowance of P50,000, and an annual P750,000 allocation for hospitalization and medical expenses, a state funeral, and a place of honor during state events.
For group awardees, they will receive an initial P500,000 cash award.
Qualified nominators include non-government organizations, government agencies, local government units, academic institutions, and church or religious groups.
Nomination dossiers may be submitted physically or virtually to the GaMaBa secretariat, NCCA Awards and Recognition Office at 633 General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila, or through email gamaba@nccc.gov.ph. Nominations must be submitted on or before December 21, 2026.
Finding National Living Treasures in Davao
The Davao leg of the Call for Nominations was attended by NCCA officials, GaMaBa executive council members, and several National Living Treasures awardees.
Present were Manlilikha ng Bayan Estelita Bantilan, MB Samporonia Madanlo and MB Marife Ganahon, NCCA Commissioner Reden Ulo, Davao City Office for the Culture and Arts head Oscar Casaysay and Davao City Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre. Both Casaysay and Alejandre were former NCCA executive directors.
Councilor Alejandre, in his speech, exhorted Davao City barangay leaders and the 11 deputy Mayors representing the 11 ethnolinguistic groups in the city, alongside private organizations, schools, and indigenous communities, to look for deserving National Living Treasures in Davao City.
“Huwag natin hintayin mawala ang ating mga cultural masters bago natin kilalanin ang kanilang kahalagahan, bigyan natin sila ng parangal habang sila ay kasama pa natin, habang kaya nila ibahagi ang kanilang kaalaman, talento at tradisyon sa susunod na henerasyon,” Alejandre said.
(We must not wait for these cultural masters to be gone before we recognize their importance. Let us recognize them while they are still with us, while they are still able to share their knowledge, talents, and traditions to the next generation). PIA DAVAO