Filipino Artists to Contemporary Arts

• Filipino Artists

  Artists who have promoted Filipino cultural identity and dignity through their art
• Role of Filipino artists


  • Presenting and educating the public about our history and identity
• National Artist Award


  Highest distinction bestowed upon Filipino Artists whose body of work is recognized by their peers and more importantly by their countrymen as sublime expression of Philippine music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literature, film and media, arts, architecture and design.
• Conferring of National Artist Award

  1. Late President Ferdinand E. Marcos through Proclamation No.1001 dated April 2, 1972

  2. Recommended by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
• Criteria for National Artist Award

  • Living artists who have been Filipino citizens for the last ten years prior to nomination as well as those who have died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time of their death
  • Artists who have helped build a Filipino sense of nationhood through the content and form of their works
  • Artists who have distinguished themselves by pioneering in a mode of creative expression or style, making an impact on succeeding generations of artists
  • Artists who have created a significant body of works and/or have consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form, enriching artistic expression or style
  • Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or international recognition, awards in prestigious national and/or international events, critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works, and/or respect and esteem from peers within an artistic discipline
• Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Award or GaMABa Award

  otherwise known as National Living Treasures Award
• Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Award


  • Conferred on Filipinos who are at the forefront of the practice, preservation, and promotion of the nation's traditional folk arts
  • Formalized in 1992, through Republic Act No. 7355, the Manlilikha ng Bayan Act
  • The National Commission for the Culture and the Arts oversees its implementation
  • Main objective is to honor and support traditional folk artists and to see to it that their skills and crafts are preserved
• Award logo. (the medal)

  • Representation of the human form used in traditional cloth.
  • Phrase "Manlilikha ng Bayan" written in Baybayin, an ancient Filipino script used in the Philippines in the 16th century.
• Criteria for GaMaBa Award


  • Should be a Filipino citizen or group of citizens belonging to an indigenous / traditional cultural community anywhere in the Philippines, engaged in Filipino traditional art in the following categories: folk architecture, maritime transport, weaving, carving, performing arts, literature, graphic and plastic arts, ornament, textile or fiber art, pottery and other artistic expressions of traditional culture
  • Should have been engaged in the tradition and craft for a significant period of time with at least 50 years of existence and documentation
  • Should have produced and performed of artistic, distinctive, and superior quality
  • Should possess mastery of the tools and materials that are needed for the art and must have a reputation for being an art master in the community where he / she belongs
  • Should have passed on and/ or will pass on the traditional crafts and skills to other members of the community by virtue of teaching
• Criteria for GaMaBa Award when a Manlilikha ng Bayan candidate is incapable of teaching further his/ her craft and skill due to age or infirmity

  • He / she should have created a significant body of work and has contributed to the development of the tradition and craft
  • He / she should have played a role in the preservation and revitalization of the artistic tradition in the community
  • He/ she has been recognized as a master of his / her craft and admired for his character and integrity in his / her community
• Incentives received by the GaMaBa awardee

  • Specially designed gold medallion
  • An initial grant of one hundred thousand pesos
  • Ten thousand monthly stipends for life
• Ginaw Bilog

  • A Hanunoo Mangyan poet from Manslay, Oriental Mindoro
  • Master of Ambahan poetry
  • Received GaMaBa Award in 1993