PNoy honors 2 traditional weavers from north Luzon

President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday recognized two traditional weavers from the northern Philippines for making alive a tradition that makes "Filipino creativity stand out in the modern world." Aquino handed the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures) Award to Magdalena Gamayo, a weaver of inabel fabric from Ilocos Norte, and Teofilo Garcia, a tabungaw (gourd hat) weaver from Abra. Aquino said, “Karapat-dapat lang po na kaakibat ng matatanggap ninyong pagkilala, ang karampatang mga benepisyo para sa inyo. Kasama po rito ang serbisyong pangkalusugan at buwanang pension, upang kahit paano’y masuklian ang inyong malaking ambag sa lipunan. Pinatutunayan po ninyong ang mga pamana ng lahi ay lalong nagpapatingkad sa yaman ng bayan.” Also, he said the state, through the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, is duty-bound to preserve and enrich the country’s culture and tradition by giving the artists recognition, supporting traditional art, and giving certain benefits to them because they make Filipino creativity stand out in the modern world. Gamayo, 88, also known as Nanay Magdalena, of Lumbaan in Pinili, Ilocos Norte, started weaving when she was 16 years old, and her inabel cloth is still admired by many in her community, the President said. Garcia, 55, started making tabungaw or salakots made from gourd at the age of 15 – planting and growing his own gourds and decorating them, he added. Under the rules of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National Living Treasures Award, an awardee will get a gold medallion, an initial grant of P100,000, a P10,000 monthly stipend for life, an additional monthly personal allowance of P14,000, a maximum cumulative amount of P750,000 medical and hospitalization benefits annually similar to that received by the National Artists, and funeral assistance/tribute fit for a National Living Treasure. The awardees are required to attend events under the institutional programs and projects of the NCCA such as the Philippine National Arts Month, the National Heritage Month, and other important national and regional cultural celebrations. The Award is given to those who excel in the traditional fields of 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.  — LBG, GMA News