GAMABA Artists (Part 3)
NAME/ PICTURE OF DESCRIPTION/ ARTWORK
THE ARTIST CONTRIBUTIONS
1. Magdalena She was a textile weaver ABEL/ INABEL
Gamayo from Pinili, Ilocos Norte.
She is skilled in
executing new designs
without copying patterns.
She was recognized as a
master in weaving abel
or inabel—the Ilocano
textile hand-woven from
local cotton and other
fibers.
She learned by herself all
traditional patterns of
binakol, inuritan
(geometric design),
kusikos (spiral forms
similar to oranges) and
sinan- sabong (flowers)
by observation and
practice.
She is known as Lola
Dalen, received in 2012 the
Gawad sa Manlilikha ng
Bayan Award by the
National Commission on
Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
for her contribution in
preserving the Ilocano-style
of weaving textiles called
inabel.
2. Teofilo Garcia He is an Ilocano maker of TABUNGAW
tabungaw—a casque or
gourd hat.
He started making
tabungaw when he was
fifteen.
The hat called a Kattukong
or Tabungaw is
weatherproof and made
from Upo (tagalog) or
Tabungaw (Ilocano), also
known as Bottle Gourd or
White Pumpkin which are
part of the Cucurbitaceae
family of plants.
He was awarded the title of
National Living Treasure in
2012 for his craft of making
hats out of bottle gourds,
known as Tabungaw hats.
3. Eduardo Mutuc He was from Apalit, MUTUC CROSS 3
Pampanga who had a
talent in carving and
later on learned the
technique of silver
plating.
He is metal smith of
religious and secular art
in silver, bronze and
wood. His intricately
detailed retablos,
mirrors, altars and
carosas are in churches
and private collection.
He developed his skills
in pinukpuk or beaten PUKPUK SILVER METAL
metal
He creates religious art to
represent biblical
characters, preserve
cultural heritage, reflect the
Spanish colonial influence,
celebrate Catholicism, and
strengthen self-identity.
The Philippine Master of
Pinukpuk
He was awarded Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan in
2005.
4. Ambalang Ausalin She is called by her Yakan Sinaluan
community of weavers as
Apuh Ambalang.
Her skill is deemed
incomparable.
She can execute the
suwah bekkat (cross-
stitch like
embellishment), and
suwah pendan
(embroidery-like
embellishment).
She is also renowned for
weaving the sinalu’an—
this is a design or
category of weaves with
stripes of a diamond twill
technique. The finished
cloth is traditionally sewn
as trousers as well as
upper wear. Under this
category Ambalang is
best identified with the
sinalu’an teed, the
most complicated of all
Yakan woven textiles.
She trained with strips of
lugus and coconut leaves
for mat-making.
She received Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan or
National Living Treasures
Award in 2016.
5. Estelita Bantilan At birth, she was known as IGEM MAT
Labnai Tumndan—it was
a recognizable name in the
language of B’laan.
She took on the name
Estelita in 1950’s.
When she got married, she
raised a family in the
foreign faith, but she
remains faithful to mat
weaving.
In her old age, Estelita
began to be called by a
new nickname, Princess.
The term of endearment is
spoken with the lightness of
heart; also with genuine
respect, especially from the
other mat weavers of Upper
Lasang.
She is a well-known Blaan
master weaver of mats
called igêm.
GAMABA in 2016.
6. Yabing Masalon She was expert in making IKAT TEXTILE
Dulo of fine warp ikat
textiles. With the GAMABA
TABIH
recognition, it is clear she
has prevailed.
Fu Yabing is one the two
master designers of the
B’laan tribe’s mabal
tabih- art of dyeing and
weaving. She started
weaving at the age of 14,
creating two “tabih”
(handwoven dyed
abaka) masterpieces. One
of these pieces is displayed
at the National Museum.
To help preserve mabal
tabih art, she taught the
craft to her only daughter,
Lamina Dulo Gulili, and
to women in the
community.
She was named a recipient
of the National Living
Treasure Award in 2016 but
it was formally awarded to
her in October 2018.
The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA), or National Living Treasures
Award, honors Filipino traditional artisans and craftsmen who have achieved
exceptional technical and artistic mastery. It also entrusts them with the
responsibility of preserving and passing down endangered cultural
knowledge to future generations.
