The Senate approved and adopted Senate Resolution 958, congratulating and commending the 26 recipients of the 16th Ani ng Dangal Awards.

In a plenary session on Monday, Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts chairperson, Senator Loren Legarda, said the dedication of the Ani ng Dangal Awards is not just a token of appreciation but a symbol of being honorable, creative, and adaptive Filipinos.

“We salute you for your dedication to excel, empower, and embrace your social responsibility and commitment to use your artistry for the prosperity of our nation,” she said in her sponsorship speech during the resumption of the Senate’s 2nd regular plenary session.

According to Legarda, the Philippines has garnered an overwhelming number of artists who have received this prestigious award since 2006.

Some 740 artists were recognized as Ani ng Dangal awardees from 2009 to 2023, as of this press time.

Meanwhile, the chamber also adopted Senate Resolution 959 congratulating and commending the nine recipients of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) or the National Living Treasures) Award, for their exemplary contributions to the promotion and safeguarding of our Philippine cultural heritage.

Legarda said that commending the GAMABA awardees is part of her office’s commitment to support the refinement of the country’s culture and arts.

“And of course, this resolution is a testament that culture is indeed a part of our nation-building and policy-making here in the hallowed halls of the Senate,” she added.

Legarda said declaring nine new Manlilikha ng Bayan recipients was a great event to conclude the year 2023.

The senator mentioned several factors that cause setbacks in safeguarding Filipino traditional arts such as the modernization and digitization that affect the interests of youth—making them less drawn to the practice of traditional arts.

Legarda also lamented that the hundred years of colonization and neoliberalism highly influenced our culture and way of life, thus slowly erasing some of the fundamental pillars of our identity.

“Simply put, our culture is vulnerable to countless influences, and together, we shall strive to preserve and revitalize it,” she stressed.

Institutionalized through Republic Act 7355, GAMABA recognizes the finest traditional artists of the country.

The selection of awardees undergoes a complex process that decentralizes our arts and ensures that the skills will be practiced and carried on for the coming years

Among the nine GAMABA awardees are Adelita Romualdo Bagcal, an Ilocano master of oral traditions from Banna, Ilocos Norte; and Rosie Godwino Sula, a Tboli chanter from Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.

They are joined by Abina Tawide Coguit from La Paz, Agusan del Sur, an Agusan Manobo embroider; a Sama master of traditional dance from Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, Sakinur-ain Mugong Delasas.

Tboli brasscaster from Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, Bundos Bansil Fara. Marife Ravidas Ganahon is a Higaonon mat weaver from Malaybalay, Bukidnon.

Amparo Balansi Mabanag is a Ga’dang embroiderer from Paracelis, Mountain Province.

Samporonia Pagsac Madanlo is a Mandaya ikat weaver from Caraga, Davao Oriental as well as Barbara Kibed Ofong—a T’boli ikat weaver from Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.