Final Episode of Dayaw TV Season 1 Honors Indigenous Ancestors

How do we revere and honor our ancestors? ‘Dayaw’ TV documentary closes its first season with its final episode titled “Parangal sa mga Ninuno” (Honoring the Ancestors), which narrates the many ways Filipinos can honor their ancestors. Dayaw episode 6 will air on November 5 at 6:00 p.m. on the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC).

The season one finale opens with a segment on the 2015 Dayaw Festival. It is a national gathering of indigenous peoples, organized annually by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), that celebrates cultural diversity and promotes continuity.

Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, said “Our indigenous peoples must be celebrated instead of marginalized. Their stewardship of their land and their sustainable practices must be emulated in order that may we live in a world where human beings are in harmony with the environment.”

More than just a showcase of our nation’s living culture, the celebration gives a voice to our indigenous peoples and in this episode of Dayaw TV, we listen to them, particularly on the complex issue of Lumad killings.

Dayaw also journeyed to Vigan, Ilocos Sur. The community honors their ancestors in the way they lovingly and faithfully restore their heritage homes and promote culture, crafts and cuisine. Inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list, Vigan is considered as a model city for cultural preservation.

A visit to the museum is yet another way of honoring our forefathers. Featuring the ancient manunggul burial jars housed in the National Museum of Anthropology, and the process of mummification among the Ibaloi of the Cordillera, the episode takes us back to a time when honoring the dead means so much more than just a simple burial ritual.

Also in this episode, for a second time in Dayaw, is the late T’boli dreamweaver and Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) awardee, Lang Dulay. This great artist may have journeyed to the afterlife but her memory lives on through the fabrics that she has woven and the T’nalak craft that she has passed on to younger generations.

“Remembering our roots, celebrating festivals, practising traditions, preserving heritage and being one with our indigenous peoples are among the many ways to ensure that the traditions of our ancestors are carried bravely into the future,” said Legarda.

Dayaw, conceptualized and hosted by Senator Legarda, and produced by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and ANC, is shown every Thursday, 6:00pm on ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) with replays on Friday 1:30am and 2:30pm, Saturday 2:30pm and Sunday 11:00am. It is aired simultaneously on The Filipino Channel (TFC).