Legarda on Lang Dulay’s Death: Appreciate Intangible Heritage

June 29, 2015

“Lang Dulay’s legacy enriches Filipinos from all walks of life, whether they are aware of it or not. Her devotion to T’nalak weaving and her passion to pass it on to her progeny assures us this form of art will continue to define our identity,” stated Senator Loren Legarda a month after the passing of iconic T’boli dream weaver Lang Dulay last April 30, 2015.

 

The 91-year old cultural treasure had suffered from a massive stroke last January. Dulay had a four-week funeral in which the T’boli community mourned for her death and celebrated her life.

 

Legarda filed Senate Resolution (SRN) 1378 which expressed “profound sympathy and sincere condolence of the Senate of the Philippines on the death of Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Awardee and National Living Treasure Master Dreamweaver Lang Dulay.”

 

“As much as we raise concerns over the loss of our tangible heritage, we should also lament on irreplaceable individuals, such as Lang Dulay, who carry with them our DNA, our cultural identity. They are the keepers of our intangible heritage, we must appreciate them before they are gone,” Legarda reflected.

 

The senator urged the government to proactively make sure intangible heritage is preserved through proper support and funding so that these art forms can flourish.

 

Legarda said she is grateful for the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) program for Schools of Living Traditions (SLT) that “conserve and promote the nation’s historical and cultural heritage by encouraging and supporting the study, recognition and preservation of endangered human cultural resources such as weavers, chanters, dancers and other craftsmen, as well as the conservation and development of such artistic, linguistic and occupational skills that are threatened with extinction.” However, she said that SLTs should be diligently monitored and given continuous funding, not just seed money, in order to really be effective in preserving intangible heritage.

 

Legard has earlier commended GAMABA awardees through Senate Resolution No. (SRN) 765. The awardees were Ginaw Bilog, Masino Intaray, Samaon Sulaiman, Lang Dulay, Salinta Monon, Alonzo Saclag, Federico Caballero, Uwang Ahadas, Darhata Sawabi, Eduardo Mutuc, Haja Amina Appi, Teofilo Garcia and Magdalena Gamayo.