Legarda to tackle Philippine epics in latest Dayaw season

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda is back hosting the critically acclaimed cultural program “Dayaw,” which will premiere on December 14 over ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) at 8:30 pm.

The program, a co-production of the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) since 2015, will be unraveling the wealth of epics, a series of long narrative verses that are sung and chanted and are social practices that are intricately woven into the everyday life of our indigenous brothers and sisters.

“By focusing on the epics, we can illustrate the vibrant lifeworld of our indigenous communities from different parts of the archipelago. We will be able to see how oral literature is an embodiment of the values and virtues that shape the indigenous knowledge systems and practices,” Legarda said.

Legarda also encourages that these episodes be harnessed as resource materials for basic education, specifically for junior and senior high school students. Museum visitors may also turn to these episodes to accompany their museum visits so they can have a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the lifeways of our ancestors.

For the 13th season, “Dayaw” will tackle the Hudhud of the Ifugao, the Ulahingan of the Erumanen ne Menuvu, the Hinilawod of the Panay Bukidnon, the Guinamanan of the Subanen, and the Tudbulol of the Tboli.

“The discussion of these particular epics shall make us realize that even before the archipelago was colonized, our ancestors were remarkable storytellers,” remarked the four-term senator.

“Until today, they still rely on these narratives to guide their communities in times of crisis, to celebrate their victories as a people, and to teach the younger generation about pakikipagkapwa, about putting the welfare of the community above anything else,” she added.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, has pushed for numerous legislative measures seeking to enrich and preserve indigenous culture in the country.

Such is the passage of Republic Act (RA) No. 10066, or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, and its amendatory law, RA No. 11961, or the Cultural Mapping Law, which paved the way for categorizing cultural property in the Philippines.

Every August 9, indigenous peoples are recognized during National Indigenous Peoples Day thanks to RA 10689, which Legarda principally sponsored.

Other proposed laws include Senate Bill No. 831, or the Indigenous Community Conserved Territories and Areas Act, Senate Bill No. 838, or the Resource Centers for Indigenous Peoples Act, Senate Bill No. 839, or the Traditional Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and Senate Bill No. 1249, or the “Katutubong Tagapagtanggol” Act of 2022.

“Dayaw” Season 13 airs every Thursday at 8:30 pm on ANC on cable and the ANC Facebook page, with replays on the following days:

Saturdays at 11:00 am
Sundays at 6:30 am
Mondays at 2:30 am
Tuesdays at 1:00 am
Wednesdays at 3:30 am
Thursdays at 4:30 am

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