Legarda: “Wisdom is not relic but root” in honoring GAMABA cultural masters

Senator Loren Legarda joined the recognition of the country’s Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) awardees as Cultural Skills Masters on October 23, at TESDA Women’s Center in Taguig City, honoring their artistry, indigenous knowledge and their role in shaping the soul of the nation.

Legarda addressed the awardees, cultural workers, and education leaders in this ceremony organized by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in alignment with TESDA Circular No. 002-2024.

Under this framework, GAMABA awardees as National Living Treasures can be recognized as Master Trainers or Cultural Bearers, enabling TESDA-accredited programs to preserve and transmit indigenous knowledge and cultural practices to future generations.

“This initiative is an act of national affirmation. It reminds our elders, our weavers, our carvers, our chanters, and our musicians that their wisdom is not relic but root, that the thread they spin, the rhythms they chant, and the symbols they carve are living testaments to who we are as a people.” Legarda declared.

As Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, Legarda emphasized that cultural preservation is inseparable from national development. She cited key legislation she championed to institutionalize heritage protection and education: Republic Act No. 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, Republic Act No. 10908 or the Integrated History Act, and Republic Act No. 11961 or the Cultural Mapping Act.

“Hindi natin mahihiwalay ang kultura sa pag-unlad at pag-asenso, at lalong lalo na sa edukasyon. When we invest in traditional crafts, we invest not only in sustaining livelihoods but in strengthening identity.” The senator said.

Legarda also highlighted the significance of integrating indigenous knowledge into formal education systems. As Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, she lauded the partnership between TESDA and the NCCA as a “vital step forward” that bridges “the technical and the traditional.”

“Through this program, we ensure that heritage-based skills are now integrated into the formal technical-vocational framework. By engaging our cultural masters as Master Trainers or Cultural Bearers in TESDA-accredited programs, we secure the transmission of technical skills and the continuity of identity, where learning is no longer confined to classrooms, but unfolds in the hands, hearts, and memory of our people.” Legarda said.

Legarda further called for continued national visibility and support for the GAMABA awardees, noting their presence in initiatives such as the National Arts and Crafts Fair (NACF) and cultural programs like Dayaw.

As of today, there are 8 Manlilikha ng Bayan awardees from Luzon, 1 awardee from Visayas, and 16 awardees from Mindanao.

“Ang ating mga Manlilikha ng Bayan ay hindi lamang mga tagapag-ingat ng yaman ng lahi, kundi mga buhay na daluyan ng ating kasaysayan at pagkakakilanlan. Through your ingenuity, our ancestors continue to speak, and the past finds form in the present, woven in fabric, carved in wood, and sung into the soul of our nation.” Legarda concluded. (30)