GINAW BILOG
Born on January 3 1953 and died in the year 2003. Ginaw Bilog was a Filipino poet who was recognized as a National Living Treasure by the Philippine government and he was also known for his efforts in preserving the mangyan poetry tradition of ambahan. Ginaw Bilog is from the Hanunuo Mangyan tribe that lives in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro. Ginaw Bilog is considered a master of the ambahan poetry and that’s because he grew up in such a cultural environment that enabled him to learn and master the ambahan.
Most treasured of his collection are those inherited from his father and grandfather, sources of inspiration and guidance for his creative endeavors. To this day, Ginaw shares old and new ambahans with his fellow Mangyans and promotes this poetic form in every occasion. Ginaw Bilog received his award in 1993, he was dressed in typical Mangyan garb of loincloth and a blue type of jacket, wearing as well an easy smile. This same image of him was seen at Luneta by students and other visitors at the Dayaw: Philippine Cultural Communities Arts Festival held at Rizal Park, Manila from December 3 to 9 in 2001. He was among the estimated 400 traditional artists, craftsmen, scholars, and cultural practitioners from 38 cultural communities, including the Aeta, Aklanon, Bagobo, Bicolano, Cebuano, Gaddang, Ilocano, Ivatan, Maguindanao, Tagalog, T’boli, and the Yakan brought together for the festival, freely interacting with visitors, showing them how engraving the “ambahan” onto the skin of bamboos was done.
The Filipinos are grateful to the Hanunoo Mangyan for having preserved a distinctive heritage form our ancient civilization that colonial rule had nearly succeeded in destroying. The nation is justifiably proud of Ginaw Bilog for vigorously promoting the elegantly poetic art of the surat Mangyan and the ambahan. (Prof. Felipe M. de Leon, Jr.)