The state shall mourn the passing of Alonzo Saclag, musician and dancer from Lubuagan, Kalinga
Saclag was declared a National Living Treasure or Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) Awardee in 2000, known for his fierce advocacy to preserve Kalinga dance and song.
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in a statement, said, “As the nation grieves the loss of Manlilikha ng Bayan Alonzo Ayatu Saclag, the NCCA invites the public to pay their respects to the Kalinga virtuoso who strengthened the dance and music heritage of our country.”
A state funeral will be accorded to Saclag in accordance with Republic Act 7335, “An Act Providing for the Recognition of National Living Treasures, otherwise Known as the Manlilikha Ng Bayan, and the Promotion and Development of Traditional Folk Arts.”
The NCCA said his remains will lie in state from December 1 to December 3 in Bulanao Centro in the City of Tabuk, while from December 4 to 5 they will be at the Lubuagan Municipal Hall. On December 6, his remains will be transferred to the Awichon Cultural Village until December 7, where State Necrological Services, State honors, and a State Funeral will be conducted.
He is recognized as a Kalinga master of dance and the performing arts and has trained a new generation of culture bearers through his initiatives.
The GAMABA is for folk architecture, maritime transport, weaving, carving, performing arts, literature, graphic and plastic arts, ornament, textile or fiber art, pottery, and other artistic expressions of traditional culture. It is of the same weight as the Order of National Artists of the Philippines or the Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas and awardees are accorded the same benefits.
Saclag formed the Kalinga Budong Dance Troupe and has taken the local youth under his wing to learn about traditional music and dance. In 2016, Saclag established the Awichon village in Lubuagan, his hometown, aiming to promote Kalinga culture to locals and tourists.
In his younger days, Saclag was fascinated with day-to-day village life and ritual. Even though he received no formal training in song and dance, he mastered Kalinga musical instruments and dance patterns and movements connected to local rituals.
The criteria for selecting a GAMABA focus on three core requirements that ensure the preservation and continuation of significant traditional arts:
- First, the nominee must be from an indigenous or traditional cultural community that has successfully preserved indigenous customs, beliefs, rituals, and traditions, even those that have syncretized with external influences.
- Second, the individual must have been actively involved in a folk-art tradition that has been documented and in existence for at least fifty (50) years.
- Finally, and crucially, the potential awardee must have consistently performed or produced works over a significant period, demonstrating superior and distinctive quality that sets their contribution apart. By Maria Elena Catajan