By Jareason Fabre

T'boli Manlilikha ng Bayan for brass casting, Bundos Fara, and Dr. Edwin Antonio, vice head of the National Committee on Northern Cultural Communities, visited MMSU today, August 15, to formally donate a complete set of portraits of National Living Treasures. MMSU is the first university in the Philippines to receive the collection.

Dr. Prima Fe Franco, vice president for academic affairs, accepted the 25 portraits on behalf of MMSU and announced that they would be immediately displayed in the university library for public viewing. She expressed gratitude to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for the honor, particularly celebrating Ilokano national living treasures, including Nana Magdalena Gamayo, a master textile weaver from Pinili, Ilocos Norte, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday and Adelita Bagcal for oral traditions. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Antonio emphasized that the donation fulfills NCCA’s promise to MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis, who requested the collection, and that by housing the portraits, MMSU will play a crucial role in preserving and sharing the legacies of these traditional artists. He also encouraged MMSU students and employees to visit the NCCA to learn more about how they can promote heritage and culture.

Bundos Fara, who was in Ilocos Norte to honor Nana Magdalena’s centennial celebration, personally signed his portrait during his visit. He urged the students and youth, “I hope you will preserve and pass down my brass casting skills,” inviting them to visit his workshop in Lake Sebu.

The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan, or the National Living Treasures Award, was established in April 1992 through Republic Act No. 7355. Administered by the NCCA, the award recognizes the country’s finest traditional artists and ensures the transfer of their skills to future generations.