Biographical Information

Ginaw Bilog, born on the third of January 1953, was a revered Filipino poet hailed as a National Living Treasure by the Philippines. Renowned for his dedication to preserving the Mangyan poetry tradition of ambahan, Bilog hailed from the Hanunuo Mangyan tribe in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro. His upbringing immersed him in the cultural richness necessary to master ambahan poetry, a skill he honed throughout his life, which unfortunately came to an end in 2003 at the age of 50 due to a lingering illness.

 

Among his most cherished possessions were inherited ambahans from his father and grandfather, serving as wellsprings of inspiration and wisdom for his creative pursuits. Bilog's dedication to impart both traditional and contemporary ambahans with his fellow Mangyans underscores his passion for preserving this poetic form. In 1993, then President Fidel V. Ramos, conferred the National Living Treasure Award to Ginaw Bilog  in recognition of his people's preservation efforts of the ambahan poetry,  appearing in traditional Mangyan attire at the ceremony with a warm smile. .

 

Bilog's dedication to promoting ambahan poetry extended to public events like the Dayaw: Philippine Cultural Communities Arts Festival held at Rizal Park in 2001. Here, he interacted with visitors, presenting the intricate process of engraving ambahans onto bamboo. His efforts, along with those of his fellow Hanunoo Mangyans, are celebrated for safeguarding a unique heritage that colonial influence once imperiled.

 

Although Ginaw Bilog’s life is short-lived, through the dedication of individuals like him, the ambahan poetry and other traditional art forms from our indigenous peoples will continue to live.