GAMABA Awardee:
Mr. Alonzo Saclag
As a young boy in Lubuagan, Kalinga, Alonzo Saclag was enthralled by the sights and sounds of everyday village life and ritual. According to his son, he received neither formal or informal training in the performing arts. Despite this, he has learned not only Kalinga musical instruments, but also dancing patterns and moves linked with his people's traditions. His instrument was observation, and his teacher was experience. Along with these, he had a strong interest - a love, if you will - in the culture that had been passed down to him.
On August 4, 1942, Alonzo Saclag was born. Saclag, a Kalinga native from Lubuagan in Kalinga province, taught himself about his people's performing arts traditions. Without formal or informal instruction, he learned to play traditional Kalinga musical instruments and perform Kalinga ritual dance moves.
Saclag attempted to bring back the dying tradition of gangsa, a form of Kalinga gong. Saclag petitioned the provincial government for two years to award funds to transform the abandoned Capitol Building into a museum. A branch of the National Museum was constructed in Lubuagan with the help of the province government and other financiers.
Saclag also advocated for the promotion of Kalinga culture in his community's schools by meeting with school administrators. He was a driving force behind the habit of pupils wearing traditional Kalinga dress to key school events, as well as the teaching of Kalinga folk melodies in schools. He also advocated for traditional Kalinga music to be broadcast alongside contemporary music on their local radio station. He also founded the Kalinga Budong Dance Troupe to bring Kalinga dance to a wider audience.
In 2000, Saclag received the National Living Treasures Award. By 2016, he had developed Awichon, a village within his town that attempts to showcase Kalinga culture to tourists.
He continued to advocate for culture after obtaining the honor. He purchased hectares of land in Lubuagan and developed it into the town of Awichon.
It is a community where visitors can learn about Kalinga's rich culture. The village has native dwellings as well as a collection of native instruments such as the gong and bamboo flute.
Visitors can also try on Kalinga clothing and stay overnight in the village. When there are tourists, cultural acts are also offered.
Saclag will continue to nurture and pass on to future generations what he has learned from their elders.