Manlilikha ng Bayan
ALONZO SACLAG
MUSICIAN . DANCER. ARTIST.
Who is Alonzo Saclag?
Get to know one of the GAMABA Awardees of the Philippines
Alonzo Saclag is known as a musician and a dancer from Lubuagan, Kalinga.
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He was born on the 4th of August, year 1942.
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Saclag is a musician who helps preserve Kalinga culture through music and instruments.
Awichon Village
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS
Aside from those mentioned above, Alonzo Saclag has been actively making various contributions in preserving the traditional arts of Kalinga.
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He visited schools and talked to administrators, leading to the practice of children wearing traditional Kalinga costumes to important school events.
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He has made it his purpose to preserve the culture of the kalinga through music, instruments, and dance.
HIS MISSION
to continue to nurture and uphold the Kalinga culture, the birthright of his children.
When and Where did He start?
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Alonzo started his singing and dancing journey in Lubuagan, Kalinga.
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Along the course of his lifetime, he had worked hard to campaign and revive their dying traditions.
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Such promotions includes the playing of the gansa, wearing of Kalinga traditional clothing, playing of traditional Kalinga Folk Music and performing Kalinga Traditional Dances.
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He received no formal instruction and education in regards to doing performing arts. However, he had used his observation skills as his experience towards the craft and taught himself of his people’s traditional performing arts.
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He had also worked and coordinated with the provincial government to allocate funds, find financiers, and convert their abandoned Capitol Building into a museum where later will be converted into a branch of the National Museum in Lubuagan.
Why and How did He Start?
As a young boy in Lubuagan, Kalinga, Alonzo Saclag found endless fascination in the sights and sounds of day-to-day village life and ritual. According to his son, Robinson, he received no instruction, formal or otherwise, in the performing arts. Yet he has mastered not only the Kalinga musical instruments but also the dance patterns and movements associated with his people’s rituals. His tool was observation, his teacher was experience. Coupled with these was a keen interest in – a passion, if you would – the culture that was his inheritance.
This passion he clearly intends to pass on to the other members of his community, particularly to the younger generation which, he notes, needs to understand and value the nuances of their traditional laws and beliefs. Although Kalinga life and culture have remained generally unchanged partly due to their relative isolation, he observes that some of them are tempted by the illusion of city life. He actively advocates the documentation of their philosophies before they become completely eroded by foreign influences – whether cultural, political, or economic – and are completely forgotten by his people.
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Alonzo’s point of view in Philippine Arts is centered towards its preservation and conservation. He encourages Filipinos to stay connected with the rich culture of existing indigenous groups in our country, especially the Kalingas. He believes that our country has a lot to prove in terms of Indigenous artistry and crafts and there he fully expressed his extensive determination to keep it alive and conserved for the knowledge of the next generation Filipinos. Additionally, he advocates his belief to Kabunyan, the Kalinga people’s supreme deity. The last thing that Alonzo aspires is for every Filipinos be reminded of the hospitality and upright character that Kalinga inhibits, and there he wishes that no one would forget about it.
RECOGNITION
Awards Received
Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan 2000 awardee (National Living Treasure) as conferred by National Commission for Culture and Arts
Achievements
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pioneered the Kalinga Budong Dance Troupe
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This group he has founded was able to perform not just in the Philippines but even around the world to showcase and represent their tribe’s culture
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Became instrumental in preserving their traditions because the pride and honor he brought to his community served as an inspiration to their youth members.
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Commenced the village of Awichon, a village where one will have an experience and glimpse of the Kalinga culture, with his successful procurement of hectares of land in Lubuagan.
Sining ng Pilipino
Videos and records of Alonzo Saclag's Artform
Alonzo Saclag Gallery
Alonzo Saclag - GAMABA Awardee
Alonzo Saclag - GAMABA Awardee
UKG: Alamin ang mga natatanging atraksyon ng heritage village sa Kalinga
Mr. Alonzo Saclag National Living Treasure Awardee (2000)
