About the Artist

Poet

Hanunuo Mangyan

Panaytayan, Oriental Mindoro

1993

Ginaw Bilog is a well-known celebrity who was born in the Philippines on January 3, 1953. Bilog was a Hanunuo Mangyanfrom Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro. He was well-known for his attempts to preserve the ambahan mangyan poetry heritage.

Ginaw Bilog has an estimated net worth of $5.00 million, which he acquired from his work as a poet. Known as the poet of the Philippines. He was regarded as one of history's most accomplished poets. Ginaw Bilog's primary source of income was as a successful Filipino poet.

Then-President Fidel V. Ramos, conferred the National Living Treasure Award to Ginaw Bilog on December 17, 1993, in recognition of his people's preservation efforts of the ambahan poetry.

What is Ambahan?

Ambahan is the traditional poetic form of the Mangyan people inscribed using ancient syllabic script derived from India and is listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Registry. The poem would usually contain the Mangyan’s personal thoughts, feelings, or desires. The Ambahan is a verse with seven (7)-syllable lines that is chanted in social circles or inscribed in bamboo tubes which is intended to be sent to a recipient.

It can be chanted with or without musical accompaniment and it contains rhyming end-syllables. The Mangyans would memorize Ambahans according to their age.

It is used to convey messages through methapors and images. These messages range from courtship to giving advice to farewell notes. In an extemporaneous way, this poetic form inspires lively chanted debates displaying wit and creative imagery during social gatherings. The ambahan is sung and its messages range from courtship, giving advice to the young, asking for a place to stay, saying goodbye to a dear friend and so on. Such an oral tradition is commonplace among indigenous cultural groups but the ambahan has remained in existence today chiefly because it is etched on bamboo tubes using ancient Southeast Asian, pre-colonial script called surat Mangyan.

His Death

Ginaw Bilog died of a non-communicable illness on June 3, 2003. He was 50 years old at the time of his death.
He was survived by a vast extended family and friends at the time of his death.

About the Artist

What is Ambahan?

His Death

Ginaw Bilog died of a non-communicable illness on June 3, 2003. He was 50 years old at the time of his death. He was survived by a vast extended family and friends at the time of his death.

Ginaw Bilog died of a non-communicable illness on June 3, 2003. He was 50 years old at the time of his death.
He was survived by a vast extended family and friends at the time of his death.