DEPUTY SPEAKER and REP. LOREN LEGARDA of Antique has been hosting the award-winning docu series, “Dayaw”, for several seasons now. Dayaw, a word which means to praise and have pride in our own culture, is being shown on ANC.
We remember we enjoyed so much some of its past seasons as they’re very enlightening and educational, like the one on Old Manila and various heritage sites, and the one about indigenous peoples and their cultures.
It’s good she’s documenting all this and preserving a chronicle of Filipino culture and soul for posterity. ANC and NCAA hosted a special presscon for her and she calls it a thanksgiving presscon to show her appreciation to all the people she has worked with through the years in the show.
“I’m also thankful that many young viewers appreciate episodes we post on youtube which they can watch anytime,” she says.
“It’s a passion project for me and the feedback is great, even global audiences enjoy watching it to see how rich our culture is, so we are inspired to come up with more enlightening documentaries in the future.”
On its 11th season, “Kakaibang Sigla, A Vital Energy”, Loren focuses on Filipino games, sports and dances.
She hopes this new season will inspire Pinoys to be more active and energetic to help boost their immune systems, specially in this season of the pandemic. It shows the competitiveness and sportsmanship of Filipinos as manifested in traditional games, sports, and native dances.
“Dayaw’s” 11th Season is significant in reminding our younger generation, especially those who devote endless hours on gadgets and mobile games, to be physically active as well as experience and learn from the world outside,” Rep. Loren says.
Shot before the pandemic, the six-part docu series begins with “Mula sa Pagkabata,” an episode on games that Filipino kids play such as taguan, patintero, piko, and luksong tinik and also traditional Maranao games like Sipa sa Lama and Sipa sa Manggis.
Ifugao’s famous annual punnuk tug-of-war ritual, now among UNESCO’s list of important intangible human heritage, is featured in the second and third episodes.
This is followed by the exciting two-part special “Tikas at Lakas” on Filipino martial arts and sports like arnis, silat, and eskrima.
Episode six “Sayawang Pinoy,” meanwhile, centers on the treasure trove of folk and indigenous dances that make the Filipino soul visible with their enchanting rhythms and movements.
According to Legarda, traditional games, indigenous dances, and martial arts instill important values in Filipinos that enable them to persevere despite uncertainties, overcome challenges, and thrive in the direst circumstances.
“To win in these traditional games, we have to be precise, focused, and work with the team in achieving our main goal – win against our opponent. We carry these values that our traditional games taught us in every aspect of our life.
"In turn, our traditional dances mirror the ways of life of our ancestors and how they celebrate tradition. Our martial arts embody our strength and determination, an art that is part of our intangible heritage that we need to sustain and enliven.”
Hence, it is important to teach the youth about them.
“We can only save all this from extinction by continuing to instill their importance in our young, and let them practice and learn these treasures,” she adds.
“Dayaw,” a production of ANC and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), is a concept of Legarda, NCCA's Dangal ng Haraya Patron of Arts. Watch it every Thursday, 6 pm on ANC on cable and the ANC Facebook page.
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