Program Theme: Forms of Traditional Cultural Expressions (Languages)
Program Year: 2012
Awarding Agency: Public Affairs Section, US Embassy in Manila
Partner: Mangyan Heritage Center, Inc.
Amount: US$4,528
Status: Completed
Project Summary: The Project aimed to promote the Pre-Spanish syllabic writing system and poetry of the Hanunuo Mangyans. Specifically, the Project involved: a) teaching the script in ten Hanunuo Mangyan schools located in the towns of Mansalay and Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro for school-year 2012-2013; b) encouraging Mangyan students to learn their ambahan (traditional poetry) by integrating it in the teaching of the Mangyan script, and by conducting “Premio Ambahan” (Ambahan Writing Contest); and c) promoting the use of the script in all schools in Mindoro through the Mangyan Heritage Center’s “Mangyan Photo and Artifact Traveling Exhibit”.
Citation: The Hanunuo Mangyan Syllabic Script is listed as a National Cultural Treasure in the Philippine Registry of Cultural Properties, and is inscribed in the Memory of the World Registers of UNESCO.
