Alonzo Saclag is a Filipino musician and dancer who is a recipient of the National Living Treasures Award.

Background

Alonzo Saclag was born on August 4, 1942. A member of the

Kalinga people The Kalinga people () are an indigenous ethnic group whose ancestral domain is in the Cordillera Mountain Range of the northern Philippines. They are mainly found in Kalinga province which has an area of 3,282.58 sq. km. Some of them, howe ...

and a native of

Lubuagan Lubuagan, officially the Municipality of Lubuagan is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Kalinga (province), Kalinga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 9,323 pe ...

, Kalinga province, Saclag taught himself of his people's traditions in the performing arts. He learned how to play traditional Kalinga musical instruments and Kalinga ritual dance movements without formal or informal instruction. Saclag worked to revive the dying tradition of playing the gangsa, a type of Kalinga gong. Saclag lobbied for two years with the provincial government to grant funds to convert the abandoned Capitol Building into a museum. With support from the provincial government and other financiers, a branch of the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

was established in Lubuagan. Saclag also campaigned for the promotion of Kalinga culture in schools in his community by engaging in talks with the institutions' administrators. He is instrumental in establishing the practice of children wearing traditional Kalinga clothing for important school events as well as the teaching of Kalinga folk songs in schools. He also lobbied for the broadcast of traditional Kalinga music along with contemporary music in their local radio station. He also formed the Kalinga Budong Dance Troupe with the intent of promoting Kalinga dance to a wider audience. Saclag was conferred the National Living Treasures Award in 2000. By 2016, he had established a village within his town, named Awichon, which aims to promote Kalinga culture to tourists.

Personal life

Saclag is married to a woman named Rebecca with whom he has nine children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saclag, Alonso Filipino musicians Filipino male dancers People from Kalinga (province) 1942 births Living people National Living Treasures of the Philippines Igorot people