Federico C. Caballero, born in Calinog, Iloilo in 1938, was a renowned epic chanter and cultural advocate of the Panay-Bukidnon community. He learned ancient oral traditions from his mother and great-great-grandmother and dedicated his life to preserving ten Panay-Bukidnon epics, including Humadapnon and Labaw Donggon, in a nearly extinct language related to Kinaray-a. Caballero worked with researchers and government agencies to document and teach these epics, even promoting literacy among elders to help sustain their heritage. As a manunghusay (peacemaker), he helped resolve community disputes using ancestral wisdom and chanting, reinforcing cultural values and social harmony. In 2000, he was honored with the GAMABA (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) Award for his contributions to Filipino intangible heritage.
Domain:
Photo Credit/s:
Aeson Baldevia, 2017
Mappers:
Bea P. Orquia
Tags:
Calinog Iloilo, Federico C. Caballero, Filipino cultural advocate, Filipino cultural heritage, Filipino epic preservation, Filipino folklore preservation, Filipino intangible heritage, Filipino manunghusay, Filipino oral traditions, GAMABA awardee, Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan, Humadapnon epic, Kinaray-a language preservation, Labaw Donggon epic, Panay indigenous culture, Panay-Bukidnon epic chanter, Panay-Bukidnon epics, Panay-Bukidnon literacy, Philippine folk epics, traditional Filipino peacemaker
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