If you are from Marikina or have had occasion to visit the city, you might have seen these banners proclaiming the Marikeños’ pride at having one of their own receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award for her “single-minded crusade in preserving the endangered artistic heritage” of southern Philippines, in particular, the pangalay, an indigenous dance of Sulu.
The daughter of the late Marikina mayor Gil Fernando Sr. and the older sister of former Marikina Mayor and Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando, Ligaya Amilbangsa – a 1962 Far Eastern University alumna – fell in love with the dance form during a visit to Jolo, Sulu in the late ’60s where she saw a group of dancers perform. Her marriage to the late Datu Punjungan Amilbangsa (of the prominent clan in Sulu) whom she met at FEU and the subsequent move to Bongao in Tawi-Tawi introduced her to the rich cultural heritage of Mindanao.
For more than three decades, Ligaya immersed herself in the rich cultural life of the Muslim South, recording its performing arts, visual arts, and other traditions that are now endangered. She developed the Amilbangsa Instruction Method, a mode of instruction that gives equal emphasis on technique and creativity, to preserve and propagate knowledge and skills of the dance style, pangalay.
The continuous support of institutions like her alma mater, FEU, has helped Ligaya keep alive the artistic expressions that link Filipinos to their past through her unwavering tenacity and passion. Among the initiatives that Ligaya and the FEU have embarked on include screenings of “Ang Pagbabalik sa Tawi-Tawi,” a documentary of the 72-year-old lady’s works that have contributed to the preservation of the Muslim South’s culture and tradition.
“I am grateful to FEU for being a steadfast supporter of my life’s purpose of preserving the cultural and historical relevance of indigenous dance forms,” she said, adding that FEU continues to be a venue for academic discussion on this topic. It also provides various forms of assistance in the publication of our dance researches. It was at the FEU Institute of Arts – where she took up her major in 1959 – that gave her a deeper understanding of the craft.
“The world is quickly becoming assimilated and borderless. To have a better appreciation of other cultures, we have to be aware of our own. This is why the support of institutions like FEU is important, so that future generations may continue to understand our artistic traditions,” Ligaya stated.
To further support her continuous campaign on safeguarding artistic traditions, FEU is collaborating with Ligaya to publish an interactive edition of Pangalay: Traditional Dances and Related Folk Artistic Expressions, a book on the Southern Philippine cultural dance of the same name, which will include video demonstrations of the dance steps.
“FEU has long been a bastion of Filipino culture and arts. More than having one of our alumni receive one of the highest honors in Asia, it gives us even greater pride seeing our students continue to uphold the university’s values as they pursue their own vocation. That is why we give our constant support to our alumni and their worthwhile endeavors,” said FEU president Dr. Michael Alba.
Ligaya Amilbangsa is the second FEU alumni to receive the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award. In 1980, Francisco Sionil Jose – who studied in the Far Eastern University High School from 1939 to 1941 – was recognized for his “intellectual courage and his concern for and encouragement of Asian and other writers and artists.”