Philippine Embassy in Singapore teaches Ga’dang beadwork at Sentro Rizal for Indigenous Peoples Month
The Philippine Embassy in Singapore, through Sentro Rizal Singapore, held a Ga’dang beaded-tassel workshop on 3 November led by an NUS graduate student who trained under National Living Treasure Amparo Mabanag.
The Philippine Embassy in Singapore, through Sentro Rizal Singapore, marked National Indigenous Peoples Month 2026 with a hands-on beadwork workshop on 3 November, according to an embassy press release dated 4 November.
Titled “Manu’bak: Learn How to Create Ga’dang Beaded Tassels”, the session at the Sentro Rizal introduced participants to Manu’bak, the traditional beadwork of the Ga’dang indigenous community of Paracelis, Mountain Province. The embassy said the workshop highlighted the craft’s cultural significance, intricate craftsmanship and role in preserving indigenous identity and ancestral knowledge.
Taught by a Ga’dang student in Singapore
The workshop was facilitated by Qjiel Giuliano Mikhl Z. Mariano, a member of the Ga’dang indigenous community who trained under Afu Amparo Mabanag. According to the embassy, he is also a graduate student of Sustainable Healthcare at the National University of Singapore and President of Barangay NUS, the university’s Filipino Cultural Club.
Mariano introduced participants to Ga’dang culture and the symbolism, colours and patterns associated with traditional beadwork, and spoke about passing indigenous knowledge and artistic traditions down to younger generations. Participants then learned basic beadwork techniques and made their own Ga’dang-inspired beaded tassels.
A National Living Treasure’s craft
Amparo Balansi Mabanag was among nine people declared Manlilikha ng Bayan for 2023 under Proclamation No. 427, signed on 15 December 2023. The proclamation recognises her, a Ga’dang embroiderer from Paracelis, Mountain Province, for her commitment to safeguarding and promoting the Ga’dang manu’bak and ameru (beadworks and embroidery) traditions.
The embassy said National Indigenous Peoples Month is celebrated annually in October under Presidential Proclamation No. 1906, series of 2009, and that this year’s theme is “Empowering Indigenous Peoples: Strengthening Rights, Culture, and Ancestral Domains”.
The embassy added that, through Sentro Rizal Singapore, it continues to give Filipino and Singapore-based audiences opportunities to engage with traditional and contemporary Filipino cultural expressions.
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- The Philippine Embassy in Singapore, through Sentro Rizal Singapore, held the workshop “Manu’bak: Learn How to Create Ga’dang Beaded Tassels” on 3 November 2026.
- Manu’bak is the traditional beadwork of the Ga’dang indigenous community of Paracelis, Mountain Province.
- The workshop was facilitated by Qjiel Giuliano Mikhl Z. Mariano, a Ga’dang community member, NUS graduate student and President of Barangay NUS, who trained under Afu Amparo Mabanag.
- Amparo Balansi Mabanag was declared a Manlilikha ng Bayan for 2023 under Proclamation No. 427.
Official sources
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