Program Year: 2012
Grantee: Mangyan Heritage Center, Inc.
Grant Amount: US$4,528
Awarding Agency: Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy in the Philippines
Project Summary: The Project supported the promotion of the Pre-Spanish syllabic writing system and poetry of the Hanunuo Mangyans. Specific activities included: 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.
Status: Completed in September 2013