National Museum of the Philippines - Kabayan

11/08/2026

Malugod naming ipinapakilala ang 𝗕𝗔'𝗗𝗜𝗪 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘, ang opisyal na pahayagan ng Lokal na Pamahalaan ng Kabayan!

Ang "Ba-diw" ay isang tanyag na tradisyong oral ng ating mga kapatid na Ibaloy sa Cordillera. Ito ay isang uri ng sining na ginagamit sa pagkukuwento, mga ritwal, at pagbabahagi ng mga mahahalagang aral ng komunidad. Gaya ng tradisyunal na "Ba-diw" na nagbubuklod sa atin, ang newsletter na ito ay magsisilbing tulay upang pag-isahin ang ating mayamang kultura at ang mga napapanahong balita sa ating bayan.

Saksihan ang ganda at kuwento ng Kabayan sa ating mga unang isyu para sa taong 2026 mula Enero hanggang Hunyo.

📲 𝙋𝘼𝘼𝙉𝙊 𝙈𝘼𝙆𝘼𝙆𝘼𝙆𝙐𝙃𝘼 𝙉𝙂 𝙆𝙊𝙋𝙔𝘼?
Para sa inyong digital na kopya, i-scan lamang ang QR Code na nasa larawan upang ma-access ang ating mga newsletter.

Halina't makiisa sa pagpapanatili ng alab ng ating pamana sa pamamagitan ng makabuluhang komunikasyon!

11/08/2026

31/07/2026

𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒐: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬

𝘕𝘢-𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘣𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵?

Modern music is composed mainly of beats and melodies, with lyrics taking a back seat. Also gone are the days when music was poetry, when words carried more weight than the instruments themselves. Today's music is essentially three-dimensional, focusing not only on the message, the lyrics, or the instruments, but on the entire composition as a whole – with the rhythm, frequency, and timing defining its genre and dictating exactly which audience it targets.

But long before there were synthesized sounds to produce those loud bangs, drum sets, and basses, we had traditional instruments made mainly of wood, bamboo, and animal skin. The diversity of the Philippines brings with it diverse music involving different modern and indigenous musical instruments. One of these is a Cordilleran drum that perfectly sets the beat for rituals, weddings, and other important occasions that require musical accompaniment - the 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒐.

Made from wood that is neither too hard nor too soft–preferably the hollowed-out trunk of a jackfruit (𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘢) tree–and hide (𝘭𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘵) from a tough-skinned animal (preferably carabao, deer or cow, but never pig), the Solibao is played mostly by the Kankanaey, Ibaloy and Bontok indigenous groups.

Categorized as a membranophone, the traditional conical tenor drum leads the rhythm of a musical ensemble, accompanied by lower-pitched instruments like the 𝘬𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘭, 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘬, 𝘬𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘢, and 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘴. These traditional instruments have been in existence since time immemorial and predate the colonial era of the Philippines. After all the conquests and change, the Solibao remains one of the persisting sounds of the Cordilleras, including the bordering upland municipalities with Ilocandia, where the instrument is played during particular rituals, festivities and other special community events.

In celebration of the 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘨𝘰 𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘰 this last week of July 2026 with the theme “𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘬𝘢 𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘨 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯: 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘺𝘰𝘯, 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘺𝘢, 𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘨”, let us be reminded to listen more attentively. Our traditions are no longer just for historical reckoning and cultural preservation - they may already be incorporated into the music we love to listen to today. We just might not realize it yet, but as they say –

“𝘏𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬 𝘯𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵!” (The rhythm is already ours.) It always has been.

***
Notes regarding the accompanying image:

Only the drum on the left side is referred to as "solibao". It was sourced from the town of Sugpon, Ilocos Sur in the 1970s. On the other hand, the shorter drum on the right that came from the town of Quirino, Ilocos Sur also in the 1970s is simply labeled (in the museum record) as "tambur", following the Spanish word for drum. Given the ruined batter head of the solibao, the tambur was included in this image to show how the batter head of a native musical drum looks like.

Feature by R. R. Rafanan I NMP-Ilocos

Information on Solibao:
National Museum of the Philippines - Kabayan

30/07/2026

𝟏𝟎 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 of 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 to the General Public👏👏👏

29/07/2026

𝗣𝗮𝗸𝗸𝗼𝗻𝗴: 𝗘𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆, 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

As part of the celebration of with the theme “Pinoy Coded", NMP Kabayan is delighted to showcase one of its valued collections—the 𝙥𝙖𝙠𝙠𝙤𝙣𝙜, a traditional percussion instrument associated with the 𝙄𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙞, 𝙆𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙖, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙆𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙚𝙮 of Benguet Province and various municipalities within the Cordillera region.

Historically, the #𝑝𝑎𝑘𝑘𝑜𝑛𝑔 was commonly played by women in some Cordillera communities (𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘓𝘦𝘦 2011, 𝘐𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘺 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢, 𝘜.𝘚.𝘈.). It was traditionally played while travelling to and from agricultural fields. In local belief systems, its distinctive buzzing sound was associated with protection from 𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙩, spirits believed to bring harm or misfortune to people. Apart from its spiritual associations, the sound of the instrument was also believed to help alert or deter animals met along forest paths and mountain trails.

Also known in some communities as the #𝘣𝑢𝘯𝑔𝘬𝑎𝘬𝑎, #𝑝𝘢𝑙𝘪𝑝𝘢𝑙, or bamboo buzzer, the 𝘱𝘢𝘬𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 is made from a straight, sturdy section of the bamboo with its natural basal node intact. The upper section is carefully split lengthwise to create two flexible bamboo tongues, while a central cavity allows the instrument to produce its characteristic resonance. When the instrument is struck against the palm, it produces a buzzing tone.

Beyond its function as a musical instrument, the 𝘱𝘢𝘬𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 holds deep cultural and spiritual significance. Among some communities, elders associate its sound with ancestral presence, blessing, and hopes for a successful harvest and fertile land. Its rhythmic vibrations are also interpreted as expressions of harmony among the community, the environment, and the spiritual realm, reflecting indigenous perspectives on interconnectedness and balance (𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳).

Today, the 𝘱𝘢𝘬𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨 continues to contribute to the preservation and transmission of Cordilleran cultural traditions. It remains present in cultural performances, musical and theatrical presentations, and selected agricultural rituals, including rice harvest traditions.

27/07/2026

Congratulations to our 6th and 7th NMP Passport holders! Your journey starts now.

24/07/2026

Apply Now. We're Hiring!

23/07/2026

17/07/2026

𝟏𝟕 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐍-𝐔𝐏 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄

Demonstrating its commitment to environmental stewardship, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) - Kabayan participated in the clean-up drive in support of the 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 (LCE) 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗺 𝗡𝗼. 𝟮𝟳-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, which promotes environmental protection, proper solid waste management, and public health.

NMP-Kabayan personnel cleaned the museum grounds, the access road, and portions of the adjacent Andres Acop Cosalan National Road, and Kabayan Barrio-Timbac Tourism Road near Tinongchol Burial Rock, helping create a cleaner, safer, and more welcoming environment for the community and museum visitors.