Documenting indigenous sports in the eleventh season of “Dayaw,” a show on ANC that has been covering the life, traditions, practices and culture of the different indigenous people groups since 2015, is a huge challenge.
That’s according to “Dayaw” host Loren Legarda who was asked to describe the show’s journey for season 11 during an online press conference yesterday, Aug. 25. The show meanwhile airs Thursdays at 6 p.m. on ANC via cable and its Facebook page.
“Ay, hindi madali ito. Pero mabuti na-shoot namin before pandemic. ‘Yun ‘yung pumunta si Sec. Berna Romulo at nag-punnuk sa Ifugao. Tapos ‘yung iba mga martial arts, arnis, etc,” she said in the interview
(No, it’s not easy. Fortunately we shot it before the pandemic. It was when Sec. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat went and did punnuk in Ifugao. There’s also the other martial arts, arnis, etc.)
The episodes were exciting to make, said Legarda, since the show has been “known for documenting rivers and other cultural heritage.”
“But to document indigenous sports, kakaiba ‘yan,” she noted. “It was challenging dahil action, eh. Action ang kinukunan mo, ‘di ba, hindi lang ‘yung weave, embroidery or hindi lang ‘yung kanta at chants nila.”
(But to document indigenous sports is different. It was challenging because it is action. You shoot action, not just the weave, embroidery, or their songs and chants.)
Legarda also explained the selection of “Dayaw” as the title of the show, saying it has a very positive meaning.
“Sa lahat ng (In all our) Philippine languages, and we have over a hundred Philippine languages, dayaw has a positive meaning. It means bigyan ng parangal (give honor to). It means ipagmalaki (be proud of),” she said.
After featuring traditional Filipino children’s games such as patintero, sipa and luksong tinik in the first episode, followed by a two-part special on the punnuk which is a show of physical strength that ends the Ifugao’s harvest season, “Dayaw” will focus on Filipino martial arts such as arnis, silat and eskrima in its next two episodes, starting today, Aug. 26. JB
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