Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ ↗
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HISTORY

The Claim

Marife Ravidas Ganahon, a master mat weaver from the Higaonon community in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, was proclaimed a Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasure) in December 2023 by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. through Proclamation No. 427.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

The central facts of this claim are well-supported by official legal texts and independent reporting. Proclamation No. 427, dated December 15, 2023, does declare Marife Ravidas Ganahon a Manlilikha ng Bayan, and it is issued under President Marcos Jr.'s authority. However, the term "master mat weaver" does not appear in the proclamation or authoritative sources, and the document was physically countersigned by Executive Secretary Bersamin — a routine procedure that does not change its presidential character but slightly overstates direct presidential involvement.

Caveats

  • The title 'master mat weaver' is not used in Proclamation No. 427 or in major news reports; official sources describe her as a 'mat weaver' recognized for safeguarding the Higaonon mat-weaving tradition.
  • Some sources indicate Proclamation No. 427 was signed or countersigned by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, which is standard Philippine executive procedure but means 'by President Marcos Jr.' slightly overstates the manner of execution.
  • Minor spelling variations of the awardee's surname (Ganahon/Ganaho) appear across sources, though they clearly refer to the same individual.

The Receipts

  1. Proclamation No. 427 - Lawphil

    LawPhil

  2. [PDF] to pangulo no - LawPhil

    LawPhil

  3. Conferment Ceremony of the 2023 Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan

    YouTube (Official Ceremony Video)

  4. President Bongbong Marcos at the 2023 Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Conferment Ceremony

    YouTube (Official Ceremony Video)

  5. Nine 'Manlilikha ng Bayan' honorees named | GMA News Online

    GMA News Online

  6. 7 of 9 new National Living Treasures are Mindanawons - MindaNews

    MindaNews

  7. Hail the newly declared National Living Treasures - Daily Tribune

    Daily Tribune

  8. Higaonon mat weaver from Bukidnon declared "Manlilikha ng Bayan ...

    Metro Cdo Dev

  9. Higaonon mat weaver proclaimed as 'Manlilikha Ng Bayan 2023'

    CM News Watch

  10. Inscribing Filipino Culture | Art - Vocal Media

    Vocal Media

+ 2 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

BukidnonFerdinand R. Marcos Jr.HigaononMalaybalay CityMarife Ravidas Ganahon