Ginaw Bilog, Hanunoo Mangyan, from Mansalay, Mindoro, was born in 1953 and grew up in such a cultural environment. Already steeped in the wisdom that the ambahan is a key to the understanding of the Mangyan soul, Ginaw took it upon himself to continually keep scores of ambahan poetry recorded, not only on bamboo tubes but on old, dog-eared notebooks passed on to him by friends.

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Poet Ginaw Bilog was known for writing ambahan, which contributed to the preservation of the ambahan, or the traditional poetry of the Hanunuo Mangyans in Oriental Mindoro. The Mangyan script is one of the four remaining syllabic scripts in the country, and Ginaw Bilog’s work has been crucial to its preservation. Most treasured in his collection are those inherited from his father and grandfather, sources of inspiration and guidance for his creative endeavors. To this day, Ginaw shares old and new ambahans with his fellow Mangyans and promotes this poetic form on every occasion.