Alay kay Macli-ing Dulag was composed in 1980 by Prof. Nonilon Queaño, an award-winning playwright, days after attending a tribute for Macli-ing held in Kalinga.
While the song was made popular then by various musicians passionately singing it after hearing it, it was only in 2014 that Prof. Queaño was able to record it and publish it in a musical collection called Ang Pagbabalik ng Musikero.
During the Marcos martial law years, Lakay Macli-ing Dulag, pangat or chieftain of Bugnay, a village in the Kalingas, was attacked and killed by government soldiers as he slept with his wife and children in their house, or ili, one night. The Pangat led the struggle of the Kalinga people against the building of the Chico River Dam, which would have sunk and destroyed many of the villages in the area. Lakay Macliing’s successor, Pedro Dungoc, continued but also died in the struggle. The indigenous won, and the Chico River Dam project never got underway.
Prof. Nonilon Queaño
Ang Pagbabalik ng Musikero, the collection where the song Alay Kay Macli-ing Dulag is, was named after Prof. Queaño’s 1977 award-winning play. The music collection is his journey of discovery and struggle told through the imagery of his lyrics, melodies, and musical arrangements. This 2014 collection was arranged and produced by Karl Ramirez and features special performances by soprano Rica Nepomuceno and classical guitarist Nobel Queaño.
You can listen to the entire collection below.
