ABS CBN : ANC launches “Local Legends,” a docuseries that promotes Filipino craftsmanship

ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) continues to bring the spotlight to Filipino culture and heritage with the launch of the documentary series 'Local Legends' on Friday (September 22) at 8:30 pm.

Produced by the ABS-CBN News Docucentral, 'Local Legends' aims to promote a deeper sense of pride in our country's heritage through showcasing Filipino craftsmanship and artistry in music, food, and textiles. Each episode features a homegrown Filipino product and the master craftsmen who continue to make them to this day to preserve a tradition that has been passed on to many generations.

ABS-CBN News head and ANC managing director Ging Reyes said that through the program, they hope Filipinos will have a newfound appreciation for the 'living legends' in our cultural communities.

'In Local Legends, the star is the product. Behind each piece is a story of someone who mastered their craft, their struggles, their inspiration, how they differentiate their product about the West, and their efforts to sustain their craft in a globalized market with more modern competitive means of mass production. The skills and knowledge of these living treasures must be passed down to future generations, if their craft is to be preserved,' she said.

In the pilot episode 'Bandurria,' the program brings viewers to San Antonio, Guagua, Pampanga, where guitar-making has been around for more than a century. Guitar-maker Dante De Guzman shares how he finds joy in producing quality stringed instruments and how they cope with decreasing sales due to the entry of foreign brands.

The 13-episode docuseries will also go to Ifugao, Masbate, Kalinga, and other points in the Philippines to meet the masters in making traditional Filipino products like rice wine, rhum, karne norte, the jeepney, among many others.

Behind 'Local Legends,' which celebrates the passion and uncovers the struggles of Filipino master craftsmen in this age of globalization, are the makers of 'Mukha,' ANC's award-winning documentary program that has won a Silver Dolphin at the 7th Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards and was a finalist in the 2017 New York Festival Awards for International TV Programs and Films.

Watch 'Local Legends' on ANC and ANC HD every Friday, 8:30 pm starting September 22. For more information, visit news.abs-cbn.com/anc, or follow ANC on Facebook and Twitter (@ANCalerts).