TO BRING culture and heritage of Benguet and the Cordillera region closer to Filipinos especially the younger generation, the Abong Ni Tombilao Cultural Hub and Campsite was launched in Tublay, Benguet.

Abong is an Ibaloy term for house and tombilao for music.

The Abong Ni Tombilao is a project by the Benguet Learning Center Foundation Inc. and Nazarro family, who partnered with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts.

Board Member Juan Nazarro Jr. and Benguet Learning Center’s Myrna Nazarro pushed for the development of a one-hectare cultural center in their property.

She said the creation of the cultural hub is eyed as an avenue to teach Benguet’s culture and become a place for relaxation.

The cultural hub, located in Barangay Baayan, Tublay, showcases a mini-museum that houses various Benguet musical instruments like the solibao and gansa, various materials utilized and seen in the houses of the Ibaloys such as "kayabang" (traditional basket carried by women on their back), jars used for fermenting rice wine or tapuy, akbot (dried skin of animals used by men to put food when they go hunting or work), and "paseking" (backpack).

It also houses a small traditional Ibaloy hut, a symbol for the way of life of Ibaloys in the olden times, made from indigenous materials of pinewood, reed and cogon grass.

The soft opening was marked by a traditional ritual.

Nazarro added they are also eyeing to build 13 traditional huts representing all the municipalities in the province.

Future developments in the hub are also being planned. In development are a camping site, eco-trail, workshop area for basketry, and an avenue for artisans and the community to showcase their products.