BUGUIAS, Benguet – This farming town recently celebrated its first Albubo Festival in a bid to promote indigenous knowledge and practices.
Proposed Indigenous Peoples Representative Moresto Angyatao, the festivity shows unity, cooperation and helpfulness among the residents before and during building of houses, making of pathways, gathering fire woods during different occasions or when there is dead relative or member of the community.
Mayor Ruben Tindaan said the practice of Albubo extends help to one another without expecting anything in return which includes promoting good culture of Buguias people.
The festival highlighted albubo practices performed through dance drama by the different high schools in the municipality, cultural presentations and the ‘ukob’, a practice showing sense of belongingness and oneness of the family and community that usually takes place over meals.
u2018Talopak’ or banana stems were used as plates during the ukub.
Apart from showcasing the rich indigenous practices of the municipality, an agriculture trade fair was held featuring local products from the different barangays.
Other events of the festival included, drum and lyre contests, ground demonstration competition by the elementary schools, dance drama by the high schools, cultural presentation per barangay, Senior Citizen’s Day, Buguias PNP medical mission, search for Mr. and Mrs. and Mr. and Ms. Buguias, and inter-barangay and inter-school sports and skills competition, among others.