Dads move for Ifugao Day celeb

APRIL is being eyed to celebrate culture and heritage of Ifugao in the Summer Capital.

Baguio City Vice-Mayor Edison Bilog and Councilor Joel Alangsab crafted a law aimed at institutionalizing the last Saturday of April as Ifugao Day.

Both aldermen said “the talents and gifts of the Ifugaos were imprinted on every corner of our city as shown by the woodcarvings, apparels, and other souvenir items offered to local and foreign tourists. In fact, their culture that ranged from songs, dances, rituals, and indigenous games were all featured in the Panagbenga Festival.”

The proposed ordinance stated the diverse culture of the city continues to get a big boost from various indigenous peoples coming from the different parts of the country who contribute in making the Summer Capital the melting pot of various tribes with a history of culture and traditions.

Bilog and Alangsab added there was a previous attempt to institutionalize celebration of Ifugao Day in the city in order to foster greater unity and harmony by virtue of a resolution but it was never acted on.

“Various tribes enriching the city are the Ifugaos who are known as the builders of the iconic Banaue Rice Terraces and the bu’luls, totemic male and female figures carved in wood, usually less than a meter tall, and used in rituals and as guardian figures. The Ifugao communities in Northern Luzon’s Cordillera Central have been visited many times by foreign and local anthropologists, ethnographers, and photographers,” the proposed ordinance said.

The city is now institutionalizing also the Victory Day celebration commemorates the day of surrender of Japanese Imperial Army Commander Tomoyuki Yamashita, also known as the “Tiger of Malaya” on September 2, 1945 to the joint Filipino and American troops led by Captain Grisham of the 6th United States Army who were stationed in their garrison at the Old Home Economics Building of the Kiangan Central School, Kiangan, Ifugao. This event finally ended WWII in Southeast Asia.

If the ordinance is passed, the celebration will feature activities such as a parade, rituals, and a showcase of talents in dances, songs and crafts.

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