August 23, 2025, Gumalang, Baguio District – The Gumalang Unified Tribe marked their annual Indigenous People’s Day (IP Day) with color, community, and culture. With support from the Davao City Government and a handful of sponsors, the celebration was a success, bringing together fellow IPs in the area, the Tribal Council, Barangay Council, nearby schools, IPMRs, and special guests.
As a Mandaya and a teacher deeply committed to culture, I was honored to be part of this gathering. In my speech, I challenged the youth to bring their heritage to the platforms they love most: TikTok and Instagram. I urged them to share their dances, words of the day, and traditional clothing as their OOTD.
To the parents, I posed a question: instead of CocoMelon, K-pop, and other foreign shows, why not share our own? Why not encourage our children to create content that celebrates their identity?
Sadly, in Gumalang today, no child below the age of seven speaks the mother tongue. This reality fuels my mission to create and distribute coloring activity books in Bagobo Klata, including one on traditional clothing.
It is an uphill battle — sustained mostly by family and friends who believe in the cause — but I will not give up.
One tribe at a time, one coloring book at a time, I continue the journey, with the hope that more sponsors will join us in the future. We need help in printing more coloring books for distribution for the IP children.
Gumalang has always been close to my heart. I grew up in and around this community.
Many of the people know my family, who have served and worked here across generations.
My wish is for Gumalang to prosper not just as a haven for fruits but as a place where its people, and their heritage, thrive.
For some, school supplies and coloring books are a small matter but to the people here, it is seeing children in their native clothing.
It is children being introduced to everyday words in Bagobo Klata. May the culture of the Bagobo Klata, Obo Manobo, and Bagobo Tagabawa flourish in Gumalang — and beyond.