COMMUNITY BILLBOARD

Ilocano runner gets PMA athletic saber

BAGUIO CITY -- A seasoned Ilocano runner is this year’s Athletic Saber awardee of the Philippine Military Academy.

Cadet First Class Mark Rolly Bacani bested the 123 other graduating cadets of PMA Puso’t Dangal ng mga Kawal ng Lahing Nagkakaisa or Pudang Kalis Class of 2013 to receive the athletic saber award.

On March 14, prior to the graduation ceremonies, Bacani received the Athletic Saber from Mayor Mauricio Domogan during the Athletic Parade Honors at the Borromeo Field at Fort del Pilar, here.

The 22-year old runner from San Fernando City in La Union has consistently been running in long distance races since his entry to PMA.

He has joined numerous national running events like the annual Milo Marathon and the Subic International Marathon where he excelled.

During his freshman year, Bacani bagged a bronze medal in the 5,000 run event of the Baguio–Benguet Educational Athletic League and won the Philippine National Police Academy – PMA Dual Meet 10 kilometer cross country run.

Aside from running, Bacani also plays arnis, chess and volleyball.

Bacani will be among the 124- strong Pudang Kalis Class of 2013 who will be receiving their diplomas from President Benigno Aquino III during their graduation rites on Sunday, March 17.

Last year, female cadet Zaporah Gabino Dalang of Tinoc, Ifugao was the Athletic Saber awardee from among the 187-strong BAGWIS or Bagong Kawal na may Iisang Lakas Class of 2012 composed of 168 males and 19 females.

Dalang was the third woman to receive the athletic saber award after the country’s premiere school started accepting women cadets in 1997. The others were also Cordillerans, Jessie Rose Bucalen of Bulanao, Tabuk in 2002 and Janice Matbagan of Baguio City in 2011. -- Redjie Melvic M. Cawis

La Trinidad’s history presented in theatre 

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- A multi-cultural theatrical show which depicts the origin of this capital town will be staged by local talented actors on March 25 at the municipal gym in line with the month-long celebration of the Strawberry  Festival.

Dubbed “La Trinidad shi Bunguit tan Kafagway,” meaning La Trinidad in Benguet and Baguio City, the show presents the history of the Valley in music and drama productions.

Based on research, the town was established before the creation of the City of Baguio.

La Trinidad was once the seat of government during the Spanish regime, the short-lived Philippine Revolutionary government and the early part of the American Rule.

Joan S. Bacoling, head of the Civil Local Registry who conceptualized the show, said this will make the townsfolk proud of their heritage and culture, make them aware of the town’s origin and their rights as indigenous peoples.

"Tracing back our origin is not that appreciated perhaps because it is not being sold or presented in a manner that is enticing," Bacoling said.

The show directed by Maria Aplaten of the Hapiyo Mi Cultural Group of the University of the Cordilleras is a combination of music and drama production, said Bacoling.

"The concept was originally purely musical show but due to time constraint, it became a musical drama with a storyline," said Bacoling.

She added that the gist of the presentation would be on where they were before and where they are heading now.

The setting starts prior to the discovery of the town by the Spaniards. Despite the resistance, the Spaniards came and established their presence. It was during Don Q.M. Quirante's reign that the valley was named after his wife Trinidad.

There will be two shows on March 25- gala show at 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. while matinee from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

General admission is P20.00 while patronage tickets are sold at P200.00 each. -- Susan C. Aro

Agro-industrial fair set in MP Lang-ay Festival

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The Department of Trade and Industry and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist are setting up an agro-industrial trade fair to provide opportunity for local entrepreneurs to sell and promote their products during the 46th Mt. Province Foundation Day and the 9th Lang-ay Festival set on April 1-7.

Products to be featured on this event are furniture, garments, gift and home decors, fresh and processed food, fashion accessories, novelty products, ornamental and herbal plants, and agricultural facilities.

The agro-industrial trade fair committee has set guidelines for exhibitors.

To qualify, participants/ exhibitors must be firms owned by persons from Mt. Province or located within the Cordillera with preference to firms located in the province. They must have good products that are locally manufactured or value added by the firm by at least 50 percent.

Guest exhibitors could also participate provided they have the endorsements coming from their respective Department of Trade and Industry or Department of Agriculture offices.

Applicants are required to submit a duly accomplished and signed application form to the secretariat together with health permit for food sector and business permit for other sectors. If found qualified and accepted, the applicant shall pay in full the participation fee immediately at the provincial treasurer’s office together with other fees.

Under the guidelines, the participation fee shall be on a per booth basis. Furniture sector is charged with a participation fee of P3,000. Participation fee of P1,500 is charged to each of the following sectors: garments; gift, toys and housewares; fresh and processed food; fashion accessories; novelty products; ornament plants; herbal plants; agricultural facilities; and others.

The booth shall be provided by the secretariat including one table and one chair, name signage and inclusion in Web Promotion.

Exhibitors are also required to pay other fees of P200.00 and for exhibitors using appliances shall pay electricity computed based on consumption.

Applicant with varied product coverage shall be allowed at most three booth provided the products are considered allied varieties.

It is also provided in the guidelines that applicants should not use banned items in manufacturing products; should not sell products that are not specified in their application while guest exhibitors shall only be allowed to sell their specialty products.
           

Other applicants whose products don’t fall on any of the product focus shall be referred to the provincial local government unit for consideration.

The participation fees shall be determined depending on the products like softdrink brands and other companies who like to apply as corporate sponsors.

Booth allocation and assignment shall be based on sectoral categorization/floor plan. Exhibit committee reserves the right to exclude, at any time, exhibit items that do not conform to the product coverage and products that are not allowed like products using banned species, counterfeit, substandard; products that are not actually produced by the exhibitor, products of non-participants brought in during the fair.

Booth sharing shall be allowed up to two firms per booth provided the products of both firms fall under the same category.

Failure of the exhibitor to conform to rules shall be a ground to disqualify them from participation in the provincial LGU future fairs. --  Juliet B. Saley

Sabangan Gagayam Festival held

SABANGAN, Mountain Province – The 7th Gagayam Festival here held March 20 to 23 with top provincial officials, regional Tourism director Pura Molintas and  former Sabangan mayor Jupiter Dominguez.

Dominguez is considered the “father” of the festival.

This town is said to be where the mythical son of Kabunyan, supreme God of the Igorots, Lumawig, descended from heaven in Mount Kalawitan.

This is also the main source of the Chico River that flows down to Kalinga Province.

The first day of the festival was marked with a parade followed by opening program where Vice Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan gave an inspirational message.

Highlight of the festival was street dancing. Indigenous games like ak-akkad were also featured.

Other events were literary musical contest in three categories, elementary, high school and adult.

High School category was “dad-dad-at”( story telling in a songlike manner) . Another was uggayam by high school students.

Uggayam is like dad-dat-at but done in high pitch singing uggayam as ad lib.       “Liwliwa” which is like saying a privilege speech in a songlike manner was also an event along with “Tantandak” akin to the nursery rhymes of the western world.

Cultural presentations of 15 barangays were held where each barangay  presented each a historic practice or ritual of Sabangan folks.

An example was wedding ceremony called “bayas” presented by Barangay Namatec.

Another was the thanksgiving celebration called “Lepas” presented by Barangay Napua.

These festivities are celebrated after harvest usually July to August. Other rituals like house blessing called “segep” were also be presented.

“This way incoming generation won’t forget our practices which we have inherited from our forefathers,” said Felipa Gasmena and Maxima Olucan,  both senior citizens and among the first organizers of the festival.

Ballgames were also held including a “walk-for-a cause.” --  Gabriel Moguet

Kalinga town gives new twist to 'laga'

LUBUAGAN, Kalinga -- With the theme “Weaving our diversity towards a sustainable, cultural and economic progress,” this municipality celebrated its Laga Festival March 8 to 9.

Laga is the Kalinga term for weave, a particular ethnic handicraft that this town is becoming famous with.

Lubuagan is known for producing various Kalinga-inspired woven clothes which are now gaining popularity as these are being turned into fashion clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, home decors and others, aside from just being utilized as plain tapis (skirt) and g-strings during festivals and performances.

The first day of the festival was highlighted with the laga fashion show at the Lubuagan eco-cultural tourism building.

It also included an indigenous literary and musical presentation and schools field demonstrations and parade.

The Laga fashion show featured Kalinga woven materials tailored and designed locally from casual to formal wear.

Guest of honor and speaker was Romulo Galnawan, education program specialist for Alternative Learning System (ALS) while Kalinga Gov. Jocel Baac and Vice Gov. Allen Jesse Mangaoang also gave their messages.

The “Barangay Day” on the second day started with a parade participated by the nine barangays of Lubuagan with their municipal and barangay officials, followed by a program with Department of Interior and Local Government provincial director Francisco Gamatero as guest of honor and speaker.

Highlights of the day’s event included barangay cultural presentations and indigenous parlor games. Kalinga Rep. Manuel Agyao also graced the event. -- Geraldine G. Dumallig

Cordillera PNP gets P.8 M communication equipment

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – The Philippine National Police – Communication and Electronics Services recently turned over to the Police Regional Office – Cordillera around P.8 million worth of communication equipment to strengthen the inter-connectivity of regional police services that will translate to bigger savings on communication expenses.

Chief Supt. Willy M. Tolentino, chief of the PNP-CES, handed over to Chief Supt. Benjamin B. Magalong, Cordillera regional police director, nine sets of voice over internet protocol (VOIP) telephone sets, 1 CODAN communication equipment and five pieces hand-held radio.

Tolentino said nine regional police offices are already inter-connected through the use of VOIP telephone sets because the areas have reliable internet connectivity which guarantees good exchange of communication.

 “For those with intermittent communication signals, we still have to rely on the CODAN communication equipment  to communicate with other regional police offices,” Tolentino said.

He said the PNP is doing its best to develop state-of-the-art communication equipment that could be used in order to effectively and efficiently dispatch the needed information from the ground to the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame at a very minimal expense.

Through the use of the VOIP system, he said  communication expenses will be minimized since there will no longer be extra charges for long distance communication provided that there is a stable information technology infrastructure in the area so that the exchange of information will not be interrupted.

Because of the VOIP, Tolentino disclosed the PNP saved around P1 billion in monthly long distance charges and that the savings could be utilized by the PNP for other priority programs and projects that will enhance their peacekeeping, anti-criminality and anti-terrorism activities and operations.

Magalong expressed gratitude to the PNP-CES for selecting the Cordillera as one of the primary beneficiaries of the PNP’s newest system of communication.

He said that communication in the provinces of Apayao, Kalinga and some parts of Abra, Mountain Province and Ifugao remain a problem because of the intermittent interruption due to absence of sufficient information technology infrastructure, thus, they will still maximize the utilization of the CODAN so that there will be communication among provincial and municipal police offices.