Kadaclan elders organized; Japanese tourists visit Barlig

By Dionie Chungalan

BARLIG, Mountain Province – The Kadaclan Council of Elders, a group composed of influential leaders of the Kadaclan Tribe whose Cadastral Ancestral Domain Certificate (CADC) has been approved a year ago by the Commission on banc of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) was formally organized recently here with Mayor Genesis T. Changilan as administering officer.

Installed into office were: Francis Tigcangay as chairman; Basilio Pulagan, Rymundo Baculi as vice chairmen; Dionie Chungalan, ecretary/press relations officer; Biana Panglila, treasurer and Evelyn Lamagan as auditor.

Board of directors includes Miguel Mad-eo, Florencio Codyao, Aydes Tamiking and Peter Sigmaton.

The Kadaclan indigenous headmen shall act as arbitrators, advisers and guidance counselors to tribal folks proposing solutions.

The elders aim to strengthen moral, cultural heritage, rights to ancestral domain, self-governance and empowerment, social justice, human rights and cultural integrity.

The Kadaclan ancestral domain covers up to five barangays: Chupac, Kaleo, Lunas, Ogo-og (Barlig) and Banao (Natonin).

The KCE will use customary laws practiced by forebears in handling of conflicts among people for a harmonious village. Mayor Changilan said a team from NCIP Cordillera Administrative Region recently visited this town to make a case study of Kadaclan as a model for other mountain cultural communities to emulate in the approval of their ancestral domain.

In other development, Japanese research tourists headed by Takashi Fukuda recently visited Kadaclan to experience the tribe’s life cycle far from urban amenities which foreign tourists could emulate.

Along with Fukuda were: Mai Nishiki, Momoko Oba, Aira Shinkawa, Aoi Takamura, Shizuka Shinada, Miku, Ischikawa, Midori Yamada, Chie Nakamura and Hiroe Kanetsugu.

Kadaclan, dubbed “Shangri-la on the Edge,” the first proponent of “domestic tourism” in eastern Mountain Province is frequently visited mostly by Japanese and Koreans.