Bontoc holds Foundation Day, Am-among Festival

By Alpine Killa

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- This year is a threesome, a significant and historical occasion for Bontoc celebrating its 110th Foundation Day and 14th Am-among Festival this September as the community and visitors will be the first to make use of the newly constructed municipal capitol.

With the completion of the four-storey main building of the municipal capitol, stage and grounds, Bontoc Mayor Franklin C. Odsey said activities for this year’s festivity include cultural performances of barangays will be held at municipal grounds.

Other activities are included to spice up the celebration.

Odsey said a ritual known as “sekhep si afong” will be performed by the elders on Sept. 11 and the blessing and inauguration of the municipal capitol while thanksgiving mass will be on Sept. 12.

Other activities include the one-week Agri- Crafts Trade Fair from Sept. 10- 17 at the Circle Rotunda, Buntis Day and Aquaponics seminar on Sept. 13, Search for Miss Am-among 2018 and Mr. Am-among (Mr. Body Physique) 2018 on Sept. 14 and folk dance and ballroom competitions on Sept. 15.

 Bontoc Got Talent finals will be on evening of Sept. 15 at  Bontoc capitol and inter- LGU volleyball games on Sept. 14 at the provincial plaza.

A civic parade in celebration of the municipality’s Foundation Day will be on Sept. 16.

The occasion will be graced by Supt. Byron F. Allatog, a 2014 Country’s Outstanding Police Officer in Service who is a proud son of Bontoc.

Awarding of winners in sports competition will be held afternoon of Sept. 16 at the Bontoc capitol.

Sept. 17, is the Am-among Festival to be celebrated with street dancing along the road of the capital town to be followed by cultural performances of four clustered barangays and a program at the municipal capitol.

The keynote speaker is June Chayapan Prill-Brett, a world renowned anthropologist and a Professor Emeritus at the University of the Philippines Baguio who also traces her roots in Bontoc.

To give more life to the occasion, a competition dubbed “Chepap si Fotog” to be spearheaded by the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist is scheduled in the afternoon.

This year’s celebration will end with the Am-among Trail Run on Sept. 23.

For inquiries, interested individuals may visit the Municipal Tourism Office or message the official Facebook Page, Am-among Festival.