Department of Tourism promotes Bontoc and Kiangan festivals

The Department of Tourism (DOT) promotes the Am-among festival of Bontoc Mountain Province and the Bakle’d Ambabag festival of Kiangan Ifugao in a Kapihan forum, held Wednesday at the Hotel Supreme Convention Plaza.

The Am-among festival in Bontoc will be held on September 10 to 16. Coinciding with the celebration of Bontoc’s centennial township, it carries the theme “Remembering our 100 years of township experience towards a better Bontoc”.

Bontoc Municipal Information Officer Rommel Lengwa, said one of the highlights of the festival will be the presentation of a “heritage book”, from 27 youth researchers who are tasked to learn and study their culture.

The week-long festivities will include a centennial mass wedding, agro-industrial and job fair, seminars/forum, sports competitions, parades, indigenous games, cultural and indigenous presentations.

Meanwhile, the Bakle’d Ambabag festival of Kiangan, Ifugao will be held on Sept 6 and 7, with the Bakle’d Kiangan Tour.

“Bakle” is a thanksgiving ritual for a bountiful yield conducted after all the rice has been harvested. It is also among the traditions that are slowly losing ground in Ifugao, and with this the community of Ambabag, Kiangan initiated the revival of this traditional festival, through Save the Ifugao Movement (SITMo) and with support from the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA), the Ifugao Provincial government and DOT-CAR.

Since August, SITMo tours already had 27 regular and exclusive tour packages, with more than 500 visitors. These eco-cultural tours are contributing to the improvement of the live of the Ifugaos, preservation of the rich culture and saving the rice terraces which is inscribed as a “world heritage”.

According to DOT-CAR Director Pura Molintas, these kinds of festivities help in alleviating the environment and economy of the rural areas in Cordilleras. Molintas also cited that it is their department’s thrusts now to be vigilant in promoting tourism, not only in our country but internationally, as she explained that it is not only the number of tourists or warm bodies that counts but also the quality of tourists that are coming here.

Molintas also confirmed that Cordillera earned more than P9B from tourism last year, which is equivalent to about P2,500 spending from each tourist a day.