The Department of Tourism (DOT-CAR) is promoting two festivals in the region – Kalinga’s “Diddiga” Festival and “Alibay di BADANG” of Buguias, Benguet.

DOT OIC Armi Legaspina, in a Kapihan forum Wednesday stressed that DOT supports LGUs and other related tourism organizations/associations in their tourism endeavors, such as these festivals, by way of marketing and promotion.

The province of Kalinga will be having a “Diddiga” Festival on October 26 to 30 as the Kalingas join the country in celebration of the Indigenous People (IP) month.

The Digdiga has five components, namely the “Sallidummay” Festival and Indigenous trade fair to celebrate the province’s pride of “identity”; The Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) Faura to respect and recognize the rights of the indigenous people; the Chico River Festival to protect the Chico River as a heritage site; and the Batok Festival – to relieve a vanished Traditional Art.

Kalinga’s Provincial Tourism Council chairperson and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Provincial Officer Naty Suguiyao explained that “Diddiga” means pride and showing off one’s talent, beauty and arts, therefore they will try to showcase Kalinga’s best, during the festival.

For the Batok Festival, Suguiyao explained that it would be like a reunion for all the tattooed men and women of Kalinga and through the festival they plan to make a coffee table book, which they will name “voice of the skin.” She also announced that they will give some guidelines to the press people, regarding the taking of photographs of the tattooed men/women of Kalinga.

With the Chico river festival, they would put forward the advocacy of the “urgent” need to protect and preserve Chico River, as one of the important watershed cradle in Cordillera.

According to Saguiyao, Chico River is now on an “alarming state”, as it is becoming a huge sewage system, degraded and silted. She also stressed the need to protect the river from “ourselves”.

Meantime, the Domain of Buguias, Benguet will be having an “Alibay di BADANG” festival on October 27 -31. Festival chair Johnny Carlos explained that “Alibay” pertains to Buguias’ customary laws and practices and focus on more productivity, good health and production, while “BADANG” is an IP organization, which means Buguias Ancestral Domain for the Native’s Governance.

According to Carlos, aside from the usual cultural shows, they will be promoting carrots and its by-products as Buguias’ OTOP. He added that they will also be promoting coffee/bamboo production and organic farming to the local farmers.

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