TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines- This city’s local government is hoping to promote Ibanag culture in the celebration of its 18th charter day on Monday, December 18.
City Councilor Imogen Claire Callangan, chair of the city’s committee on culture, said one of the celebration’s key events is a contest-parade featuring lanterns made from indigenous or recycled materials.
“I-promote tam lagu y Ibanag cultural heritage tam. Tadday yatun firmi ta criteria tam… Yaw ay sesenu na gare nga mawawan y kultura ibanag. Yatun ta through this lanern parade contest, ipasingan tam y kultura tam,” she said.
The contest will be joined in by the city’s 49 barangays which will be further clustered into 12 groups.
“Taw mallawan y creativity na kada tadday ira. It will test our creativity and it will promote camaraderie ta barangay ira,” she added.
Callangan announced this during Philippine Information Agency Region 02’s Tipon-Tipan on Tuesday, December 05.
The city will also award the cleanest barangay, most friendly barangay, most outstanding youth leaders, and honest tricycle drivers, and will also honor retiring city employees.
A night market along Bonifacio Street will also run this December to January 15.
Meanwhile, Callangan said the city is already “blooming” with giant investors such as SM and Robinsons putting up establishments in the city.
“Malaking bagay po ito para sa siyudad. Dapat po matagal na po, nauna po tayo dito eh pero ngayon lang po natin nagagawa ito,” she said.
Further, the city councilor believed city residents can be proud of the “sense of ownership.” “Everybody is a stakeholder, kada tadday ay egga role na nga ginanwa na tapenu yaw nga ideddukan tam nga siyudad ay yaw ngana y nabalinan na,” she said.
Callangan noted how the city government is bringing its services closer to the people through “participative and inclusive” service.
Meanwhile, Callangan said it is important to note the difficulties of Tuguegarao in converting from a municipality to a component city, adding that this was “not easy.”
“Madami pong tao ang tumulong po na maging siyudad po ang Tuguegarao. Hindi madali yung transition. Not so many people believed that Tuguegarao was ready at that time. There was a strong opposition,” she said.
Tuguegarao City was declared a city in 1999 under then-Mayor and current third district congressman Randolph Ting, then-Vice Mayor Romeo Calubaquib, and members of what would then become the first city council.
“Hindi po natin sila kinakalimutan. We are thanking them in as much as we thank the Lord.”
She added that the cityhood is the “fruit of all the hardships, of all the sacrifices and efforts of all our officials then, and of all the people that helped make Tuguegarao what it is now.”
Meanwhile, the city government is waiting for President Rodrigo Duterte to make official the suspension of classes on December 18. Northernforum.net
