BAUKO, Mountain Province – The municipal government is now ready to host the conduct of its time-honored Bengas Festival that rans from March 10-12, 2016 .
Mayor Abraham B. Akilit said that the theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Strengthening Inayan Values for a Progressive Bauko (Inayan ay Initdun di Napuan, Itultuloy ya adi Linglinglingan, Sumyaan di Bauko, Ili ay Kalalaydan).”
The initial activities lined up for the celebration include the Search for the Cleanest and Greenest Barangay involving the 22 barangays of the municipality during the whole month of February and the pre-Begnas activity that includes the Monamon Nature Encounter, a trekking and campaign event in barangays Monamon Norte and Monamon Sur, scheduled on February 27-28, 2016.
Interested couples wanting to tie the knot can now do so with the conduct of the civil mass wedding on March 8, 2016, 9 am, at the Bauko municipal covered court.
Akilit said that on March 9, 2016, 3 pm, there will be a community mass that will be held at the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Poblacion.
On March 10, 2016, there will be a civic parade from Lilicden, Poblacion followed by the opening program, the launching of the income-generating projects, opening of the agro-tourism and livelihood fair and cultural presentations of the 22 barangays which will be done at the Bauko Central School.
Furthermore, local residents will also have the chance to showcase their talents through the literary musical contest which will be held at the municipal oval ground on the same day.
On March 11, 2016, the activities lined up for the Bengas Festival include folk dance competition for the elementary level, ballroom dance competition for the secondary level, ball games, skills games and parlor games and theatrical play.
Running enthusiasts will have the chance to actively participate in the Bauko Marathon scheduled on March 12, 2016 which will be followed by another community program, ballroom dancing competition open category, ‘sebeng’ cook fest, awarding of prizes and other awards and magic entertainment and acrobatic show.
Akilit extended the invitation to the public wanting to visit Bauko to set a date for them to be able to enjoy the festivities that the organizers were able to prepare in order to promote the municipality as one of the premier tourist destinations in the Cordillera.
Bauko is the largest municipality in the province with at least 18,000 hectares and inhabited by over 34,000 people distributed in the 22 barangays. It is also plays host to the Mount Data National Park which is the headwaters of four major river systems providing abundant water supply for the lowland communities. The river systems include the Agno, Chico, Magat and Abra rivers.
By Dexter A. See
