P5 million indigenous peoples center to rise in Benguet

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – An indigenous peoples party-list group disclosed the availability of some P5 million from its initiative to fund the establishment of an indigenous peoples (IP) center within the provincial property in barangay Wangal here to cater to the various needs of IPs and indigenous cultural communities not only from the province but also from the different parts of the region.
Anak IP Party-list Rep. Jose Panganiban said the put up of IP centers in the different parts of the country is one of their major projects in order to enhance the preservation and protection of the rich culture and traditions of the indigenous peoples and to guarantee that such practices will be properly passed on to the present and future generations.
Panganiban was one of the guests during the ip Day celebration which was among the numerous activities that were lined up by the provincial government for the celebration of the 115th founding anniversary of Benguet and the conduct of the traditional Adivay Festival.
“We want our elders to have an avenue where to teach today’s youth with the proper steps of our age-old dances, the way we sing our chants and the proper way of performing our rituals,” Panganiban stressed.
He said Benguet serves as one of the models in the implementation of the indigenous peoples mandatory representative to the different policy-making bodies after ten out of the thirteen municipalities were able to have their IP representatives to their local councils
According to him, members of the council of elders, tribal leaders and officials of federations of ancestral domain must spearhead the education of today’s youth on the rich culture and traditions that was passed on to them by their ancestors so as not to end up at the losing end and eventually losing the cultural practices and heritage of our forefathers that were properly passed on to them.
For his part, Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan lauded the commitment of his fellow lawmaker in facilitating the release of the funds for the put up of the IP center, saying that programs and projects in relation to heritage and cultural preservation will be enhanced and that Benguet will be leading the way in such efforts with the put up of the center.
He added that he will work out the augmentation of the funds to be released by the party-list group once it will not be enough in the establishment of the center for the same to be realized for the benefit of the present and future generation of Cordillerans.
Cosalan said concerned agencies must prepare an overall and comprehensive plan for the center so that its actual cost could be determined, thus, the lacking funding support could be augmented in case the programmed structure and facilities will be over the P5 million committed by the party-list group.