BAUKO, Mountain Province – The municipal government will be celebrating the annual Begnas di Bauko with virtual activities to allow the compliance of the public to the implementation of the minimum public health standards to prevent the further spread of the dreaded Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Mayor Abraham B. Akilit stated that all the activities lined up for this year’s Begnas di Bauko will be done virtually through the official social media page of the municipal government to avoid the convergence of people that might cause sudden surges in cases with the prevailing emerging threat of the Omicron vibrant.
He disclosed that most of the virtual activities will be focused on the rituals and dances that will be recorded and eventually posted in the social media page of the municipal government for the public to view and appreciate the rich culture and tradition of the indigenous peoples (IPs).
The municipal chief executive underscored that with the virtual celebration of the Begnas di Bauko, people will be reminded on the importance of the ongoing efforts of concerned government agencies and the municipal government to put premium on the preservation of the rich culture and traditions of the IPs which must be appropriately passed on to the next generations.
According to him, it is still difficult to hold crowd drawing events with the emerging threat of the Omicron variant of the deadly virus that caused recent surges in cases that is why local officials in consultation with elders decided to virtually hold the limited activities for the festival virtually.
Mayor Akilit stipulated that the public should understand that the municipal government decided to hold the limited festival activities virtually primarily to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Begnas di Bauko is the town’s major crowd drawing event over the past several years that placed the municipality as one of the most frequented places in the province because of the rich culture and traditions of the IPs that are being preserved and protected by the communities.
He appealed to the public to simply visit the local government’s social media page for future announcements that will be posted.
The Begnas di Bauko is being conducted second week of March in celebration of the town’s founding anniversary to give premium to the age-old and time-honored practice of the ‘begnas’ or thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest of the people.
Various related rituals will be performed by the elders as a gesture of expressing gratitude for bountiful harvests and preparing for the next cropping season.
