Here’s a sad fact: my roots are in Kapangan, but I am not fully acquainted with it, having been born in Baguio and spent most of my life in La Trinidad and Baguio, with the occasional visits to my grandma in Kapangan, and other relatives in Tublay and Atok. I was aware that the Christmas Ed Kapangan (translates to “Christmas in Kapangan”) has been going on annually and, this time, I was especially keen that I join. Before anything else, though, let me just greet you all a very merry Christmas!!
“Christmas Ed Kapangan” is an annual tourism program of the local government unit of the municipality of Kapangan. It was formulated, I suppose, to revolve around the Santa Claus Mountain, which became the name of one of the mountains, specifically in the barangay of Balakbak, with the face of the Christmas icon seemingly carved on the side of said mountain.
We set out at around 8am from the Provincial Tourism Office at the Benguet Provincial Capitol. This year, there were 38 participants in total, mostly from Benguet, with only a few from outside Benguet (and two foreigners). The Vice Mayor of Kapangan, Manny Fermin, were with us when we left, and he was with us until the end of the second day. He was so accommodating and entertaining throughout the weekend, it was so easy to forget that he is the second highest official of the municipality. Haha!
We stopped at the welcome arch of the municipality of Kapangan, where we were formally welcomed with songs and warm words by a group of local women.
We then proceeded to Suvani’s Avong, one of the more recent attractions of the municipality. It is located in Sitio Bantayan, Barangay Datakan.
Avong, in the local dialects (Ibaloi and Kankana-ey) means “house”. Basically, it is a compound with a traditional Ibaloi house as the centerpiece. The avong, according to a framed note on the side of the structure, is made out of delicate highly combustible indigenous materials sensitive to fire.
It is open to visitors, and even allows them to stay overnight – for a fee, of course. Here, one can experience traditional living, even pounding rice using the bajo-an.
The welcoming ceremonies continued with the tayao, or the traditional dance. Some of the participants gamely took on the blankets and danced with the locals.
After some snacks we again took another 10-minute ride to the Datakan Barangay Hall to check out their loom-weaving facility.
We then proceeded to Poking to visit the paper-making facility owned by a Japanese and his wife. On the way there, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic, since we were taking the exact same route that we always take when I go home to my Grandma’s. There was an anthurium “forest” nearby, owned by a family friend, but it was closed to visitors because of some problems with the crops.
Local kids holding anthuriums welcomed us, shyly giving the participants a bunch of the flowers.
Then we entered the home-cum-workshop of Asao Shimura, paper-maker extraordinaire. There was a demonstration on how the process was done, and some participants even tried their hand at it. Afterwards, Asao-san himself gave a lecture on the process, and even entertained questions. Apparently, the papers made from natural fibers are exported to other countries, primarily Japan. They were even used for those panels in traditional Japanese homes.
Lunch soon followed at the open gymnasium of the Municipal Hall of Kapangan, where we were given a tour of the building. Fooling around at the Mayor’s Office was also part of the itinerary. Haha!
It was another jeep ride to where we were set to camp for the night. Before that, however, we stopped at the Taba-ao Viewdeck, where we could get a glimpse of Amburayan River. A group of high school students from Balakbak even entertained us with a dance – in the middle of the freakin’ road!
Finally, we arrived at our campsite, the grounds of Balakbak Elementary School, with the Santa Claus Mountain in plain sight.
There was another program to welcome the participants at the Balakbak Heritage Park, an amphitheater-style area close to the grounds. Many of the locals were also there to welcome us.
I consider this the highlight of the day: the shooting.
I’m not an advocate of guns, but I am not completely averse to it, either. It’s just not something I give much thought to. So it was with a certain amount of curiosity that I joined the queue to fire a sidearm. I was nervous; after all, I was never particularly interested in it, but I was open to new experiences, so….
IT. WAS. FUN.
It also helped that the PNP personnel who assisted and facilitated the activity had a great sense of humor, adding levity to what would have been a serious atmosphere.
We were allowed to fire 15 rounds each of either the Beretta or the Glock. I had to pass on trying the M-16 or the shotgun, though. For one, I knew the recoil is going to be a shock. So we just played photographers to a friend who was intent on trying them out.
I have always made mention of how much I love activities organized by local government units, because what would have been a usual outdoor activity becomes an immersion of sorts. Instead of being led by a profit-oriented group, you are being guided by individuals who have genuine pride in their place and are eager to show you much of it.
I was amazed at the participation of the community. The warm welcome we got from the locals, the women’s groups, the senior citizens, and even the young pupils and students, were heartwarming. They took the time out to prepare dances and presentations, and their pride at what they are doing is palpable. Many times, I could not help but go, “you do not see this level of involvement in the City”. That is not to say, though, that their urban counterparts are not involved because they are, albeit in different ways.
As an Igorot and a child of Benguet, however, let me just say that I prefer THIS way.
The fellowship night that followed was filled with more performances and presentations, and some getting-to-know-you activities. We turned in early; I was still suffering vestiges of my 2-week walking spree in Japan the week before. 🙂 Besides, I wanted to have more energy for the next day, because it promises to be even more packed.
Look for my update on the packed Day 2 soon.
