PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — Members of the City Council here is poised to pass a proposal seeking to preserve the Cuyunon heritage every month of August.
Acting Vice Mayor Nancy Socrates, the ordinance author, on Monday afternoon said her goal is to make the celebration week-long every year to revive the diminishing culture and tradition of the ethnic group in Puerto Princesa.
“We are seeing a decline these days on, you know, the practice of our Cuyunon culture and tradition, which is an important part of why this city and province came to be. Our young people today do not know any more about our Cuyunon songs and dances,” she said.
Socrates said that once approved, the said month would highlight songs and dances that the Cuyunon residents for others to appreciate, particularly tourists who love to discover new things.
“I saw for myself that some tourists here are looking for something traditional and cultural to do. It’s an added attraction if we can make this week-long celebration interesting enough,” she said.
It will have a budget of around PHP2 million.
Feasts are important in the culture of the Cuyunons. They revel many things, but the main celebrations are weddings, birthdays and baptisms.
They celebrate them using musical instruments like the batungtung, palakupakan, lantoy, and subbing. Along with the music, they like to dance a lot.
Positive that her proposed ordinance would be approved, the acting vice mayor said for August this year, they would spend more on information dissemination instead of a grand celebration.
“This August, I think, we should start something small first. Perhaps introduce the ordinance and the programs, and tell people what will happen the following year,” she said.
Known locally as Cuyono, the Cuyunons in Palawan is the most dominant tribal group although scattered throughout the province.
Socrates said his proposal does not mean to disregard other indigenous peoples (IP) groups in the province; it is only to revive the vibrant culture and traditions the Cuyunons which made the city and Palawan what these are today.
“Other tribes in the city, can also do their own. Being a Cuyunon, myself, I want to see our culture and traditions preserved. The Tagbanua people can also have their annual celebration, and this might be a model for other indigenous groups. If they see that the Cuyunon festival is successful, it will encourage all the IP groups to be proud and promote their culture,” she said. (Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA)
