Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya – The Kalanguya tribe of barangay Besong in the town of Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya has reason to celebrate as their tribe was hailed Model IP Community for the Regional Search for IP ang Yaman ng Nasyon (IPaMaNa) 2021 and Ipinaghain: Best IP Iconic Food during the awarding ceremonies held at Besong Multi-Purpose Hall on November 15, 2021.

 

 

The Kalanguya community bested the Agta tribe of Disimungal, Nagtipunan province of Quirino; Ayangan tribe of barangay Del Pilar, San Mariano, Isabela; and Agta tribe of the Aridowen settlement in Sta. Teresita, Cagayan; during the field validation of the IPaMaNa and IPinaghain held at their respective communities from October 19 to 22 by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 02 (DSWD FO2).

 

In his message, Regional Director Cezario Joel C. Espejo said “The IPaMaNa search was organized in a bid to showcase and champion how the program empowers IP communities in embracing the changes that promote development while preserving culture and tradition.” He expounded further that the event seeks rally support among the Indigenous People Community as well as other government and non-government sectors to advocate for IP empowerment and equality within the context of the 4Ps Program.

 

Municipal mayor Elizabeth Balaysa said, “As an IP myself, we strongly advocate for the preservation of our tradition and culture while at the same time being able to adapt to the changes brought about by time and technological advancement. What we consider important is that our values as Kalanguya remain strong in each individual and that is what we are truly proud of.”

 

 

The community received a plaque and cash prize of seventy thousand pesos from DSWD and will also be receiving cheques worth twenty thousand pesos from the municipal local government of Kayapa and eighty thousand pesos from the provincial local government of Nueva Vizcaya for a total of one hundred seventy thousand pesos.

 

Village chief Genaro Umis thanked the Department and the Local Government for the prizes received and had this to say about their plans on where to allocate the cash incentives, “We will be holding a community meeting to discuss which projects will be prioritized as we want that our chosen project will benefit the most number of constituents.”

 

 

The search for IPaMaNa and IPinaghain, held annually on October during the IP Month Celebration, is on its third year of conduct since its inception in 2019. Through this initiative, the Department aims promote IP rights and empowerment in the region.