LGU-Kor and DepED collaborates to develop “School of Living Tradition”
The City Government collaborated with the Department of Education to realize and establish the city’s first ever School of Living Tradition for Indigenous People, which opened on May 22, 2023, at the Bong Gumne De Muhon, Barangay Assumption.
Guided with the theme, “Kalondatal: Deepening Heritage Knowledge and Promotion of Cultural Heritage Gatekeepers”, the success of the activity was due to the cooperation of the Local Government of Koronadal through the City Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office, and the DepEd Koronadal City Division, led by SDS Miguel Fillalan, and with the support of Councilors Chow Rodriguez, Antonio Victor Abing, and Ellen Grace Subere-Albios.
According to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), it is one of the main programs of the agency to establish the Schools of Living Traditions under the Sub-commission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts, where cultural carriers can share their knowledge and skills with the youth in their community.
The SLT program aims to develop, implement and evaluate community-based measures to safeguard vital traditional cultural knowledge and practices from the potential negative effects of modernization.
The cultural bearers and masters presented a cultural dance with live music during the ceremony.
“this school of living tradition is a simplification of our love for our IP’s communities, sinisiguro natin sa DepED na magkakaroon tayo ng tuloy-tuloy na supporta,” School Division Superintendent Manuel Fillalan expressed in his message of support.
During the ceremony, the IP’s perform a Mutob ritual led by IPMR Abing and Hon. Monday. Tubao hat was given to welcome the father of DepED as well as the father of IP’s education in the city.
“We hope by the leadership of Mayor Ogena, this program will create and establish an environment that can sustain the tradition of our IP’s up to the next generations. Upod kita nga mangin-maayo para sa future sang kabataan sa syudad sang Koronadal. Congratulations and I am looking forward sa mas madamo pa nga programa sa pagsuport, sa pagdevelop sang aton IP community.” Honorable Ellen Grace Subere-Albios, the representative of City Mayor Atty. Eliordo Ogena said in her message.
Furthermore, the new generations of IP’s will learn their “Culture Specialization” from the ‘Treasures of the Communities – Cultural Masters and Specialists’ or the older IP’S in the aspect of Storytelling, Embroidery, Mat Making, Loom Weaving and many others.
Hence, IPMR Honorable Antonio Abing is grateful for granting the program and initiatives for the community, especially in the promotion and preservation of their culture and looking forward to the success of this program.
Ritual for the Site
The Blaans offered a Damsu, a ritual to pave the way for the installation of the building of the SLT. The elder culture bearer led the ritual by bringing a wild plant called ‘Lambong’, the elder will cut the end point it depends on their measurements- according to their beliefs, it has a meaning. If the end point will presents if one stick is
a Do, 2 sticks it is called Kakim, if three stick Slagal or Kalut or if it is close called Safang. In their culture they‘d hope to receive a Do, Kakim it means a Good and Healthy Harvest.
After putting lambong on the Actual Site, Ms. Maricel Digu the Principal of Nelmeda Elementary School said that it has a positive outcome. It came with two to three sticks means the actual site will be a Productive place.
To express their support City Planning and Development Coordinator and the Treasurer of the City of Koronadal Culture and Arts Council Agnes Daguro, Secretary to the Sanggunian Panlungsod Marites D. Togonon, Barangay Council of Assumption, various Barangay IPMRs of the city, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), as well as the culture bearers of Brgy. Assumption graced the said endeavor.