TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang refilled a bill in the House of Representatives seeking for the establishment of the Kalinga Heritage Museum and Cultural Center, defining its purposes and objectives and appropriating funds for its sustainable operation.
The 2-term lawmaker said that the proposed center will serve as an institutional medium for the collection, preservation and enhancement of the cultural, artistic, archaeological, social and religious heritage of the people of Kalinga.
Earlier, Kalinga was already declared as a tourism development area by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 10561 considering its rich cultural heritage handed down from generations.
However, Mangaoang claimed that there is no official repository to house its historical items, artefacts and relics of the past aside from the fact that there is no established institution to compile, preserve, display and disseminate information about Kalinga culture, its literature, origin history, legends, religious practices and all other documents, materials and articles depictive of the culture and history of the land and people of Kalinga.
“The absence of an official repository and institution have caused the Kalinga artefacts such as the highly prized Chinese jars of the Ming and Yan dynasties, the decorative bids and necklaces, the gold earrings and other traditional household items of the past to be found in the antique shops in Manila,” Mangaoang stressed.
He proposed that the project may be undertaken as a cooperative undertaking of the provincial government and other private institutions in coordination with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the National Museum.
While the provincial government is mandated to provide for the site and location of the Kalinga Heritage Museum and Cultural Center, he pointed out that it is reposed upon the national government to provide by way of assistance, some appropriations for the construction of the main building with which to house the facilities of the said center.
Under the proposed bill, the Kalinga Heritage Museum and Cultural Center will be authorized to give emphasis to various undertakings such as a to compile the musical notes and lyrics of Kalinga traditional songs, ballads and contemporary music compositions; and to collect samples of musical instruments of Kalinga origin, design and manufacture; and to acquire and display a varied range of Kalinga arts and artefacts; to publish and disseminate Kalinga literary works, epics, stories and historical accounts; to compile Kalinga literature, film, or audio-visual recordings of cultural performances in music, dances, oral literature, and festival celebrations; to compile Kalinga epigrams, proverbs, legends and the origin and etymology of Kalinga words, names of barangays, towns and other places of interests and their respective history; to gather and document Kalinga religious practices and traditions, and the background and origin of Kalinga fiestas and festivals; to compile photographs of and showcase by appropriate exhibits, Kalinga landmarks, historical sites and scenic views; to gather specimens of archaeological findings; to collect stones, rocks and other geological materials; and to preserve by appropriate methods, samples of flora and fauna indigenous to the Kalinga region.
Mangaoang proposed the initial allocation of P50 million from the annual budget of the national government to bankroll the initial operation of the Kalinga Heritage Museum and Cultural Center. By HENT