Tuba Ibalois open doors to tourists

TUBA, Benguet — This town opens its doors to tourists despite popular image of its people’s cultural sensitivity.

Both town Mayor Florencio Bentres and Cordillera Tourism Director Purificacion S. Molintas believe, social acceptability is required in any endeavor that would affect the town’s residents especially the indigenous Ibaloy, Kankanaey and Kalanguya tribes who still dominate the population, here.

In her keynote speech at the town’s 97th Foundation Day Thursday, Molintas said a good marketing strategy would catapult Tuba into the tourism map, with its accessibility enhanced by three main national highway systems.

Three main roads traverse Tuba. Marcos Highway, now the Ben Palispis Highway, emanates from Agoo, La Union and enters Tuba at barangay Badiwan. Kennon Road, the old gateway to the Cordillera, climbs from Rosario, La Union and stretches through Camp 1 to Camp 6, passing through four barangays. Naguilian Road, or Quirino Highway, on the northern side, cuts through the town from Naguilian, also in La Union, through barangay Tadiangan.

Bentres said the town would now put more emphasis on its tourist spots as he hoped to see results in economic development as well as social well-being of its residents.

According to Bentres, the Ansagan Caves may be more beautiful as compared to other caves in the country with stalactites and stalagmites still intact. He also mentioned several mountain resorts, which are potential tourist destinations.

“We have been training locals to become tour guides in their own localities, thus giving them an alternative source of livelihood,” Bentres told Nordis, shortly after the Foundation Day program that featured cultural presentations from the town’s schools.

Molintas, herself a daughter of Tuba, noted how young children took pride in wearing their native kuval (g-string). “In our time, there was this protocol of the Benguet culture that did not allow small children to touch the gongs or the solibao, (a native Ibaloy drum made from a tree trunk and an animal hide) or learn the takik (native Benguet dance),” she said.

Adding, that with the advent of Western education and development, the tendency is to forget one’s culture, Molintas, a scion of Suanding and Suello clans, said she was surprised to see day care tots in Kiangan, Ifugao dancing their native Kiangan dance.

“Ngem tatta, natured dan nga ag-baag,” (But now, they are courageous enough to wear g-strings) Molintas said of Tuba male pupils and students who danced in the Foundation Day program.

Molintas challenged local officials to come up with a marketing plan for the town’s tourism to land on the tourism highway. # Lyn V. Ramo