Lang-ay Festival 2026 Has Been Cancelled

There won't be a Lang-ay Festival this year in Mountain Province. In an announcement released today by the provincial government, all activities associated with the annual festival which are scheduled for the month of April have been cancelled.

The cancellation of the festival is in compliance with the Executive Order from the Office of the President which declared a State of National Energy Emergency. The province will prioritize energy conservation and will redirect funds towards urgent public services. 

The province will still observe its foundation anniversary on April 7 with toned down activities.

Mt. Kotkot in Ampucao, Itogon, Benguet

Mt. Kotkot in Ampucao, Itogon. This is a secluded running route for Baguio/Benguet trailrunners. It's now more accessible after it was opened by Ampucao to hikers. Some sections of the trail are steep and technical so before you go there for a hike, make sure you are prepared for it.

Itogon's Municipal Tree

Came across these wild figs while hiking to the Ave Maria Shrine in Itogon, Benguet. The tree that bears these figs is actually the municipal tree of the town of Itogon. In 1991, a resolution passed by the municipal council under then Mayor Alfonso Fianza declared the wild fig tree as the town's official municipal tree. 

Community Dance After a Play

Events in the Cordillera region especially those that revolve around Cordillera culture and heritage are never complete without a community dance to cap off the event. 

Like this community dance after the staging of the play “𝙆𝙖𝙪𝙗-𝙤𝙛𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙇𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙐𝙩𝙖𝙝” at the University of the Philippines Baguio. The performers and the audience danced as one to the beat of the gongs.

Presented by the Dulaang UP Baguio and Paggawisan Tako Am-In (PAGTA), the play was an adaptation of a children's book written and illustrated by Danielle V. Florendo. Florendo wrote the book based on an oral legend from Balbalan, Kalinga. The play adaptation was directed by Markneel Balgos and Eirene June Taclobao.

[March 19, 2026]

On Content Creators Desecrating Sacred Burial Sites in the Cordillera Region

The uproar concerning a content creator physically handling skulls from an ancient burial site in Sagada is understandable. It's something that shouldn't have happened. 

But the question is why did it happen in the first place? There are several reasons why. And what can be done to prevent it from happening again. 

1. I remember attending a talk at the University of the Philippines Baguio. The speaker touched on the "fascinating irony" of how we Igorots incessantly promote our ancient burial sites as tourist attractions then we get offended when overly enthusiastic tourists take it upon themselves to hoist these burial sites or their contents as macabre curiousities and often in erroneous ways. 

The speaker has a point. When we keep promoting these sites as attractions, it gives signals to tourists (especially influencers hungry for content ideas) to present these to their viewers in a sensationalized manner.

Maybe it's time to consider sparing our "sacred" burial sites from these desecrations by not promoting them as things to be gawked at. 

2. Tourists going into sites that the locals consider as "sacred" should always be accompanied by a guide who would without question prevent guests from desecrating such "sacred" sites. If the content creator who handled the skulls in Sagada was with a guide, then that guide was amiss in his/her duties.

3. Influencers and content creators are bolder than most people. They'd do things for the sake of attention in the form of views, shares, and likes. So it's always recommended to put up signs or reminders in sacred sites like burial grounds that tell them not to touch or handle anything. This way it will be clear to them that handling anything there is prohibited. So that they can't come up with the "I didn't know it was prohibited" excuse. 

4. The LGUs concerned should seriously demand an explanation or an apology from desecrators. Then use the opportunity to educate the general public on how to respect or how to conduct themselves around sites considered as culturally sacred by locals. 

𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢: I took this photo of the Opdas Burial Cave in Kabayan, Benguet. I snapped it from a distance because our guide dutifully explained to us to not touch or even get very close to the bones.

The Muddy and Slippery Trails in Mt. Pulag Badly Needs Trailproofing

This is a section of the trail going up to Mt. Pulag. It's muddy and not in good condition. When a trail gets muddy and slippery, hikers would often try to skirt around it which means they would have to walk on either side of the trail. They'll step on new grass which will eventually widen the trail. Which also means vegetation loss.  

Before hikers climb Mt. Pulag, they are oriented by the DENR. The orientation reminds hikers to stick to the trails. Don't go off-trail, they always say. But you can't expect hikers to faithfully follow this directive if it means walking in deep mud that nearly covers the whole feet. 

The only way to prevent or at least minimize the occurence of these muddy situations is to trailproof the trails of Mt. Pulag. Trailproofing in the case of Mt. Pulag would mean paving the trails with stones. These muddy trails can be prevented. And it would be a better experience for the hikers. 

Many sections of the Mt. Pulag trail are already trailproofed. And it's great because hikers can walk on them with peace and without veering off to avoid mud or puddles. Why not do this in most of the trails in Pulag?

Trailproofing benefits Mt. Pulag by: 

1. Preventing erosion

2. Preventing vegetation loss

3. Preventing hikers from going off-trail 

Take note that this photo was taken this February. It looks like a scene from a Medieval movie. Imagine what this same trail would look like in the rainy months of June to September. 

Trailproofing is the key to this problem. 

The Buscalan Bridge in Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga

This is the Buscalan Bridge that now connects the village to the nearby mountain where the nearest road had been built. Access to the village, home to the tattooist Whang-od, is now easier and faster. I remember the first few times I've been to Buscalan years ago. It involved some hiking because there was no road and no bridge during that time. No tram line as well.