Post-Holy Week fun in the mountains of Inang Bayan

City dwellers and traipsing tourists who are seeking release from metro Manila's clogged confines would be well-advised to be aware that the true pulse of the Philippine islands may be found in her seas and highlands. This writer’s suggestion for those choked with a surfeit of urban life and in search of an alternative to the country’s beaches: seek soul solace in the pulse of Inang Bayan’s mountains. From Easter to late April, they will find a whole slew of wonderful things to do north of Manila. Bendiyen festival in Benguet In La Trinidad, Benguet, from April 28 to April 30, there will be a fun-filled, thrill-packed passel of events dubbed the Fourth Eco-Tourism and Bendiyan Festival of Kabayan. It will be noted that Kabayan is home to a bunch of centuries-old mummies, but on the off-chance that the reader’s idea of fun doesn’t include waltzing around with preserved bodies, other dances abound. Highlights of La Trinidad’s festival include Bendiyan cultural shows, tayao dances, butterfly dances, monkey dances, and social dances.

On April 28, the festival kicks off with an early morning fun run -- a pulse-pounding, hour-long sunrise exertion from 5:30am to 6:30am. This sunrise run will celebrate Health Day, Earth Day and Thursday with a sweaty jog and a sampling of the town’s cool fresh morning breeze – all for the paltry sum of P20 per head! After the run there will be a truly special activity – the Mansijop tan Mansibol. Committee on Tourism chair Dorothy Sental says this activity pertains to tasting their tribe’s indigenous fare. To participate in Mansijop tan Mansibol is to share with the locals their native food and drink such as mountain coffee, gipah herbal tea, dokto (sweet potato), aba (taro), and kakoy (cassava). After an ecumenical service and an opening program led by Itogon Mayor Oscar Camantiles, there will be an agro-trade fair – dubbed “One Barangay, One Product – showcasing local products at the Kabayan Central School. For more of a taste of local culture, the festival offers an activity from the Itogon indigenous community called Adibay ni Aaki chi, a fun way of tracing roots and bloodlines through storytelling and a detailed look at Itogon genealogy. In case that doesn’t float the reader’s boat, there will also be a Search for Kabayan Mystical Beauty. Now everyone loves a beauty pageant, especially a mystical one. Capping this particular Benguet festival are: participation in indigenous games and an Endurance Challenge (an extreme mountain hike extraordinaire) on April 29; more storytelling; and a cultural dance competition involving native dances bad-iw & tayao on April 30. Imbayah festival in Ifugao Farther north, Ifugao province promises culture and fun at the Imbayah festival from April 26 to 29. “Experience our culture, native games, songs and native products, in addition to our rice terraces," so sayeth Banaue town mayor Jerry Dalipog in a press statement. According to Banaue Ifugao Councilor Jun Dumar, the Imbayah festivities will kick off on April 17 with the nabah – nine consecutive nights of Imbayah merrymaking, dancing, and chanting. From April 23 to April 25, Banaue will offer foreign and local tourists an Eco-tour Trekking Challenge, which will bring participants to cultural villages of the municipality. Aside from the grand adventure and the breathtaking view of the rice terraces, local communities will prepare various ethnic activities such as rice wine making and stone walling for visitors to witness and experience. Dumar announced that the Imbayah ritual baki will be performed on the 25th. He also stressed that though the Imbayah festival usually showcases indigenous Banaue sports, this year more events have been scheduled, the better to entrance tourists, surely. Scheduled activities for April 26 include an ethnic street dancing parade, a tuba (rice wine) tasting contest, a hicha (public lunch), backstrap weaving, and the start of an ethnic games competition. On the 27th will be the culmination of the street dancing activities, a shooting competition, a wood carving presentation, and a musical instrument presentation. For those raring for more, on the 28th, there will be many games: buttuan (a marathon conducted in g-strings); an amateur boxing tournament; a taekwondo tournament; and an exhibition game of volleyball whose players will be garbed in traditional G-strings. A highlight of this festive day will be a wooden scooter race – a remarkable event indeed, as the vehicle can be found only in Banaue. Pack your bags, intrepid reader. The pulse of Inang Bayan’s inimitable mountains awaits. - YA, GMA News