AgSur LCE highlights IPs’ culture in Esperanza
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
As she introduced the municipality of Esperanza in the province of Agusan del Sur and its potential tourist spots during the Network Briefing News hosted by Secretary Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) on Friday, Mayor Leonida Manpatilan also highlighted the rich culture and tradition of the Indigenous Peoples (IPs). The lady mayor said that the municipality has three IP tribes, namely the Higaonon, Manobo and Banwaon. “They are the first inhabitants of Caraga INFOCUS
this municipality. We are also the hometown of the Golden Tara, which is now secured in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. It was found here in the creek of Esperanza,” she said. “In terms of the culture of the tribes, we are really rich in culture. As a Higaonon myself, I have been willing and very eager to promote and conserve the culture of the tribe considering that we are still very unique. Years before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Higaonon, Manobo and Banwaon tribes usually gather every year to celebrate the Nalandang Festival,
wherein these three tribes showcase their talents and the culture of its individual tribes,” Manpatilan added. When asked about the status of its local economy in the municipality, Manpatilan said that Esperanza is engaged in farming and cultivating agriculture and forestland, considering that the major crops are rice and corn; and there are plantations of rubber, as well as individual planters of rubber, fruits, coffee, and livestock. “Because we are landlocked, we have fish pens with tilapia as our August 28-September 3, 2021 |
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