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| Nestled at the northern edge of Luzon island, the Indigenous Peoples of Adams, Ilocos Norte composed of the Yapayaos, Isneg, Bagbag-o and Kankana-ey live harmoniously amidst diverse cultural beliefs and traditions. (Lei Adriano) |
Staff reporter
Adams,
Ilocos Norte—In a move to promote
Adams, Ilocos Norte to a greater heights, at least five representatives from
the municipal local government unit here attended a three-day world conference
on tourism and culture in Siem Reap, Cambodia on February 4-6, 2015.
Bringing together for the
first the ministers of tourism and ministers of culture, the town of Adams in
Ilocos Norte, a home to a diverse culture and a melting pot of different
identities, beliefs and traditions represented the Philippines as stakeholders
to help identify key opportunities and challenges and learn from sharing of
world regions.
“The material culture found
in Adams is rich in terms of social significance and social sentiments as
people associate it with them. It’s pretty interesting how they value these
items to the extent that a treasured jar is worth a man’s life. Modern
mentality would look down on that as a way of giving justice and fairness and
vengeance to the abused but that’s their culture, their moral standards. It’s
nice to know more how it works, why it happened and whether or we are still
continuing that practice,” said Bernard Joseph Guerrero, a histo-cultural
researcher who is currently doing a research project in Adams town who also
accompanied a group of selected Indigenous Peoples representatives in Cambodia.
The event, jointly organized
by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and hosted by the government
of Cambodia will tackle wide range of topics, including government models,
promotion, and protection and safeguarding of culture, innovation, the role of
creative industries and urban regeneration as a vehicle for sustainable
development in destinations worldwide.
As the people of Adams and
its local government level up to promote its cultural heritage and eco-tourism
sites, Guerrero said it is just timely that they will be exposed to the UNESCO
world conference to promote Adams in a platform that promotes responsible,
culturally-aware, inclusive and sustainable tourism and contribute to the
socio-economic development of host communities, promote cross-cultural
exchanges and generate resources for the safeguarding of tangible and
intangible heritage.
“Researches can only go so
far. We need to share what we have in order for them to realize our value,”
said Mr. Guerrero.
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