OLANGUHON, Damitan, Dalwangan, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon (BukidnonNews.Net / 25
April 2026) — The Bukidnon Daraghuyan Indigenous community marked gains in cultural
preservation and development while offering prayers for peace and environmental protection as
it opened the 1st Daraghuyan Nature and Cultural Festival on April 25 at the foot of Mt.
Kitanglad

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Bae Inatlawan Adelina Docenos Tarino led the opening activities and described the gathering as
a reaffirmation of their presence, struggle, and shared responsibility for the tribe and their land.
“Naa ang IP diri sa Kitanglad, taliwala sa kalisod ug kapobrehon, nagsubay sa pangagamhanan
ug sa kaayuhan sa tribu,” she said, underscoring how the community continues to work with
government while advancing the welfare of the tribe despite hardships.
She said the community draws strength from gains achieved over the years, noting that some of
their long-term plans “have bloomed and borne fruit.”
The opening day featured a riverine ritual, a short cultural and welcome program, and the
ceremonial power switch-on of an energization project covering about 40 units of an 80-unit
tribal housing initiative implemented with the National Housing Authority and the Malaybalay
City government.
The gathering also coincided with the 19th anniversary of the Tulugan Heritage Center and the
20th year since the community relocated to the Olanguhon area.
The tribal hall, also referred to as the Mt. Kitanglad Cultural Center, was built in 2007 with
support from the World Bank Small Grants for Indigenous Peoples. In 2009, the community’s
application for a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) was approved.
Festival activities highlighted several development initiatives, including the energization project
with Bukidnon Second Electric Cooperative and the City Government of Malaybalay, the
turnover of a service vehicle funded under the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development
Project (MIADP) of the World Bank and the Department of Agriculture. Other projects
presented were a solar power initiative with the Provincial Government of Bukidnon, road
projects supported by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), MIADP, and the
Malaybalay City government, and a three-storey tribal building supported by Sen. Juan Miguel
Zubiri.
Livelihood and cultural initiatives were also showcased, including basket and mat weaving,
abaca thread weaving (hablanan) in partnership with Maybank and Anthill, soil painting and
sculpture house, and coffee production activities such as nursery development and sorting under
programs supported by CPPAP Non-Destructive Livelihood Activities (NDLAs), DENR-NGP,
MIADP, and Good Cup Cebu. The community also presented 3D mapping initiatives with
partners from Ateneo de Davao University, the Mangyan Mission, and other groups.
Bae Inatlawan emphasized that the community is part of the Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park,
which she described as one of the most active protected areas in the country. She said the
Daraghuyan-Bukidnon communities have sustained forest protection and biodiversity
conservation through cultural norms and sacred traditions, while promoting non-destructive
livelihoods and resilience.
“We have our own established traditional governance structure and cultural practices in place,”
she said in a separate statement.
She added that the festival also aims to show the sacrifices and accomplishments within the
Daraghuyan Ancestral Domain, or Piglamahan, passed down by their ancestors.
In her letter of invitation, she highlighted the community’s pride in its protected forests, sacred
zones, and water sources, noting that these ecosystems sustain not only their own people but also
communities in lowland and urban areas.
Since 1997, the community has worked with the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources–Mt. Kitanglad Protected Area Management Board, local government units
surrounding the park, and the Kitanglad Integrated NGOs, Inc. (KIN). They are also active
partners in cultural initiatives at the barangay, city, and provincial levels.
Bae Inatlawan noted that a road project from the Dalwangan Highway to the village is about 50
percent complete, with remaining sections already passable.
The festival carries the theme “Prayers for global peace, order and stability towards sustainable
development” (Angampo din ta kalibutan para hu kalinaw, kahusay hu kalig-on daw
malahutayon kalamboan).
Central to the celebration is the overnight ritual called Kaliga on April 26, a solemn ceremony
that includes prayers, lamentation, dance, and gong drumming. Adult members of the community
will remain awake or sleep minimally to sustain the chanting from dusk until dawn.
Bae Inatlawan said the ritual will also include prayers for peace amid global tensions.
“The rituals offered in this occasion will also include prayers to end the armed conflicts, for
peace and forgiveness to reign; for solidarity in all of humanity, and in safeguarding of nature in
general,” she said.
She acknowledged that preparations for the festival were done hastily and kept simple.
“Now people can say there is such activity here. We have such festival like this here,” she said.
(BukidnonNews.Net)
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