CABARROGUIS, Quirino (PIA) - - The local government of Diffun in collaboration with Quirino State University and Diffun National High School recently culminated the National Heritage Month celebration with activities that depict the culture of the Diffunians.

With the theme: Pamanang Lokal: Binhi ng Kulturang Pilipino,” the event featured the town’s cultural dances, music and paintings and furnitures with various designs.

According to Municipal Tourism Officer Jessie Delio Vaquilar, the National Heritage Month Celebration aimed to create a consciousness, respect, and love among the people for the legacies of the nation’s cultural history.

“We invited our local artists like Dakila Bangawan for photography, Aaron Neil Payumo for tattoo arts and Nixon Dulnuan for painting to have their pep talk on their arts to inspire our young generation,” Vaquilar said.

Furthermore, Vaquilar said they also invite Reynaldo Velasco, an instructor of QSU as guest speaker and he discussed the importance of the ongoing cultural mapping to be able to preserve the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the municipality.

The cultural mapping in the municipality according to the Municipal Tourism Officer was started in 2020 and some cultural properties and structures with historical significance were already identified like the old school buildings built during the RP-US partnership, the old Roman Catholic Church and the Nagbukel Cave.

Vaquilar said the municipal government headed by Mayor May Calaunan has allotted funds for the purchase of cultural properties from residents.

“We have preserved a head to foot attire of the Gaddangs, the first settlers in Diffun, including their dances and songs and these will be displayed in our soon to be established municipal museum at the old municipal hall once the construction of the new town hall at Aurora East will be completed,” Vaquilar further said.

The municipal tourism invited the Diffunians to show their old properties such as buildings, old clothes and others and these will be assessed whether they can be considered as cultural heritage saying that if these are already 50 years old, they can already be considered as heritage. (MDCT/TCB/PIA Quirino)