TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA) - - Tuguegarao City Mayor Maila Ting-Que, in her message during the kick off ceremony of the two-day advocacy activity on “Healing, Reconciliation and Operationalizing the 11 Building Blocks in the Ancestral Domain in support to the Whole of Government/Whole of Nation Approach by Empowering the Former Rebels, IP Youth, IP EPs and IP Leaders, emphasized the significant roles played by the Indigenous Peoples particularly in decision-making processes which may affect their rights, lives, cultural heritage and diversities.

"It is incumbent upon us, government officials, to ensure the safety and protection of the IPs against any form of harm and threat particularly the local armed conflict," she said.

The city mayor said that it is important to look back at our glorious past especially our cultural identities and ethnicity otherwise we cannot call ourselves civilized.

As part of her commitment in cultural preservation, she said that they will create a Technical Working Group (TWG) in Tuguegarao City which aims to bring back and preserve the cultural heritage here such as the use of local languages like the Ibanag and Itawes which are now slowly lost.

“Ibanag is a dying language and culture. We have spoken to some group- experts in their fields, to make a study in partnership with NCIP and the Deped to bring back what is lost and to teach our children about our past and our cultural heritage,” Ting-Que said, adding that the TWG will be composed of the different government agencies in line with the project. (ALM/PIA Region 2)