Safeguarding the Tubong Tradition, Championing Heritage in Marinduque Island

BOAC, Marinduque – On Monday, May 20 the National Museum of the Philippines – Marinduque Romblon Area conducted a Putong/ Tubong: Lecture and Demonstration in Celebration of National Heritage Month. Sir Bryan Viray of the Australian National University served as a resource person. Various students and teachers, stakeholders, and government representatives attended the said hybrid webinar.

The first part of the said Heritage Month activity featured the Junior Bangbang Putong group who rendered their own version of the intangible cultural heritage of Marinduque. Bokal Dindin Opis, Dr. Randy Nobleza along with her mother-in-law Thelma Palmes, Teacher-Scholars Mam Ruby Ann Lantita and Mam Sharmaine Balut became honorees of the tubongan.

Then the next part of the Heritage program was allotted to Sir Viray’s lecture on his lifeworks on Tubong from his personal and academic experience the Marinduque’s ICH. He started with the status and possible nomination of Tubong to UNESCO’s world representative list. The ANU postgraduate scholar posed at least three salient points: who are the bearers and practitioners of tubong? How are the knowledge and skills transmitted or transferred? And what are social and cultural functions or meanings it signifies today for the community?

After the demonstration and lecture, a lively discussion ensued with the Marinduque provincial tourism and cultural office, and the National Commission for Culture and Arts actively participated. Marinduque State College (MSC) Culture and Arts head committed the Bachelor of Culture, Arts Education to augment the efforts of documentation and profiling of tubong and other intangible cultural heritage. While Island Innovation Academic Council Representative and MSC Faculty as well, Dr. Nobleza underscored the Sub-committee on Culture of the Mimaropa Regional Development Council agenda on Trifecta Marinduque and ICH Triennale with moryonan, tubongan and kalutang for the next three year-cycles.

Bokal Opis, the co-author of the legislative measure in the town of Boac in safeguarding Tubong shared observations in regard to the provincial ordinance counterpart of their landmark policy with the late Boac Councilor Myke Magalang. (PR)