The Department of Tourism (DOT) will continue to promote Baguio City as a creative city and support its development for arts and culture. This was the message of the tourism bureau relayed by Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat when she visited the Summer Capital to see the highlights of the Ibagiw Festival 2020, a creative festival that showcased its rich and vibrant culture and history in the entire month of November.
“Baguio is more than just its natural wonders, and we want more Filipinos to rediscover what UNESCO designated as a Creative City and Folk Arts,” Sec. Romulo-Puyat said. “Initiatives like Ibagi will certainly help revive tourism in the region and jumpstart the local economy.”
DOT is touting cultural tourism in Baguio city as the agency remains optimistic that initiatives such as the Ibagiw Festival will sustain the treasured traditions and art forms of the city. Romulo-Puyat recently visited the city to see the month-long festival’s highlights like the lineup of creative crawls and the series of tours showcasing Baguio’s artistic and cultural heritage sites.
Sec. Romulo-Puyat and Kidlat Tahimik at the Baguio Convention Center
Sec. Romulo-Puyat started her tour at the newly refurbished Baguio Convention Center, which had an exhibit called ‘Interlinked.’ She personally met with National Artist for Film Kidlat Tahimik who created pieces that explore themes of “community, collective memory, personal and cultural identity, environmental activism, social commentary, contemporary society, humor, and local color” together with other local artists.
Art exhibit at the Art in the Park
The secretary also dropped by the Art in the Park at Sunshine Park to witness various activities like spot painting by local visual artists, craft demonstrations by local artisans such as textile weaving and wood-carving, and a photo exhibit of native plants in the country.
Other sites that were showcased in the Ibagiw Festival were the Mirador Hill (a Jesuit property where breathtaking views can be enjoyed), the BenCab Museum (showcasing works of National Artist for Visual Arts Benedicto Cabrera), Ili-Likha Artists Village (Kidlat Tahimik’s inspiration hub for local and emerging artists), Mandeko Kito Artisanal Market (arts and crafts fair organized by UP Baguio), and Museo Kordilyera (the first ethnographic museum of the north).
BenCab during a wood-carving competition
“Creative crawls bring guests to places they may not have visited before, thus supporting more locals. This means no one gets left behind as we rebuild tourism,” Sec. Romulo-Puyat said.
You can still experience the creative brawl featuring Baguio City’s creative and cultural hotspots through accredited tour operators.
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