Benguet Adivay Festival 2016 Schedule Of Activities / Calendar Of Events

This year's edition of the Benguet Adivay Festival is just around the corner. The month-long festival will have its kick-off program in the 11th of November. Events scheduled for the festival include trade fairs, job fairs, beauty pageants, bodybuilding competitions, martial arts competitions, concerts, and conferences catering to small scale miners and farmers.

The highlights of the festival are the drum and lyre competition on November 22 and the parade/canao the following day. This year's celebrations carry the theme "Adopting Change for Inclusive Human Development". Here's the final Benguet Adivay Festival 2016 schedule of activities/calendar of events:

Date	Time	Activity	Venue
November 4	9:00 am	Kapihan sa Benguet	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 4	11:00 am	Press Conference: Mr. and Ms. Benguet	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 11	8:00 am	Ecumenical Service	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 11	10:00 am	Kick-off Program	Lobby, Capitol
November 11	2:00 pm	Pre-Pageant for Mr. and Ms. Benguet	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 11		Buguias Foundation Day	Abatan, Buguias
November 12	7:30 am	Opening: Dongba ni Kavajo: Horse Parade and Opening Program	Km. 3, Bell Church, Balili to Benguet Sports Center in Wangal
November 12	8:00 am	Amateur Muay Thai Combat	La Trinidad Municipal Gymnasium, Km. 5
November 12	2:00 pm	Opening Trade Fair	Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 12	6:00 pm	Mr. Adivay Bodybuilding Competition	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 12	10:00 pm	Twisted, The Highland Tour	Capitol Grounds
November 13	8:00 am	Amateur Muay Thai Combat	La Trinidad Municipal Gymnasium, Km. 5
November 13	8:00 am	Dongba ni Kavajo	Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 13	3:00 pm	Adivay Unplugged: Acoustic	Trade Fair Stage, Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 13	6:00 pm	Twisted, the Highland Tour	Capitol Grounds
November 14	8:00 am	Health Fair	Covered Court, Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 14	8:00 am	Job Fair	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 15	8:00 am	Job Fair	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 15	9:00 am	Mass Wedding	San Jose Church, Poblacion, La Trinidad
November 15	10:00 am	Opening of Agri-Tourism Fair	PDRRMC Building, Wangal
November 16	8:00 am	Benguet Cultural Conference	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 16	9:00 am	Mass Wedding	St. Paul Parish, Sayangan, Atok
November 17	8:00 am	Benguet Cultural Conference	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 18	7:00 am	Environmental Forum	5 Major Highways
November 18	8:00 am	Small and Medium Enterprise Congress	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 18	8:00 am	Barangay Health Workers Congress	Multi-Purpose Gymnasium, Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 18	8:00 am	Smart Day	Trade Fair Stage, Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 19	8:00 am	3rd Adivay National Invitational Arnis Championship	Covered Court, Capitol
November 19	6:00 pm	Mr. and Ms. Benguet Coronation	Multi-Purpose Gymnasium, Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 19	6:00 pm	Team Lakay Championship: The Kapangan Invasion	Lomon, Kapangan
November 20	8:00 am	3rd Adivay National Invitational Arnis Championship	Covered Court, Capitol
November 20	5:00 pm	Battle of the Bands	Multi-Purpose Gymnasium, Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 21	8:00 am	Skilled Workers Competition	Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 21	8:00 am	Small Scale Mining Congress	Ben Palispis Hall, Capitol
November 21	8:00 am	Farmers Event	Benguet Cold Chain, Wangal
November 21		Sablan Foundation Day	Poblacion, Sablan
November 21		Kibungan Foundation Day	Poblacion, Kibungan
November 22	8:00 am	Drum and Lyre Competition	Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 22	9:00 am	Diskwento Caravan (DTI)	Benguet Cold Chain, Wangal
November 22	1:00 pm	Dance Drama	Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 22		Tublay Foundation Day	Acop, Tublay
November 22		Atok Foundation Day	Sayangan, Atok
November 23	7:00 am	Parade, Program, Canao	Provincial Capitol Grounds to Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 23	9:00 am	Diskwento Caravan (DTI)	Benguet Cold Chain, Wangal
November 24	8:00 am	Friendship Meet	3rd Floor, Main Building and Covered Court, Capitol
November 24	2:00 pm	Closing Program: Agri-trade Fair	PDRRMC Building, Wangal
November 25	10: 00 am	Benguet Awards Day	Multi-Purpose Gymnasium, Benguet Sports Center
November 25	8:00 am	Invitational Shoot Fest	Shilan Shooting Range, La Trinidad
November 25	1:00 pm	Five to Revive Concert	Trade Fair Stage, Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 26	8:00 am	Football Kasibulan Festival	BSU Football Field
November 26	8:00 am	Invitational Shoot Fest	Shilan Shooting Range
November 26	9:00 am	Speed Fest 2: The West Wing Assault	Shilan-Beckel Road
November 26	9:00 am	Adivay Unplugged: Acapellas	Trade Fair Stage, Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 26	1:00 pm	Closing Ceremony: A Day of Prayer	Trade Fair Stage, Benguet Sports Center, Wangal
November 26		Last day of Trade Fair	Benguet Sports Center
November 26		Fight Sports Tournament	BSU Gym, La Trinidad

Hikers and campers on the summit of Mt Yangbew in La Trinidad, Benguet. The Cordilleran Sun file photo.

Kalinga Declared Under State Of Calamity; May Take Two Months To Restore Electric Power

Kalinga Governor Jocel Baac has declared the province under state of calamity on Friday morning (October 21), a day after Super Typhoon Lawin wreaked havoc over the region. The province incurred major damages to people, their properties, and their means of livelihoods. As of this writing, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council lists 6 human casualties of the typhoon in the province. A family of 5 in Uma, Lubuagan was covered by a landslide. And one person reportedly perished in Balatoc, Pasil.

Electric power in the entire province is also yet to be restored. The Kalinga-Apayao Electric Cooperative estimates that it will take them about two months to fully restore power in the province. Several communication facilities and towers were also toppled down by the storm. Major roads that connect the province to nearby provinces are still closed due to major landslides. These include the Kalinga-Abra Road and the Lubuagan-Bontoc Road.

A state of calamity is defined by the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 as "a condition involving mass casualty and/or major damages to property, disruption of means of livelihoods, roads and normal way of life of people in the affected areas as a result of the occurrence of natural or human-induced hazard.”

The Cordilleran Sun file photo.

Beware: The Sagada Music Festival Is A Scam (Plus Pointers In Spotting Online Scams)

The internet has made it a lot easier for con men to practice their parasitic craft. Recent victims of these leeches include people who may have paid thousands of pesos for a non-existing musical event that's to be held in the tourist town of Sagada in Mt. Province. Several weeks ago, word got out, mostly through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, that the town will serve as host to a music festival dubbed the Sagada Music Festival on October 22 and 23.

Promotional materials for the event promised performances from nearly a dozen Filipino bands including Up Dharma Down and Silent Sanctuary. For people looking for a quick getaway, the offer is almost irresistible. Who would pass on the opportunity to participate in a multi-band music festival while immersed in the magic of Sagada?

Well. As of today, everything points to the inevitable conclusion that the event is a scam. Someone somewhere is trying to make a quick buck. It's good that the scam has been detected this early. Still, there's the possibility that there are people who already registered and forwarded their payments for tickets. The supposed event is just one week away and the organizers are nowhere to be found. They scampered. Like the thieving rats that they are. The event page has been taken down. According to The Ransom Collective which is one of the bands listed in the lineup of performing artists, the organizers have been operating under fictitious names and email accounts. The link to the registration form through Google Docs is also gone.

Some of the bands in the lineup also released statements either denying involvement or that they are still waiting confirmation that the event will push through. Maybe we should give the organizers the benefit of the doubt here but the fact that they've taken down the event page is proof enough that they are not at all operating in good faith.

As I mentioned earlier, the event is just a week away. At this point, everything should already be in place. The equipment should already be on their way to Sagada. All the bands involved should've been informed that the event will push through so that they can finalize their schedules. The local government should have been informed. Word has it that people in Sagada don't even know that they are hosting a music festival.

Anyway, to summarize things, here are the red flags why this is a scam:
1) The organizers took down the event page. There's only one reason why they would do this. That is to cover their scam.
2) The tickets are low considering what they are supposed to cover. An early bird ticket costs 2,500 while a regular ticket costs 5,000. At first glance, these prices seem expensive. However, a ticket covers round-trip transportation, three days and two nights hotel accommodation, breakfast for three days, and a festival poster. Are the organizers planning to lose money?
3) The organizers have been operating under fictitious names and email accounts. It's like talking to anonymous people.
4) The organizers claim that they are abroad. Apparently, they are making this as an excuse for not being in contact with the bands. Do these people know how to use Facebook? They can be in the middle of a volcano somewhere in Europe. That isn't an excuse to not stay in contact with the bands.
5) The municipality of Sagada isn't aware of the festival. What are the organizers planning to do? Just drive to Sagada a day before the event, set up equipment, and not expect the town council to question what the hell they are doing?
6) The organizers used a Google Doc for registration instructing registrants to pay via LBC and Cebuana Lhuillier. Fishy.

Note: Shoutout to everyone who flexed their muscles to expose this scam - Gareth Likigan, Carlos Tanada, Up Dharma Down, Silent Sanctuary, Sud, The Random Collective, and netizens.

Baguio City And Benguet Artists Mount An Art Exhibit To Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Month

Dozens of visual and performance artists based in Baguio City and Benguet came together to mount a group art exhibit dubbed Pamana Art Exhibit 3 at the Victor Oteyza Community Art Space along Session Road. The exhibit which opened on October 8 is part of the Cordillera region's celebrations for Indigenous Peoples Month. The artworks will be on display until November 4. Most of the pieces are for sale.

This year's theme for the celebrations is "Indigenous Peoples Empowerment Towards Peace, Unity, and Development." According to Art Tibaldo who also has two works in the exhibit, the show was "spearheaded by spouses Raffy and Joselyn Kapuno with the support of various NGOs, cultural groups and the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples."

Also scheduled for the month are the following events: a regional IP youth assembly, screening of relevant films at the Baguio Cinematheque, forums on indigenous rights, autonomy, and federalism, a book launching, tree planting, and the Gong Festival.

Here are some photos from the art exhibit.