BAGUIO City Council Arthur Allad-iw is pushing for the inclusion of Cordilleran cultural practices and history in the various public and private learning institutions in the city.
Allad-iw, in a proposed ordinance approved on first reading, is pushing for the conduct of the School of Living Tradition (SLT), which would teach and preserve indigenous cultural heritage among students in the city’s various schools.
Under the proposed SLT, students in the city will study appropriate cultural practices excluding ritual-related activities, materials and instruments used during death rituals, and sickness and pandemic which are exclusively for the exercise of elders, bearers, and practitioners.
To ensure appropriate representation and education, the ordinance that provides for the SLT also prescribes consultation with indigenous elders, villagers and practitioners.
Approval from the indigenous people (IP) community will meanwhile also be sought after in the case of “sensitive” cultural practices or other practices otherwise enumerated by law as needing the consent of the concerned IP groups.
At the same time, outside of SLT-mandated study, the ordinance also recommends for students, teachers, school personnel and parents alike to participate or engage in independent research and documentation as well as the compilation of appropriate learning materials for the subject matter.
The ordinance also stipulates the creation of committees in schools to create plans for and otherwise implement the SLT in their appropriate schools.
Learning institutions, once the SLT is established, are also encouraged to participate in inter-school meetings and seminars to further improve the conduct of the SLT.
