"They have proven that the province of Abra is a sterling destination for mountain culture lovers."

[BANGUED, ABRA, PHILIPPINES] ▬ This series is very long. This is the 9th and the last installment. I think I've already poured out all the words from my heart since Part 1. I don't know what to say now. I think I've said everything I want to say. I think. But yeah, still, this is Abra. Its great surprises have actually put many words in my mind. That maybe the reason why this experience last March ended with 9 long articles. Without such surprises, it would definitely be hard to squeeze out the creative juice.

[BANGUED] ▬ BAMBOO FLOAT PARADE IS THE FINALE EVENT FOR THE KAWAYAN FESTIVAL 2015.

Today's highlight is the parade of Bamboo floats. The towns in Abra participated in the event. Some towns joined together to create just 1 float while some towns have their own float each.

I was in front of the Abra Capitol. It was the hottest part of the area because it has no shade. The sunlight directly scorched my skin. The sunblock lotion wasn't enough. You know, no one ever dared to stay where I was staying because of the direct sunlight. But I endured it. Anyway, I knew I was at the best spot to take photos.

[BANGUED] ▬ FLOAT OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF LAGAYAN

The float from the municipality of Lagayan had its turn. Standing on the bamboo float are river fishermen showing proudly their catch—palileng and igat. Like the other towns in Abra, Lagayan is rich in water wonders and resources. Its rivers abound with fish they call as palileng and an eel they call as igat. So this is what the town of Lagayan showcased in their float.

[BANGUED] ▬ FLOAT OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF BUCLOC

[BANGUED] ▬ CULTURAL DANCERS FOLLOWED THE BUCLOC FLOAT.

[BANGUED] ▬ BUCLOC TOWN BROUGHT ITS YOUNGEST CULTURAL STREET DANCERS.

[BANGUED] ▬ YOUNG TRIBESMEN DOING THE RITUAL DANCE WITH THEIR GONGS

[BANGUED] ▬ THEY ARE THE PUBLIC SERVANTS OF BUCLOC.

[BANGUED] ▬ THEY ARE PERFORMING THEIR TRADITIONAL DANCE TOO.

The town of Bucloc, inhabited by the Masadiit sub-tribe, gave their best in this parade. Their float was followed by the dancing tribe which made their presence stellar. The public servants of the town also joined the parade. They wore pink clothes and they executed their traditional dance as they pass in front of the Abra Capitol.

[BANGUED] ▬ FLOAT OF THE TOWNS OF SALLAPADAN AND DAGUIOMAN

[BANGUED] ▬ SIDE VIEW OF THEIR FLOAT

[BANGUED] ▬ BAMBOO PRODUCTS AT THE BACK OF THEIR FLOAT

The towns of Sallapadan and Daguioman are adjacent to each other. The two towns joined together for this float.

The three towns at the west part of the province of Abra namely San Isidro, Villaviciosa and Pilar also have a common float.

[BANGUED] ▬ PILAQUIN: PIDIGAN, LANGIDEN AND SAN QUINTIN TOWNS

[BANGUED] ▬ PILAQUIN FLOAT WITH A WOMAN HANDLING A BOLO

[BANGUED] ▬ BACK OF THE PILAQUIN FLOAT

The float of PILAQUIN shows bravery. A woman handles a bolo. At the back of the float is the name of a heroine. Pidigan townsfolk claim that Gabriela Silang is from their town. Gabriela is a revolutionary hero who fought for freedom in colonial times.

[BANGUED] ▬ MUSLIM BRETHREN

[BANGUED] ▬ MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF ABRA

This day is not all about the bamboo floats. It also showed how Abra maintains harmony among the different cultures. When I saw these Muslim brethren, my heart melted. I did not expect that there is an organized community of Muslims in Abra. I thought that Abra only has the Ilocanos (mostly Christians) and the Itneg tribes. I was wrong. The Muslim minority live with the Ilocanos and the Itneg people with peace and harmony.

[BANGUED] ▬ THE FLOAT OF THE TOWNS OF LUBA AND TUBO

[BANGUED] ▬ SIDE VIEW OF THE FLOAT

[BANGUED] ▬ FEATURING THE TAGPAO FALLS FOUND IN THE HINTERLANDS OF TUBO

The two southern towns of Tubo and Luba also had their share. Their float featured the Tagpao Falls, probably one of the highest in Abra (I've been to this waterfall and it required us to hike at least 8 mountains/ridges for 3 days and 2 nights to reach it).

[BANGUED] ▬ THE FLOAT OF THE TOWNS OF LACUB AND MALIBCONG

[BANGUED] ▬ THE CHILDREN OF LACUB/MALIBCONG ON BOARD A FLOAT

[BANGUED] ▬ BACK OF LACUB/MALIBCONG'S FLOAT

Lacub and Malibcong are tribal towns. The latter is an ancestral domain of three tribes: Mabaka, Gubang and Banao while the former is inhabited mostly by the Binongan tribe.

Check out more photos below.

[BANGUED] ▬ THE FLOAT OF SAN JUAN TOWN

[BANGUED] ▬ THIS ONE IS FROM LA PAZ.

[BANGUED] ▬ FROM THE TOWN OF LA PAZ

[BANGUED] ▬ TINEG'S FLOAT FEATURES THE ENDANGERED AND EXPENSIVE LUDONG FISH.

[BANGUED] ▬ FROM THE TOWN OF BOLINEY

[BANGUED] ▬ BOLINEY'S COWBOY

[BANGUED] ▬ LICUAN-BAAY TOWN'S PIECE

[BANGUED] ▬ AS USUAL, DOLORES TOWN FEATURES THEIR SAKUTING FESTIVAL.

[BANGUED] ▬ SAKUTING DANCERS ON THE FLOAT

[BANGUED] ▬ SAKUTING DANCE STREET DEMO

My personal favorite here is the float from Dolores. Their bamboo float spewed smoke adding drama to their piece. The float also swayed like wave while the tribesmen do their dance rituals.

I intended to flood this post with photos because I want to show everyone the efforts made by each participant in giving us the idea what these Abra towns have to offer through the floats they made.

Each town did a great job. They have proven that the province of Abra is a sterling destination for mountain culture lovers. ▬ end of series

[END] ▬ THANK YOU ABRA FOR THIS WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!

► ABRA MARCH 2015 TRAVEL SERIES

This is the end of the series. To all who followed this, my big gratitude. I hope you will follow again my next blog series. I have more to come.

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► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This experience was made possible through Vice Governor Chari Bersamin who invited us to witness the Abra Kawayan Festival. With me is fellow travel blogger Estan Cabigas of langyaw.com.

[2] The map I used below is courtesy of Eugene Villar on Wikipedia. Source: 1 | 2

[3] Erratum: Pardon the photo watermarks. All photos here were taken on 08 March 2015.
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