‘Inyaramid tayo ti Posipos ti amin nga elders tapno mas marikna da ti ayat ken respeto tayo’ - Mayor Sacrament Gumilab

Tinglayan, Kalinga - "Instead of a normal or usual celebration of Elderly Week, we organized a 'posipos' for all the elders here in Tinglayan to show them our continued love, respect, and appreciation" said Mayor Sacrament Gumilab as he was explaining why the LGU held its first-ever "posipos" for all the elders in town.

In an interview with Guru Press Cordillera, Mayor Sacrament Gumilab said by conducting a posipos, the LGU can demonstrate its genuine appreciation for the elders' contributions to the community, including support, community involvement, teaching, respect, preserving culture, and sharing of experiences.

“Inyaramid tayo ti posipos ti amin nga elders tapno mas marikna da ti ayat ken respeto tayo kanyada iti nakaad-adu nga contributions da ditoy ili tayo. Mas iparikna tayo pay ti ayat tayo kanyada babaen daytoy nga posipos,” he said.

According to the mayor, posipos in Tinglayan is an act of gratitude when a family or tribe member recovers from a disease. This is sometimes a poignant plea for divine help and healing.

"Ti posipos gamin ditoy Tinglayan, aramiden lang daytoy ti maysa ili wenno maysa pamilya, nu diay kapamilya da wenno katribe da ket naagasan, agyaman da ken Kabunian. "Ti maysa pay nga meaning ti posipos ket nu masaksakit koma ti maysa kanyada da ket aramiden ti posipos kas panagdawat da ti panaka-agas ken Apo Dios," the mayor explained, emphasizing the dual purpose of gratitude and supplication inherent in the posipos tradition.

Relating to the traditional meaning of posipos, the mayor adds that through said activity, the  LGU shall likewise demonstrate their sincere thanks to the elders. Gumilab, at the same time, hopes that the activity will temporarily alleviate their physical pain.

"Diba ti posipos ket panagyaman ken panagdawat ti panaka-agas, so daytoy in-conduct tayo nga posipos ket kasla mtlng panagyaman ken panag respeto tayo kanyada, and at the same time, tapno uray kas-kasanu ket maiyaw-aan dagijay marikrina da, dikasla naagsan da metlng,” the mayor said.

As recalled, the LGU hosted the first ever posipos for all the senior citizens in the municipality last Thursday, October 17 as part of the Elderly Week celebration.

The LGU organized different activities for the elders during the event, which brought happiness to hundreds of elders in town who joined it.