Kalinga to hold FIRST-EVER lantern parade at 5PM today

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Emphasizing inclusivity and recognition, the Provincial Government of Kalinga will hold it’s first-ever Lantern Parade for government employees—an interagency initiative that honors the province’s often overlooked workers as the ‘Unsung Heroes’, highlighting their vital contributions to community service and provincial development.

With the theme ‘Lumin-Awa Cares: A Christmas tribute to Kalinga’s Unsung builders,’ the event underscores the spirit of community service, bayanihan, and gratitude to the overlooked local workers of the province during the Christmas season.

In an interview with GURU Press Cordillera, Provincial Tourism Officer Lorraine A. Ngao-i shared that the lantern parade was conceptualized to shift public attention towards these workers who quietly serve the province, especially amid recent challenges and disasters, emphasizing that they are silent heroes often taken for granted.

“So ngayon kasi, we will be having a thematic representation—we will represent yung mga nasa laylayan ng lipunan. Ampangit naman kasi pag we call them as marginalized sectors so we named them as unsung heroes, kasi sila naman talaga yung mga parang hindi napapansin pero anlaki ng tulong sa province. Especially sa mga nagdaang sakuna, sino ba ang mga naglilinis ng mga kalsada? Diba sila naman—so that’s the major concept and highlight ng celebration of the interagency event—to make it inclusive and reflective sa spirit ng community service,” Ngao-i shared.

This year’s parade is led by the Office of the Congressman as the lead agency, bringing together provincial and national government offices in an interagency effort and marking the province’s first lantern parade involving all government employees from the provincial to municipal/city and barangay levels.

As the lantern parade aims to promote inclusive representation, the offices were grouped into eight clusters: traffic enforcers, laborers, farmers, transportation workers (driver, conductors), community workers (like BHWs), vendors (street vendors), farmers, sanitary workers (garbage collectors), peacekeepers (Bodong holders, brngy. Tanods), respectively.

The parade will commence at 5:00 p.m., starting in front of DIY and proceeding to the Kalinga Sports Complex. A formal program will follow at the gymnasium, including the announcement of winners of the Guhit Kalinga Rotonda Contest.

The procession, according to Ngao-i is a competition with cash prizes that will go to the winning group’s represented sector, not the employees.

“And this is part of the contest—contested ito. Dun namin ibibigay yung pera na mapapanalunan. Para naman may impact. First price is 60,000. So for example kung nanalo kami in the traffic enforcer sector, maghahanap kami kung sino ba sa mga enforcers sa Kalinga kasi meron ngang mga POSO at iba pa. So depende kung sino ang pipiliin naming, dun naming ibibigay yung 60k. Second prize is– 40,000, third- 30,000 and consolation is 20,000. So yung price is hindi mapupunta sa mga government employees, it will go to this marginalized sectors—our unsung heroes,” the tourism officer said.

Participants are required to design lanterns that clearly represent their assigned cluster. Each group must prepare a minimum of 50 small lanterns and one main lantern measuring at least five feet in height—lantern designs may be three-dimensional or symbolic, as long as they are directly related to the theme being represented.

While it has yet to be confirmed whether the lantern parade will become an annual activity, organizers expressed hope that it will set a meaningful precedent for future celebrations in the province.