yKalinga from Tinglayan now a member of NCCA executive council

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Having passed the qualifications set by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), an yKalinga from Tinglayan is now one of the Executive Council members of the National Committee on Northern Cultural Communities, a sub-commission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts.

Juanita "Chupan" Chulsi of the Sumadel sub-tribe of Tinglayan, alongside her colleagues who are from Kalinga, was approached by an executive committee member of the NCCA in September 2022, telling them they need someone to represent Kalinga in the organization.

With this, Chulsi applied and was later selected by fifteen legitimate community based-Kalinga indigenous people’s organizations working for the cultural communities for the position, with an endorsement from the Kalinga Provincial Government, Bishop Prudencio Andaya Jr., Engr. Andres Ngao-i and Therese Grail Lawagan.

“I was endorsed by them all and I won the selection,” Chulsi said in an interview.

Asked about her plans now that she represents the Kalinga indigenous communities at the national level, Chulsi shared that she will initiate documentation and promotion of Kalinga cultural practices based on Kalinga noble traditions, which she said has helped sustain economic, educational, and cultural development as provided in the provisions and principles of Bodong.

She added she will also focus on crafting policies and project recommendations on culture and the arts aimed at uplifting different tribal communities and other ethnic groups for consideration by the NCCA.

Moreover, she will work on identifying historical sites and places related to the autonomy struggle to promote tourism spots and public awareness, developing a strategic plan for promotion of culture and the arts, and identifying individual artists, cultural workers, non-government organizations, academic institutions, and other organizations that may contribute to the work of SCCT-NCCA.

As a former cultural master, Chulsi will act on the promotion of School of Living Traditions.

Who is Juanita Chulsi?

A teacher by profession, Chulsi is concurrently the Vice Chairman of the Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA), according to Provincial Tourism Officer Lorraine Ngao-i.

She is also the secretariat of the Joint Evaluation and Monitoring Committee (JEMC) under the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP).

“A well-rounded person, she will surely champion the cause of the indigenous peoples of Kalinga, especially in the promotion of traditional culture and arts,” Ngao-i said.

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