A town in Mountain Province remains free of the Covid-19.
Ignacio Pangket, executive assistant of Sadanga Mayor Gabino Ganggangan, during the second session of the Regional Dagyaw 2020 “Usapang Gobyerno: Coping and thriving with Covid-19 IP concerns,” last Thursday said they hope to sustain the Covid-19 free status of the town.
Pangket said the residents strict adherence to customary practices, plus the local government’s limiting the entry of travelers in their jurisdiction have contributed in making the town Covid-19 free.
He said since the lockdown in March, natives of Sadanga have been on a “rest period” to allow the ritual to ward off illnesses to take effect.
Pangket said when elders declare a te-er, everyone in the community is mandated to adhere to and observe the practice.
For the people of Sadanga, it is taboo not to follow the te-er for this defies the value of “inayan” a set of do’s and don’t’s passed on by elders.
In essence, those who violate the rules declared by elders are fined or penalized.
Pangket said while people are on quarantine, they did not worry about what to eat to be able to survive for their cultural practices also dictate that those who have more must share with those who have less.
“Our society, our people have the inner resources like values of justice, fairness, industry, solidarity, ecological worldview and built-in or indigenous mechanisms which the government can tap in order to effectively address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Pangket said. – PNA
