𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐖𝐂𝐂: 𝐀 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞

As the culminating event for National Indigenous Peoples Month (October), Divine Word College of Calapan (DWCC), through its Community Extension Services Office, successfully organized the IP Summit on November 20, 2024, 1:00 PM at the DWCC Gymnasium. The event, themed “𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙮𝙖𝙣: 𝙏𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙮𝙖 𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙖 𝙎𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙣”, brought together DWCC administrators, NCIP representatives, students, faculty, and staff.
In his opening message, 𝗙𝗿. 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼 𝗔. 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗹, 𝗦𝗩𝗗, 𝗣𝗵.𝗗., President of DWCC, emphasized the importance of cultural sensitivity, urging the institution to go beyond mere cultural preservation and embrace a more dynamic approach to culture. He stressed that culture should be respected and valued by all—both indigenous and non-indigenous people. Fr. Tampol highlighted that National Indigenous Peoples Month offers a valuable opportunity to recognize and appreciate the richness of indigenous cultures, particularly the Mangyan culture. He underscored that Mangyan values teach us that no one is inferior, and all people are equal in the eyes of God and the law.
𝗠𝗿. 𝗝𝗼𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗠. 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴, Provincial Officer of the NCIP Oriental Mindoro, delivered a message of support for DWCC’s strong advocacy of the Mangyan writing system, Surat Mangyan, and indigenous rights. He called for the formal recognition and registration of ancestral lands and advocated for equal opportunities for both indigenous and non-indigenous communities.
The second part of the event focused on Surat Mangyan, with 𝗠𝘀. 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗴, Executive Director of the Mangyan Heritage Center, Inc., presenting the historical significance of the writing system. She emphasized that Surat Mangyan is a cultural treasure, one that is highly valued by institutions like DWCC. Ms. Anya Postma further stressed the importance of dispelling misconceptions about the Mangyan people. She highlighted their unique knowledge and encouraged greater respect and understanding for their culture and history. Ms. Postma also facilitated a Surat Mangyan workshop, giving attendees the opportunity to learn about this ancient script.
The event was further enriched by cultural presentations from the Mangyan Student Organization members at DWCC, who showcased the rich traditions of Mangyan culture. These performances beautifully reflected the deep cultural heritage of the Mangyan people.
A significant highlight of the event was the 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 (𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐏). The agreement was signed by Fr. Renato A. Tampol, SVD, Ph.D., on behalf of DWCC, and Mr. Joemar M. Samong, representing NCIP Oriental Mindoro. The agreement focuses on fostering collaboration to champion the cause of Mangyan culture and tradition.
In closing, 𝗙𝗿. 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹𝗮, 𝗦𝗩𝗗, 𝗠𝗔, 𝗦𝗧𝗵𝗹, DWCC Community Extension Director, expressed gratitude to all those who contributed to the success of the annual IP Summit. He concluded with the following words for the attendees: “𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜, 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙡𝙖, 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙡, 𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩 𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖 𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙮𝙖𝙣” (Let us continue to uphold our respect, recognition, love, and promotion of Mangyan culture).