Kalinga is among the provinces blessed with its own National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) office building.

NCIP Chairperson Allen Capuyan led other government functionaries in the blessing and turn-over of the P35 million-worth NCIP Provincial Office building in Tabuk City, Kalinga.

Other officials who graced the event include Kalinga Congressman Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang, Jennifer Sibug-las, NCIP Commissioner for Central Mindanao, NCIP-CAR Director Marlon Bosantog, Governor Ferdinand B. Tubban, PNP Kalinga Director P/Col. Davy Vicente Limmong, and others.

“Padatong”– A traditional welcome rite for guests and visitors was performed during the inauguration of the NCIP Provincial Office. This is a fitting demonstration of the admired Kalinga hospitality. Padatong is a way of making visitors feel “welcome and at-home” with the cultural communities.

Upon entering the domain (i.e. the provincial office), guests and visitors were invited to do the “losngat or losngit”, a ritual of opening the jar of “basi or bayas”, a traditionally made sugarcane wine and the basket of “inandila” a famous glutinous rice cake in the province.

The woven traditional fabric used to cover the wine and rice cake were given to said guests as tokens.

“Ta-ug” or offering the wine to guests and visitors started with Chairperson Allen Capuyan taking the first sip from a “payong” – a series of bamboo tubes artistically made for drinking bayas during special occasions.