The continuation of the Provincial Tourism and Culture Office’s (PTCO) National Arts Month celebration came in the form of the Learning Session on Culture and Art for the municipal tourism officers and students from high schools and higher-education institutions (HEIs) all over the province. The seminar was conducted in the Ammungan Hall of the Capitol Compound, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, on February 25, 2026.

The speakers invited were educators and experts on matters of cultural sensibility as regards tourism, local literature, and archaeology and anthropology. Mr. Marlon Martin, an Ifugao native and the chief executive officer of the Save the Ifugao Rice Terraces movement, gave a brief presentation on the first topic, while also relating the shared cultural background of Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya. According to Mr. Martin, the rich diversity of the province is indeed an advantage for tourism, but that the concept of cultural sensibility – defined as ‘ethical judgment in planning and governance’ – is necessary when safeguarding natural sites and culturally sacred artifacts. To that end, Mr. Martin advised all present to ‘respect indigenous authority’, ‘recognize sacred spaces and cultural limits’, and take ‘responsibility for culture, food systems, and eco-systems’.

To educate on the local literature of Nueva Vizcaya, the PTCO called upon Mrs. Maria Inez Raza Mania, a former Saint Mary’s University teacher, to discuss the legend of the Salinas Salt Spring and its cultural contexts and symbolism. Mrs. Mania’s lecture touched on the patriarchal systems of pre-colonial Nueva Vizcaya, gender roles in the legend’s symbolism, and even reflections on the accessibility and loss of the Salinas Salt Spring, which is no longer an active producer of saltwater and thus lost as a natural wonder.

The final lecturer, Archaeologist Christian Martinez professed a desire to begin an archaeology effort within the province. Mr. Martinez’s lecture consisted of previous digs in which he had participated and the artifacts unearthed, as well as the scientific processes and procedures, historical bases and theories, and the ethics with which to approach and conduct excavation and preservation. An open forum quickly followed the lectures, during which the MTOs and the students expressed concerns and asked for advice regarding their own efforts in preserving culturally significant sites and similar matters.

The Learning Session on Culture and Art conducted as part of the National Arts Month celebration are a necessary continuation to remind the tourism officers and the students of Nueva Vizcaya, their stewardship and responsibility over their home province and its culture and history. /igmb

[This article was first created on Facebook – Provincial Government of Nueva Vizcaya. For PGNV updates, visit: https://www.facebook.com/vizcayareporter]