‘Bantayog-Wika’ for Gaddangs to be unveiled soon

The Provincial Tourism Development and Culture Office (PTDC) is set to launch the Bantayog ng Wika for the Gaddang ethnolinguistic group this September in time for the Tourism Month celebration, said Provincial Tourism Operations Officer Marichelle O. Costales.

According to Costales, the PTDC is still waiting for the markers to be delivered and the tiling around the monument to be finished before it will be opened to the public.

The Bantayog-Wika aims to document the indigenous languages of the Philippines through a physical structure that symbolizes the value of indigenous languages and its Filipino values, practices, tradition, and history.

The Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) through Commissioner Dr. Purificacion G. Delima proposed the installation of the Bantayog-Wika Gaddang since it is one of the first dialects, of the province.The bamboo-shaped bantayog stands at 10-foot tall and is made from stainless steel. On its body, are some lines from the poem “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa” by Andres Bonifacio written in baybayin.

These monuments are installed atop concrete pedestals with markers bearing information about the language it represents. The KWF targets to install and unveil a total of 130 monuments equal to the estimated number of languages in the country. Of these numbers, 39 are in danger of extinction added the KWF.

As of today, there are 19 language monuments installed and unveiled all over the country since the project began in 2017. An additional six monuments are set to do installed this year including the Bantayog Wika Gaddang at the back of the Provincial Museum.

The Bantayog-Wika aims to document the indigenous languages of the Philippines through a physical structure that symbolizes the value of indigenous languages and its Filipino values, practices, tradition, and history.

The KWF was established pursuant to Republic Act No. 7104 to promote, research, development, and preservation of the Filipino language and other indigenous languages of the Philippines. #krizel