TABUK CITY, Kalinga (PIA) — The barangay of Nambaran in Tabuk City, home to members of the Tulgao tribe, has become popular for the unique way its residents honor their departed loved ones.
The Nambaran Artistic Cemetery, located along the highway in sitio Ileb, attracts motorists and passersby who cannot help but pause and take pictures of the eye-catching tombs with designs depicting either a car, truck, airplane, boat, shoe, bird, lion, horse, or more.
“Nangrugi nga na-design an idi natay ni Rafael alias Binuloc Paloc. Ti panpanchon ngamin idi kasla ngay nga medyo pagbutbutngan ti tao so dagituy grupo ti [volunteers] nga taga-aramid ti panpanchon nu ada ti matay, karkaryu dagiti lallakay, napanunut da nga i-portray diay chapel kinni Rafael Binuloc ta isuna ti kauunaan nga catechist idi sinumrek ti simbaan diay Tulgao,” said Kagawad Tony Ngaya-an.
(Such designing of tombs started when Rafael alias Binuloc Paloc died. Since tombs are oftentimes regarded as ghostly, volunteers constructing Paloc’s tomb thought of shaping it like a chapel since he was the first catechist in Tulgao.)
Over time, it has become a tradition in this locality to design the tombs to symbolize the dead’s personality, life, memories, aspirations, and even their unfulfilled wishes when they were alive.
Ngaya-an shared that one of the tombs features a shoe design because the interred, during his life, had always wanted to own a pair.
“Gapu kanu ta idi ubing da kanayun nga arapaap na nga agpagatang iti sapatos ngem diay maibabaun nga kabsat na nga mapan gumatang ti sapatos, gapu siguro ta kurang diay kwarta na kanayun nga isangpet na, ket sandal so han pay lang natungtungpal diay kayat na nga agsapatos,” Ngaya-an said.
(When he was still a child, he always wanted shoes, but the sibling who was sent to buy sandals perhaps did not have enough money for a pair of shoes.)
In recognition of the place’s significance, the Tabuk City government registered the Nambaran Artistic Cemetery as an important cultural property under the National Commission on Culture and the Arts.
“The cemetery is a must-see for visitors, not just because of the unique designs of the tombs, but because of the message these convey. While death brings so much sorrow, it should not be the end of happy memories of one who has passed on to the next life,” the City stated.
The Nambaran barangay local government welcomes tourists to visit the cemetery, with a reminder to keep the place clean and free of litter.
Ngaya-an said they have plans to improve and develop the cemetery in the future.
“Ma-improve kuma, maaramidan kuma ti kalsada nga sumrek ken land use plan tapnu maisimpa dagiyay panchon,” he said.
(We hope a road will be constructed and a land use plan will be approved so that the pantheon will be repaired.) ** IOS-PIA CAR, Kalinga
