BONTOC, Mtn. Prov.– The long years of waiting is over! The province can now have one identity.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) has finally enacted Provincial Ordinance No. 383 dated September 15, 2020 updating the Coat of Arms or seal or logo of the province.
It is to be noted that requests for the enactment of an ordinance had been made since the past administration but has never been acted upon. It was only upon a reiteration for the nth time that the SP enacted the latest ordinance.
The requests were hinged on the premise that there are two (2) logos being used in the province and are confusing to the people. An old one being used by the national line agencies and another being used by the provincial offices tended to portray that the province has two faces.
Resolution No. 440 of the Provincial Board in 1972 provides for a Coat of Arms for the province as required by the Philippine Heraldry Committee then, now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
“After the birth of the new Mountain Province in 1966, there was a need for such a seal”, stated the resolution when former Governor Jaime Gomez was the presiding officer with Jose Dominguez as Vice Governor, and Modesto Calde and john Diaz as board members.
The old logo presented “the unique characteristics and the beautiful, towering mountains, dotted with superb, stately pine trees and loaded with untold treasures of gold, silver, copper and other minerals; and bedecked with picturesque rice terraces, living testimonies of engineering feat of the ancestors of the people of the New Mountain Province”.
Since the logo has the proper documentation submitted to the NHCP, it is still recognized and pops out once searched in the internet. It is being used by national line agencies.
While the one being used by the provincial offices as seen now has no resolution or ordinance submitted to the NHCP. It bears blue letterings for the “Mountain Province” and the “Official Seal” portions.
The latest Ordinance No. 383 of the SP prescribes for the logo that is very similar to the one being used by provincial offices save for the stars that were five (5) that used to represent the five defunct sub-provinces of Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kainga and Apayao.
In the latest Ordinance, there are TEN (10} stars that represents the ten (10) municipalities of the province and 144 beads encircling the warrior shield to represent the 144 barangays of the province.
The “mountains”, in the logo that represents the eastern municipalities of Barlig, Natonin, and Paracelis, central municipalities of Bontoc and Sadanga, and western parts of the province composed of the municipalities of Sagada, Besao, Sabangan, Bauko, and Tadian, are now similar in height unlike before when the center was higher than the two being host of the capital town.
Under the latest Ordinance, the logo shall be used by all offices within the province as symbol of the province and must be on letter heads of official documents.
The prohibitions state that it shall be unlawful for anyone to use the seal for personal purposes, display in any part of infomercials and advertisements except when undertaken by the provincial government.
Penalties for those who commit the prohibitions shall be meted a fine of Five Hundred Pesos (P500.00) or imprisonment of three (3) days or both at the discretion of the court.
The effectivity of the Ordinance shall be in accordance with the provisions of RA 7160 or otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991.**Roger Sacyaten
