The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) has inaugurated its new office building in Kalinga province.

“Kalinga is among the provinces blessed with its own National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) office building,” the NCIP said in a Facebook post.

NCIP Chairperson Allen Capuyan led the turnover of the NCIP's P35-million Provincial Office building in Tabuk City, Kalinga.

Gracing the event were Kalinga Lone District Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang, NCIP Commissioner for Central Mindanao Jennifer Sibug-las, NCIP-Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Director Marlon Bosantog, Governor Ferdinand B. Tubban, and Kalinga Police Director Davy Vicente Limmong.

The NCIP said “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,” it said.

Upon entering the provincial office, the Commission said the 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 guests received as tokens the woven traditional fabric used to cover the wine and rice cake.

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