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KIDAPAWAN CITY — To accurately translate terminologies from the Bagobo-Tagabawa communities in Malasila, Batasan, and Kasunayan, the Extension Services Office (ESO) and the Inter-Cultural Organizations’ Network for Solidarity and Peace, Inc. (ICON-SP) conducted a linguistic validation activity on July 17, 2026, at the ICON-SP Office in Balindog, Kidapawan City.
The activity forms part of the extension project, Bridging Generations: Community Validation and Pilot Testing of Bagobo-Tagabawa Language for Young Learners, led by Project Leader Dr. Glyn B. Gabano-Magbanua and Component Leader Prof. Ellen Joy M. Farala. This project advocates for the revitalization of the Bagobo-Tagabawa language by promoting intergenerational transfer.
In her welcome remarks, Monitoring and Impact Assessment Unit Head Prof. Anamarie B. Uyangurin highlighted the critical role of IP communities in the language corpus validation.
“Sa araw na ito, ang bida ay kayong mga participant ng validation activity na ito dahil kayo ang mas nakakaalam sa inyong mga terminologies. Kaya naman sana ay iisa ang ating goal, at yun ay magkaintindihan at magkaisa para maging successful ang ating activity,” Unit Head Uyangurin expressed.
This sentiment was reinforced by ICON-SP Executive Director Ms. Jocelyn Acquiatan.
“Welcome kayong lahat sa ating language documentation validation activity. Nagpapasalamat ako dahil kahit umuulan ay nandito kayo sa layunin na i-preserve ang inyong language. Ang lahat ng mga bagay na ito ay hindi lamang para sa ating mga sarili kundi sa susunod pang mga henerasyon,” said Executive Director Acquiatan.
The validation activity officially commenced with the ESO team presenting the visuals and symbols from the book draft. This allowed participating IP community members to provide feedback based on their cultural symbols and recognized patterns. This was followed by a comprehensive review of the language corpus, which consists of 600 terminologies. Through a collective dialogue, community members selected unified terms for standardization.
The language validation activity culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), formalizing the partnership among the University of Southern Mindanao (USM), ICON-SP, and the Bagobo-Tagabawa communities of Malasila, Batasan, and Kasunayan. While the initiative initially targeted community members in the IP-Kasunayan Village as beneficiaries, the MOA officially expanded the scope to include Barangays Malasila and Batasan in the language and cultural preservation efforts. Through this, the project broadens its impact, ensuring a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to safeguarding the rich cultural heritage and linguistic identity of the Bagobo-Tagabawa people for generations to come.
The activity was attended by Dr. Magbanua (ESO Director and Project Leader), Prof. Farala (Component Leader), Prof. Uyangurin (Monitoring and Impact Assessment Unit Head), Dr. Florence Roy P. Salvaña (Extension Unit Head), Prof. Joan P. Sadoral (CA Extension Coordinator), and Ms. Ritchel O. Torres (Training Specialist II). The team also included Jimwell P. Pande (Extension Editor), Arabella Gerlie Sarmiento, and James Bryan Balonda, who documented and facilitated the proceedings.
