03 December 2015 – Meeting in Windhoek, Namibia, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) recognized the punnuk tugging ritual of the Philippines, practiced by Tuwali communities in Hapao, Baang and Nungulunan in Ifugao province, as a cultural heritage of humanity.

Together with tugging rituals and games in Cambodia, the Republic of Korea, and Viet Nam, the Philippine tugging ritual was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

This is the third element of the Philippines on the prestigious list, the other two being the Hudhud chants and the Darangen epic. It is the first multinational inscription of the Philippines.

Punnuk, held along the Hapao River, marks the completion of the rice harvest and the beginning of a new agricultural cycle. The ritual highlights the communities’ continuing respect for their ancestral culture, tradition, and beliefs.

The successful inscription is the culmination of a long process of collaboration between the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and cultural institutions in the Republic of Korea, Cambodia and Viet Nam. Tugging rituals and games in the four countries share common themes—fertility, prosperity, and harmony. Tugging rituals and games are deeply embedded in the socio-cultural context of rice-cultivating areas in East and Southeast Asia, where people have been living in close proximity to each other and where harmonious cooperation is critical for subsistence.

By being included in the UNESCO Representative List, the punnuk tugging ritual must be safeguarded as a living tradition of special significance to the international community.

The Philippines, through the Municipal Government of Hungduan, Ifugao and the NCCA, shall continue to enact measures in cooperation with the communities themselves and relevant stakeholders to safeguard the punnuk.

While thanking the 24 member states of the Committee, First Secretary Hendrik Garcia of the Philippine Permanent Delegation to UNESCO described the multinational inscription as representing “the ties that bind our peoples with their land and crops, ancestors and traditions, and one another – not only within their communities, but across cultures and borders.”

 “Through this inscription, let us celebrate the ties that bind us as a human community, united in our diversity and commitment to safeguard our shared intangible cultural heritage for peace and sustainable development,” he concluded. END