Natives of Itogon, Benguet commemorate the deaths of relatives as a result of Super Typhoon “Ompong” which hit a year ago and triggered a landslide that buried close to 100 people. YUMMIE DINGDING

ITOGON, Benguet — The mining community here commemorated the massive landslide that killed around a hundred people during the onslaught of typhoon “Ompong” (Mangkhut) on 15 September 2018 with a simple program and a traditional ritual to “silence” the spirits.

“We are conducting the ritual in observance of our cultural heritage in the Cordillera,” Mayor Victor Palangdan told attendees here on Sunday.

“This is in respect to those who went before us and for the souls who still hunt the place and the lives of their relatives. Through this we ask for peace and tranquility of our souls and mind that we may live peacefully,” Palangdan said.

The local government of Itogon organized the “Pammakan,” a native ritual that involves the butchering of animals for offering so that the spirits of those who have passed away would guide the town and prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

Palangdan said after the onslaught of Ompong, the community learned its lesson and that is to cooperate and abide by the instructions of authorities. He said the tragedy in Itogon was a wake-up call for the community.

“The community has learned its lesson the hard way, many lives were taken last year. But because they now know the importance of heeding the instruction of their officials, they voluntarily leave their households when it rains especially those in areas identified by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) as high risk and no-build zones,” he said.

The MGB earlier declared a large portion of Itogon as unsafe, uninhabitable and within the “no-build” zones.