This resting place of the dead in the province of Kalinga has become a tourist attraction.
The Nambaran Cemetery in Tabuk City, Kalinga is among the unique burial grounds in the Cordillera region as it features artistic tombs.
Located in Sitio Ileb, Barangay Nambaran, this public cemetery has imposing tombs with designs of a car, truck, airplane, boat, shoe, bird, lion, horse among others. Each design reflects the character, the work or aspiration in life of the deceased.
Passersby cannot help but to stop and appreciate such unusual sight of a cemetery.
The Nambaran cemetery was created in 1980, and building of the customized tombs started in 2008.
Tabuk City Tourism Officer Arlene Ethel Odiem said the cemetery is indeed a peculiar one – serving as a resting place for the dead and a tourist attraction for the living.
The cemetery was recently listed as an important cultural property under the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, according to the City Tourism Office (CTO).
“Cemeteries are among the most valuable of historic resources. They are reminder of various settlement patterns, such as villages of various communities, urban center, and ghost towns. Cemeteries can reveal information about historic events, religious, lifestyles and genealogy.
For the Nambaran cemetery, what makes the place with historical significance are the tombs where the dreams, wishes, aspirations or memories of their departed are being depicted, keeping it alive,” the CTO stated.
While the place has become a tourist attraction, the CTO reminds those visiting the place to be respectful as it is a burial ground and a resting place of the deceased loved ones of the people of Kalinga. (JDP/RMC- PIA CAR)
