Benguet mummies in danger

BAGUIO CITY , Philippines  – They are in danger, not from thieves, but from environmental factors.

The famous Kabayan mummies are being wrought with molds, Kabayan town Mayor Faustino Aquisan sounded the alarm this week as the preserved corpses, one of the major tourist attractions of his town and treasures of Benguet province, would decay very fast.

Aquisan said the National Museum which is in charge of the preservation of the mummies already knows the predicament of the town as he said, “we don’t have the capability or the chemicals to address the problem.”

Already, town officials are now regulating the visits to the mummy caves of Kabayan and that they are already enforcing a “no touch/holding” and viewing only rule.

The mummies are said to be as old as 2,000 years old.

Trekking to the mummy caves is one of the tourist attractions of Kabayan, Benguet.

Aside from the boost it gives to the tourism, it also gives employment to locals who work as tourist guides.

Kabayan also offers other beautiful tourist attractions. It shall hold its Timbac-Tbayoc Quest on March 13 to 14 to awe visitors with a visit to their caves, mountain lakes and the famous Amburayan River.       – Artemio Dumlao