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Luna, is one of the seven municipalities of the Province of Apayao, established by virtue of Executive Order No. 20 signed by Governor Dwight Davis on October 16, 1929. There are 22 barangays, 3 of which comprises the Marag Valley, which became famous because of insurgency problems in the 1980’s to 90’s. It was declared a ‘no man’s land’ and was subjected to bombings that resulted to human rights violations by the military. It was a Paradise Lost… a Paradise Regained in the 1990’s. The town was a 6th class municipality then it became 5th class during the time of Ex-mayor Bienvenido G. Verzola, Jr.,

then reclassified to 4th class during the first term of Mayor Betty C. Verzola, then again, it was reclassified to its present category, a 3rd class municipality. Luna’s population is closed to 16,000 and has a land area of 65, 540. For the past 8 years, the municipality and the town’s lady executive received and won several prestigious awards and commendations.

Upon arrival of the Local Chief Executive of the town, Mayor Betty C. Verzola, from the Luzon Island Mayors’ Conference on the last week of August, she immediately called for a meeting to all LGU department heads to present the “coffee table book” of the Bayanihang Pasko 2006, where Luna was one of the 12 most creative towns and featured in the Lady’s Choice 2006 Calendar in the month of July. The LCE challenged the group to again join in the Likhang Pasko 2006, Inter-Municipality Landmark Making Contest. The group, capitalizing on the value of unity and cooperation, willingly accepted the challenge.

As a woman leader and the organizer of the Luna Women Welfare Organization, Mayor Verzola recognizes the significant role of women in community development. Tapping the women to take lead in any endeavor shall surely contribute to its success. She invited the 22 presidents of Women Welfare Organizations in a meeting and presented the project which with so much excitement and eagerness, the group volunteered to be the sponsoring partner women organization.
 
Confident that bayanihan spirit still lives in the hearts of the townspeople, Mayor BCV felt the need to present the project also to the barangay officials, heads of agencies, and sectoral groups in the community like the religious group, senior citizens, business and cultural communities, as well. As expected, everyone willingly committed to take part in the building of the landmark.
 
On October 2, 2006, barangay people, women, students, employees began to bring in to the site, materials that can be used in the construction of the landmark. So that on October 7, 2006, the project was started.

Everybody took part in the building of the masterpiece. The LGU sponsored the Inter School Recycling Program in a competition for the most wastes collected/recycled. The LGU will give incentive to the school which has the greatest number/kilo of plastics, tin cans, empty bottles and the like. Women organizations shall make decorative flowers, bags, hats, mats out of plastic and newspapers. Government employees and business people participated in the ‘operation collect LC bottles’. Snacks serve during meetings and special occasions must be mayonnaise based. Highlight of the bottle collection activity is the conduct of the 1st Sweet Potato Salad Festival Gifts of Choice – a Salad Showcase in time with the celebration of the town’s 77th Founding Anniversary. This is one great strategy in raising Lady’s Choice jars where every woman, child, student, lady employee brought one (1) bottle each, thereby displaying 30 different recipes, 1765 kls. of sweet potato were cooked that more that 2500 people tasted and savor the delightful salad recipes. However, one difficulty experienced during the activity was the shortage in the supply of Lady’s Chioce mayonnaise. Much as the women desire to prepare and cook more during the salad festival, the stores that were selling lady’s choice ran short of supply. And the nearest Lady Choice depot is Tuguegarao City which is 2 hours travel from our place.
 
The LGU employees’ cooperative is continually purchasing Lady’s Choice Products from Tuguegarao to ensure that the product would readily be available and selling it to the employees and mothers in the locality.

Christmas in Luna is one if not the most celebrated and memorable occasion in the town, for it is a time when families are reunited, friends are reconciled, memories are refreshed and homes are filled with overwhelming peace, joy and love. Nonetheless, when one thinks of Christmas, he remembers home, he treasures by heart memories of family. Everyone desires to spend the holiday season at home with loved ones. As the famous song goes, ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’, and so the people of Luna created a replica of a traditional home.

The Christmas Landmark of the municipality depicts a typical home for the people of Luna. It is made of wood and bamboo (bolo) and other materials that are abundant in the locality. As often describe, a home is the father’s kingdom, the mother’s palace and the children’s paradise. The Christmasterpiece will serve as recreation facility for the entire community. The adornments are the stuffs used by our forefathers in their homes like the dulang (low dining table), bangkito (tiny low bench), karatay (hanging tray), sagapa (pot base), buyoboy (coconut shell container), sagatan (strainer), lakasa (treasure box), alsong at al-o (milling equipment), ulnas (cart), takoli (sliding cart), baki (chiken nest), kuribot (knap sack), bubo at alat (fishing equipment) and many other indigenous materials that were very important in their everyday living.

Knowing that the responsibility in building a house resides in the shoulders of the ‘man or father’, each barangay sent volunteer skilled carpenters thereby 120 carpenters built the masterpiece. Not minding the rain and shine, we worked gladly on the building. While the barangays contributed indigenous materials used, the LGU hauled and bring them to the site even from the farthest barangays of Marag Valley. Like in an ordinary home setting, the women of Luna prepared and served meals, snacks, native delicacies during the construction.

Meanwhile, in line with the Eco Waste Management Program, the women of Luna actively participated in the LGU initiated livelihood projects like bags and hats making out of empty packs of juices, decorative flowers made of old newspapers, corn curbs and leaves, corn husk and other waste materials that are recycled and made into beautiful works of arts that reflects the creativity and ingenuity of the women of Luna. These works of art indeed add beauty to the place, we call Home.
 
In this present age of advance technology, these things which were very important to the early people are no longer inexistence. Reviving culture is then a fitting remembrance to those who used them and a treasured gift to the younger generation. The Landmark showcases the rich culture of the town, the way of life of the people and the structure of the early homes.
 
In its entirety, the Christmas landmark includes the municipal hall, the park, the 2005 pagoda-like Christmasterpiece, and the new masterpiece. Hanged at the park are 22 lanterns representing the 22 barangays of the municipality. The lanterns are made of materials depicting the products that are abundant in their respective barangays. Lady’s Choice bottles are used as bulbs to light the lanterns. The stunning landscape of the park infront of the municipal hall, that we proudly call the “balay ti ili” (home of the people) is a demonstration of the unity and cooperation of the employees from various government offices in the municipality. We have readily joined hands to create beautiful surroundings of the people’s haven.

The doves at the big jar of Lady’s Choice made at the top of the masterpiece signify peace, unity and cooperation of the people. The doves are drawn towards the bottle to imply that our desire to be united, to work together, and to attain our purpose of putting a landmark can all be achieved through ‘one brand, one product, one jar.’ To recall, a jar is a most treasured object in the home of Apayao people during the early age. It is a priceless jewel for it served as a dowry to a beautiful Apayao bride. Now, with the making of a Christmas Landmark in Luna, the memory that goes with a ‘jar’ lives on. It may not be as precious as the jars in the early days but the Lady’s Choice jar was able to revive the spirit of ‘bayanihan’, and brought out the creativity of the people.
 
The landmark manifests our love for our rich heritage – a reminder of a joyous season, a call for harmony with people and nature, and foremost, a symbol of LOVE, PEACE and UNITY.