Loooooonganisa!!!

Baguio's longest Longanisa parade on September 19, 2009

Muslim community joins Baguio Centennial

Centennial Butterflies

Ammungan Lady

Nueva Viscaya's very first Ammungan Festival. This street dancer is one of the major attraction during the Ammungan Street Dancing Competition that took place in Bayombong Nueva Viscaya on May 22, 2009.

My "mangan" series

Paracelis Beauty

Ms. Lang-ay 2nd runner up is from Paracelis, the remotest part of the Mountain Province.

Rock Monsters of Mt. Kalugong

Panagbenga Faces

Part 1 pa lang to sa mga nakuha kong faces. I'll try to post more pag may time maglagay ng watermark.

Panagbenga Close Up #1

Very late posting. Not time or too lazy to re size.

Dances with lights

Half Moon

Taken last week along Session Road. Guess where.

The Chicharon Guy

On a round trip travel to Pampanga.

Rugby boys

Watch out where your kids are going. This is Baguio and this is in Burnham Park.

A Legacy Worth Remembering

Carl Cariño Taawan

Igorot, a name that has many faces. Their unique traits are different from those who have lost their culture and customs to the western world. People who are uninformed of their history branded them as ignorant and backwards and the name Igorot became a derogatory term for stupid people. Even some of those who are related to the name have changed it into something else. Many shunned using it to avoid the mockery.

One brave young man came out to join a talent search that will be scrutinized by millions and boldly put in his Igorot lineage. Although Marky Cielo is half Igorot and has spent years away from the Cordilleras, he courageously used the already humiliated term and faced the challenge the world will throw at him. True enough, using the name of his origin gave him the expected ridicule and the famous remark, “he should be eliminated because he’s an Igorot” came out. He stayed to the end of the competition not only to win but to educate these uninformed people of his unique origins.

His forefathers fought for freedom and independence against a European race that wants to enslave them. And while the rest of the country had been colonized, the Igorots fought losing many lives but they never lost their independence. They also defied the American colonizers when they hide the Filipino revolutionary leader in their midst. And when their existence was once again threatened by the waves of hardened armies of Samurai descents, they united and prevailed that even the great country of America was awed by their courage. They fought for their freedom and cultures and they were able to preserve it that up to the present these people still have their own unique culture and identity. Yet only a handful remained who admired them for the courage they’ve shown.

These are the people Marky represented. He may have fought in a different battlefield our forefathers faced but with the similar goal. In the end he taught not only the uninformed but also us, his kinsmen. He brought us back what many have taken for granted, the courage to fight for our unique culture and identity and the power to unite as one to defeat all the odds. We united to back him up and he won.

But what he won is not just a place in the world of showbiz. He won for all of us a place in the limelight of the real identity of the Igorots. He inspired us to keep fighting and keep teaching the world of what we really are. This is his legacy. His memory will remain not only to his fellow Igorots but to all of the people who saw and heard of this young man’s talents and courage both on and off the camera.

All4Music: Cooky Chua w/ Mike Villegas

Ms. Benguet winners

Adivay 2008: Cañao

More photos of the recently concluded Adivay Festival

Adivay 2008: Depap

When the son of Kabunian, Lumawig, was on the right age to marry, he has chosen a bride from the mountainous region of the Cordilleras. When the wedding was due, Lumawig carried logs of pine to the house of the bride but there weren’t enough food for the well wishers to partake. And so he called out to all the animals and the forest. The deer came running out but they weren’t good enough for Lumawig. He called once again to the animals and this time, pigs came running out of the forest. Lumawig called out to the men to catch the animals to be cooked for the wedding. All men ran after the pigs and started catching each one of them.

From such legend came the Benguet tradition “Depap” or “Chepap” when the men catch animals, usually pigs, to be butchered for a Caňao. On the 22nd of November, this tradition came to life during the Adivay celebration.

The Young Rider

Five years old Jana May Ampal shows her riding skills during the Dongba ni Kabajo (horse race). This activity is part of the ongoing Adivay Festival in La Trinidad, Benguet.

The Oldest Caballero

He's 83 years old and still riding. Esteban Esco Sr. won this exhibition show during the "Dongba ni Kabajo" (horse racing) which was part of the ongoing Adivay Festival in Wangal, La Trinidad.