A Tear for Baguio

Baguiosmile

As I stood there and watch the tallying of the results of the election polls, I can’t help but feel sad when some of my friends’ names are not climbing the ladder. I am not a political man and I never involved myself in politics in the past. But I have come to know some of the politicians in a personal level.

I thought the people had been clamoring for change but it seems this election has proven that they are not. It’s not that I don’t respect the people’s choice and the people they voted for. It's not the politicians that I don't like coz they are helpful when you approach them. It's the deals they did that took away the rights of the people to decide. I was just wondering why the people have already forgotten the battle they once fought so hard when their rights had been constrained and threatened.

• Jadewell once terrorized the citizens of Baguio; we fought hard and the very person we fought with us who has successfully drove them out was sacked out of office. Now we can no longer use some facilities because of the cases involved in this privatization of public properties.
• We also fought the privatization deal of the Baguio public market with UNIWIDE where the local market owners will be displaced. The MOA is not yet revoked and their case could still win.

Yes we were partially successful in those battles but they are still on the table ready to hatch soon if we don’t continue to fight it. And they have their ways like the way they did the other deals where we now don’t have the power to oppose.

• We now have to pay 6.00 when we go to the privatized public toilet. Isn’t this one of where some of our taxes should go? Isn’t it supposed to be publicly owned and not operated by a private individual?
• We no longer own the historic hill where the old sanitarium of Baguio was once situated. Although we are enjoying SM, are we receiving enough compensation in giving up a public prime lot? SM Corporation doesn’t even pay their taxes in the City:
• We have restricted access to Camp John Hay now privatized and owned by the elites. It was awarded to a private development company who is not even paying the rents for years now. It was more accessible when it was being used by the Americans where we used to roam freely;
• We may soon have the same dilemma when Burnham Park Athletic Bowl and Pine Trees of the World Park will be privatized where the MOA with a private Korean Development Company is not yet revoked? I am part of an organization who adopted part of the Pine Trees of the World Park, one of the remaining pine-tree clad parks in the heart of the City that we had been taking care of for years now. It once was filled with wild sunflowers and tall grasses where drug users used to hide. We cleaned it up and made a relaxing place where people can enjoy the shade of the pine trees without being bothered by the peddlers that plagued our parks. We cried when trees we planted were uprooted by irresponsible park goers. The released plan by the Korean company will renovate this area to be part of privatized facilities.

These are just some of the issues in my list that robbed or will rob the people of their rights. People really do seem to have short term memories. They easily forget who they fought with to regain their rights. It seems they just voted for the most popular of them all rather than the ones with the best presented programs. If only it's possible to vote for programs or platforms, not people.

Soon there will be privatized garbage recycling facilities. This may look good for the City but is privatization really the solution to everything?

I have seen better programs presented by some politician friends. Systems that give the citizens the rights to the City’s properties without having to resort to privatization. Plans to give the jobs to the local citizens rather than to the staffs of private companies. Plans to involve the stake holders and the people of Baguio in every major decision the legislators will decide upon.

But who am I to judge the judgment of the people? It is their rights to choose. But is it really their choice? Or is there really a mass vote buying in the process? How true is the reported triple 7-plated pajero and other private cars distributing payments to voters? Is it true that squatter areas in some public properties like the Irisan dumpsite is a “vote mine” for some politicians and that’s the reason why the issues there are never resolved? These “vote mines” accordingly, are controlled by the people who can afford them and/or the people who put them there.

Whatever the reason the people have chosen them, whether it's a personal choice or because of some personal favors or for money, it’s in their hands now. I hope the same people who voted will also be the sentinels to watch out whether the people they chose to represent them will really perform services for the people or just for their own pockets.

I also hope that the people I know who made it to the magic 12 will also use their power to fight irregularities and manipulations in the legislative body.

Blinds

Women Power

Women and Children including a Senior Citizen helped in setting up emergency tent from Shelterbox in Coroz, Tublay. These tents were installed to help ease out the schools of evacuees so that kids could go back to school.

A Time to Rest

A member of the Philippine army working in the rescue operation in a community known as little Kibungan in Puguis takes a rest, or perhaps praying for a miracle that the people still missing will eventually come home alive. But come hom...e to where when their houses were already taken by Pepeng?

The Tenth Ray

By Carl Cariño Taawan

The senate agreed to include a ninth ray on the Philippine flag's sun to symbolize the courage, bravery and integrity of Muslim Filipinos who fought for the nation's independence. Shouldn't the senate also include the mountain people who sacrificed so many lives to fight oppression?

Under the leadership of Bonifacio, the Filipino people started fighting the Spaniards in the late 1800's. But the Igorot people had been fighting these invaders for the 333 years they colonized the Philippines. The conquerors were not able to fully establish a foothold in the Igorot territories.

One of the biggest battle recorded by the Spaniards was in 1760s in Tonglo, part of the modern Tuba. In this particular battle, most of the Ibaloi warriors were united to battle the Spanish-led armada of lowland soldiers. It was during this battle that many of the brave Ibaloi warriors were killed and the town of Tonglo, one of the biggest communities of Igorots in Benguet was erased on the map.

It was only in 1846 after so many battles and so many sacrificed lives that Colonel Guilermo de Galvey was able to establish a rancheria in Benguet and named the capital La Trinidad after his wife.

In the Spanish records, when their historians first arrived in La Trinidad, there were more than 100 houses in the valley. However, in the later remarks, there were only about 30 huts. The continuous battle has decimated the population of Igorots in the territories closest to the enemies.

Colonel Galvey also attacked deeper in the Cordilleras into the Mountain Provinces and Ifugao but he wasn't able to establish a permanent stronghold. Until the time the Americans bought the Philippines from the Spaniards, most of the Igorot territories are free from the foreign invaders. Practically speaking, they were not conquered by the Spaniards.

When the Americans came, the Igorots also were the last to be conquered after many bloody battles. Most of these battles were of course not recorded or in a term used by their historian William Henry Scott, these records were whitewashed by the Americans. There was a story of American soldiers who eradicated a whole community of Igorots in Ifugao. After so many battles and many more lives were sacrificed did the Americans started sending teachers to educate remnants of these brave Igorot warriors.

Of course, the Americans won't be that interested in these so-called wild men of the Philippines if they will not benefit from their lands. Like the Spaniards, they were after one thing, resources. The Igorot land was rich with gold and timber. After their conquest, they started harvesting lumbers and mining the gold. Thankfully, even after robbing them of their riches, the Americans were able to educate these wild men and up to the present, they were among the well-educated people in the Country. Another good thing about the Americans is they know how to replant the felled trees and many of those seen in Baguio today were planted by them.

So the Americans taught the Igorots a more peaceful way to live and the humbled fierce warriors abandoned their shields and spears. They now relied upon the American government for protection.

After 40 years of the American invasion came another oppressor, The Japanese imperial army. After fighting so many battles with the Spaniards and Americans, and after being abandoned by the people who promised them protection if they lay down their arms, the Igorot people were easily humbled by these new invaders. However, after witnessing so much cruelty, the Igorots once again rose to fight and they created a legend that the Japanese army came to fear and the Americans came to respect, the 66th infantry battalion.

When the Americans came back to fulfill their promise, the Igorot battalion fought hand in hand with them. They were able to drive the Japanese army out of Baguio and the enemy's number dwindled after they were chased away deeper into the Cordillera Mountains. Until finally with the 66th infantry on their tail their foremost General Yamashita, the conqueror of Malaya surrendered in Kiangan, Ifugao. The Japanese armies were fearful of the 66h infantry to the end that they have chosen to surrender to the Americans.

After the war, the Americans granted the Philippines "freedom" (or should we say, partial freedom since the Americans continue to share with the country's wealth) and the Igorot people were free to govern themselves. The Igorots has now adjusted to modern living and they have migrated to the different part of the globe providing services of their respective skills. Visiting the Cordilleras now, one would notice the American-educated communities where English is understood and spoken.

The plight of the Igorot people is unknown to many Filipino people. Their name is used as a derogatory term by some. But they were people who valued their freedom like the rest of the Filipinos. They fought for it like the Filipino heroes written in history books. Are their sacrificed thousands of lives fighting for independence and exploited resources not enough to be part also of the Country's symbol?

Shady Business

Muslim community joins Baguio Centennial

Centennial Butterflies

Centennial Fireworks

A Yellow Ribbon for Tita Cory

by Carl Carino Taawan

The very first thing I remember about Aquino’s rule was when I was creating my own city on the ground as a child. I was playing with other children carving roadways from the dirt infront of our house loading our little trucks with pebbles and sands when suddenly we were mesmerized by thousands of armed men in trucks passing by the road. Later on I found out that they were the group of Balweg going down the mountain to talk peacefully to the newly elected president.

It was during her time that the solidarity of the Communist Party of the Philippines was shattered. Part of the party were in favor of her and to amnesty yet some were against it. The party was divided and their strength built during Marcos’ regime was never regained again as described in the book “The Journey of Edgar Jopson and the First Quarter Storm” by Benjamin Pimentel Jr.

Some would say Aquino wasn’t intelligent enough to be the president. She herself admitted it when she said "I don't know anything about the presidency” a year before she run against Marcos. And yes, when she was the president, there were stories about the manner she does things like she's doing chores in her own house. At one time I read about a joke told by James Baker that she didn’t get.

She may not have the IQ of many yet, I believe she started something that was denied to the Philippines for a long time, real freedom; one particular was the freedom of speech. Although Philippines have a high percentage of killings of journalists, I believe we do have the best freedom in the whole of Asia after the so-called iron-hand rule was ended.

Described by many as an iron-hand or dictatorship rule, many have bled to fight Marcos' regime and many lives were sacrificed. Marcos stunned the nation in November 1985 by calling a snap election in a bid to shore up his mandate. The opposition urged Aquino to run but the results favored Marcos. Journalist, foreign observers and church leaders alleged massive fraud.

Her fight after the snap election was the most dramatic in the history Philippine politics. During that time the citizens were called to help defend the military groups who mutinied against Marcos. "For the first time in the history of the world, a civilian population has been called to defend the military," Aquino said during the first people’s power revolution. Photos of nuns and civilians stopping tanks became icons etched in our minds.

On February 25, 1986, Marcos fled to the states and Aquino was sworn as president. Yes, a housewife who lead the Filipino people to a historic revolution that humbled a powerful enemy.

Her rule may not be the best that happened in the Country for like the others, there were many flaws. Even the Military group who put her to power tried to bring her down. But there is only one Edsa revolution and it may never happen again. And like the old country song where the yellow ribbon tied on the old oak tree was a symbol of hope, the yellow color symbolized the time when a nation’s hope for reform was realized.

Vege Float

It's not an egg, it's not a plant, it's an eggplant from Dupax.

Who says vegetables are only for the table?

Speedo

Been shooting with the "no credit photographers" lately. Here's Mr. Speedo wearing almost yellow, passing over signs that are yellow, overtaking a parked car that's not yellow.

Leaf Onion Farm

One of my shoots during the Strawberry Festival Photo competition. She was cleaning her leaf onions she harvested. Danggo is the name of this product in the native dialect.

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.

The Sea Castle

Heavenly lights #3

Baguio City with Dominican Hill in the background.

Igorots: The People Behind the Name

In many parts of the country, the word Igorot is used as a derogatory term for idiots. In 1958, Even the former representative Luis Hora of the Third District of the Old Mountain sought to prohibit the use of Igorot in a house bill he presented. But what does the word really mean and who are these people who are proud to be called as one.

As far as the meaning of the word Igorot itself is concerned, Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, eminent Tagalog scholar at the turn of the century stated that it was composed of the root word golot, meaning “mountain chain” or “mountain ranges” and the prefix i, meaning “people of” or “dwellers in.”

It probably has the same use with the old tagalog word "golod" found in a 1613 Tagalog dictionary. The fact that golot is a place has still survived in the speech of those “Bagos” living in the outskirts of the Ilocos provinces who are decendants of the igorots. To people who just arrived from the Cordillera Provinces some would still say “Nagapodad Golot” – They came from golot.

The word Igolot therefore appears to be perfectly indigenous Filipino origin, and it is in this form that it first appeared in Spanish records. The substitution of R for L in the word did not become popular until the 18th century when Antonio Mozo used the word in his 1763 Noticia Historico Natural changing the letter ‘L’ into letter ‘R’.

There is no record if the people in question called themselves Igorots (or Igolots) in the olden days. It would be more likely that this is what they were called by non-mountaineers in the lowlands. But they did not call themselves by any other one name either.

The name was imposed on the mountaineers by American Authority in the present century in accordance with the American ethnological surveys. The people of the old Mountain Province (namely Bontok, Ifugao, Benguet, Apayao and Kalinga) started using the term as their unique identify.

Presently, some people from the Cordillera Region refuse to use Igorot as their own identity. Some wanted to be called Cordilleran instead. However, the word Cordillera is not an indigenous but a foreign (Spanish) term. It would then defeat the purpose to identify the culture as unique. Igorot therefore is still the perfect word to call these distinctive people of these mountain ranges or “golot”.

The Beach Boys

Burning Clouds

Bauang, La Union

Fishers & Nets