Organizations Joined Baguio Artists to Create a Park

Funded by a Japanese Non-governemnt Organization, several groups joined a tree planting activity as part of a 3-year project to create Baguio Artists Forrest Park at Km. 4 Asin last Monday, September 17, 2012.

Lead by Baguio Artists and the Lagud School of Living Traditions, the group composed of the Philippine National Police, One Nature One Community (ONOC), Katribu, Dap-ayan ti Kultura ti Kordilyera, Save 182, La Trinidad Shutterbugs, students from SLU Laboratory Elementary School and several online groups planted about 2,000 assorted seedlings.

The park is a project of the Greenfields Network Philippines and funded by National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization, a Japanese non-government organization. The Baguio City Police Office also contributed about 400 assorted seedlings to the project.

The 1 hectare area is owned by Baguio Artist Kidlat Tahimik and was believed to be a Japanese camp during World War two from the war relics previously dug on the site. Leading the project is artist Santos Bayucca who said that Tahimik allowed the artists to plan and develop his lot as a haven for artists and tourists by transforming it into a park.

Bayucca said the first part of the project is to plant 10,000 trees or more to the site. “We asked the Japanese NGO to help finance the project because we believe the Japanese army cut many of the trees around the area during their occupation in the Philippines,” Bayucca said.

“Next phase of the project is to create native huts from the authentic original designs and the creation of a Dap-ay. There are also several caves that can be developed as tourist attractions, a possible replacement to the once popular Crystal Caves,” he said.

It’s not just another tree planting activity where the planted trees are abandoned after being planted. Bayucca said that they might charge those who want to plant trees and be part of the project in the future for the maintenance of the trees. “The artists will make sure that the trees are taken care off to ensure their growth and add beauty to the park,” said Bayucca.

Several art works were already installed inside the planned park like a replica of the hanging coffins of Sagada, wood carvings overlooking the park and a view deck with a uniquely design toilet using a refrigerator door at the entrance. A shrine was also created for the deceased soldiers in the area during 2nd World War.

Carl C. Taawan

Ensalidummaay: Inter-Cordillera facebook Convention.

This is a solidarity assembly to encourage the different facebook groups in Baguio and Cordillera to be pro-active and cooperative with each other and create better camaraderie among each others' members.

A lot of new groups are being created each day some with the same goals and often the same members. Having united goals despite the different purposes can help build a better online community that can be useful in building a better Baguio and better Cordillera. In this convention, we will identify the projects of each group and try to unite these activities for a bigger turn out. We will determine in this event whether unifying the projects will be better or not.

Salidummay is a common song that every Cordilleran has probably heard, a fitting theme for this grand convention of the region's netizens.

Strawberry Lane: A Unique Trade Fair at the Strawberry Festival

One of the unique innovations during the Strawberry festival is the Strawberry Lane which offers variety of strawberry inspired products from donuts to facial scrub.

What was removed from the Baguio Panagbenga Festival which was the flower inspired foods fair, La Trinidad picked up. Chairperson Municipal Agriculturist Fely Ticbaen said that “the trade fair is to showcase different entrepreneurs producing strawberry based products.”

Many who participated continued the product that won a Guinness World Record in 2004 when La Trinidad showcased the biggest strawberry shortcake. Different versions had been competed against each other for the best strawberry shortcake since then and some are currently offered at the Strawberry Lane. Normancita Obar also known as Menchi, an entrepreneur of Menchie’s did not only offer cakes but it also produced its unique version of strawberry donuts. One of the sponsors of the activities, she operates her business at home and her cakes can be ordered through her cellphone at 09089000672.



Other unique products are strawberry toast pizza by Veronica Siloy, Strawberry Sherbet at Ligaya canteen and of course there are the different brands of strawberry wine and strawberry jams.

Other agricultural events during the culminating program of the Strawberry Festival was the Duting tan Dukto, a breakfast treat serving strawberries (duting) and camote (dukto) products.

Strawberry eating contest was also held as fun activity. The biggest strawberry competition was held for the strawberry growers. The free wine tasting was not only participated by men by a large number of women as well.

The main event was the Giant Strawberry Salad Bowl where more than 3,000 servings were distributed for free.

Panagbenga Festival, the Complexities

The 17th Panagbenga probably has presented one of the unique innovations done with its street dancing parade shifting from the original flower filled dances backed with pop music into cultural presentations. This and many other events earned lots of positive and negative reactions from the audience. I believe all festivals have complexities.

With the final showdown at the Athletic Bowl, Cordillerans seem to have improved in showcasing their ethnic customs. However, the supposed street dancing parade was past paced along the stretch of Session and Harrison roads that the audience there complained for the lack of entertainment.

As my friend Fiscal Elmer Sagsago said of his visitors who came all the way from Bicol, “They came expecting a lot of dancing during the street dancing competition but were very disappointed. If you invite guests to your City to be entertained, make sure that they will be entertained,” said Sagsago. Many other guests share the same sentiment and they did not care to follow them to the athletic bowl because they didn’t expect a grander show.


The problem the organizers had been trying to solve was the pacing of the parade. As the BFFFI Chairman explained, “if we solve the pacing, we lose the entertainment value. But if we focus on the entertainment value, it will affect the pacing.” It probably is one of the most common problems of festivals.

During the early years of the Panagbenga festival, 2 minutes were allotted for each participant to perform in designated areas on the streets. This causes big gaps in between participants. But are the big gaps a big problem among the audience? As one of the execrators commented, “I believe the gap is the least of their worries and they’d rather enjoy watching the performances which is the reason why they came.”

Another issue among the observers is the extended 2-day parade. It was stretched so that the two parades could be finished earlier in the day. It has also more income potential for businesses with more days for tourists to stay in the City.

A veteran journalist who had been covering many festivals told me that long parades are not problems in other parts of the country, the longer the parades, the better. The festivals like the Sinulog starts at 8 in the morning and ends at 12 midnight and people enjoy them and they don’t complain.

They have concentrated their effort for that one day grand show and they have successfully generated longing for the audience that sponsors are willing to bestow their support giving away more than enough budget to make a spectacular festival.

As my journalist friend said, our festival in Baguio seems to be concentrated on the income the city can generate than to the quality that it was stretched thin throughout the month of February in five weeks of scattered activities.
Yet sponsors seem to be backing away to give their full support for the festival with less and less funds to spend for a grander showcase.

Another friend who has observed the growth of the festival through the years compared it to a cup of peanut that if placed on a large plate, the peanut would look very little for not filling the whole space. But if the same amount of peanut is placed on a small saucer, it would look plenty.

Less is more would be the statement. Putting all the Panagbenga events in 1 week instead of 1 month would perhaps become a dream vacation for many tourists, but of course, less income to the businesses sector. How can we satisfy the audience at the same time maximize the potential to the business sector? It is now a question how to balance quality and quantity.

One suggestion I received from another friend is there should be more promotions. People from other places only think of the main parade when they hear Panagbenga.


Every activity should have its own advertising budget, not a collective promotion for the whole event. Although the fluvial parade was a disappointment this year, this was one of the unique events that this friend of mine wanted to see because of the photos he saw in a magazine published last year, Yet it completely skipped his mind because he did not see any separate advertisement promoting it. There may have been ads but not enough that not many people noticed.

He said all of the activities during the Panagbenga have potentials to be Grand National events. The “Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom” could attract national or even international artists who are willing to come and create a painting that they can give away to Panagbenga and the foundation can earn by auctioning them.

With only one famous artist we can invite to come, many others will follow. And many of the best artists who can draw crowds live right in the neighborhood.

The Pony Boys day too can attract more participants it its games if properly advertised.

I do agree that if we can’t compress all the events together, separate promotions should be given more attention. I promoted the “Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom” event to online facebook groups, many came and have created beautiful designs that were chosen to be included in the parades. And that was just me. How much more when there are people dedicated to do that kind of promotions to all groups in the country? Perhaps even this event can create big income potential when it’s hyped in all advertising media.

Like what my friend said, there’s a possible way to address the quality and not loss in quantity for this festival. We may not need to hire more people to do it, just use proper mechanisms.

New Life to Centuries Old Tree

Lead by Baguio born international artist Kawayan de Guia, 4 Baguio artists and 7 Ifugao carvers joined forces to give new life to Baguio’s oldest tree and became one of the sights to see in Mines View. Alfonso Bucalen Jr., Jayson Domling, Ashley Velasco, and Kawayan’s father Kidlat Tahimik worked with Ifugao carvers for 2 weeks to give new face to the celebrated century old tree that was declared dead a year ago. The woodcarvers all hailed from Ifugao are Christopher, Derick & Ceasar Atiwon, Totoy Butic and Apiles Mahiwo, all from Hapao, Hungduan. Their leader Santos Bayucca is from Banaue. A simple ceremony was held last Monday to inaugurate the project where some tourists stopped by to get a photo of the once celebrated century old pine tree now turned totem pole. Following a Cordilleran tradition, a chicken and a pig were butchered as sacrifices to the spirits to continue protecting the tree. Eighty-four-year old Kalanguya “Mambunong” Gabino Bandao interpreted the chicken’s bile “as a good omen that the tree will be protected.” The pig’s bile on the other hand was interpreted as good omen for the carvers and artists who worked for the project. Bandao also said that “it’s a good sign that the tree will affect the surrounding people in a positive way.”



The centennial pine of Baguio said to be 200 to 500 years old died because it was supposedly struck by lightning, others said that its death was hastened by careless contractors who cemented the pavement where its root was. The tree was declared dead a year ago by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. De Guia’s group had been visiting the tree when it was still alive. “We made a vow about 5 years ago to make something out of the tree when it dies,” the young de Guia said.

The workers carved Cordilleran symbols and images to honor the tree. The main image is a woman they called “Iddaya”, Ifugao’s name for a generous rich woman. On top of her head is a “Dongdong”, a hair accessory used by rich brides in Ifugao. On her hips is a pair of “Hagabi” images, a resting bench for the rich with elevated resting board on one side for the feet. On her feet is a hut symbolizing the Cordilleran family home. On the other side is a hunter, a typical profession of Codilleran males in the olden days. On the hunter’s foot is a dog, a common companion for hunters and on the left is a deer which is the favorite game of hunters.

The woman pounding rice represents the regular workers while the chicken and the monkey are common pets found in many households.



The small child looking beyond the mountains is called “Butik” which represents someone from the hinterlands.

The snake and the “idu” or bird are both used for omens. If one crosses your path on a journey, it would mean bad luck and it is a sign that you should not proceed.

Another design is the ever present image of a lizard prominent among Cordilleran artists. This image represents a lot of interpretations depending on who you’re talking to.

The “bulol” a rice guardian, is a common wood carving among the Ifugaos believed to protect their granaries from pests. The “Bitog” or “ling-ling-o” in Mountain Province is a symbol of fertility.

When the carving was done, it was cured to prevent decay. De Guia said “they will continue to monitor and treat it further when necessary.”

This carving is a legacy that is sure to become an attraction and will probably become Baguio’s most photographed tree. The creators hope that this tree will not only become a famous photography subject but as one of the artists hope, “it will be an educational tool to incite tourists’ interests to learn more about our cultures and traditions.”

Carl C. Taawan

"Fun in the Philippines" Blunder

A photo of Thailand used in The Straits Times baring the new DOT campaign "It's more fun in the Philippines" is now one of the rising issues online.

The photo below was credited to the Department of Tourism in the online version of the News paper.


Here's the print version of the paper published on January 12, 2012.

The photo was formerly published online showing the Shongkaran Festival of Thailand.


Irresponsible reportage?
Department of Tourism Blunder?
An individual's deception?

I for one will not blame the reporter if that photo has indeed come from the Department of Tourism. If for some reason, an individual just want to make fun of the logo and the DOT readily accepted it, then perhaps that department should be the one to be educated first about our tourism for they don't know what are ours and what are not.

But if the photo was not from DOT but only attributed to them like they claimed, then the responsibility is to the journalist especially if the photo was only downloaded online.

I don't like the new slogan but I don't want to reject it. Compared to the "Pilipinas kay Ganda", there are many ways to make it work. We can promote the Philippines as a place of Fiestas, Adventures, Foods, Beaches, etc.

Yet, if our Department Heads don't have enough knowledge and don't explore for new ideas to promote tourism, our new campaign will not go far and we'll just have another useless battle cry striving after the wind. I do believe there are many talented individuals who can make this campaign escalate.

Yes, it's fun in the Philippines as what our colleagues working abroad would say, "there's no place like home" because there are many things that we can proudly say, "only in the Philippines."

Over-Development in the City of Pines

Another battle is raging between protesters and the mall giant SM over the remaining wooded area at the Luneta Park. The permit to cut or transfer the trees was signed by no other than Environment Secretary Ramon Paje while the sale of the questioned property was signed by President Benigno Aquino III himself.

Baguio is becoming more and more cramped with residential and business establishments. Even the streets are cramping with vendors that are not there until the late nineties. Our parks are overflowing with stalls and there are only limited resting areas left.

But who’s at fault in the first place? Looking back at Baguio’s history, it used to be a tourist magnet and it still is. But being in the travel business in the past, I’ve heard people complaining of the changes that they have witnessed through the years of visiting Baguio. Baguio has lost many of its attractions. One of them is the Crystal Cave which has, like horseback riding, became synonymous to the City. Crystal Cave was supposed to be a protected area but now overrun by residential buildings.

We have elected officials to make sure that the protected areas will be protected and yet, they are being sold and awarded to informal settlers. And some of those who lobby for their awarding are the very officials we have elected as guardians. Now a prime attraction of Baguio is no more.

But can it really be helped with the growing population of the City? And do we really have to accommodate them all and give up our remaining protected and forested areas for residential and business establishments? So is “less is more” not a useful phrase in developing our City? Is expanding further in the far flung vicinities not a good idea for expansion instead of drooling over our last wooded areas? Should we remove all the greens in our City and change them all into concrete? Do we really need additional malls?

When SM bought the portion where their building presently stands, there were also protests but the deals were fast tracked and the people don't remember any public consultation before that public property was sold. Eventually they were allowed to build with several conditions and that it should be an added attraction with different design deviating from their usual buildings representing a shoe box. So SM Resort was created and it became one of the most visited areas in Baguio and the most popular landmark. But with the creation of this big mall, it affected many small business in the City, many went bankrupt and closed.

Still after their victory in acquiring Baguio’s prime lot, they wanted to acquire the other remaining forested area like the wooded area fronting Convention Center and now the one surrounding Luneta Hill.

Baguio was not popular because of these malls. Baguio looked better with lesser buildings and more trees being called the City of Pines. How long will it take before these corporate giants occupy all of our remaining forested areas in Baguio? If the politicians we have selected chose to ignore the abuses of these moguls and continue to give way to the influx of informal settlers, it won’t be long and we will end up breathing poisonous gasses in a supposedly pine scented City. Only 18 percent of Baguio now is forested.

They say creating the green mall will give more jobs to hundreds. That is a noble cause but the bottom line is of course more money for the moguls. But why is money always the main concern nowadays? How about the minutes slowly taken away from our lives because we have fewer trees to absorb the pollution in the air we inhale?

Our local officials don’t want to move against these tycoons because they say the higher ups are the ones responsible for the approval of the developments. Some people say our officials received grease money that’s why they don’t want to join the people’s protests.

Whatever their reasons, without their political will, our chance of winning these battles are slim. These business tycoons will keep coming back until they win unless our politicians establish policies that will protect our remaining breathing spaces.

Wouldn’t it be a sight if our very officials are the ones leading these protests against over-development in the City? In the first place SM Resort is still not paying its taxes in the City. I believe it is also a responsibility of these big businesses to pay their taxes where it’s due.

I wonder why not help develop the surrounding areas instead, give them better livelihood in the BLIST areas. The business tycoons can expand and invest in a different manner by supporting the livelihood of the people in those areas; give them training to make better productions for the supplies needed by the City and the malls.

Will it be less profitable? Probably at first for the malls, but in the long run, I think it will give more improvement to all of the businesses in general. Give those people in the BLIST areas buying power and they will come to spend it in Baguio, like buying of supplies or for recreation. They will become tourists in their own City with enough money to spend. In the end, Baguio and its businesses, including the malls will be the main beneficiary.

With enough money being spent, it will create more jobs, and not only hundreds but thousands will be employed, and it’s not confined to that 76,000 square meters expansion area in question but can spread out in the entire region.

Let’s hope these tycoons and politicians will change their concept that when it comes to progress, it is always infrastructures. Progress can come in many ways and leaving the trees and protected areas behind is responsible development. With responsible development, we can avoid losing more of Baguio's attractions like pine scented breezes and pine tree covered hills.