Ay... Ay... Salidummay...

Two Cordilleran Contestants to Pilipinas Got Talent Finals?

2010-06-06T13:43:00.001+08:00

How I wish they both will make it!

Ingrid Payaket:

When asked if she is going to the gym, she answered candidly "Natural lang po. Ganito po kasi mga Igorota. Maskulada. (This is natural. This is how Igorota looks like. We got muscles.)" LOL!.

And upon knowing that there are no girls yet qualified for the finals of the show, she quipped "Nanawagan po ako sa mga kababaihan, ipantay natin ang laban. (I am calling to all women, let's level the field.)". Smart and talented!

and the Baguio Metamorphosis:

(click here to see a clearer video of the Baguio Meta performance)

The group have chosen an apt name! They metamorphosed the stage with their smooth and eclectic dance moves.

Actually, a third group made it to the the semi-finals of the show. Funny Baguio duo Powerpuff Corn failed to grab a grand final slot but for sure, they gained lots of fans. Here's the rock and reggae performance of Cesar and Ryan.

More of Wine...

2010-03-21T09:13:00.022+08:00

Drop by at any souvenir shops in Baguio and you will surely notice the wine bottles in different colors and sizes lined in the shelves. But do you know that those commercial wines, even the tapey, are prepared in what I considered as "modern and commercial" way. For sure, if those wines were made in the traditional means, they will be sold at a much higher price.

Modern wine making normally uses commercial yeasts available in the market; the traditional method utilizes "bobod", a yeast prepared traditionally (again!) For commercial production, the main ingredients were liquefied prior to fermentation, which is not the

case if you want to make a genuine Igorot wine. As for the taste, the commercial and home-made tapey taste almost the same but still, nothing can beat the richer flavor of what has been prepared the original process.

Here's another fact, not all of the ingredients are native to Cordillera. While strawberry is in the backyard of the wine makers in La Trinidad (capital town of Benguet) and bugnay (a red, sweet-sour berry) is now cultivated in the region, other wine main component are from the neighboring Ilocos and Cagayan regions. Duhat (black plum or java plum) is available in the Cordillera but most of the supply comes from the lowland provinces of La Union and Ilocos. Yakon is sourced out from Nueva Vizcaya.

Pinikpikan... The Way It Is

2010-02-12T01:53:00.012+08:00

Why do we have to hurt the ones we love to eat?

Gross! Maybe, but that's the way it is when you want to have Pinikpikan. You have to "killing-me-softly" the chicken. Pikpik, where Pinikpikan was derived, means to pat/tap and such is done hundred of times in preparing the main ingredient of the dish.

Before your imagination runs wild, let me share how this controversial food is prepared.

Ingredients

Chicken (much better if you have a native chic)
Salt
Ginger

Optional Ingredients:

Sayote (Chayote) or Papaya
Leafy vegetables (cabbage, pechay or bok choi, saringit or cabbage shoots)
Etag (salted/smoked pork. I'll tell about this next time.)
Onion leaves (leek)

"Torturing" the Chicken
Before killing the chicken, using a stick, tap the inner part of each wing consecutively from tip to base and vice versa until they turned dark red. (To be able to do this, ask an assistant to hold the chicken head and feet. Spread the wings and join them backward then hold the tip with one hand.) When the wings are done, hold the feet and hang the chicken downward then deliver a killer whack at the back of its head. Others prefer breaking the neck (yap, there are expert neck breakers) than this bludgeoning part.

The controversies of Pinikpikan arose from the way its main ingredient is prepared. Many calls it inhumane since the chicken is killed slowly or softly (thus the song "Killing Me Softly" was associated to the dish). The beating is meant to make the blood curdle inside which in effect is believed to render a richer flavor to the meat compared to ordinary butchered chicken. With the right force (just enough to bruise but without cutting the flesh), the process would only take 10 minutes at the most.

(Photo from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinikpikan)

"Undressing" the Chicken

When the chicken is already dead, pull off the the large feathers in the wings. Then singe the chicken directly in an open fire or
with the use of an LPG blow torch. Pluck the burned feathers but be careful so as not to tear the skin apart. Repeat the burning and the plucking until almost all of the feathers are removed. If you want to include the head and the "adidas" in the cooking, don't forget to peel off the feet skin and the outer covering of the beak. Wash the "undressed" chicken afterward.

Just like the tapping part, there is no other way to remove the feather of a Pinikpikan chicken but through singeing. Otherwise, it will not be a Pinikpikan.

Butchering the Chicken...
There's a way of doing this without breaking any bone of the chicken. Cut the skin under the neck just above the depression in the breast. Lay the chicken on a table. Use one hand to hold the breast down through the incision made then use the other hand to pull the neck up and towards the back to separate the breast from the back and ribcage with all the innards intact.

Locate and remove the bile before working on the other organs. Avoid bursting the bile for it can make the whole chicken taste bitter. In case the bile bursts, wash the tinctured part immediately until the green coloration disappears. Wash the intestine thoroughly and slice open the gizzard to remove its yellowish inner lining. Tie up all the internal organs using the intestine and include it in the cooking later.

Cut the meat to your preferred slices and don't forget to chop off and discard the claw nails.

Cooking
The simplest way of cooking is Pinikpikan is to boil all the meat with a ginger. Then add salt to taste when the meat is almost cooked. That's it!

If other ingredients are included in the menu, boil the etag (salted pork) first before putting in the chicken and sayote. Add salt to taste. When the meat is cooked, add the leek and other vegetables.

And presto!

If you want to try Pinikpikan, drop by at Sagada Lunch when you are in Baguio (I haven't tried other eateries yet if they also have pinikpikan. ) I am sure you will also find the same delicacy in most of the local hotels and lodges in other parts of the Cordillera.

Repainting The Igorot Freedom Park Monument

2010-02-07T08:33:00.012+08:00

The monument is majestically placed at the Igorot Freedom Park which is more known as Igorot Garden. It depicts the five major tribes of the Cordilerans - Kankanaey, Ibaloi, I-Bontok, Kalinga and Apayao - in their traditional customs and in their valiant fight for their land.

At day...

... and at night

(Photo from http://ticzticz.blogspot.com)

the monument is a site to behold.

And now... some of the locals wanted to have their mark in this imposing edifice. Little by little, they are repainting the base of the monument using mixture of:

Areca/Betel nut
Betel leaf (ikmo or buyo)
Lime powder (apog)
SALIVA!

You heard it right guys! Here's how the on-going repainting work looks like.

Anyone who enjoys betel nut chewing are free to join in this repainting project. Just bring your own concoction. You may also participate in the chess tournaments in the park while doing this endeavor.

On a more serious note...
May we request the park managers or the city officials to do something about this? How about a signages of "Maiparit ti Agtupra Ditoy" or "Itugot Yo Pagtupraan Yo"?

I don't want to deprive others in enjoying their "nganga" while relaxing in the park. However, our kailians should be responsible where they spit. I saw some using bottle of mineral water to contain their spittle and maybe others should emulate them for a start. It is yukky but much more hygienic than spitting all around the monument.

Ala ngarud! Ken dakayo ay kakailian ay men memmema, no mabalin, adi tako koma aramiden ay pagtubbaan nan monumento ay naisaad ay mangipaila esnan kina-taraki tako. Awet to kanan nan tapin di ipugao ay maid ubpay pangisakit takos nan kina-Igorot tako.

Batangas Coffee? How About Benguet Coffee?

2010-02-03T10:37:00.003+08:00

Chances are, when one talks of Philippine coffee, he meant Kapeng Barako (Coffea liberica) also known as Batangas coffee. The popular Batangas coffee though are now cultivated mostly in the neighboring province of Cavite.

Unknown to many, there is another Philippine coffee cultivated in the Cordillera. Benguet coffee is a variety of one of the most widely cultivated coffee in the world, the Coffea arabica. (C. arabica is known to have richer in flavor than the other popular Coffea robusta.) Introduced in the locality more than a century ago, coffee production in the mountains had remained a backyard activity. The introduction of Starbuck and other popular cafes' in the country have changed the scenario though. Nowadays, there are renewed efforts to revive the coffee industry of the Cordillera.

Benguet coffee is now available in Baguio market. I already bought some together with Kapeng Barako so I can start educating my tongue about the different coffee tastes.

Ano sa iyo? Kapeng Barako o Benguet coffee?

Coffee Breaks...
...We have a coffee tree in the front yard of our previous house in Mankayan. I remember the sweet taste of the fresh fruit as we peel them in our mouth (nah! There are mechanical ways to peel coffee beans now). But we were not allowed to drink coffee then, my mom used to say it will make us dull.

...The first time I tasted Benguet coffee was during my father's wake. More than two decades after my last taste of fresh coffee beans! At first, I thought that the free flowing brewed coffee in the house was Kapeng Barako. It's good that I was informed before I had the chance to ask who brought the Batangas coffee.

Recycling... Cordillera Version

2010-01-31T12:09:00.006+08:00

These are made from trash folks! Take a closer look...

My stepmom made those pouches while taking care of my late dad. The red and green ones are from the wrappers of instant coffee, the silver is from the foil of a popular milk brand while the multi-colored is from assorted plastic wrappers.

It looks like environmental awareness is catching fire in the Cordillera. Students I met in Mankayan (Benguet) shared that they were required to submit school projects out of household trash. And, recently at the Malcolm Square (People's Park) in Baguio City, an exhibit was held showcasing various materials from used plastics, papers and other waste products. (See exhibit photos
below. Gosh! I was not able to take a good shot - lots of curious people, got two packs with me and I am rushing to catch a ride back to Manila.)

From the women's group of barangay Upper Irisan ...

The bags were made of used plastic straw commonly used when drinking bottled soda. The woman in the booth informed us that soft drink companies are burning the used straw (what???) accumulated from emptied bottles they collected.

The amazing works of Binnadang (?)

Yes! Those chairs, tables, beads, bags, place mats, etc... from PAPER!

Products of North Sanitary Camp (obvious naman, di ba?)

The beautiful flower decors and gas lamps are from soda plastic bottles. (I don't think the gas lamp is a safe one... unless you are living in a fireproof house.)

From other groups... (My apologies guys. I pictured your groups' banner but your names were unreadable. Either my shots were too far or wrongly positioned making your names unreadable.)

Coconut shells made classy!

... And assorted plastics! (Oopss! Excluding the chairs.)

Adopted Sons and Daughters of Cordillera

2009-12-12T21:54:00.006+08:00

Did you know that...
- in April, 2008, Sen. Bong Revilla was adopted as son of Mountain Province and is named Oddagan?
- two months later, in June, Sen. Mar Roxas became an Ifugao named Mahikon?

Here's what fascinates me more...
- in 2007, Sen. Loren Legarda was recognized as Tokwifi and a daughter of Cordillera.
- then in November last year, Sen. Migz Zubiri was adopted as Son of Cordillera. His tribal name is Ducayag (Kalinga warior).
- this 2009, two more were added as sons of Cordillera: former Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro is now Salucon and Mr. Emilio Yap of Manila Bulletin is Pitapit.

I have no qualms when a city, municipality or a province adopts a known personality as its own. But, my body twinge when I read the phrase "adopted son/daughter of Cordillera".

Let me clarify first that I have nothing against those adopted sons and daughters. I may have a thing or two against some of them but they are self-made people who already carved their names in the pages of our history. In fact, it will be a great pleasure and honor to be standing besides any of them.

Back to my uneasiness... I think it could have been brought by the fact (which I'm quite well aware) that Cordillera is composed of several provinces and a chartered city and of various tribes. Furthermore, I am not aware of any legal or even extra-judicial entities that speaks for the whole region specifically for cultural matters. In short, who can or who is authorized to confer adoption in behalf of the whole Cordillera?

By default, Sen. Bong and Sen. Mar are sons of Cordillera. They have been taken in by Mountain Province and Ifugao respectively (I do hope the councils of both provinces have made the adoption "legal" by passing the appropriate ordinances). But as to the other recognized personalities, what will be the proofs that they are Cordillerans? In what basis will they be considered people of Montanosa? What process did they went through and is the process legitimate?

Maybe, I'm also hesitant because after browsing the world wide web, I am still unclear as to why certain individuals were adopted as a son/daughter of Cordillera. I did not get any connection how Mr./Ms. So and So significantly affected the lives of the highlanders. Indeed, some of them have contributed something for the whole country that trickled to the local communities, but then, hundreds and even thousands of individuals have done so but were not adopted as Cordillera's own. So, what's the criteria of adopting a son or a daughter?

Considering someone as your own kind and equal entwines relationships significantly. However, to make the formed relationship lasts, adoption should be based on a criteria, wielded through a process and undertaken by the right institutions or individuals. Otherwise, the adoption defies the spirit of fairness and unity. Furthermose, the questionable credibility of the act will leave a bad taste to the mouth, not only to the Cordillera folks but even to the adopted sons and daughters.

Bicorot, Tagarot or Bictarot?

2009-10-06T11:38:00.011+08:00

Bicorot (Bicolano-Igorot), Tagarot (Tagalog-Igorot) or Bictarot (Bicolano-Tagalog-Igorot)? Ah... whatever, as long as there is the Igorot contraction in the word.

Jedd, the newest addition to the family two months ago is 25% Bicolano, 25% Tagalog and 50% Igorot. But unlike his Bisarot cousins who were able to learn their father's dialect (Visayan Masbate), I don't think Jedd will be able to learn Bicolano from his family. It was his great grandparents who migrated from Bicol and settled in Metro Manila and unfortunately, they failed to transfer the Bicol language to their offspring. Besides, Jedd's mother has but remote family affinity left in the province thus a long vacation near the fabled Mount Mayon is almost nil.

I also don't think Jedd will be learning any Igorot dialect easily. Living in Metro Manila makes any of the provincial languages almost insignificant. People in the metro are more keen on learning foreign languages than other Filipino tongues. I only hope his father will have the time and patience to teach him Igorot words. Or maybe, for Jedd to spent some years in the province just like his cousins so he will be able to learn other dialects.

But, more than the learning of any languages besides Filipino, my prayer is for Jedd to be proud of his parent's culture. And on top of that, for the child to grow respectful of any race and culture.

Sabeng... Tengba... Distinctly Igorots'

2009-08-28T19:53:00.011+08:00

I am tempted to say sabeng is the Igorot version of the Tagalogs' and Kapampangans' burong isda but one is totally different from the other. Burong isda have cooked rice and fish as main ingredient while sabeng is of powdered rice (do I have to say uncooked?) and crab. The process of making the two are similar though and both have "soury" taste and aroma.

There are only three ingredients needed to make sabeng or tengba to some - pounded rice, freshwater crab called gaki in the dialect (talangka in Tagalog), and table salt. Others prefer to take out the crabs' feet for easier screening when preparing the sabeng for cooking but some would mix the detached feet to enhance the crab-taste of the product. Either way, the crabs should be fresh and thoroughly washed. Ordinary rice is used, well-pounded and the large granules are discarded. The are no specific ingredient ratio but the mixture has more or less 2/3 to 3/4 rice.

To make sabeng, the cleaned crabs are heavily sprinkled with salt. The salted crabs are then mixed well to the powdered rice. The mixture is packed in an earthen or glass jar, covered and left to ferment for a week or more until it is liquefied. Fortunately, sabeng can be stored for a long period so one can just take what he/she needs at a time.

Sabeng can be served as cake or thick soup mixed with vegetables and meat. But first, the paste should be sieved to remove the crab shells. The shells are either discarded or returned to the jar for further fermentation. If it is too sour or thick, water is mixed to dilute the paste and adjust the taste.

More Articles About Sabeng:
Traditional Knowledge Journal: Wanted: Gaki from Balas-iyan

Baguio Brooms from Igorots of La Union

2009-08-21T21:08:00.001+08:00

In it's July 25 airing, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS) of GMA featured the brooms sold in Baguio City. The show explained how and where the brooms are made.

Since many of the brooms sold in Baguio have "Baguio City" tags in their handle, most people think that they are made within the city. The fact is, the brooms are from Sablan (the last town of Benguet when going to lowland via Naguilian Road), Burgos (the first town of La Union right after Sablan and the only source mentioned in the KMJS show) and Bagulin, La Union which is the major broom supplier in the region (and probably, in the whole country) .

Brooms are made from the flower of the tiger grass - Thysanolaena maxima - a bamboo like tropical grass. Aside from being source of broom, the plant's wide leaves is used in other Asian countries as rice and food wrapper for steaming. The stipes (structure connecting the flowers to the plant) are also utilized in making house decorations. With it's lush green color, the plant is used as hedges in tropical gardens. And with it's dense clumps, the grass is planted to help prevent soil erosion.

Tiger grass
Photo from: http://www.biflora.org

Tiger grass is planted on the mountainside areas during rainy season, actually, when it is raining. New plants seldom survive on dry lands. The grass can hardly compete with weeds and vines thus its surrounding have to be cleared before planting and once every year afterward. And to have a healthier plant and bigger flowers, dried stems and leaves have to be removed from the clump regularly (at least once a year). The grass' leaves has sharp edges making it hard to clean the plant and it's surroundings.

Tiger grass flowers
Photo from: http://indianorchids.blogspot.com

The flowers with their stipe are harvested from the plant when fully bloomed and are left to dry under the sun. When dried, the flowers are flogged on a hard surface (sometimes, on boulders) to remove its tiny parts called glumes and spikelets. The flowers are also manually pressed and rolled over and back and forth to complete the cleaning.

The cleaned tiger grass flowers will be processed differently depending on the type of brooms to be made. When making one with the wooden handles, a uniform length of the panicles are cut-off from the stipes and the remaining strands at the lower portion are stripped individually. If the stipes will be utilized as handles, the panicles are just trimmed to have the same length. The separated panicle strands are bundled and are still used in the broom making.

Making the broom requires some skills, lots of patience and considerable care. The broom and the handle are first pieced together using iron wire which requires some manipulation to ensure the handle will remain at the center. Using a customized boomerang-shaped wooden frame called sangol, the broom is then spread and sewed using a cord (leting in the diaclect). The cord will keep the broom widely spread when the sangol is removed. To help keep the broom permanently spread, a flat plastic cord is sewn atop the leting before taking off the sangol. This also adds beauty and color to the broom. Finally, to thicken the side of the broom, the rings (called singsing in Bagulin) on the sides near the handle are incorporated.

Bagulin is a municipality in the Ilocano province of La Union. However, it is lying in the Cordillera mountain range and majority of its residents are Igorots (from the Kankanaey group). Just like Bagulin, Burgos is another La Union town with Ilocano and Igorot residents. Hence, even if the brooms in Baguio are from La Union, it is still safe to say that they are proudly Igorot (and Ilocano) made.

Cordillera Autonomy

2009-08-11T09:35:00.006+08:00

The death of Cory Aquino renewed the talk of Cordillera Autonomy. In the local newspapers and radio stations and in the world wide web, the pro and anti autonomy are trying to score a point against each other.

It was President Aquino who signed E.O. No. 220 of 1987 which established the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). The executive order was issued after almost a year negotiation with the Cordillera People's Liberation Army (CPLA) of Fr. Conrado Balweg and the Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBA). The order is also the first concrete move to follow the 1987 Philippine Constitution's mandate of creation of an autonomous region in the Cordillera. The administrative region is to pave the way for the region's autonomy. (Click here to read more about the creation of CAR.)

More than two decades (22 years to be exact) after CAR was created, Cordillera autonomy is yet to be realized. Two organic acts (Republic Acts 6766 and 8438) have been voted upon but both were rejected outright. Almost all of the major people involved in the negotiations have passed away but the Igorots are still adamant to pass a Cordillera autonomy law.

What do the rejection of Republic Acts 6766 and 8438 really mean? Don't those bills reflect what the Cordilleran community really want?

The two bills rejected in the plebiscites have all that an autonomous region needs to exist - agencies to govern the affairs of the region, freedom for the constituents to do what they think is best for themselves, and fund from the national government for the region's operation. Still, there are those who claimed that the autonomy bills contain nothing of real autonomy and full of national government's continuous control. Indeed, an autonomous region is still subject to some national laws and operation and many things will still be under the whims of the President.

But is it just the content of the bills that are being rejected here?

It can not be denied that those who initially worked for the autonomy are individuals and/or organizations deeply associated with the communist party of the Philippines (CPP) and it's armed group New People's Army (NPA). Though CPLA have bolted out from its mother group and the CBA severed its tie with the leftists, to ordinary Igorots, these groups are still people with different ideology who employ armed means to achieve their goals. To Igorots who have to move from their homes and leave their precious lands to evade military and rebel assaults, the CPLA and CBA and whatever they are campaigning for will do more harm than good. To those who suffered losses from being suspected as government and/or leftist supporters, these groups spell terror just like the government they have been criticizing and fighting. The untoward feelings against these two organization may have dissipated but to some, the impressions of the past is not easy to let go.

It can not also be denied that some who are working for the region's autonomy are traditional politicians. Given the infamous connotations given to such group of people, it is but normal to question the real reasons why others are trying to move mountains for the elusive autonomy.

With the rejection of the autonomous bills and the unwavering negative reactions on the move to pursue such goal, one can't help to ask if it's autonomy that the Cordillerans really want.

For what is autonomy to a common Igorot?

For what is having a full control over your ancestral domain when it will be your own people who will be exploiting your natural resources?

For what is making your own laws and regulations when law and justice will be selectively implemented?

For what is living in an autonomous region when you are groping in poverty and misery?

With the concept of devolution, regionalization and protection of indigenous people's right trickling in the national consciousness, it is but proper to ask again if the Cordillera region really needs an autonomy.

Suggested Further Readings:
Domogan Still Bats For Regional Autonomy
Cordillera Autonomy: Looking Around and Farther Back
Regional autonomy once more with feelings
Elusive Cordillera Autonomy
Cordillera Ponders Future of Autonomy

Cordillera: Still not autonomous after 21 years of preparation

The Igorots are Not Filipinos...

2009-08-02T10:24:00.011+08:00

I was so disheartened to see a profile in a social networking site today using the passe statement of Carlos P. Romulo to jump start the creator's preference of being called Igorot rather than Filipino.

As I understand, Mr. Romulo issued the infamous statement, "Igorots are not Filipinos", as counteraction to the portrayal of American media of Filipinos as natives and backward people. (I think he did a very bad job on this one. Click here to read more about Carlos P. Romulo's statement.)

What I don't understand is why some fellow Igorots, after what all our ascendants have done to trample Carlos P. Romulo's bigotry, are now patronizing and giving justice to the man's claim. Yes, he was right in saying that originally, Filipino refers to Spaniards born in the Philippines and indios who become subjects of the King but not citizens of Spain. Nevertheless, he was still very wrong because the term "Filipino" when he wrote the book was defined as to what we mean it today - citizens of the Philippines. So why would some Igorots ever think that they are not Filipinos?

To those who think Igorot are not Filipinos, consider these:

Fact remains that Carlos P. Romulo issued that statement but never in his capacity as a Philippine government official. Ergo, it's his opinion and his alone.
Fact remains that Filipino is the nationality of people born in the Philippines and/or of Filipino descents. Igorots, Ilocanos, Pangasinenses, Kapampangan, Visayan, Hiligaynons, Bicolanos, Tagalog and the likes are just cultural divisions of this nationality.
Fact remains that the mountain ranges of the Cordillera is in the Philippines. Igorots' forefathers were born in the Philippines too. Therefore, Cordillerans or Igorots are Filipinos. That's logic. Any contradiction is illogical.

It is a mistake to take the mistake of others to make another mistake. As I have sited in some of my posts, my niece and me also suffered some discrimination from fellow Filipinos. Nevertheless, I will never make those as reasons to disown my nationality. For which Filipino tribe/regional group is never discriminated by other Filipino groups? Visayans are often portrayed as house maids. Bicolanas are often regarded as cabaret workers. Tagalogs are sometimes called Tangalogs. Muslims from Mindanao are often branded as Abu Sayyafs. But should such stupid statements by ignorant people should be made as an excuse for anyone or any group to ignore the facts and abhor being called Filipino?

After reading the posts in the above mentioned profile, it made me wonder what the creator of the profile is trying to achieve. I tried hard to be as objective as possible when analyzing it but in the end, the impression that prevailed was that, it is divisive and biased (in other Filipino term, masyadong makasarili at makitid ang mga pananaw). Not only that the site profile is calling for the seclusion of the Igorot people, some statements there are coming out with the "I'm an Igorot thus I'm better than you" attitude. If it aims to promote the Igorot culture, it is achieving the opposite. If it is to show pride of being an Igorot, it speaks more of arrogance.

Claiming to be an Igorot but not a Filipino does not make one "Igoroter" (more Igorot). All the more, such claim does not speaks well of the Igorot community as a whole. (We can not even pass Cordillera's autonomy, how much more of establishing another nationality?) Rather than separating ourselves, let us instead know what and where we really are and what we can contribute as Igorots for the betterment not just of our community but for the country and to the whole world.

Baguio City Products

2009-07-25T22:10:00.014+08:00

I've just posted earlier today (see the article here) that strawberries and flowers which are known to have come from the City of Baguio are actually from La Trinidad, the capital of Benguet and that most of the vegetables are from all over Benguet. Few hours later, Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho (KMJS) at GMA Network aired that even the peanut brittle and brooms sold in Baguio are from other provinces. The peanut products are mostly from Pangasinan while the brooms are from La Union. Indeed, almost all of the so called "Baguio Products" are from adjacent towns and provinces.

Well, Baguio is not claiming that it is producing the products being sold in its market. In fact, the makers of the Baguio Centennial Logo explained that the red wing of the butterfly has strawberry in it to recognize the contribution of the neighboring towns that help make the commerce in the city alive ( click here to read more or here to see and download the logo). But for sure, the neighboring towns are also happy that tourism in the city has opened doors for their products as expressed by one of the interviewed peanut product supplier in KMJS.

So, next time you visit Baguio, grab as many souvenir items as you can and don't forget to ask where the products came from. Because in Baguio, you don't only explore beautiful tourist destinations but you can also have various products from Northern Luzon and other countries as well. (I have not forgotten to mention the ukay-ukay, have I?. )

Cordillera and Igorot Misconceptions

2009-07-25T10:19:00.005+08:00

Why can't others get these things right about the Cordillera and the Igorots? I saw lots of websites, blogs and articles correcting these common misconceptions but it seems some people remain uninformed (or they just prefer to ignore the facts and to remain ignorant?)

First, let's clarify what Igorot means. Igorot is believed to have been originated from the Tagalog term i-gulod, meaning people from the hilltop/upland/mountain (i-n. pref. meaning from + gulod, Tagalog term for hilltop). It now evolved to refer to the people from the Cordillera and Caraballo mountain ranges of Northern Luzon. It is unthinkable how such neutral term evolved and gathered backward and inferior connotations along the way that some Cordillerans don't want to be identified or called Igorots.

Now, here are some of the misconceptions I often encountered and have to correct and explain again and again:

Igorots have tails. I think this assumption is from the "most ignorant of the ignorants". When I was in college, somebody who learned about my ethnicity asked where my tail is. Instead of harboring self-pity, I felt relief to know that Igorots are not the "stupidiest" people at all. I heard some Igorots discriminating but it did not dropped down to such level of attributing any unusual or abnormal physical traits to a certain group of people. Its astonishing that some do really believe on the existence of people who have tails.
Igorots are short, dark-skinned with curly hairs. There's nothing wrong being an Aeta, Agta or Ati - of being short, dark with curly hair at the same time but such description never fits generally any of the Igorot tribes. I meet some Kalingas and I-Bontocs who can be considered dark-skinned but they are tall and seldom got curly hair. The Kankanaeys maybe short but they are fair to light complexioned.
Igorots still use casually their traditional g-string. Some old folks may use their wanes (g-string) from time to time but I don't think the younger generation will find it appealing to use such for daily wear. Aside from its high price, I find it harder to loop and strap the wanes right than donning a pair of jeans. Nowadays, wanes are used in cultural presentations.
Baguio is Benguet and vice-versa. Correction, Baguio City is a chartered city located in the province of Benguet. Is that clear? If not, go get a map of the Philippines or of Northern Philippines and you will not miss to notice that Baguio is within Benguet.
Strawberry and cut flowers are produced in Baguio City. Sorry, this is wrong. There maybe some flower gardens in Baguio but most cut flowers and strawberry are from La Trinidad, the capital town of Benguet. As for the so called "Baguio vegetables", they are actually from all over Benguet.

I hope that somehow, this post will help enlighten those who don't know much about the Cordillera region and its people. I will surely post more as soon as I sort them out.

The Case of the Missing Butterflies - Part 2

2009-07-22T22:13:00.013+08:00

Now I know why my friends failed to see a butterfly at the Butterfly Garden in Camp John Hay when they visited the area two weeks ago.

Look!

The butterflies were taken from their sanctuary and are now commissioned to bring the message of Baguio's centennial celebration to the world!

(You can download the logo here )

The Case of the Missing Butterflies

2009-07-15T11:15:00.000+08:00

(This was supposed to be part of my post yesterday about the good and unwanted things my friends experienced when they visited Baguio. However, this is something absurd that I decided to segregate it from the rest.)

My friends were having great time exploring Baguio. They made a grand tour of the most visited tourist destinations in the city and are amazed that it does not cost a thing, or a very minimal entrance fee, to visit and relax at those amazing places.

When they were in Camp John Hay, which they have nothing but praises of the design and upkeep of the area, they did not hesitate to take a peek at the butterfly sanctuary. They paid the entrance fee and excitedly entered the hub of the delicate insects. A few seconds have passed and yet they still have to encounter any flying, colorful creature inside the sanctuary.

Perplexed and thinking that they might have entered the wrong place, my friends seek out a sanctuary attendant to ask where the butterflies are.

"There are no butterflies at the moment because the cold weather and the frequent raining the past weeks eliminated our stocks" explained by the attendant whom my friends inquired of. My friends may have not been able to hide their disappointment because the attendant quickly added, "but there are lots of 'butterfly eggs' inside".

Baguio... In The Eye of Visitors

2009-07-14T09:40:00.026+08:00

Last week, two friends arrived from Baguio which, by the way, is now preparing for it's centennial celebration as a chartered city this September, 2009. I was anxious to know what they thought about this city of the Cordillerans for I strongly recommended that they take the visit. They were supposed to go directly to the southern part of the country from Metro Manila but the promise of relaxing, unforgetable stay in the city of Pines made them do the detour.

What made Baguio a hit? (In no particular order.)

The cool weather and the pine scented atmosphere. It's enthralling. It made my friends prolong their stay in Baguio.

Burnham Park... Beautiful! Great park! Family friendly! Clean rest rooms.

The Cathedral... It's a great land mark not just in the city but even reminding everyone of their location in their spiritual journey. (My friends are both Catholic. I know they are not that religious but I wonder how Baguio made them talk about "spirirual journey". Was the elevated location made them practically closer to heaven?)

SM City... A wow! Relax and shop, and at dusk, watch Baguio downtown lights up. SM now serves as a big viewing deck to observe some strategic parts of the city.

Mines View Park... It made my foreigner friend thinks he is viewing another Swiss scenery. Yes, they visited the area in a foggy day and it made the view breath taking. (Otherwise, they could have not missed the panteons or cemented grave yards below the viewing area and the colorful roofs that are aggressively taking over the place of the trees.)
Wright Park... It's just right but it's worth spending an hour or more there.

Tam-awan Village... It made my friends want to visit other parts of the Cordillera. They now wanted to experience life in a real Igorot community. I might bring them to a town in Benguet or in Mountain Province if there's a chance.

Camp John Hay. One of the best place to camp!

Cordillera Cafe, Solibao Restaurant and other local restaurants. They have not tried Sagada Lunch though for pinikpikan and dog meat menu.

And, most of all, they loved the friendly people all over the place - the hotel attendants, the taxi drivers and almost everyone.

And the misses?

The rain made the visitors abandon their horse-back riding plan and to explore the neighbouring towns.

Traffic, traffic, traffic. The weather makes walking very convenient but still, some of the sidewalks are too narrow or there is just too much pedestrian.

Overcrowding houses and establishments atop some of the hills and mountainsides. From a distance, some of the hills even look like piles of garbage. And there seems to be no stopping on the growth of establishments. Can the houses and buildings protect the mountains and hills much more than the trees can do? How long can the mountains stand to keep the establishments built on their sides and tops?

Two-way lane overpass? (I think they are talking about the one crossing over Magsaysay Road connecting the old market and McDonald?) Why built a very narrow one like that?

Botanical Garden is another great area to relax but it's not the place that it should be. Why are the plants not identified and tagged. Wwhy call it Botanical Garden after all if no one learns more about the plants when they visit the place? And what's with the commercial stalls within the vicinity? Well, if management think those are needed attractions or necessities, how about providing nice looking kallapaws (nipa huts) as stalls? Of course, these should be limited number of stalls stationed in strategic areas. It will enhance the "Igorotness" of the garden and for sure, visitors would love to have their snacks inside an Igorot's old house while viewing the colorful flowers and magnificient trees of the garden. One thing more, can't the city government do something about the Igorot's near the entrance of the garden? The foreigner friend thinks our allapos (old folks) there are just con-artists using the Igorot costumes to make money.

Some part of Burnham being turned into amusement park? The bike rides are tolerable since biking is considered a nature sport. But what about the bump rides? Is not Burnham supposed to be a nature-themed park?

Despite the unfavorable sides, my friends fell in love with the city. They are even thinking of buying a property there. They are wishing though that environmental conservation and protection programs should be considered alongside with the city's continued development. I do agree with them. Do the city's local officials and residents feel the same?

The Bisarots - Mga Bisayang Igorot

2009-07-04T09:06:00.006+08:00

I got a niece and a nephew (see inserted photo) who spent their early years in Masbate where they learned to speak the Visayan language. Fortunately, they were also taught to speak Tagalog/Pilipino while they were in the province. When they came here in Metro Manila to study, the younger boy who entered pre-school didn't bother mixing the Visayan and Tagalog languages (that's the Filipino language, isn't it?) He seem not to mind at all when he was told of the equivalent terms of his Visayan words as if he knows better. However, my niece got ridiculed by her classmates in the first grade class for her "hard" accent.

To those who are unfamiliar, some Visayans and even Igorots and Ilocanos have this problem pronuncing the Tagalog "e" as "ee" or "ea" while "i" is often mispronounced as "e". Tagalog words are spelled as they are pronounced.

One day, my niece came home from school ready to spill a bucketful of tears. She complained that some of her classmates called her Bisaya (Filipino term for Visayan) for mispronouncing some words in the class. I gently told her that she is indeed a Visayan for her father is Bisaya, but there's nothing wrong with that. To my astonishment, she declared that she don't want to be a Bisaya. (See how even small kids can cause others to disown their roots?)

"Bisaya ka (You are Visayan)", I insisted, "at Igorot ka rin dahil Igorota ang nanay mo (and you are also Igorot for your mother is one). In short, you are Bisarot".

I can't help but laugh when she looked at me in utter disbelief as if I just sentenced her to death.

"Pero lagi naman nilang niloloko mga Bisaya at Igorot (But they always ridicule Visayans and Igorots", she complained.

"Ignorante kasi iyong mga nanloloko sa kanila (Those who are ridiculing them are ignorant)", I explained. "Ang kagandahan nga nito, pag Bisaya ka at Igorot pa, mas marami kang alam na salita kesa sa iba (The advantage of being a Visayan and Igorot at the same time, you know more languages than the others). Kagaya ko (Just like me)", I candidly added, "nakakaintindi at nakakapagasalita ako ng salita ng mga Bisaya at Igorot kaya naibebenta ko iyong ibang tao na di nila alam (I understand and can speak some Visayan and Igorot languages and I can sell other people without them knowing it)".

She and her brother who was listening intently to our conversation laughed at my last line.

Somehow our talk enlightened my neice and nephew. When they later transferred to La Union, they told their cousins that they are Bisarots - Bisayang Igorots. And right now, though they dominantly use Filipino, they can still speak Masbate-Visaya, they can do straight Ilocano sentences (the major language in La Union) and their cousins started teaching them Kankanaey (one of the Igorot languages).

All About Bobod

2009-07-01T09:08:00.008+08:00

Have you ever wondered why some tapey tastes better (and some bitter) than the others? It's all about the bobod.

There is no official English word for bobod but some have translated it as rice cake yeast. Maybe because the yeast is grown in rice powder which are formed into small cakes. Well, the Department of Science and Technology calls it lime (what???) in their advertisement for a Tapuey (yes, with u) making contest (read more about the contest here). Cook's Thesaurus talks about wine ball/wine cubes in their yeast section (click here to read the article) but there's no description thus it is hard to compare if such is the same as bobod.

Bobod Making

Bobod is made from ordinary rice and is produced usually in the following procedure:
1) The rice is soaked in water overnight.
2) After draining the water, the rice is pulverized either through pounding (bayo) or with the much easier manual rice grinder.
3) An old bobod (powdered) is added to the rice powder and mixed evenly. An ordinary sized bobod (around 20-25 grams) is enough for a kilo of rice.
4) Water is slowly added to the mixture to create a dough.
5) Small cakes, around 7 t0 8 centimeters (2.5 to 3 inches) in diameter and 1-2 cm (0.25 to 0.5 inch) thick, are made from the dough.
6) For drying, flat containers (preferably bigao) are covered with rice hay.
7) The shaped bobod are placed on the containers and covered thinly with rice hay.
8) The bobod are left in warm dry place until dried.

Factors Affecting the Quality of Bobod
The quality of bobod is affected by the type of yeast developed in it. (Click here to read more about yeast.)

To make a good rice cake yeast, the innoculant which is the old bobod, should come from a batch that have been proven to produce better tasting rice wine. There are lots of types of yeast and whatever is used as a starter will encourage the growth and dominance of its kind. Bad old bobod will create bad new bobod which in turn will produce bad tasting wine. It is possible to make new cake of yeast without an old bobod since yeasts are ever present in the environment. However, it is also very possible that undesirable yeasts or other types of organisms such as fungi and bacteria will grow dominantly in the rice cake.

Different temperature range will favor the growth of certain types of yeasts. This is the reason Cordillerans leave their yeast cakes to dry on the shelf above their cooking area. The cold temperature in the mountain most time of the year makes the other parts of the house much colder. From time to time, they also bring out the bobod to dry under the early morning sun. It is not advisable though to expose the cake in direct sunlight in hot weather because this will kill the growing yeast. Yeast for wine making grow best in 30-37 °C (86-99 °F) hence it is important to keep the cakes within such temperature range.

Bobod and Wine Quality
As I have discussed in my post about tapey making, it is important to cool down the cooked glutinous rice before adding bobod. Yeasts are living organisms that can not survive in hot temperatures. When the yeast are cooked, spoilage, instead of fermentation, will take place.

The yeast action during fermentation is also the reason why it is advisable for the wine containers to be stored in warm place. When exposed to high temperature, yeasts will stop functioning normally and they die. The increased temperature will also enhance the conversion of wine into vinegar. On the other hand, lower temperature will decrease the activity of yeast and will prolong the wine making process.

It is also possible that inadequate bobod will destroy the taste of wine. Less yeast will result to slower fermentation which may not be able to cope up with the onset of spoilage. In effect, the resulting wine has either bitter or soury taste. Too much bobod may not affect the taste but it will surely hasten the wine making process.

I'm Human, I'm Not An Igorot...

2009-06-25T05:21:00.012+08:00

... statue!

Look at the pic again? Do I look one? Tao po talaga ako! (I'm a real person!)

Alright, I'm human. But do I still look like Igorot even without my wanes (G-string)?

Most of my acquaintances got this "are-you-serious look" plastered on their face whenever I told them the first time that I am an Igorot. A real FBI - Full Blooded Igorot. In short, a GI - Genuine Igorot. After asking a few what they think an Igorot looks like, I really don't want to prod some more for they almost gave same desription - Igorots are short people, dark skinned, with curly hair and thick lips. Worst, they seem perplexed when I gently told them that they have just described an Aeta or an Ati.

But, there are also some first time acquaintances who can immediately tell that I am from the Cordillera. All of them have visited an Igorot town or have known other Igorots before. Getting this type of reaction from lots of people tells me that even if I am speaking fluently in other language and am not wearing my wanes, I am still distinctly Igorot.

How about you? Can others still distinguish your ethnic root?

Cassava Wine - My Mom's Recipe

2009-06-19T22:53:00.007+08:00

I don't know if there are other people who makes cassava wine, but so far, I haven't seen anyone making this except my mom.

We call it binubudan ay pad-paddi and sometimes, tapey ay pad-paddi. I think it is more appropriate to use the former for tapey specifically refers to rice wine while binubudan means "yeasted" (something fermented with yeast). The yeast used here is the local bobod - rice cake yeast. Cassava wine can also be called arak di pad-paddi since any alcoholic drink is called arak in Igorot.

Ooops, other Igorot term for cassava is balinghoy (like some Visayans do) and kamoteng kahoy (which is also the Tagalog and Ilocano term).

My mother made cassava wine more for the fermented cassava itself than the alcoholic beverage. Just like tapey, the ingredient used in making the wine is consumable specially on the early stages of fermentation. Mom would take out and serve most of the cassava from the fourth until the seventh day of the processing. The unconsumed stocks will be left for additional ten days or more to obtain a strong wine.

Cassava wine is easy to make and the process is very similar to tapey making. The cassava roots are first peeled, washed, cut into strips about four inches long (stout ones are cut into half or four) then boiled until cooked. The cooked cassava are then spread in a container, allowed to cool down and then sprinkled profusely with bobod. My mom use to roll the cassava in the pulverized bobod for even coating. Onwards, the mixture is transferred in a gusi (a glazed earthen jar), covered tightly, and stored in a dry, warm place. If there is no available gusi, plastic and glass jar will do.

After 4-5 days of fermentation, the binubudan ay pad-paddi is now ready to be served. The cassava is eaten as it is and good for afternoon snack or dinner desert. Its alcohol content is still low and the sweetness of the root crop is enhanced during the fermenting period thus children can also enjoy the food.

Fermented cassava exudes less wine than fermented rice, hence, it has to be stored longer. Usually it takes more than two weeks fermenting time to have cassava wine while it only takes a week to produce tapey. The longer the wine is kept, more wine is produced, sweetness diminishes and the alcohol content increases.

Tapey! Rice Wine! Anyone?

2009-06-14T00:18:00.010+08:00

(There are already articles in the web about "tapey", the only rice wine in the Philippines specifically from the Cordillera, and I did have second thoughts making another one. I fear that I have nothing new to add about this popular Igorot alcoholic drink. However, my desire to write about what I know and still can recall about my culture compels me to write on. So, if it appears that I'm just mimicking what has already been written about "tapey", please indulge me. I am just trying to see how I gorot I am.)

My first recollection of tapey is when I was seven or eight years old. I remember coming home from a practice for our town foundation day and got excited when I saw my mother spreading cooked red glutinous rice on a bigao (winnowing tray) covered with banana leaves. I really wanted to eat anything that very moment but Mom explained the rice is not well-cooked and without sugar for it is to be made into tapey. I was disappointed, nevertheless, I am still glad that I will witness then how she makes wine. The following recipe show exactly how my mother made tapey at home:
Tapey - Igorot Rice Wine , or
Follow-up on Tapey Making

Oh, my mom did not asked me to keep quiet or not to fart while she was making tapey. I guess she didn't believe that such things can make the wine sour or bitter. I remember her explaining though few years later in another of our tapey making session that:
a) Uneven mixing of rice and bobod (rice cake yeast) can result to awful tasting wine;
b) Adding the bobod when the rice is still too hot or very cold results to spoilage or sour-tasting wine; and
c) There are good bobod that can make a wine sweet and there are also some that can make the product bitter or sour. She claims that her mother (our grandmother) is one of the maker of the best bobod in their bario while she can seldom make a good one.

It's my grandmother who said to me that whole grain of rice will make a better tasting tapey than the un-whole or crumbled ones. Also, she emphasized that the rice should be cooked with less water compared to when cooking ordinary rice. She even insisted in using the red colored glutinous rice called balatinaw to have a red-colored wine. (I don't know how grain types and rice color can really make a difference but grandma's wine, as Mom said, is one of the finest in their place and I can attest to that.)

Another lesson I learned from my grandma is the right place to stock the wine. She pointed out that a damp cold places are not good because it takes longer time for the wine to be fully fermented and sometimes pungent smell is developed. Whereas, a warm, dry part of the house, such as near the dalikan (cooking area) makes excellent tapey. However, she did not recommend puting the jars too close to heat or keeping them in the cooking area during hot season. She said that too much heat makes the wine bland and sour.

I could have forgotten the tapey I first witnessed my mother made except that it also happened to be the first wine I tasted. I clearly remember when the big day (fiesta) came, my father gave me a small cup of tapey and told me to taste what Mom and I made. I can still recall savoring the sweet taste and feeling a little bit groggy after a few sips. After a few weeks though, I tried again to drink from what was left with my mom's wine, but I can not take it. It turned bitter-sweet. This article, "How Is T apey Made", described the different ages of tapey.

Traditionaly, tapey is served only on special occasions - feasts, celebrations and wakes and funerals. And when opening a new jar of tapey, the man of the house or a male elder, tribal leader will always do the honor. It is also a custom that before serving the wine, a sipful have to be spilled first on the soil as an offering to the unseen creatures - this act is accompanied by a simple plea to the unseen beings not to touch or harm any human who partakes with the wine. Also, it is always the women who make the wine. (I do think that since wine making is considered as a part of household chores, this is more of gender role differentiation rather than a cultural thing.) There are still those who follow these practices but most tapey making and drinking nowadays have nothing more to do with customs and traditions.

Igorots Forgive Candy

2009-06-13T02:03:00.004+08:00

I feel proud when many Igorots stood up and corrected (some are even in combative mood) Candy Pangilinan's racial slur during her show in Baguio City last May, 2009. Such reactions proved once again that the Igorot community, as it has been doing ever since, knows how to assert its rights and will not take ethnic insults lightly. But, I am proud all the more and with great joy when many Igorots individually, and eventually as a group, extended their understanding and forgiveness when Candy profusely apologized publicly. The move of the Baguio City council to scrap the resolution calling the comedienne "unwanted person" and deciding not to pursue any case with regards to this incident are nothing but proofs that Igorots are human and humane. (Click here to read the news.)

To Candy, your sincerity and courage is admirable. You owned your mistakes, you never tried to make excuses. Much more, you reached out and with humility let your apologies be heard. Umad-adu pay koma nan ka-tribum! (May your tribe increase!)

To fellow Igorots who in a way helped others find forgiveness in their hearts, way to go guys! With so much hatred today, the world needs more peace makers like you. Matago-tago kayo! (May you live long!)

Igorotak! Are You?

2009-06-11T04:52:00.009+08:00

I can't help but laugh when I first heard this song. It was sung seriously but the lyrics are witty. And I think the song is best rendered that way because it will really makes one think how he/she takes and bears his/her "Igorotness". All the while, it also reminds everybody that we are all created equal.

Here are some lines from the song.
... nangnanganak si toge (I ate sweet potato)
nansibsibuak si sayote (and sayote/vegetable pear too)

uray no kudo kami, (though we are poor)

wada nan inadal mi (we finished school)
Igoroto tak (I'm an Igorot)

I'll try to get hold of the lyrics of this song (and translate it to Filipino/English maybe) and post it here soon. Meanwhile, enjoy listening to the song.

Igorot Pride and Forgiveness

2009-05-21T01:20:00.006+08:00

Guess I don't have to elaborate what Candy Pangilinan uttered in her recent show at SM-Baguio that compelled the city government to declare her an "unwanted visitor". It's a hit in the showbiz television shows, in the papers and in the net a few days ago. (For those who missed the news, click here.)

But, what did the city government of Baguio in particular, or the Igorot community in general gained from slapping such punishment when Candy apologized from what she did? Will this really teach Candy when she already learned the lesson even before our local politicians came into the picture?

There are lots of negative misconceptions about Igorots and being alluded to as not human at all is one of the worst. It is nothing but human when hundreds sounded their horns upon learning that somebody blurted "Tao ako, hindi ako Igorot" as comedy line infront of the Igorot audience and in an Igorot territory! Igorots, then and now, are always prejudiced by some foreigners and even by fellow Filipinos. It is but normal that many stand and acted to protest this new slur for we already have too much. The reactions are understandable and applaudable.

With Candy's case though, I do believe it is best for everyone hurt to forgive. The pain will not be erased or healed by hurting more people. First, the line was meant as a joke. Others have issued grievous statements purely out of ignorance or to intentionally hurt. Second, Candy realized her mistake and she sincerely asked for forgiveness not just in writing but in national television shows. Third, as we have already shown to others that we have high regard of our ethnicity and will always defend it, we should also tell the world that Igorots are more human because we know when to forgive.