Kibungan: Where Monkeys Roamed

Deep gorges separating and isolating many sitios and barangays, rocky cliffs formed as human faces, and pine covered mountains that is said to resemble those of Switzerland. A place named after a primate.

In the mountains of Kibungan dwelt monkeys that are believed to have vanished because of the degradation of the forests and hunted for food. These monkeys were bigger than their common families found in the area today. The Americans named this municipality after these primates. They were called by the locals “Kibengan”.

One of the people who saw the said monkeys was Bernabe Wance. “It was probably in 1932 that they still roamed these mountains, “he said. “As the population grows, the monkeys were hunted for food. The monkeys eventually run away or have been wiped out.”

Increase of population in Kibunga escalated when the logging and mining industry expanded in the area. Bigger communities like those from Sagpat and Lobo were formed during the gold mines that closed down sometime in the 80s.

Today Kibungan is subdivided into 7 Barangays. Badeo, Lubo, Madaymen, Palina, Poblacion and Sagpat. The language in this municipality is mainly Kankanaey. It is located within a cool highland mountainous zone with elevations at more than 2500 meters above sea level. During its coolest months of December - January, Barangay Madaymen experiences chilling temperature of 0 degrees Celsius causing the famous Frost of Madaymen.

The municipality has many sites to offer but many can be reached only through hiking. Here are some of them.

Les-eng Rice Terraces
These magnificent terraces can be reached after 6-hour hike through lush pine forests in Barangay Tacadang.
Mayos River
Located at the northeastern part of Barangay Poblacion. It is approximately 2.5 kilometers in length and is about 3 kilometers awayfrom Poblacion Proper. The river originates from ridges of nearby Barangays Madaymen, Palina and Tacadang and supplies water to rice paddies and vegetable farms along the vicinity.
Palina Rice Terraces
In Barangay Palina at the foot of Mt. Kilkili believed to be a former volcano because of its conical shape. Constructed following a century-old system of rice terraces built with stone walls and neatly arranged one after the other. The rice terraces are at their best in December and June when the rice paddies turn golden yellow, near harvest time. The Palina rice terraces is known as the municipality’s rice granary.


By: Carl Taawan

War Dance

What I am going to talk about here is not the war dance of our Igorot tribes but a documentary film I recently watched, a movie about the Acholi tribes of Northern Uganda. It’s about the lives of the people in a war zone torn by unending wars between the rebels and the Government. I wanted to watch the film to learn better documentation coz it has won several awards and was even nominated for Oscar. I learned more than just documentation here.

I was supposed to title this entry “The God Forsaken Land” but I don’t believe God would abandon those people even though that’s what some people think of them. Listening to the children’s stories would make your tears fall. In this place, common people are killed by rebels for no reason at all. They would hack them mercilessly and force their families to bury them. In some cases, body parts were just scattered and families have to locate the corpses’ heads to identify their kin. Raping of women are common stories. Old enough boys are forced to join the army of rebels. For the rebels, the more children they abduct for their army, the higher their ranks will be. These children are ordered to kill or be killed. There are about 200,000 children orphaned by the war.

But despite of this cruelty the Acholi people have kept their love for music. Playing their songs and dances can make them forget even just for a while the cruelty and make them feel as if everything is just how it used to be. In 2005, in the farthest and most vulnerable government protected school in a camp in Patongo emerged a group of Acholi orphans who aspire to present their musical talents in a National Musical and Choral competition. First time to attend such a big competition, the group traveled for two days on rugged terrains under armed escorts to the capital City of Kampala. To many of them, just going to Kampala is a big enough dream. Coming from the north, they were insulted by other competitors as people from the bush, rebels and murderers. Most of the other competitors believed the first time contestants will finish last. The inferiority feelings made it hard for them to compete.

Yet where most of the news are killings and fighting, the whole City is excited to watch what these people from the north are to present. People are keen to observe every time they’re onstage. In the end, they have exceeded everyone’s and perhaps even their own expectations. They have proven that they’re more than just children of war. They are musicians. Although they don’t have the freedom and resources like everyone else, they brought home the trophy for their country’s traditional dance called Bwola. The very first time the Acholi tribe brought home such a trophy in a National competition.

This event inspired many of them that despite of growing in a cruel environment, they can still do great things. This group did not just win for Patongo, they won for the entire Acholi tribe and the people who live like they do. Like what one of the teachers in the documentary said, the war has taken their parents, brothers, sisters and relatives and left them a lot of scars. But that’s not where their story ends; they still have the chance to become the best.

This story has also won my heart. It’s more than just an excellent documentary where I learned a lot. It’s an inspiration.

If you want to help the people of Patongo or other people like them, visit http://shineglobal.org/

Old Agricultural Calendar of the Mountain Province

The old ways of the Igorots follows an orderly tradition. In this article we’ve gone deeper into the traditions of Sadanga who still adhere closely to the old agricultural calendar.

The old agricultural cycle in the Mountain Province particularly in the Municipality of Sadanga starts and ends after the planting season called Chinamey. Tak-chang, which actually means getting out of the field, signifies that the last season of the agricultural calendar which is the rice-planting is done. After the Takchang every household will have the Ap-apoy, a thanksgiving for having hurdled the planting season, the most difficult season of farming. During the Ap-apoy, each household will sacrifice a chicken to the spirits in their respective fields to bless their plants. After the Ap-apoy comes the Gup-khupo, a family gathering in their respective homes.

After the Gup-khupo, the elders will declare a Te-er. Te-er is a rest day after or before a grueling activity, signifying a pause, an end, or indicating the significance of the season. The Bontoc term Tengao is more popular to most. This may last for either one or three days; but always, this is a rest day or non-working holiday for the whole community. One who insists in working during Te-er is not given double compensation but is dished out a penalty.

In some cases, the elders may hold the Fvegnash after the Gup-khupo, the most festive of all the Te-er. Fvegnash is like the Gup-khupo of the whole community. The community will gather together in their Ator and have a community-wide celebration and thanksgiving with lots of dancing, beating of gongs, singing and imbibing fvayash and tapuey. Back when there were no Christmas, Hero’s days and Holy weeks, Te-er was the community’s holiday

The Sherdang follows the planting season. Sherdang is the time when the fields are turning golden brown as the rice ripens and harvest is in the offing. In some cases, Fvegnash/Begnas does not happen after Takchang but during the Sherdang. This is also a reason for a thanksgiving for the awaited harvest and also a time to sacrifice to the spirits for a bountiful harvest.

Before the harvest, the community elders declare a Te-er for Kagkaat, a one-day none working holiday. Non-working, in a sense that they are not allowed to work in their fields to harvest their rice fields. However, they’re allowed to weed out their pathways in preparation of the Harvest. Kagkaat actually means to weed out.

During Te-er, elders would police around the community to inspect who went to work that day. This is called “inlapat”. If one person in the community is chanced upon working by other members, uproar of screams will ensue and the guilty party will feel the pressure of the community. The guilty will be penalized either with a boar or other agricultural products.

Next comes the harvest season or Ani. After the Ani, the rice grains are dried then kept in their granaries called Agamang. Another Te-er is declared after the harvest.

Keshep is the second cycle in the agricultural calendar. The next timetable is to cultivate the fields for other plants like camote and other vegetables. With this system, the earth is recycled for the next season of Chinamey.

In the colder days comes the Shaknit. This is the time for them to gather sugar canes and extract their juices to make fvayash, their local beverage. The fvayash will mature in time for the next Fvegnash.

After the camote and other vegetables are harvested from the fields, the soil will be prepared for another rice planting season. Another Te-er is declared. This Te-er before planting is the strictest of all. No visitors are allowed to come to the village and no villager in the community is allowed to work. Signs will be posted in all entrances of the community. Once an outsider enters, he will be penalized. After the Te-er, the next planting or the Chinamey ensues. After the Chinamey, another agricultural cycle begins.

The system help establish unity among the people in the community. At the same time, it protects them and their agriculture from pests. If one does not adhere to the system, he will not only suffer the pressure of the community but his crops will also suffer from pests. In the old belief, this is a punishment from the spirits for his uncooperativeness. But the system has a different explanation in today’s scientific studies. Field rats live in a colony. When there are enough foods they multiply. When there’s scarcity of food, their numbers would decrease.

When the plants start to bear fruit, the rats’ populations also starts to increase. However, since the vastness of the field has been planted, no matter how fast the rats multiply their presence are barely felt by the farmers. And before their number increase to become uncontrollable plague, the rice fields are already ripe for harvesting. The goods are kept in the rice barns that are inaccessible to the pests. If someone did not follow the calendar and planted earlier or later than the rest, the bulk of the pest will feast on his field during the time it is the only one yielding fruit.

Their Panyao (taboo) beliefs also helped in the system. It served as a protector when the elders are not there to watch over them.

The system has helped protect the environment for as long as their history can tell. They have developed an excellent symbiosis with nature. No one would go hungry since everyone has his own field to till and animals to raise. Their treasures are the abundance of food, land to till and animals.

This was what the conquerors saw when they arrived in these mountains, yet they branded them as ignorant. They introduce accumulation of monetary exchange as the real treasure. With their mind set changed, the people of the mountains began to abuse their lands to produce more. Their important inheritances found their ways in the halls of the affluent as decorations. They would try different systems like fast growing seedlings so that they could convert more rice to the much coveted symbol of wealth. The use of chemical fertilizers was introduced and it slowly affected the land. In many places, rice can no longer grow without the use of these chemicals. The old agricultural cycle has changed in many places. Some have abandoned their fields to find a better way to earn. Farm workers decreases while other ventures increases. With less farmers, shortages of food is in the offing. Such is just one prize of the introduction of the so-called civilization.

But many places like Sadanga still adhere closely to the old system and they are proven to be effective agricultural practice that will still work in the centuries to come. These places may not have enough money in the banks but they will never run out of daily necessities for their main treasures are still the same, farmlands.

A Nightmare in Multimedia

Unpaid finished projects…

Uncollected salary…

Unpaid bills…

Undelivered projects…

Your computer crashed…

What can be worse???

It’s when they’re happening all at once.

So you spent your own money to deliver the demanded output in your job hoping you can collect your other unpaid projects to pay the bills. But you weren’t able to collect coz you’re busy completing your output. You didn’t notice but it’s already more than two months and no salary yet and bills are piling up.

And then you weren’t able to deliver some of your other projects because you’ve used up all your finances to the job you dedicated yourself into and probably have spent more than the salary you’re going to receive. That is if they will not pay back your expenses.

As if your torture is not enough, your computer crashed on you and some of your projects you have to do all over again. Crashed hard disk is probably the worst nightmare in Multimedia. But my case is even worse than that. My wallet crashed too and my pockets have holes in them.

Sometimes I long for the moments when I was just a simple graphic artist receiving job in my office for a few hundreds a day, editing student videos for a meager fee and designing business cards, logos, letterheads, IDs, brochures, posters, etc. etc. I got some regular clients then who likes the way I design things.

Often times when I stop my usual routine and be involved in a bigger outfit for a bigger project with bigger returns, they end up pulling me back farther away than where I was when I’m just doing my own little enterprise, always left me with bigger bills to pay. Sometimes when you’re involved in a bigger outfit, there are bureaucracies you have to pass through every time you want to get things done. Sometimes even the design of your logo has to go a lengthy process. When you’re doing your own business, you can do what you want with it, no need to consult anyone . If you fail or succeed, there’s no one else to blame or praise but you.

Sometimes doing things on your own is better. But working in team if you all know your dutieswill brings bigger reward. Done it with few trusted people before, my very first team in advertising and they all worked out fine. Guess I'll just go back to doing things with them again. But first, the unfinished projects and the uncollected payments and salary. Then time to say so long to them.

Old partners be back with you soon.

Look Both Ways

As kids we were always receive an advice to look both ways before crossing the road. This advice will keep us from accidents even now that we're adults.

But that advice does not pertain only to crossing roads. There are other avenues that we have to look both ways before crossing. These avenues could be situations most particularly criticisms. Often we speak hurtful words against somebody that we would later regret. If we followed that advice, it would have saved us the trouble of hurting someone and hurting ourselves in the process.

If we keep this advice in mind always, I'm sure it will save us in many troubles. And looking both ways sometimes has humor. This was a story I heard years ago and it always brings a smile to my lips every time I recall it.

There was an event in one organization where they invited a guest speaker. It was in the lowlands and the weather was hot but they have no air conditioner, just an electric fan. The Guest speaker was sweating all over. One attendant saw this and went to increase the power of the fan. Another attendant saw this and discreetly he went to switch off the fan. When the first attendant noticed the turned off fan, he went again to switch it on in full power and kept watch on who's switching the power off.

When he saw the other attendant switched it off anew, he angrily confronted him. The second attendant explained that he switched it off for a reason. The Guest speaker is bald and sensitive about it and he was wearing a wig. His blown wig would be more embarrassing than his sweating.

In some instances, not looking both ways might hurt us more than the ones we criticized. Sometimes it will be too late to repair our undoing.

There was this one congregation visited by a traveling minister with his wife. A long week activity was scheduled for their visit. They would visit every member for encouragement. They would also go around for community work. Everyday, the visiting minister would be there leading them, even to the far-flung part of the community. But the wife is nowhere to be found. She was scheduled partners and groups to lead but she did not joined in the community services so the group had to be given a new leader.

On their last day, the Congregation prepared a feast for the minister. There came the wife. And so the congregation started a gossip about her saying she wants to be in a party but not in the community work. She's only concerned about the feast and that's the only reason she was there.

Their whining reached the minister's wife but she said nothing for it was how it happened. So they left the place, and she was deeply saddened for instead of building them up, she became their stumbling block.

After a few weeks, the Minister’s wife died. It was a shock to the Congregation when they found out. So inquiries were posed. It turned out that she was sick during their visit and that’s the reason why she wasn’t able to join them in their grueling community work.

Still some commented on the reason she was on the last day party. The thought of going to a party gave her the strength but not the community work. If she can come to a party, she can join the other lighter activities as well. She showed up doesn’t looking sick.

The answer came too late to them for the minister was the one who was hurt the most when their comments reached his ears. His wife knew that she won’t last any longer so even though she was in great pain, she did her best to see the congregation for the last time. And she tried her best to look ok so that she won’t concern them on anything. As good as her intention to be with them for the last time was as bad as their regrets when they look at her in the coffin with their bleeding hearts. They may cry all their hearts out but the damages are done and too late to be repaired. The price of not looking both ways before criticizing.

If only we always have the patience to wait to see the other side of the coin before we open our mouths. What a beautiful world that would be.