91-yr-old vet recalls Bataan nightmare

91-yr-old vet recalls Bataan nightmare

91-yr-old vet recalls Bataan nightmare

By Maurice Malanes

Northern Luzon Bureau First Posted 06:23:00 04/09/2008

BAGUIO CITY—Before rising to become a police chief, a Benguet Corp. vice president and mayor of this city in the mid-1980s, Francisco Paraan lived through starvation, disease and the daily threat of being stabbed with a Japanese bayonet.

Paraan would now refer to the ordeal as his "nightmare," his "Valley of Death." In history books, though, Filipinos have come to know it as the Death March.
At 91, Paraan needs a hearing aid and takes 11 pills a day for his heart and urinary problems, and for other ailments traceable to the horrors he endured serving with the Allied forces during World War II.

Yet the battle-scarred veteran could still vividly remember the indignities and suffering which he and his comrades experienced during the infamous Death March of April 1942, the forcible transfer of some 90,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war from the Bataan peninsula to prison camps in Central Luzon.

The Allied surrender leading to the march is being commemorated by the nation on Wednesday as "Araw ng Kagitingan" (Day of Valor), also known as The Fall of Bataan.
"Physically exhausted, psychologically devastated and without food and water, we only had 10 percent left of our strength and will to fight," Paraan said, describing the Allied troops' condition on the eve of their capitulation.

"During the surrender, a great wave of jumbled, confused and emaciated (Filipino and American soldiers) was pushed towards the south in Corregidor and Mariveles, Bataan," he said. "Units of the USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East) just melted away."

Paraan was a tactical officer of the University of the Philippines ROTC (Reserved Officers Training Corps) when the war broke out. He enlisted as a third lieutenant in the USAFFE and led 30 men, all ROTC cadets, to Bataan. (Six of his men were later sent home after it was discovered that they were under 18.)

Final stand

When American supreme commander Gen. Douglas MacArthur ordered all Filipino and American troops to move to Bataan and make what would become their final stand, Paraan helped establish a main line of resistance on Mt. Natib.

The main Japanese offensive on Bataan actually began on Jan. 9 (a week after the fall of Manila and three months before the surrender). By mid-February, the USAFFE lines have been pushed to the Pilar-Bagac area, past Balanga.

There was a lull in the battle from Feb. 15 to April 2, Paraan recalled in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. "Both sides suffered great losses, and many of us were sick and exhausted." "But the morale of Filipino-American troops was very high because we were able to frustrate the target of the Japanese, (which was) to capture Bataan immediately. The morale of the Japanese, we learned, was low," he said.

Word also spread that the Japanese forces led by Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma had their share of massive losses and that many of the remaining soldiers were down with malaria and dysentery, the veteran added.

But when reinforcements fresh from Japan arrived, the offensive resumed on April 3, "unleashing their full military might, using air bombs, artillery shells and superior firepower," he said.

Paraan noted that many of the Filipino and American troops were so poorly armed that some were even carrying rifles of "World War I vintage."

On the eve of the surrender, the cornered troops even felt a strong "earthquake" hitting Bataan that day. "After sleeping a few hours on the night of April 8, we ... destroyed all our firearms. And from our jungle hideouts we, as ordered, went down to the highway to surrender the next morning."

Death March starts

Paraan and his contingent were first herded into a rice field in Barangay Cabcaben in Mariveles, where they stayed for a day without sleep and food. From Mariveles, the Death March commenced, covering an initial 80 kilometer to San Fernando, Pampanga.

"We formed a long line of hungry, sick and wounded Filipino and American soldiers," he said. "Those who were too weak or too sick to walk, those straying from line were beaten up, clubbed and bayoneted to death. We were denied food and water."

At one point, Paraan said, he got very thirsty and gambled with his life: He dashed to a nearby rice paddy and filled his canteen with water, completely eluding the attention of Japanese sentries. He slaked his thirst upon rejoining the line.

The next day, Paraan was ill with dysentery.

"It was literally a walk through the Valley of Death," he said. "All along the way, we saw corpses strewn about, some of them decapitated."

When the POWs reached Hermosa and Dinalupihan in Bataan, and later Lubao in Pampanga on April 10, residents came out to see them.

"Many of them wept as they took pity on us," Paraan said. Some of the locals tossed them food as the prisoners walked by.

"(They) gave us panocha (sugarcane molasses), fried chicken and steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves. (We ate them so quickly) it was as though we were just gulping down water."

Paraan said he later learned that many civilians who had given food to the soldiers were tortured and killed by the Japanese.

Reaching San Fernando, his group was met by truckloads of Japanese soldiers, "who taunted us and spat on our faces."

After spending the night at a warehouse at the San Fernando rail terminal, the POWs were then moved by train to Capas, Tarlac, the veteran said.

Packed in box cars

"We were packed like sardines in the box cars. Several (prisoners) died of suffocation," he said, recalling that at least three soldiers died in the car he was in.

From Capas, they marched for another 13 km to finally get to a concentration camp. After surviving Death March, however, Paraan was still down with dysentery. Prison food – a handful of steamed rice sprinkled with salt, served at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily – hardly helped in nursing himself back to health.

But Paraan surmised that, still, "God was good" because the Japanese failed to uncover his precious secret: He kept bills amounting to P300 (a substantial amount at the time) hidden in his underwear. With the money, he managed to smuggle food and medicine into the camp, not only for him but also for his younger brother and fellow POW, Ricardo, who was stricken with malaria.

Released on parole

"Without that money, my brother and I would have died at the camp," says Paraan. After six months at the camp, Paraan was released "on parole" and even had some money left for a train ride from Capas to Damortis, La Union, and then a bus ride to Baguio.

He was then contacted by officers of the 66th Infantry, USAF-Northern Luzon. After being treated for his dysentery by Dr. Ernesto Abellera, Paraan engaged in espionage, monitoring enemy movements and suppliers.

He eventually went back into combat, taking part in an assault on Bad-ayan Hill, a Japanese base in Buguias, Benguet, on Aug. 14, 1945.

Six decades later, Paraan said the Death March may have been a nightmare, but surviving it helped steel his will and character.

Leadership positions

"The experience gave me a lot of self-confidence, which prepared me for various leadership positions later," he said.

Paraan became Baguio City's chief of police in 1959 and earned an award as the country's most outstanding police chief during his term.

Paraan later moved to the private sector as security chief and later vice president of Benguet Corp. He served as Baguio City mayor during the Aquino administration.

Paraan, father of eight successful professionals and lolo of 22 grandchildren, is currently editing an autobiography that he finished writing last year. The book, he said, will contain his eyewitness account of the war.

Igorot discovers instant way to enjoy brewed coffee

http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20080405-128628/Igorot-discovers-instant-way-to-enjoy-brewed-coffee

Igorot discovers instant way to enjoy brewed coffee

By Maurice Malanes Northern Luzon Bureau

Posted date: April 05, 2008

BAGUIO CITY—A budding Igorot entrepreneur has found out that a revolutionary business idea comes in unexpected places. The challenge was translating the idea—a novel way for consumers to enjoy instant brewed coffee—into a profitable venture. During a break while exhibiting antique crafts at the World Trade Center in Manila in 2005, Peter Yangki (not his real name), a former antique craft trader, and a British client, took time out to sip coffee at the center’s cafe. Yangki saw that the coffee the waiter served them came from a reheated brew. He complained and told the waiter that ground coffee should not be reused and reheated. After an argument with the waiter, Yangki chose not to order coffee. The client settled for instant tea. As the Briton squeezed with a spoon his tea in filter bag in a cup with hot water, Yangki toyed with an idea and told him: If we can put tea leaves in a bag and we can have instant tea, why can’t we do the same with coffee? “That’s a revolutionary multimillion-peso business idea,” the Briton replied. “If you have coffee in your place, you can venture into that.” Buoyed by the Briton’s affirmation, Yangki thought hard about it and in no time embarked on what he said was quite an expensive trial-and-error experiment. The experiment paid off, and he went on to become the first Filipino to ever produce pure organic Arabica coffee in a tea bag. For the experiment, he availed of a P300,000 loan from the Department of Agriculture Young Farmers’ Program. He also rented coffee processing machines and packaging equipment of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for his experiment until he perfected packaging pure Arabica coffee in bags for an instant brew. Arabica, which grows well in high elevations such as the Cordillera, is the world’s most sought after coffee variety because of its distinct aroma and antioxidant qualities. As he was experimenting on and perfecting his product, Yangki, in 2005, established Cordillera Blend, his company based in Tuba, Benguet. He perfected his product in 2006 and registered it with the DOST and with the Intellectual Property Office in 2007. He also registered his product with the Bureau of Food and Drugs and is awaiting the bureau’s approval. He has begun marketing the product with the brand name Hagiyo! Brew. Yangki, who asked the Inquirer not to publish his real name, preferred that his product’s name be known rather than his identity. The brand name was derived from an Ifugao greeting, which means, Have a happy, long life! So what’s new with Hagiyo! Brew? It’s instant, but not the kind one dissolves in hot water. It’s instant but it is brewed coffee. Instant soluble coffee has undergone many processes and has a lot of what are called emulsifiers and artificial flavors. But Hagiyo! Brew instant coffee in filter bags comes from specially ground and minimally processed Arabica coffee without artificial flavors and preservatives, says Yangki. Yangki also takes pride in having sourced his raw coffee beans from naturally or organically grown Arabica coffee plants from Benguet, Mt. Province, Ifugao and Kalinga. The budding entrepreneur knows that freshly ground coffee must be packed and sealed at once to retain its delicate flavor and antioxidant qualities. Two coffee bags, each measuring five grams, are packed in an easy-to-reseal cellophane packet, before these are packed into a sealed foil sachet. Why two coffee bags in a sachet? There are moderate and heavy coffee drinkers,” says Yangki. A coffee bag is enough for moderate drinkers, but heavy coffee drinkers can use two in one cup. Local coffee connoisseurs, who sampled his product, swear the brewed coffee in bags could compare with that brewed in a percolator. Goodbye percolator And those who love brewed coffee need not invest in a percolator or a coffeemaker. They can simply pour hot water in a mug with a five-gram or 10-gram ground coffee in a filter bag, sweeten it with muscovado (unrefined sugar) or honey, and, as an added option, mix it with nondairy creamer. Hagiyo! Brew’s instant brewed coffee comes in two packages—one comes with a separately packed sachet of five-gram muscovado (unrefined sugar) and another separately packed nondairy cream. The other package has five grams of honey in a sachet instead of muscovado. The muscovado is sourced from Abra and the honey comes from an aviary of the Saint Louis University. The product is packaged with a strong pride of place, not only of Yangki’s home region of the Cordillera, but of his country. Inscribed in the box containing a dozen of sachets of the product is the text, “proudly Philippine-made organic brewed coffee for the world to taste.” Above it is an image of the Philippine flag. The product is also labeled as a super premium native brewed coffee brand of the Philippines. Brewing do’s and don’t’s Also included in the packaging are the three do’s and don’ts of coffee brewing. One, coffee should not be boiled, as boiled coffee tastes bitter. There is no need to boil roasted coffee beans as it is enough to extract an excellent brew from a cup with hot water. Two, coffee should not be reused. Three, coffee should not be reheated or continuously heated. Reusing, reheating and continuously heating brewed coffee would destroy the coffee’s volatile antioxidant properties. Continuously heating or boiling also gives a sour and flavorless brew. That insight during that morning coffee break when Yangki was disappointed not being served freshly brewed coffee became a turning point in his life as an entrepreneur. At that time he was doing quite good in trading antique craft and distinct furniture made of roots and vines. Business shift But this type of business relies heavily on the availability of forest products, which are already being depleted, he says. As early as 2005, he predicted that the antique craft and furniture would become a sunset industry. He also had a traumatic experience when he was trading antique craft and furniture. He was held up while transporting some items in Aurora. But the budding entrepreneur, a commerce graduate in his 30s, vows to follow in the footsteps of Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs who prefer to remain low-key while continuously making innovations for a better competitive edge in an industry still dominated by big players. It’s time we Igorots learn to become employers, not just employees knocking at the doors of already established companies, he said.

How to starve indigenous communities

How to starve indigenous communities

By Maurice Malanes
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Posted date: April 08, 2008

BAGUIO CITY – The Igorot people now acknowledge their ancestors’ long-term foresight in ensuring the food security of succeeding generations by carving rice terraces, even in tough, challenging terrain, in the Cordillera mountains.

Even during World War II and a rice crisis in the 1970s, the rice paddies have helped sustain the local folk. During the lean months, they supplemented rice with camote (sweet potato) from the nem-a or uma (upland swidden).

In recent years, however, this relative self-sufficiency has been threatened by “modern agriculture,” which the government has pushed purportedly to increase crop production through high-yielding varieties (HYVs) and, lately, genetically engineered seeds, chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

A study by the private Montañosa Research and Development Center (MRDC) tells of a farmer from the village of Dandanac in Besao, Mt. Province, who brought home a hybrid variety of corn given by a municipal agricultural technician. Concerned villagers warned that the seeds might be a strain or associated with Bt corn, but the farmer insisted on planting them because of an assurance of high yield.

“True enough, the new corn grew and flowered, but it did not bear ears,” said the study.

The MRDC documented how other farmers had slowly replaced their traditional rice with HYVs. In 1996, only two of 18 rice varieties that the Dandanac farmers were using were HYVs. In 2004, 11 of the 27 rice varieties inventoried were HYVs, nine were introduced by other farmers and seven were traditional types.

Eventually, more people planted larger areas with HYVs, dominating the traditional varieties and those introduced by neighboring communities, the center said. The HYVs were maturing early and could be planted twice during the rainy season in rain-fed areas.

In such a short time, the farmers had more yields than before. But there was a problem.

The HYVs narrowed the germplasm (genetic material that carries the inherited characteristics of an organism) base, the study noted. Several traditional varieties are no longer planted and are now considered lost. As a result, the farmers lost control over their seeds. They have to buy the HYVs from agro-chemical stores or dealers each cropping season.

The new varieties weakened the community’s synchronized cropping schedule. As a result, pests increased, accounting for a 20-percent crop loss.

Moreover, the community’s cooperative self-help group, through which knowledge and exemplary practices were shared among farmers, has disintegrated.

The HYVs brought along a new technology alien to the community – the use of oil-based inorganic fertilizers and pesticides, which, in the long term, degrade and contaminate the soil. Pesticide use leads to a cycle of poison, as farmers tend to use more when pests eventually develop resistance to even the most potent poison.

Thus, farmers have been forced to buy everything from seeds to fertilizers and pesticides, which often leave them heavily indebted, the MRDC study said. Before, they could select and set aside seeds from their own harvests, simply use weeds and animal dung as fertilizers, and synchronize cropping schedules to keep pests at bay.

Debt trap

The findings were presented during the Third National Conference on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Security in Quezon City on March 29, which the MRDC and other development nongovernment organizations serving indigenous peoples attended.

Sponsored by the EED Philippine Partners’ Task Force on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, the conference was held at a time when official pronouncements blamed previous typhoons and, later, rising world food prices and rice hoarders for a crisis over rice, the Filipinos’ main staple. The EED stands for Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst e.V., a church-supported donor agency in Germany.

A similar research by the Southern Christian College (SCC) in Midsayap, North Cotabato, reinforced the MRDC study. The SCC discovered that Bt corn and F1 hybrid rice had proved to be counterproductive among indigenous farmers in Sarangani.

The high cost of producing Bt corn, which requires chemical fertilizers and pesticides, has buried many farmers in debt, forcing some to sell or mortgage their land, Prof. Elma Neyra of the SCC said.

Maria Pilar Castro, senior agriculturist of the Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya (Sibat), another development organization, reported about Bt corn contamination in B’laan communities in Mindanao, raising concerns on food safety.

Hunger, blood

Indigenous peoples also felt cursed because their ancestral domains have been targeted for big-scale mining and logging. These only brought “hunger and blood” to many indigenous communities in Mindanao, according to Manobo youth leader Yatz Ambangan of Carmen, North Cotabato.

Ambangan cited how the government often responded with more military operations when indigenous folk would protest against mining and logging operations.

As a result, indigenous folk have to evacuate, abandoning their upland farms, and many accused of being rebel sympathizers have been killed, he said.

The conversion of lands into plantations of banana, palm and lately biofuel plants will lead to “food insecurity,” he said. He noted how the plantations had displaced hundreds of indigenous folk, some of whom were forced to become farm laborers with meager wages that were not enough to provide them all their needs, including food.

Policy issues

The EED Task Force on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, which is a consortium of development organizations serving indigenous communities, saw the food problem, including the current rice crisis, as an issue of policy. “Indigenous peoples’ rights to their land and resources must be secured,” it said. “This is the fundamental basis of their food security.”

Government and international policies, it said, must respect and recognize the rights of indigenous peoples to determine their own development – be it in agriculture and other industries, including mining, and other land and resource uses.

It stressed the right of indigenous peoples to free and prior informed consent (FPIC), which is guaranteed by the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Uprightness, Honesty as Way of Life

Uprightness, Honesty as Way of Life

Inquirer Headlines / Regions [Photo] http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080227-121617/Uprightness-honesty-way-of-life-in-Ibaloi-village Uprightness, honesty way of life in Ibaloi village
By Maurice Malanes
Northern Luzon Bureau Posted date: February 27, 2008

BAGUIO CITY – There’s something that simple probinsiyano (rural folk) can strongly take pride in – a culture of uprightness and honesty.

So the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines is not actually starting from scratch in its call for “communal action” against a “web of corruption” and dishonesty or an “ecosystem of dysfunction” said to be pervading government. It can take off from what may be called an “ecosystem of goodness,” which remains rooted in many rural and indigenous peoples’ communities.

For example, in the Ibaloi upland village of Dalupirip in Itogon, Benguet, one can leave the house door and windows open without fear of thieves. Or a carabao (water buffalo) in the fields because no rustlers will take it in the dead of night.

A paradise

“Our village is a paradise indeed,” said the late elder Tomas Pocding of Dalupirip. “You can see how we don’t have to fence off our homes because each one trusts everybody.”

Pocding was describing his village to reporters one time in the 1990s, stressing how he could not give up the place for a resettlement site being offered by the government in order to give way to a dam project. He and his village mates had feared that the dam would submerge their community.

Until he died in 2000, Pocding, a survivor and veteran of World War II, had fought hard to defend his village by the Agno River. As the “seat of Ibaloi culture” in Itogon, Dalupirip, with its age-old rice terraces and precious culture of uprightness, could not simply go down the drain, Pocding said.

Cultural heritage
Dalupirip and its rich cultural heritage must be inherited by future Ibaloi generations, he said.Offers of money and other compensation failed to blind Pocding from defending the village.

He insisted that not all that was precious in life could be translated into money terms.There are other Dalupirips elsewhere. The other rural upland towns either have zero or very low crime rate.

In fact, some jails are empty and are being used as a bodega (warehouse).In these towns, stealing is a no-no; the community castigates those who do.

Elders always hammer into the heads of the young that it is better to be rich in character, honesty and integrity than in material wealth from questionable sources.Such cultural psyche, to a high degree, has permeated even local politics.

In Kibungan (pop.: 17,000), an elected official who would be reported to have engaged in anomalous transactions will surely not win another term. But another who is transparent and honest in all his dealings will.

Still, even a well-loved political leader cannot go beyond three terms. The Kankanaey folk believe that even political power must be shared so other equally qualified community members can serve as mayor, councilor or barangay chair.

The only long-staying mayor ruled during the martial law regime of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s, when no elections were held.

Recent political events were not so perfect as complaints of vote buying were reported. But the mayoral candidate who allegedly tried to buy his way to victory lost.

Morality, values
Even without religion, which the colonialists introduced, the Kankanaey society has been highly moralist since time immemorial. This could be seen in a value system and an unwritten moral law, which are part of the upland folk’s collective character and way of life.

The Kankanaey morality or sense of right and wrong generally revolves around four major elements:

*Paniyew (fear of the unseen or the creator of humankind). A breach may spell eternal suffering for the offender. But it also connotes holiness.One cannot just pick a ripe pineapple from a neighbor’s swidden farm or catch a neighbor’s chicken and cook it because while no one may have seen the offender, a perceived someone knows everything that happens.

*Inayan (fear of a perceived someone). Its attacks focus more on one’s conscience. The perceived someone may not impose the sanction, but the offender’s conscience hurts the person most, and this may mean sleepless nights for the person.

*Bain (shame). The Kankanaey society is a reproachful community. To live in such a community after one has been known to commit a grave wrongdoing is intolerable. Shame can become too heavy for a person to take that it becomes enough punishment in itself.

*Ta-an (respect). It can also mean being considerate. Due respect is given to which or to whom it is due.

Despite the inroads of Christianity, these values, which have their counterparts in communities elsewhere, remain in the minds of the upland folk. It is thus common to hear elders remark, “Oray no pagano kami ngem ammo mi di inayan (Others may regard us as pagans, but we know about inayan),” referring to a strong sense of right and wrong.

Heavenly bodies, ‘camote’ and Igorot weddings

Heavenly bodies, ‘camote’ and Igorot weddings

By Maurice Malanes, Inquirer Northern Luzon

Page A14

BAGUIO CITY -- A STORY was told about the late Lakay (elder) Talin-eng of Kibungan, Benguet who got stuck in the middle of a pulley-operated tramline, which Kankana-ey folk used to employ to cross the Amburayan River in neighboring Kapangan town.

As he sought help, the elder was said to have prayed, “Ilam ay Agew, laton met ay bakenak mangakew (O Lord Sun, You know I’m not a thief).”

It was a prayer of a man, who felt he was being punished for some wrongs he did not commit. So for him, the sun, which was either regarded as an all-knowing god or a representation of some supreme being, could attest to his clean record.

Talin-eng failed to pull some rope so the tramline got stuck midway across above the river.

In their prayer rituals, traditional Igorot priests would invoke the sun, the moon and the stars to guide them and bless their harvests and other livelihoods.

Besides being revered as some kind of divine objects, heavenly bodies have guided the daily lives of Igorot folk, particularly in farming.

Until now, some upland folk in Kibungan plant certain crops during a certain phase of the moon. They believe, for example, that it will be more auspicious to plant camote (sweet potato) cuttings and bean seeds on days between beska (equivalent of first quarter lunar phase) and teke or full moon.

According to them, crops planted or seeds sowed when the moon is beginning to reappear after lened (new moon) will grow as the moon’s phases turn into a full moon. They, therefore, avoid planting after full moon when it fades out into a new moon.

To the Kankana-ey folk of Kibungan, the period between the first quarter and the full moon signifies birth, growth and hope.

Even rituals for activities such as wedding, thanksgiving and burial are set on days between the first quarter and the full moon.

The phase after the full moon is called bakas, which literally means destruction or fading out. Kibungan folk believe that crops planted during this period are not as productive as those sown before the full moon.

Any day before the full moon is also believed to be the appropriate time for a new couple to wed because this period signifies growth and progress or an unfolding into something full or abundant.

While Igorot cosmology is generally considered part of the group’s folk tales, organic farmers claim that this traditional cosmology has some scientific basis.

Greg Kitma of Baguio City, who considers himself a biodynamic organic farmer, says the level of gravitational pull of the moon varies during its different phases.

The earth’s gravitational pull also reacts in certain ways during the different phases of the moon or during certain planetary or star alignments.

These gravitational processes affect how plants grow in the same way that there is high or low tide during certain lunar phases, says Kitma.

He follows a cropping calendar based not only on the phases of the moon but also on other movements in the solar system.

He says it would be good to plant root crops such as potatoes and yam during certain phases of the moon when its gravitational pull is weaker than that of the Earth.

But crops such as beans, tomatoes and eggplant are best planted during a full moon, when the gravitational pull of the moon is stronger, he says.

“Our ancestors were actually more scientific than we thought,” said Kitma, an Ibaloi.

Benguet folk develop new art of marketing coffee

(This is a reprint)

By Maurice Malanes Northern Luzon Bureau

Posted date: July 08, 2007

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet--This province's Arabica trees are now heavy with green coffee beans. Growers say these beans will begin to turn red by September and ready to be harvested between October and February. These will later be marketed through a novel method, which has transformed Benguet Arabica trees into "live banks," if not a gold mine. During harvest, more than 200 Benguet coffee growers--all members of a new homegrown corporation--sort out coffee beans according to the age of the coffee trees. "This is because we market our Benguet coffee according to principles," says Rudy Guisdan, marketing officer of the Benguet Organic Coffee Arabica Enterprises Limited Inc. (Bocaeli). The corporation, formed in June 2005, is a cooperative of more than 200 backyard coffee growers who, with the help of local marketing experts, regularly meet to develop ways to market their products. "We have 'coffee of pride' (coffee beans from trees up to 49 years old), 'coffee of privilege' (beans from 50- to 75-year-old trees), and 'coffee of prestige' (75- to 99-year-old trees)," says Guisdan. "The most expensive is our 'coffee of honor,' which comes from 100-year-old or older trees," he adds. The prices vary according to age. A kilogram of ground coffee of pride sells at P300; coffee of privilege, P350; coffee of prestige, P400; and coffee of honor, P450. What's the philosophy or rationale behind the classification of Benguet Arabica coffee according to age? "It's definitely an honor to be sipping coffee from centennial coffee plants, which are the same organically grown plants that have been producing the beverage of our ancestors, and more and more clients are getting to appreciate this," says Guisdan. If coffee trees are 50 to 100 years old and even older but still bearing fruit, this means they have good genetic qualities. "They resist pests and the organic contents of the soil where they are planted have been maintained well," says Valentin Macanes, a Benguet State University (BSU) agroforestry professor helping coffee growers improve their production. Gerry Lab-oyan, president of the New Benguet Chamber of Commerce, a group that also helps promote local Arabica coffee, considers the century-old coffee trees of Benguet "prized heirlooms." These centennial plants, he says, can be the local folk's "live banks" because the plants, which belong to the Typica Arabica variety, are actually rare. Originally from Ethiopia, the Typica Arabica variety was brought to Benguet by Spanish colonizers who forced local folk to plant the coffee species along a trail. Typica Arabica was introduced in Sagada, Mt. Province by noted Cordillera photographer Eduardo Masferre, whose family in Spain maintained orchards. In the 1970s, the Bureau of Plant Industry and a private agricultural firm introduced to the Cordillera other Arabica varieties such as Bourbon Arabica, Moka and Granika, among others. There are 30 different Arabica species but Macanes says the most aromatic is the Typica Arabica, and it also has the lowest caffeine content. The advantage of Benguet and neighboring Mt. Province and Ifugao is their altitude considering that Arabica coffee thrives at 700 to 2,000 meters above sea level. To support Benguet coffee growers, Macanes, with the help of the BSU, has pledged to help establish a germplasm bank for Typica Arabica, especially from century-old mother plants, to ensure the continuous propagation and to help improve the production of this species. Maintaining and sustaining Benguet's decades-old and centennial coffee plants are the main reasons local growers are being encouraged to maintain the backyard coffee industry. A multinational food firm once attempted to contract local farmers for large-scale production. This did not work, however, because big-scale production required wide swaths of land for coffee plantation. "Although introduced, Arabica or what is now popularly called Benguet coffee has become part of local culture and has since been grown along with other backyard crops such as banana and other fruits. It is still best to maintain Benguet coffee this way," says Richard Abellon of the Office of Presidential Affairs in the Cordillera, which is helping local coffee growers in terms of research and promotion. "We do not encourage plantations because people have to deforest a mountain for these and mono-culture farming is not environmentally sound," he says. "We seek to help sustain the biodiversity and cultural integrity of Benguet and other coffee-producing towns in the Cordillera," he adds. Macanes says Costa Rica and Colombia, which are among the world's top coffee producers, rely on backyard producers. "Their only secret is that these small backyard producers are federated into cooperatives or local corporations," he says. To help improve the production of Arabica coffee in Benguet, Abellon's office is seeking to mobilize the expertise of the BSU and the Department of Agriculture to help coffee growers integrate appropriate technology with their "indigenous sociocultural practices" in producing Arabica. The market potential for coffee remains high, says Abellon, noting that coffee beans are still being imported because the country cannot meet local demand. "The production in Benguet and other Cordillera provinces is not even enough to meet the needs of Baguio City where coffee shops are multiplying," he says. The more than 200 members of Bocaeli produce a combined 10,000 kg of ready-to-roast coffee beans each year and their produce is always sold out, Guisdan says. Coffee growers who have maintained and preserved their decades and century-old trees are now appreciating what kind of gold mine they have, he says.

Warm bodies and cold nights in the Cordillera

(Note: I'm reprinting this because it chronicles long-time practices by which we in the boondocks cope with the freezing Siberian wind.)

Reprint

Warm bodies and cold nights in the Cordillera

Source: Inquirer Author: Maurice Malanes

Date: 2000-02-08

CORDILLERA'S nights are no longer as chilly as in the past weeks. But lowlanders are wondering how Igorot upland folk, particularly those at the peaks of Cordillera's mountain ranges, are keeping their bodies warm during the cold nights.

Eskimos can sleep the icy nights away by sleeping naked side by side with the rest of the family under a leather-with-fur blanket inside their igloo.

Igorot folk also share blankets during cold nights, a practice that Benguet's Kankanaey folk call bindayang.

Unlike the Eskimos, however, the Kankanaeys do not undress but would rather put on more clothes before lying under the blankets.

Under the bindayang, two family members of the same gender (brother-brother or sister-sister), would double up or combine their blankets and embrace each other, sharing body warmth as the chilly Siberian winds creep into their grass-thatched home.

This practice of sharing body warmth, called sak-kob, is usually done by children or unmarried siblings.

Of course, a man and his wife also practice sak-kob. They are joined in by the youngest un-weaned child. What a couple does beyond sak-kob is another story.

Kankanaey children also keep their bodies warm by wrapping themselves with jute or nylon sacks, aside from a blanket or two that they share through the bindayang. A sack can be big enough to accommodate two small children.

One-room affair

The typical Benguet Kankanaey home with grass roof and wood or reed walls is a one-room hut where family members dine, share stories and riddles, and sleep. The floor, which is either made of wood or reeds, is raised three to four feet above the ground.

At bedtime, the floor is swept of dirt and a big mat is spread. During cold nights, the mat is reinforced with old blankets or carton boxes. Up to this day, many upland folk are too poor to buy foams or mattresses.

Helping give heat to the homes of many Igorot folk is their kitchen stove called dapeng or dapengan, which is also set up inside the single-room house.

To build the foot-high dapeng, soil is placed in one corner of the house where three hard stones called dakilan are placed.

Each side of the rectangular or square dapeng is protected with thick lumber or round wood to keep the soil and ashes from spilling into the floor.

Like a double-burner gas range, two sets of dakilan can be put up to allow the family to build two fires and to accommodate two pots.

Today, some homes would rather have only two stones, on top of which two parallel iron or steel bars are placed. This new dakilan has space for three or four pots.

At early dawn, usually at the second crow of the rooster, the mother or father builds a fire from dry firewood and start cooking ange or pigs' food, which consists usually of sweet potato, yam, banana stalks and camote vines.

The fire helps heat the house when it gets chilly at dawn. Some children are up by then and gather around the fire to fix the firewood and keep their cold-numbed fingers and toes warm.

Kitchen fire

Keeping warm around the kitchen fire is called anido by Benguet Kankanaey folk.

Usually, an early morning guest during the cold season is invited for anido and for a cup of hot coffee or mountain tea.

To help heat the house the whole night, some families keep pieces of hard wood burning through a technique called lub-on.

A portion of the unburnt wood is buried in ashes to slow down the burning. For safety, the wood must be short enough not to exceed the dapeng's edge.

The dapeng stove has other uses. Three to four feet above it is a suspended shelf or rack made of reeds or bamboo called su-u-an, where rice and other grains are dried.

In fact, the whole ceiling of the house is a su-u-an, where unhusked rice and other grains are stored. Because of the smoke from the kitchen fire, the stored grains are free of beetles or bokbok.

The su-u-an just above the kitchen stove is used to heat palay (unhusked rice) or pagey, which must be immediately dried so that it can be pounded for the next meal.

The traditional Benguet and other Igorot houses may be small and simple, but they serve many purposes, such as for dining, cooking, sleeping and stocking food for the lean months.

But while it may be foggy and chilly outside, no baby would cry and die from the cold inside an Igorot village home.

Noong Simple Pa ang Buhay

(Note: I got this in the mail. I can relate with most of the experiences in the story. Maari kong dagdagan dahil lumaki ako sa rural setting kung saan mayaman din sa mga karanasan. Nguni't kailangan ko pang sulatin. Sana'y masulat ko na rin sa susunod. -Mau)


Original Message-----
From: Edna Pax <ednapax@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 9:45 pm
Subject: Simple ang Buhay NOON!

November 15, 2007 Dearest Margerry and Daniel, Good morning. Kindly print this email and give it to Lola Susie. She laughed very much when I read it on the phone. She asked for a copy. ******************************

******************** Si Nanay ay nasa bahay pag-uwi namin galing sa paaralan; Walang mga bakod at gate ang magkakapit-bahay, kung meron, gumamela lang; 10 sentimos o diyes lang ang baon: singko sa umaga, singko sa hapon; Merong free ang mga patpat ng ice drop: buko man o munggo. Mataas ang paggalang sa mga guro at ang tawag sa kanila ay Maestro/a: Di binibili ang tubig, pwedeng maki-inom sa di mo kakilala.

Malaking bagay na ang pumunta sa ilog para mag-picnic, o kaya sa tumana; Grabe na ang kaso pag napatawag ka sa principal's office o kaya malaking kahihiyan kapag bagsak ka sa exams; Simple lang ang pangarap: makatapos, makapag-asawa, mapagtapos ang mga anak... Pwedeng iwan ang sasakyan at ibilin sa hindi mo kakilala; wala namang lock ang mga jeep na Willy's noon. Mayroon kaming mga laruan na gawa namin at hindi binili: trak-trakan (gawa sa rosebowl ang katawan at darigold na maliit ang mga gulong, "sketeng" (scooter) na bearing na maingay ang mga gulong at de-sinkong pako para sa preno; patining na pinitpit na tansan lang na may 2 butas sa gitna para suotan ng sinulid (pwede pang makipag-lagutan) ; sumpak, pilatok, boca-boca, borador, atbp. Di nakikialam ang mga matanda sa mga laro ng mga bata: kasi laro nga iyon.

Maraming usong laro at maraming kasali: laste, gagamba, turumpo, tatsing ng lata, pera namin ay kaha ng Philip Morris, Malboro, Champion (kahon-kahon yon!) May dagta ang dulo ng tinting na hawak mo para makahuli tutubi, nandadakma ka ng palakang tetot, pero ingat ka sa palakang saging dahil sa kulugo; Butas na ang sakong ng Spartan mong tsinelas - suot mo pa rin; Namumugalgal ang pundiya ng kansolsilyo mo kasi nakasalampak ka sa lupa. Sa modernong buhay at sa lahat ng kasaganaan sa high technology.. . di ba minsan nangarap ka na rin... mas masaya noong araw! Sana pwedeng maibalik... Takot tayo ngayon sa buhay. Kasi maraming napapatay, nakikidnap, maraming addict at masasamang loob... Noon takot lang tayo sa ating mga magulang at mga lolo at lola. Pero ngayon, alam na natin na mahal pala nila tayo kayat ayaw tayong mapahamak o mapariwara.. . Na una silang nasasaktan pag pinapalo nila tayo...

Balik tayo sa nakaraan kahit saglit... Bago magkaroon ng internet, computer, at cellphone. Noong wala pang mga drugs at malls. Bago pa nauso ang counter strike at mga game boys. Tayo noon... Doon ... Tinutukoy ko ang harang taga o tumbang preso kapag maliwanag ang buwan; Ang pagtatakip mo ng mata pero nakasilip sa pagitan ng mga daliri pag nanonood ka ng nakakatakot sa "Mga Aninong Gumagalaw" Unahan tayong sumagot sa Multiplication Table na kabisado natin, kasi wala namang calculator. Pag-akyat natin sa mga puno; pagkakabit ng kulambo, lundagan sa kama ; Pagtikwas o pagtitimba sa poso; pingga ang pang-igib ng lalake at may dikin naman ang ulo ng babae; Inaasbaran ng mga suberbiyo; Nginig na tayo pag lumabas na ang yantok-mindoro o buntot-page. Nai-sako ka rin ba? O kaya naglagay ka ba ng karton sa pwet para hindi masakit ang tsinelas o sinturon?

Pamimili ng bato sa bigas; tinda-tindahan na puro dahon naman; bahay-bahayan na puro kahon; naglako ka ba ng ice-candy o pandesal noong araw? Karera sa takbuhan hanggang maubos ang hininga; pagtawa hanggang sumakit ang tiyan; Meron pa bang himbabao, kulitis at pongapong? O kaya ang lukaok, susuwi at espada? Susmaryosep ang nadidinig mo pag nagpapaligo ng bata... Estigo santo kapag nagmamano. Mapagod sa kakalaro, minsan mapalo; matakot sa "berdugo" at sa "kapre"; Tuwang-tuwa kami pag tinalo ang tinale ni itay kasi may tinola! Yung crush mo? Pag recess: mamimili ka sa garapon ng tinapay -alembong, taeng-kabayo o biscocho? Pwede ring ang sukli ay kending Vicks (meron pang libreng singsing) o kaya nougat o karamel; Kung gusto mo naman - pakumbo o kaya kariba, mas masaya kung inuyat; Puriko ang mantika, at mauling na ang mukha at ubos na ang hininga mo sa ihip kasi mahirap magpa-rikit ng apoy. Madami pa...

Masarap ang kamatis na piniga sa kamay at lumabas sa pagitan ng daliri para sa sawsawan; ang palutong pag isawsaw sa sukang may siling labuyo; ang duhat kapag inalog sa asin; ang isa-sang isubo ang daliri kasi puno na ng kanin... Halo-halo: yelo, asukal at gatas lang ang sahog; Sakang ang lakad mo at naka-saya ka kasi bagong tuli ka; o naghahanap ka ng chalk kasi tinagusan ang palda mo sa eskwelahan. Lipstick mo ay papel de hapon; Labaha ang gamit para sa white-side-wall na gupit; Naglululon ka ng banig pagkagising; matigas na amirol ang mga punda at kumot; madumi ang manggas ng damit mo kasi doon ka nagpapahid ng sipon, di ba? Pwede rin sa laylayan... May mga program kapag Lunes sa paaralan; May pakiling kang dala kung Biyernes kasi magi-isis ka ng desk. Di ba masaya? Naalala mo pa ba? Wala nang sasaya at gaganda pa sa panahon na yon... Masaya noon at masaya pa rin tayo ngayon habang ina-alaala iyon...

Di ba noon...Ang mga desisyon ay ginagawa sa awit na "sino ba sa dalawang ito? Ito ba o ito?" Pag ayaw ang resulta di ulitin: "sino ba sa dalawang ito? Ito ba o ito?"... Awit muna: Penpen de Serapen, de kutsilyo, de almasen. How how the carabao batuten... Presidente ng klase ay ang pinakamagaling, hindi ang pinaka-mayaman; Masaya na tayo basta sama-sama kahit hati-hati sa kokonti; Nauubos ang oras natin sa pagku-kwentuhan, may oras tayo sa isat-isa; Naaasar ka kapag marami kang sunog sa sungka; kapag buro ka sa pitik-bulag o matagal ka ng taya sa holen. Yung matatandang kapatid ang pinaka-ayaw natin pero sila ang tinatawag natin pag napapa-trouble tayo.

Di natutulog si Inay, nagbabantay pag may trangkaso tayo; meron tayong skyflakes at Royal sa tabi at pahihigupin ng mainit na Royco. Kung naaalaala mo ito... nabuhay ka na sa KAPAYAPAAN! Pustahan tayo nakangiti ka pa rin! Kung naka-relate ka sa lahat ng nabanggit sa itaas, ibig sabihin lang niyan ay.......... ... MATANDA ka na! he he he... pero kung hindi ka maka-relate, padala mo na lang sa akala mo ay kapanahunan nya ito para maalala din niya at mangiti rin siya.

Only in the Philippines

Note: This is a reprint from an email from Jojo Lamaria. I'm not sure if Jojo penned it, but I'm reprinting it anyway here because the piece defines the country of our hopes and sorrows.


PHILIPPINES - The only place on earth where......
Every street has a basketball court.
Even doctors, lawyers and engineers are unemployed.
Doctors study to become nurses for employment abroad.
Students pay more money than they will earn afterwards.
School is considered the second home and the mall considered the
third.
Call-center employees earn more money than teachers and nurses.
Everyone has his personal ghost story and superstition.
Mountains like Makiling and Banahaw are considered holy places.
Everything can be forged.
All kinds of animals are edible.
Starbucks coffee is more expensive than gas.
Driving 4 kms. can take as much as four hours.
Flyovers bring you from the freeway to the side streets.
Crossing the street involves running for your dear life.
The personal computer is mainly used for games and Friendster.
Where colonial mentality is dishonestly denied!
Where 4 a.m. is not even considered bedtime yet.
People can pay to defy the law.
Everything and everyone is spoofed.
Where even the poverty-stricken get to wear Ralph Lauren and
Tommy Hilfiger ("peke" or fake)!
The honking of car horns is a way of life.
Being called a bum is never offensive.
Floodwaters take up more than 90 percent of the streets during
the rainy season.
Where everyone has a relative abroad who keeps them alive.
Where wearing your national colors make you baduy (poor dresser).
Where even the poverty-stricken have the latest cell phones.
(GSM-galing sa magnanakaw or great stealing maneuvers)
Where insurance does not work.
Where water can only be classified as tap and dirty - clean water is
for sale (35 pesos per gallon).
Where the government makes the people pray for miracles.
(Amen to that!)
Where University of the Philippines is where all the weird people go.
Ateneo is where all the nerds go. La Salle is where all the Chinese
go.
College of St. Benilde is where all the non-intelligent Chinese go, and
University
of Asia and the Pacific is where all the irrelevantly rich people
go.
Fast food is a diet meal.
Traffic signs are merely suggestions, not regulations.
Where being mugged is normal. It happens to everyone.
Rodents are normal house pets.
The definition of traffic is the 'non-movement' of vehicles.
Where the ! fighter planes of the 1940s are used for military
engagements,
and the new fighter planes are displayed in museums.
Where cigarettes and alcohol are a necessity, and where the lottery
is a commodity.
Where soap operas tell the realities of life and where the news
provides the drama.
Where actors make the rules and where politicians provide the
entertainment.
People can get away with stealing trillions of pesos, but not a
thousand.
Where being an hour late is still considered punctual.

("Grabe talaga 'to!" The following is plain ludicrous:) Where the squatters have more to complain (even
if they do not pay their taxes) ---- than those employed and
have their taxes automatically deducted from their salaries....

and where everyone wants to leave the country!

FILIPINO SIGNS OF WIT:
The sign in a flower shop in Diliman called Petal Attraction;
a 24-hour restaurant called Doris Day & Night;
Barber shop called: Felix The Cut;
a bakery named Bread Pitt and another, Anita Bakery;
food place selling 'maruya' (banana fritters) called Maruya
Carey.
Then, there are Christopher Plumbing;
a boutique called The Way We Wear;
a video rental shop called Leon King Video Rental;
a restaurant in the Cainta called Caintacky Fried Chicken;
a l! ocal burger restaurant called Mang Donald's;
a doughnut shop called MacDonuts;
a shop selling 'lumpia' (egg roll) in Makati called Wrap
and Roll;
and two butcher shops called Meating Place and Meatropolis.
Smart travelers can decipher what may look like baffling signs to
unaccustomed foreigners by simply sounding out the 'Taglish' (the
Philippine version of English words spelled and pronounced with a
heavy Filipino such as, at a restaurant menu in Cebu : 'We hab
sopdrink
in can an in batol' [translation: We have soft drinks in can and
in bottle].
Then, there is a sewing accessories shop called: Bids And Pises
[translation: Beads and Pieces --or-- Bits and Pieces].
There are also many signs with either badly chosen or! misspelled
words, but they are usually so entertaining that it would be a
mistake to 'correct'
them like.......

In a restaurant in Baguio City , the 'summer capital' of the
Philippines :
'Wanted: Boy Waitress';
on a highway in Pampanga:
'We Make Modern Antique Furniture;'
on the window of a photography shop in Cabanatuan :
'We Shoot You While You Wait';
and on the glass front of a cafe in Panay Avenue in Manila :
' Wanted: Waiter, Cashier, Washier.'
Some of the notices can even give a wrong impression, such as,
a shoe store in Pangasinan which has a sign saying:
'We Sell Imported Robber Shoes' (these could be the
'sneakiest' Sneakers, eh)!;
and a rental property sign in Jaro, reads:
'House For Rent, Fully Furnaced' (it must really be hot
inside)!
Occasionally, one could come across signs that are truly unique--if
not
altogether odd.
City in southern Philippines , which said:
'Adults: 1 peso; Child: 50 centavos;
Cadavers: fare subject to negotiation.'
European tourists may also be intrigued to discover two competing
shops selling hopia (a Chinese pastry) called Holland Hopia and
Poland Hopia, which are owned and operated by two local Chinese
entrepreneurs,
Mr. Ho and Mr. Po respectively--(believe it or not)!
Some folks also 'creatively' redesign English to be more efficient.
'The creative confusion between language and culture leads to more
than
just simple unintentional errors in syntax, but in the adoption of
new
words,' says reader Robert Goodfellow, who came across a sign .....
'House Fersallarend' (house for sale or rent). Why use five words
when two will do? !
According to Manila businessman, Tonyboy Ongsiako, there is so much
wit in the Philippines because '. . . we are a country where a good
sense of
humor is needed to survive. We have a 24-hour comedy show here called
the government and a huge reserve of comedians made up mostly of
politicians and bad actors.
Now I ask you where else in the world would one want to live?

Self-rule Goal Not Yet Lost on Cordillera Folk

INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON Inquirer Northern Luzon : Elusive Cordillera autonomy Self-rule goal not yet lost on the people

By Maurice Malanes Inquirer

Posted date: September 19, 2007

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – They did not beat gongs and dance the tadek on Sept. 13 when they commemorated the 21st anniversary of the first peace agreement in the country signed between an armed group and the government under then President Corazon Aquino. Instead, surviving leaders and members of the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA) and the Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBA) sat down with government officials in a “peace and development forum” and reflected on the ultimate aim of what is now known as the Mt. Data Peace Accord of 1986. That aim was regional autonomy. Although it remains a dream, it has become the cause of those who pushed for the accord. They still consider autonomy or self-rule, especially in terms of managing and using the region’s land and resources, as the path to peace and development that can check a long history of neglect. That dream was the desire of the late CPLA chief, Fr. Conrado Balweg, and of his followers when they forged the pact with Aquino. At that time, the Aquino administration, which promised “democratic space” after strongman Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in a civilian-backed military revolt in February 1986, provided an auspicious opportunity for peace making. Talking peace During the signing of the accord in Mt. Data in Bauko, Mt. Province, “we, in a way, taught the national government how to talk peace,” Gabino Ganggangan, CBA secretary general, told the well-attended forum in La Trinidad, Benguet. “Former President Fidel Ramos himself acknowledged that the government learned a lot from the Cordillera’s peace initiative,” said Ganggangan. Unlike other armed groups, the CPLA immediately made peace with the government after it was formed in 1986, when its pioneers led by Balweg broke up with comrades in the New People’s Army due to political and ideological differences. “To set the record straight, those of us who joined the NPA [during Marcos’ martial law regime] did not fight for communism. We fought mainly for our ancestral lands and resources,” Ganggangan said. He cited how under Marcos, wide swaths of forest and rice lands in Abra, Mt. Province, Kalinga and Apayao were threatened by Cellophil Resources Corp., a paper mill owned by a Marcos crony, and by the planned series of World Bank-funded dams in the Chico River. Through Marcos’ regionalization law in 1972, the provinces of what is now the Cordillera were politically divided. Benguet, Mt. Province and Abra became part of Region 1 (Ilocos) and Ifugao, Kalinga and Apayao belonged to Region 2 (Cagayan Valley). This setup, according to Ganggangan, was aimed at “dismembering” the Cordillera, which was regarded as a vital resource base for the national government. After the separation of the provinces, Marcos’ controversial development programs followed and pushed the likes of Balweg to join the NPA. The division of the Cordillera and Marcos’ “development” programs led to the “one region, one people” battle cry of Balweg and other Igorot activists. “This battle cry was the seed of what is now called Kaigorotan consciousness and the dream for regional autonomy,” said Ganggangan. The desire soon found its way into the peace agreement that Balweg signed with Aquino. To fulfill her pledge to give flesh to the accord, Aquino signed Executive Order No. 220 on July 15, 1987, which gave birth to the Cordillera Administrative Region. The CAR was established in preparation for its autonomous status. Unfortunately, the Cordillera electorate rejected two proposed autonomy laws in two plebiscites—on Jan. 30, 1990 and on March 7, 1998. But advocates, including Balweg’s followers and those in government, maintain that the rejection of the proposed laws did not mean the death of autonomy itself. Juan Ngalob, National Economic and Development Authority regional director, cited lack of information—if not misinformation—for the losses. Kabayan (Benguet) Mayor Ernesto Matuday, who joined the peace and development forum in La Trinidad, Benguet, agreed. During the past campaigns before the plebiscites, “I heard that some people came over to my town and butchered a pig but they never informed us about the benefits of regional autonomy,” said Matuday. “Another reason [for the rejection] was public distrust of some politicians who were already positioning themselves if the autonomous region was created,” said Ngalob, chair of the Regional Development Council (RDC) which is now preparing the ground for another campaign. Actually just a few steps away, autonomy can still be achieved through a “more scientific approach,” Ngalob said. He cited a tedious poll survey which the RDC would undertake to determine the reasons the electorates had voted against autonomy. Campaign materials will be prepared based on the survey results, he said. “Let us take our steps slowly but surely,” said Ngalob. “If the people of Quebec (in Canada) are still not giving up hope in their cause for independence (which began shortly after World War II), why should we easily give up our dream for autonomy after 21 years?”

Igorot documentary captures ‘battle among the clouds’

Igorot documentary captures ‘battle among the clouds’
By Maurice Malanes
Inquirer
Last updated 02:56am (Mla time) 08/22/2007

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – They often tell of their trials and triumphs during World War II over cups of native coffee or tapuy (rice wine) at social gatherings. But old Igorot soldiers of World War II are not just fading away; they are also dying and their heirs worry that nobody is left to tell their stories.

Fortunately for the veterans, some of their grandchildren, anxious that such part of Benguet’s historic gem will be forgotten altogether, have thought of documenting in film their grandfathers’ stories of valor, courage and sacrifice.

The premier showing of the first documentary about Igorot war veterans was the highlight of a series of activities honoring Benguet’s World War II heroes on Aug. 15, the day the province was liberated from the Japanese Imperial Army 62 years ago.

Thanks to the initiatives of ResearchMate, a local research group, and the Outstanding Students of the Cordillera Administrative Region (Oscar) Alumni Community Inc., which produced the documentary, Aug. 15 from now on may yet be institutionalized as an important Benguet historic holiday.

Many members and associates of ResearchMate and Oscar are either children or grandchildren of World War II veterans. Their common interest in local history finally led them to embark on a film project about their forebears’ heroism even with a shoestring budget.

The 45-minute “Our Igorot Fathers, the Heroes: The Untold Story of the 66th Infantry Regiment, USAFIP-NL” chronicles how, six months after the fall of Bataan in April 1942, Igorot soldiers returned to Benguet to help build the resistance movement until the Japanese finally surrendered in 1945.

The film seeks to tell more comprehensively what used to be vignettes of the whole story of the Igorot resistance against the Japanese Imperial Army in the last war.

Turning north towards Benguet and other parts of the Cordillera was the wisest decision for the resistance movement after the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942. For one, the rugged and forested terrain of the mountain region was ideal for guerrilla warfare.

The other reason, which the film also noted, is that Benguet and the other mountain provinces had self-sufficient sweet potato and upland rice-producing communities to support the guerrillas in hiding.

Battle trails

In making the documentary “we had to follow and visit the trails of actual battles, which still have traces of foxholes, as we interviewed surviving veterans and reenacted encounters (between the Japanese and Igorot guerrillas),” says Betty Lestino of ResearchMate.

The filmmakers visited actual battle sites in the towns of Sablan, Tuba, La Trinidad, Bokod, Kabayan, Buguias, Mankayan and Kapangan.

“In the process, we were able to collect bomb and ammunition shells and other war gear, which we plan to put in a museum,” says Lestino.

To reenact the battles, the filmmakers had to employ 35 volunteer talents from Benguet and Mt. Province, who underwent a weeklong military training under the La Trinidad police and a consultant from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The 66th Infantry

Given the filmmakers’ meager budget, which they solicited from the Benguet provincial government and other donors, the documentary may not have the perfect simulation of war battles shown in well-funded movies.

But the documentary sufficiently shows how the 66th Infantry Regiment of the USAFIP-NL (United States Armed Forces in the Philippines-Northern Luzon) liberated Baguio City and Benguet.

Composed mostly of soldiers from Benguet and Mt. Province, the 66th Infantry had to face a well-entrenched and battle-tested enemy.

When the USAFIP-NL set its D-Day on Jan. 4, 1945, the Japanese had already established strategic defense lines in Benguet, which they had practically controlled since after the war broke in 1941.

The Japanese had controlled Naguilian and Kennon roads, the Mountain Trail (now Halsema Highway), and the gold and copper-rich Lepanto area.

But there was no stopping the 66th Infantry, which was attached to the US Sixth Army Division. The Igorot soldiers launched their assault along the Japanese’s Rosario-Damortis line of defense so they could approach Baguio City through Naguilian and Kennon roads.

Simultaneous assaults

The infantry’s simultaneous assaults against the Japanese in these two main roads finally liberated Sablan on April 10 and Tuba on April 26. All these led to more assaults that finally liberated Baguio City on April 27 and La Trinidad on May 3.

In June 1945, the USAFIP-NL mother unit ushered in the 66th Infantry to reinforce the 121st and 15th Infantry in a battle with the Japanese at Bessang Pass, Ilocos Sur.

The 66th Infantry was again assigned for combat operations in the Tagudin to Cervantes Highway at the right flank of Bessang Pass.

On June 14, after more than five months of armed clashes at and around Bessang Pass, where almost all soldiers of the 121st Infantry were killed, this “bloody and decisive battle among the clouds” (as a war chronicle described it) was finally won, “swinging open Yamashita’s western door.”

After the battles at Bessang Pass, all units of the USAFIP-NL continued their assault into the Mt. Province (at that time Mt. Province comprised what is now the provinces of the Cordillera).

For its part, the 66th Infantry tested its mettle in the villages of Comillas and Lepanto in Mankayan up to Abatan and Loo Valley in Buguias town. Here the 66th Infantry, after launching its assault on June 17, 1945, faced the regular and battle-tested 19th Division, also called the Tora Division, of the Japanese army numbering about 2,000 troops.

After 27 days of fierce fighting, Lepanto in Mankayan was finally liberated on July 20, eliminating what the film noted was “one of the best fortified enemy positions in Northern Luzon, nay, the whole Southwest Pacific area.”

From Lepanto and Mankayan, the 66th Infantry pursued the enemy to Abatan in Buguias, securing the area on July 27.

While the 66th Infantry was pursuing the remaining Japanese at Loo Valley on Aug. 15, Emperor Hirohito of Japan went on radio for the first time to order all Japanese to lay down their arms.

With this, USAFIP-NL commanding officer, Col. Russell W. Volckmann, issued a ceasefire order. Japan surrendered, and after five years of conflict Benguet was finally liberated on Aug. 15, 1945.

The documentary has helped remind Benguet’s officials to celebrate for the first time the province’s liberation anniversary.

“Benguet’s celebration of its Liberation Day serves as a reminder of the gallantry and sacrifices of our own local heroes,” says a flyer of ResearchMate and Oscar. “The trails (the 66th Infantry) left reflect the Igorots’ inherent bravery, love for family, and love for freedom.”

Singing the Blues under the Rain

After a two-month dry spell, the rains brought by two storms finally fell. The storms came shortly after Manila Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales encouraged his parish priests to lead their parishioners in praying for rain. The rest of us, particularly our Ilocano and Cagayan Valley brothers and sisters, have also been praying for rain for their parched farmlands.

As a result of typhoons Chedeng and Dodong, some lowland regions were flooded, forcing villagers to evacuate. But parts of northern Luzon, particularly Ilocandia and Cagayan Valley, reports say, need more rain so rice farmers can finally plow their fields and plant their seedlings. Other reports say water levels in our dams and reservoirs are still below minimum capacity.

This is the challenge: How can we distribute rain? How can we ensure that the torrents brought by typhoons fall on the parched rice fields of Ilocandia and Cagayan Valley rather than on flood-prone Manila and its adjoining towns? This can be a challenge for our science and technology department and science schools. And this certainly requires no emergency power, which Malacañang (the presidential palace) has claimed it needed to address the ensuing crisis brought about by the dry spell. The best that the presidential palace may yet have to do is to exercise its political will in helping mobilize the necessary human resources and funds to support initiatives addressing our water needs.

Other countries like India have proactive measures in addressing their water crisis. They, for example, have developed technologies that can harvest rain and water from fog. So during the dry months they have water to use at home and in their farms.

The idea of harvesting rain is putting to good use what Nature freely provides. My German neighbor, a retired NATO personnel married to a Filipina, can teach us a lesson or two in maximizing one of Nature’s important gifts. He has built at his yard an underground water reservoir designed to collect water from his house’s roof. Through an electric pump, the collected water is pumped into the kitchen and bathrooms. The collected rain water supplements an electric generator-run deep well water system.

Like other cities, Baguio is actually wasting plenty of rain water. Nature has so designed our land in such a way that when it rains these free universal solvent should be caught in our catch-basins or valleys and plateaus. Through our catch-basins rain water percolates underground, finding its way through our aquifers and into our springs. (An aquifer is an underground bed or layer of earth, gravel, or porous stone that yields water.)

But with so much cement covering wide swaths of our lands in Baguio not all rain water percolates underground to supply our aquifers. This is simply because almost every square inch of Baguio is cement. Every square meter of cement-covered land deprives every cubic meter of rain water from percolating into the ground. Since rain water no longer percolates into our grounds, what we have during the rainy season is water runoff that floods our drainage, creeks and City Camp Lagoon. This runoff ends up causing soil erosion and landslides, resulting in damage to human lives and property.

One challenge for the city government is to protect whatever has remained of its vital catch-basins. Maybe the city government, with the help of the environment and natural resources department and barangay (village) officials, can start identifying whatever remaining watersheds or catch-basins at the barangay level. And the barangay governments that can really protect and sustain (through proper reforestation and barring squatting) identified catch-basins and watersheds can be given some kind of incentives.

Water, not oil, is seen as the bone of conflict in the future. So it’s time to start looking for ways to put to maximum use the rains that come to us in abundance during the typhoon season. Otherwise, we’ll just end up singing the blues under the rain.

Planting Trees

One has succeeded in life, says a Chinese adage, if he has climbed mountains, written a book, planted trees and has sired a son.

Climbing mountains, however, does not necessarily and literally refer to Mounts Pulag or Everest. But of course, it’s a great bonus if we conquered even some less popular mountain peaks within our lifetime. Mountains could also refer to big obstacles in life such as dilemmas and other psychological, emotional and spiritual battles, in which we emerged victorious even if we stumbled along the way.

Writing a book has long been part of Chinese civilization. Whether they used to write on a roll of sliced bamboos or on a scroll of paper, the Chinese have long valued writing down knowledge and ancient wisdom to be passed on to future generations.

And why is planting trees included in the Chinese proverb? Trees have to be felled to produce paper for one’s book. So it’s just proper that one should replenish the trees that were used to produce his book.

Fathering a son, if not a daughter, has something to do with the continuity of the human race.

But let’s zero in on planting trees. The rains, although irregular until this writing, have come and it’s the right time to plant those seedlings. Before we know it, it’s going to be summer again and trying to plant seedlings for photo opportunities won’t do our environment any good.

Planting materials is no problem. One can ask seedlings from the environment and natural resources department.

If you wish to plant Benguet Arabica coffee, you can look around for seedlings growing randomly under the shade of mother trees in a neighbor’s yard. Some few Arabica coffee plants in our backyard, which now heave with green beans, actually came from a neighbor’s backyard in my hometown of Kibungan.

Or better yet – produce your own seedlings. Some of the fruits that you buy from the market such as jackfruit and star apple have plenty of seeds, which can easily germinate. Just put some soil even into recycled plastic bags or tetra-pack juice containers and the seed shoots are eager to break free from the good brown earth to embrace the sunshine.

If you sowed the seeds of the jackfruit you ate six months ago, you already have some seedlings to plant this rainy season. It’s a pity if these seeds would just end up at the garbage dump in Irisan. Mother Nature has designed that every tree or plant must be propagated through their seeds, if not through cuttings or tubers, in the same way that we humans continue to sire sons and daughters for the continuity of the human race.

Choking up our City

Our own perverted view of ourselves and of the world continues to choke up our city.

Take the case of my favorite neighbor. My neighbor, whom we can call Xman, has his own justification for building his junk shop beside a creek where all members of the neighborhood pass through to check their water pipes upstream.

“Look at Brookside (a village in Baguio), all houses and shops crowd both banks of the river,” Xman retorted, when reminded of a Department of Environment and Natural Resources policy, which bans any structures within six meters from a creek or river. He typifies the ‘everybody-is-doing-it-and-the-government-is-not-implementing-its-laws anyway’ disease, which has infected many of us. No wonder many of us have become incapable of making a positive dent in our community even in our own little way.

Xman could be credited for engaging in the business of buying and selling junk – from bottles, plastics and papers to scrap metal. He is actually helping recycle what would have ended up at a garbage dump, thus reducing wastes and maximizing resources.

But he built his junkshop at a place where it should not be. His junkshop is choking up the creek and has practically blocked the whole neighborhood members’ passage way to their water sources upstream. The whole neighborhood has been using the passage way for decades. But Xman and his family arrived in the neighborhood just two summers ago and started appropriating for themselves the community’s path way. Where in the world have you seen this? In our culture back home, we cannot just do this because of our culture of bain. Other cultures have their own hiya. But Xman seems to be lacking in this.

Xman began his junkshop business without first surveying where to properly put it. He and his family came to the neighborhood and made sure their presence was felt by making life inconvenient for their neighbors.

Xman also had a junked jeep, which has been permanently parked beside the public road a few meters from where he and his family now live. That space and part of his junkshop used to be where young boys in the neighborhood played basketball at a single basketball ring. The space also used to be where cab drivers would maneuver when they would bring passengers to our neighborhood. Xman appropriated all these spaces for himself.

Xman must be making good business because just recently he acquired a second-hand or third-hand pickup truck. The truck is now parked on one side of a bridge also not far from Xman’s home. When asked if he could do something so the truck wouldn’t obstruct traffic, he boastfully retorted: “Why are you complaining when you have no vehicle?”

His message is clear: those who have no vehicles in the neighborhood have no right to complain against Xman, who has appropriated again for himself another big chunk of a nearby bridge.

So how can you solve a problem like Xman? Frankly, I don’t know. You try to talk it out with him but you discover he and you have different wavelengths. His line of reasoning defies everything that is ethical. A Bayani Fernando in our village or in the city might know. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Bayani Fernando here.

Xman’s case is amusing. He typifies the person who has nary any sense of community or sensitivity to the rights of others. Parking his pickup truck and another junked jeep on a public road and expanding his junkshop beside the creek must be his way of flaunting what he has materially.

People from other provinces, including us, come to this city to seek livelihoods we cannot find back home. This city may not be the hometown of our birth so we may not have a close affinity to it. But this city is also our home. Home is where our family is. And since this city is our home, it is expected of us to help in our home’s good housekeeping.

But our experience with Xman and how some enterprising people have appropriated sidewalks for their vulcanizing or auto-mechanic shops and other businesses even at the heart of the city continue to show us that we no longer treat Baguio as our home. Apparently, we are treating the city like a lemon, which we can squeeze dry or a cow that we can milk to our hearts’ content without taking care of the lemon tree or the cow.

Such attitudinal or behavioral disease of people plus the apparent lack of political will of officials to implement laws are creating a disaster now choking up our city.

Respect for Life

In Europe one does not have to tremble in fear while crossing a pedestrian lane. Motorists there shift to low gear and immediately stop to allow pedestrians to cross even if the traffic light turns green. There’s courtesy and etiquette on the road.

It is different here. A pedestrian must turn his head twenty times to ensure that he doesn’t get run over by speeding vehicles. In fairness, however, there are some motorists who do care and who deserve our commendation.

European motorists’ respect for and courtesy towards pedestrians reflects their respect for human life.

It is thus not surprising that Europeans have long abolished the death penalty for criminals. The European Union now helps other peoples of the world who advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. One of the Philippine private organizations that advocated for the abolition of the death penalty was actually funded by the EU.

The Philippines finally abolished the death penalty, but Ms Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo was pressured to do so when she was about to visit the Pope last year. Although the death penalty has been abolished, human life remains cheap in this country. Many Filipinos still fear for their lives as they walk into valleys of extrajudicial killings. Others fear for slow, agonizing death as hunger and poverty stare them in the face.

For us who have been through martial law and for our surviving elders who have been through World War II, we all continue to ask the same question Bob Dylan had asked in the 1970s (or was it 1960s?): “How many deaths will it take ’til they know that too many people have died?” The answer, my friend, it seems, is, again as Dylan says, “blowin’ in the wind.”

While our Buddhist brothers and sisters are practicing ahimsa (non-violence, which includes respect for all life forms), we, as a dominantly Christian nation, are not also lacking in doctrines or tenets about reverence for life. We have the biblical Ten Commandments, which commands us not to kill. Even under our indigenous culture, human life is precious.

But something continues to defy our Christian and indigenous respect for life. In the dead of night, a beloved son gets shoved into a van and disappears without a trace. To her credit, the mother, although grieving inside, prays for the abductors of her son, invoking the Holy Spirit to soften their hearts so they may finally release him. Based on her instincts, the mother believes her son, who must have suffered a lot under his captors, is still alive.

If only the abductors could put their feet in the shoes of their captive and remember their own mothers, maybe they can have a better view of human life, which we have no right to snuff out.

Freedom

As a country, we are just 109 years old. We were supposed to have been the first republic in Asia on 12 June 1898. But the freedom our first revolutionary heroes fought for and won from the Spaniards, who controlled our minds and souls for more than 300 years, was short-lived. The Americans came to wrest the freedom we just won.

One tragedy in our history is that we have been turned over from one colonial master to another. The Spaniards and the Americans finally left, but we have yet to free ourselves from the enslaving impacts of colonization.

Now we are still struggling to free ourselves from the impact of being cloistered in a convent for almost four centuries and for being bombarded with Hollywood for almost a century, not to mention decades of IMF and the World Bank.

But within and among us, we have yet to free ourselves from other forms of slavery and subjugation. We have to liberate ourselves from ghosts of the past, which were never exorcised and which continue to resurrect and haunt us.

Very much around us is the ghost of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose martial law regime brought a climate of fear. Such climate still remains and no other than Supreme Court Justice Renato Puno had expressed concern and alarm over the still many unsolved political killings and other human indignities still happening in a supposed democracy.

Puno cited other ghosts – the ghosts of Garci and the ghosts of poverty. Even as Garci continues to haunt us, another Garci incarnate surnamed Bedol has come out to make us puke.

Puno was right about poverty. While top officials thump their breasts and congratulate themselves for what they claim is a booming economy, the poor continue not to feel the impact of so-called economic growth. A tank of liquefied petroleum gas remains expensive at P550. No wonder my neighbors, in search of firewood, continue to cut the branches of the trees in our neighborhood, threatening the remaining trees in our village.

There are other various forms of slavery from which we should free ourselves. We still have to outgrow and transcend our bigotry, prejudices and intolerance.

As we have said in past columns, the world is better seen from the prism of a rainbow. But many of us still view the world in black and white.

And there’s our slavery from our own materialist and consumerist ways. We think the planet is something we can squeeze like a lemon for our greed. Now the planet is getting warmer and our climate is changing, bringing disasters of catastrophic proportions.

With the way things are, we have yet to win our real freedom, individually and collectively.