By Anthony A. Araos
to win.”
It is quite hard to find in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) rice terraces that are splendid and nearly look alike.
Indeed many may have difficulty differentiating one terraces from the other. But once one had walked through a terraces’ majestic amphitheater- like stone walls, he then starts to realize what makes up this uniquely-formed agricultural wonder.
Truly, Kinga Rice Terraces is great. It’s just as enchanting as the Batad Rice Terraces of Banaue town. Henceforth, to my mind, it should be another must-see destination for local and foreign tourists in Ifugao.
Kinga Rice Terraces is located just about five kilometers from Barangay Poblacion in Hungduan town. So reaching it is hardly a problem.
Considering its high altitude, it is cool here for the most part of the period of December to early February. Thus, it is an ideal vacation place to consider.
Kinga Rice Terraces is a mirror of the Ifugao culture. It is a reflection of a vibrant community in a distant past that rightly found its way to living together in harmony.
It is this rich history that makes for such a special culture in Ifugao, which can be felt or experienced through a visit to the Kinga Rice Terraces and many other parts of Hungduan.
It is time to visit Hungduan and see how the people settled here early in time and subsequently developed it as a major agricultural municipality.
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Land transportation services to Hungduan from Baguio City (and vice versa) just got a big boost with daily van trips offered by the Indigenous Tourist Transport Alliance Group, Inc. (ITTAG) now in operation. The Baguio to Hungduan trip leaves at 8:30 p.m. While the Hungduan to Baguio trip is scheduled at 4 p.m.
It’s good that ITTAG likewise has improved remarkably its services. More newly acquired air-conditioned vans are being used. Drivers are very courteous and friendly.
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Jonathan Dulnuan is running for Councilor in Kiangan, Ifugao in the May 9, 2016 elections. While so many candidates are very eager to join the ruling Liberal Party (LP) slate in the municipal level for obvious reasons of course for campaign funds to augment their resources and to say otherwise and that is out of principle- oh common, tell that to the marines or sa lolo mong bading, he opted to file his certificate of candidacy (COC) as an independent.
Mr. Dulnuan is very much qualified, deserving and competent. Just like Vice President Jejomar Binay whom he is supporting in the presidential race, Mr. Dulnuan shall pursue a legislative agenda in support of the needs and aspirations of the poor and marginalized. It is my fervent wish and prayer for him to succeed in this endeavor.
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In Ifugao (and elsewhere in the CAR and throughout the Philippines for that matter), there are a number of independent and dependent candidates who are seeking various positions.
The independent aspirants are banking on small resources (call it a shoe-string budget), good track records, some luck and lots of prayers to win.
On the other hand, dependent candidates are depending on their vote-buying schemes. Conversely, vote-selling activity is the order of the day. Isn’t this what is democracy all about? Its democrazy, plain and simple.
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Zigzag Weekly publisher and Editor-in-Chief Atty. Antonio Pekas rightly pointed out what legalized vote buying is all about in his recent commentary. It’s the ugliest form of ensuring the victory of the Aquino adminsitration’s favored standard-bearer. Well, it takes two to tango. There are vote buyers. And there are vote sellers. Thus, there is also such a thing as legalized vote-selling.
Will the legalized vote-buying scheme of the powers-that-be work for its favored presidential aspirant, who is lagging far behind in most surveys? To begin with, a good number of this opportunists in high places of national agencies as well as the rah-rah boys of the LP in the local level are simply going to get the funds (or cold cash, to be more exact) and vote for another presidential candidate who is not stuck in the bottom of these surveys. Such a disgusting way to perpetuate the thoughts of one who espoused, the “daang matuwid” philosophy. Even with the legalized vote-buying scheme, Malacaòang’s favored presidential timber is not likely to win and so it’s still an exercise in futility. It is an exercise done in very bad faith. The Manila Times on its January 23, 2016 issue bannered its headline “Aquino allies to join UNA.” Need I say more?
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Why could President Aquino and Budget Secretary Abad not simply release the budget of national agencies without the intent of answering the call of political exigencies?
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Two candidates for board member, under the LP, in Ifugao are not even going to vote for their party’s presidential candidate. One is for President Binay and the other is backing Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
Insubordination or simply to follow the dictates of one’s conscience, and what’s wrong with that?
And yet we all know all along that there is such a thing as a convenient way of being elected.
Like it or not, with President Binay (or President Poe or President Duterte) at the helm in five months’ time, the Liberal Party will be deserted by its even most rabid men and women. From a majority party, the Liberal Party shall be reduced into a minority party. It happened before. At the end of the tenure of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the dominant Lakas Party- following the monumental debacle of its presidential candidate Gilberto Teodoro in the 2010 polls, turned itself to Wakas Party. Is it going to be LP’s turn? Liberal to Leave-ral Party. Liberal to Lipat Party. For many are likely to leave it for greener pastures. Want to bet?
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I visited recently Barangay Buyabuyan, a remote village of Lagawe. This is a place where the next President should triple his or her efforts at poverty alleviation. The potentials for coffee production are enormous. If adequately tapped and developed, it is an alternative choice for employment. The next president should look into this matter seriously and work towards broadening the opportunities of planting or raising coffee trees. In the event that the UNA’s candidate for President emerges as the electorate’s top in the forthcoming polls, I am going to propose without hesitation to President Jejomar Binay the establishment of a coffee-seedling nursery in every coffee producing barangay in the Philippines.**
