LAGAWE, Ifugao– One of Ifugao’s most articulate and dedicated Sangguniang Bayan members urged his province mates in Hong Kong to move forward the province’s economic growth agenda by backing up the provincial government’s programs on agriculture, tourism and business.
Hungduan Councilor Pablo Cuyahon also stressed the need for members of the Ifugao Association- Hong Kong (IAHK) to still actively take part in nation-building efforts even if they are thousands of miles away from home.
At the Ifugao Day celebration on September 10, Councilor Cuyahon said the pro-Ifugao agenda would be built around their individual and collective aspirations and contributions.
The program was held at Pier 9, Central Terminus in the former British colony.
The keynote address of Councilor Cuyahon at the well-attended gathering was followed by other key activities of the Ifugao Day celebration rites.
“We have to showcase our finest customs and traditions to the world at such an important occasion,” Cuyahon said of the participants of this annual undertaking.
The selection of Councilor Cuyahon focused on the invaluable contributions of well-meaning Ifugao leaders as well as their track record as outstanding public servants.
Councilor Cuyahon is the chairman of the committee on environment, tourism, trade and industry. He is also a board director of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL)-Ifugao chapter.
Over the years, he is widely credited for pushing the legislated action for increased capacity of farmers, women, elderly and the poor to influence decisions in the municipal government.
He also did well to narrow the gap between desired and actual number of people who are living under the threshold of poverty.
Ifugao is still one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines. Joblessness is a major problem in this upland Cordillera province. Small wonder, thousands of its residents have opted to seek greener pastures abroad.
Now, that a number of these Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Ifugao appear to have found their voice in Councilor Cuyahon, bright prospects are being loudly trotted out.
Colleagues back in Hungduan, a town largely dependent on farming and steadily being known for its majestic rice terraces and many others, legislators praised Councilor Cuyahon and regarded him as a “rising star” in the horizon.
To ascertain the vitality of the occasion in promoting Ifugao culture even in a foreign land, the IAHK adopted the theme “IMMIPUGOS unite to promote and preserve our Cultural Heritage in foreign lands.”
Clarissa Talangge is the president of the IAHK. It is composed of ten organizations. It is also a registered organization of the HK Police Society. Hong Kong, now an autonomous region of China, is the home of over 200,000 OFWs. Hong Kong is one of the richest regions in China. Remittances sent back home by them are most helpful in propping up the ailing economy of the Philippines.
Ms. Talangge is one of the most highly respected leaders of the Filipino community here. Her members are known for their industry. They work for long hours and are described by their wealthy Chinese employers as caring, friendly and law-abiding. Membership in associations as this one is generally believed as one way of coping with home sickness problems. While it is true that their wages in Hong Kong is far higher than the rates in the Philippines, the social costs are unmistakably huge. The fault clearly falls on the shoulder of the government for its failure to provide its citizens permanent and decent-paying jobs.
It would then also serve the national government, in general, and the provincial government, in particular, to provide them all sorts of assistance- from legal and livelihood ventures for returning ones, to upgrade the conditions of their families or loved ones in Ifugao’s underserved communities and villages.
“There is reason to be optimistic these days, fortunately you and this representation truly care for the future of our beloved province,” he declared.
“Most importantly, our program showcased a people united by a common goal to realize a better future,” he added.
A showcase of what is envisioned a more progressive province is and ought to be, allows occasions as this one for an organized, coherent and efficient selection of guest speakers from their homeland that will have a positive impact on association’s members as well as appreciation of time-honored values.
Also, then Vice Governor Pedro Mayam-o spoke before the IAHK a few years back.
Cuyahon also strongly batted for the protection and conservation of the endangered Hungduan rice terraces.
Has considerations been given to how Ifugao OFWS may be adequately supported in their so-called role as “unsung heroes” of the country in providing a better tomorrow to the poor, the needy and sick of the province’s 11 municipalities?
With a solid reputation and an untarnished record as an exemplary leader, Councilor Cuyahon clearly has a job cut for him to achieve this goal. **By Anthony A. Araos
