By Anthony A. Araos
I simply can’t recall the exact number of times that I recommended Mayoyao town as an ideal place for a Christmas vacation place to our readers. Anyhow, the recommendation stays and I even strongly pushed for it with some new-found friends from Leyte, Camarines Sur and Davao in the conference I just attended in Quezon City. I also met a young Taiwanese businesswoman and a German high school student a few weeks back and told them to visit Mayoyao after their trips to Boracay, Baguio City and Banaue.
This time around, I made a strong pitch for them to bring their children during their Mayoyao trip. Why? When children learn about the natural wonders of this scenic town and practice environmental protection in the rice terraces or waterfalls they visit, they experience unimaginable level of transformation. And they can take those lessons home to their families, schoolmates and friends. In short, it expands their horizons. To my mind, it’s one way of ensuring a generation of better people.
The variety of stories or tales about Mayoyao in the past relates well with a tourist’s core message to promote Mayoyao by exploring well the town’s unique villages. December is the perfect time to understand and appreciate my never-ending quest to promote Mayoyao as the next destination in both Ifugao and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Maybe, next year a Mayoyao Christmas vacation package shall be offered. It consists of a minimum two-day night stay with free breakfast for two and complimentary welcome drinks. Guests may enjoy a 10 percent discount at the town’s lodging inns. Moreover, the town will feature the best of local cuisines and showcase the Filipino’s innate warmth and hospitality. Then I’ll forego rushing to the airport.
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Off to a far-away place for my much-deserved, much-needed Christmas vacation. I’m attending to some important matters on the side.
I don’t have to tell my close friend that I’m going to Mayoyao at an earlier date for the Yuletide holidays. The plan is practically done. I tried to adjust my schedules because I don’t want to miss both wonderful places and I didn’t want to disappoint a lot of people. It would be very awkward for me.
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I love sharing my thoughts to others. I get to meet all kinds of people here all the hard time without really trying, like well-meaning folks and incredibly stupid ones. Talking for a couple of minutes serve as a platform of deciding whether to recharge or relax in Pozorrubio, Pangasinan or Subic Freeport (or nearby Olongapo City, my birthplace) in Zambales province. When all of it gets too much, I simply think of crossing that bridge between Lamut (in Ifugao) and Bagabag (in Nueva Vizcaya) town. Back to civilization! This place is simply backward. By 50 years? It is even a poor estimate! This is a certain act of surviving, breathing and I have pretty, pretty much figured it out.
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Well, let’s celebrate the blessed and great season of giving and sharing with happiness, love and nutritious food.
For the record, I received my first Christmas greetings through a text message from former Board Member Samson Atluna of Mayoyao (and comebacking- for sure!). It reads: “May God bless you this Christmas season with joy and happiness.”
My reply: “Christmas is the perfect time to reflect on God’s blessings and eat healthy at the same time. Indisputable are my lessons on organic food. It is only through doing so during the Noche Buena that people can understand and appreciate the vitality of having freshly-picked organically-raised veggies.
New Year is the best time to break the traditional walls of parochial beliefs. Accordingly, though it is laid in this landscape that a leader of choice based on his or her integrity, wisdom and wealth of experience is badly needed, the battle goes beyond the individual and transcends personalities.
Maligayang Pasko at Makabuluhang Bagong Taon!”
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To my esteemed friends, Charles Balachawe and Godfrey Dominong, general managers of Lagawe Multipurpose Development Coorperative (LMDC) and Ifugao Global Entrepreneurs Multipurpose Cooperative (IGEMCO), respectively, may you have a Fun-filled Christmas and Fulfilling New Year!
My shared Christmas and New Year’s wishes to all others: Eat organic food items and subsequently lead healthier and more successful lives. I’d loved to give you all Christmas baskets full of pesticide-free vegetables and fruits.
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My holiday wish and prayer that detained Senator Leila de Lima be given a furlough for her to spend Christmas and New Year with her family and loved ones.
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Lagawe is in need of millennials who shall make a difference in the forthcoming electoral exercise. Not just millennials who are posting photographs of their “crushes” or “t-shirts” on social media.
But millennials who shall help educated the voters here on the issues at hand during the 2019 elections. Just imagine the population of the millennials. They post on social media and interact with each other. They are indeed a big help, most especially in assuring a huge or heavy turnout of voters and in countering massive vote-buying schemes of moneyed politicians.
For now, if the millennials in the capital town of Lagawe want a government that can do or give them a much better and effective way in taking care of the needs of women, children, youth and the poor all they have to do is to take a good look into the unique position taken by Vice Mayor Vilma Alcayna to directly the lives of the people through the services and advocacies she pursued. Vice Mayor Alcayna has been praised for her dedication to provide social justice and meaningful protection for the poor, sick and the needy. She is also instrumental in helping achieve gender equality and empower women through projects, programs and activities. The people of Lagawe recognize that the notable gains of their lives have been achieved through the inspired public service of leaders like Vice Mayor Alcayna. In building a better and brighter tomorrow, millennials should bond and act together. They have to help each other to attain social justice and good governance. They should support the efforts of Vice Mayor Alcayna to have effective, efficient, competitive and speedy delivery of services, most especially in far-flung villages. For only then the millennials can truly make themselves relevant.
If Vice Mayor Alcayna was able to do great things as an acting Vice Mayor (during the suspension of Vice Mayor Caesario Cabbigat), how much more if she is elected in 2019? Lagawe needs the likes of her at the Sangguniang Bayan, as its presiding officer.
I have talked to a number of them (millennials) and they lauded her unwavering commitment required of a public servant, as manifested by her proven track record in government. Believing that Vicer Mayor Alcayna is truly the leader who can lead them to even greater heights and assure their families and loved ones of a brighter future is something else.
Thus, the millennials or young voters, should follow the country’s heroes’ (whether Andres Bonifacio, Jose Rizal or Ninoy Aquino) footsteps.
Millennials should express their unequivocal support and commitment to campaigning at the national and local levels, in all regions, provinces, municipalities and cities to help install competent, caring and compassionate officials in the May 2019 polls. They should be in the forefront of addressing other key issues. For they have to contend with lawless elements to ensure that they have safe and tranquil communities. They have to deal with criminality, drug abuse and gambling.
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Or is it really a case of much ado with social media? Still is, there are friends of mine who are too engrossed in the frenzy world of social media. One of them even told me that what you do today at the social media will be so crucial for your success on 2019 and the coming years. “Be smart,” one of them insisted. She works in a major firm in Makati City.
My relative in Valenzuela City (in Metro Manila) is also deeply involved in the social media. So I’m beginning to refocus everything on it all over again. It is apparently a revolutionary tool. Having a free, open channel to express much anything you want online is definitely highly-valued than you imagine. Developments in the global sphere are now anchored on the principle of communicating through the social media. Experts believe that growth in developing and Third World countries is vital if policymakers intend to accomplish their goals and consequently take the social media route. By raising people’s awareness on the role of social media in society, we will be able to attend to the needs of the people and further attain the mode of development that we seek for the nation. Of course, there’s a lot of excitement, buzz and money in the social media. Small wonder, Google bought YouTube in 2006 for a staggering amount of $1.65 billion. Facebook earned $2.94 billion in 2014. Twitter was richer by $1.4 billion in the same year.
Hopefully, Ifugao social media advocates shall be able to transcend their preferences and adopt new mindset. It is high time to move on and focus on why high level of poverty is prevalent in remote villages instead of chatting on the different ethnolinguistic tribes. They should get out of their comfort zone and discuss at length on why corruption hinders the implementation of infrastructure projects such as irrigation facilities that can help accelerate productivity and income among the villagers. Why are government infrastructure projects like farm-to-market roads oftenly marred by corruption and irregularity? Why do you have to walk for hours just to reach the barangay halls of Montabiong and Abinuan (both distant villages in Lagawe)?
Why are employment opportunities so scarce in Lagawe’s remote villages of Tupaya, Ollilicon and Buyabuyan? Over the years, most of villagers here rely on farming as a source of livelihood. What is taking the officialdom too long to transform the vast of land in the so-called Ayangan-speaking villages of Lagawe into an economically, environmentally and culturally developed zone?
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There is a patriotic call of duty of Filipinos to actively engage in multi-pronged approached to ensure that competent and independent-minded candidates for Senator are elected in 2019. I’m encouraging readers to consolidate efforts on educating the voters in their communities into a collective agenda on protecting the Senate’s independence and reputation as the bulwark as a fiscalizer in a democracy. The seemingly ascension of unworthy senatorial bets is a threat in the offing. It is a real threat, thus, the need to give an opportunity for Atty. Florin Hilbay to join the ranks of the upper chamber of Congress. He is a professor at the University of the Philippine College of Law. Atty. Hilbay is not a candidate of the ruling PDP-Laban party. He is one of the eight aspirants for Senator of the opposition Liberal Party (LP)-led “Dream Slate” coalition. It is time for people and resources be pooled together in order to achieve something for the common good- to win the fight for good governance.
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I can’t imagine a good reason why the towns of Asipulo, Hungduan and Tinoc are not represented in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP)- in terms of having a Board Member to articulate the sentiments of the people of these three impoverished municipalities. On the other hand, the capital town of Lagawe has three board members. Sadly, this is detrimental to the welfare of their people. If we truly want to help them, why not create a third geographical district of Ifugao to be composed of the three towns and be allotted two seats at the SP. Fair enough! I don’t think it is acceptable to deprive them of their rightful representation at this powerful and influential body. Let them also share the bounty of opportunities within their jurisdiction. Doing so, shall attests to the provincial government’s commitment to the broad mission in helping uplift the lives of Filipinos in Asipulo, Hungduan and Tinoc. If former Tinoc Vice Mayor Agustin Calya-en (PDP-Laban) fails (God forbids! because he richly deserves a place at the SP) in his bid for Board Member in the province’s first district), the unthinking and lowly-educated voters are doing a great disservice once more. And they only have themselves to blame!
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For our food delight corner: Well, I’m about to miss a couple of my all-time Filipino meal favorites this Christmas season. But, not the sinigang na hipon (shrimps) with lots of radish, okra, string beans and eggplant. It is great with lumpiang ubod and rice for a wonderful dinner. Coupled with ube cake and chilled pineapple juice as appetizers and dessert.
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Finally, a thought for our readers: “Let a hundred flowers bloom.” A famous leader in modern times.**
