By Anthony A. Araos
so much. ”
And as previously discussed in my previous commentary (“Mayoyao is just three hours away”), Mayoyao town in Ifugao is a wonderful place to spend the Christmas vacation this year. I’m not changing my position on this matter, not a bit. Not a second and not a chance!
Amid the high cost of living brought about by the ill-effects of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, take the much-needed, much-deserved vacation with your loved ones this December in this scenic municipality. Spend your long holiday respite bundled away in the privacy of guestrooms of Mayoyao Hostel or a place owned by a friend or relative.
Go beyond the borders of your imagination and enjoy the best time of the year right here in Mayoyao.
I see beautiful days ahead in December for local and foreign tourists while they are vacationing in Mayoyao. I see beautiful ways for them to easily create a yuletide feast among themselves and even with local folks.
More importantly, I see beautiful days and ways of enjoying a Christmas vacation without spending so much. For what the world really needs now is plain common sense!
Experience a new interaction with nature and environment in a place far different from the metropolis.
Mayoyao is especially beautiful by this time of the year. See and feel it! Walk through the town’s natural trails. Birds are chirping. The wind is whistling. Don’t forgo the chance to let nature’s lullaby soothe you. There is nothing like the peace and tranquility of life at any of Mayoyao’s 27 villages. Never knew of Mayoyao’s great wonders before. One has got to open one’s eyes to stark reality.
Mayoyao is infinitely blessed with a fine and cool weather around this time of the year. Glance and savor it! Trek through the town’s natural paths. Butterflies are flying. The air is bristling. Leaves are swaying in the icy breeze. Let your worries get away. One has got to really open one’s eyes to see the big difference out here.
Well, well, to my mind, Mayoyao is indeed a great place to be mesmerized by the spectacular sight of a fog in the morning. Caressing one like morning dew! The shift to other great moods is also manifested in many places.
In my growing up years in Metro Manila and the United States, I enjoyed jogging in cosmopolitan settings. Comparatively speaking, I got the feeling it is far better in a rural setting for the obvious lack of smog and noise in the countryside. The numerous distractions usually play a trick on urban joggers. The feeling is troubling and discomforting. The black smoke is unceasingly following hard-gasping joggers.
Panoramic views are not lacking in Mayoyao’s villages. Take your pick at Aduyongan, Alimit, Ayangan, Balangbang, Banao, Banhal Bato-Alatbang, Bongon, Buninan, Chaya, Chumang, Epeng, Guinihon, Iniwaloy, Langayan, Liwo, Maga, Magulon, Mapawoy, Mayoyao Proper, Mongol, Nalbu, Nattum, Palaad. Poblacion, Talboc and Tulaed.
Travelers can enjoy the magnificent natural beauty of any of these villages as well as distinctive cultural heritage which is simple and caring way of life and unique practices. It has been said countless times that Mayoyao is a town with a “very rich cultural heritage.” I simply have no appetite to dispute it. All this time, I hold to this belief. All this time, I have no regrets. Sometimes, breaking the hearts of my friends in outlining my views is justifiable. We are all capable of saying “yes” or “no” to any assertion. Undeniably, it is a matter of opinion.
Hard work and effort from January to November, and it is certainly payoff time by December. Spend your magic and memorable moments with special ones during your Christmas vacation in Mayoyao. Vacationing is a form of pleasure. A pleasurable trip to Mayoyao well within this period is undoubtedly the best gift to think about now.
Think about it, December 24, 25 and 31 and even January 1, 2019 are holidays. A great holiday escape awaits the visitors at Mayoyao.
-o0o-
Eager beaver: Instances where barangay council and SK officials in Ifugao and elsewhere already took their oath of office much earlier than noon of June 30 are no longer isolated cases. I surmise they are simply too excited and eager to show to the people that they are there to stay and call the shots. So, why not start cleaning the clogged canals, segregate garbage and conduct night patrols. Or better still, conduct your barangay council meetings. A friendly reminder, you are not to receive a single centavo yet! Your mandate is three years, and it starts on the noon of June 30. Taking your oath of office would also mean assumption to duty. When a doctor who takes his or her oath, automatically becomes a doctor! Still you don’t understand? Go back to Kindergarten! To say otherwise is tantamount to stupidity and to my mind it is an understatement. No ifs and buts. God forbids, something happens within the period prior to the noon of June 30, the government still, shall not be responsible. Why? It is because the term of the incumbent barangay council officials will ONLY end only on the noon of June 30. Then, you have no one to blame but yourselves. Taking oath earlier than noon of June 30 is simply and absolutely a misguided and misinformed act from agencies concerned. For short, they were misled.
For the sake of argument, what if Punong Barangay-elect Ericson Inhumang of Poblacion North in Lagawe took his oath of office at an earlier time. From the time he took his oath, will he receive his honorarium? How about outgoing and incumbent Punong Barangay Norma Abuan? She is also entitled to receive her honorarium up to end of her term on noon of June 30. Here is an incredibly amazing and anomalous situation where there are two Punong Barangays. What the world needs now is plain common sense. Truth to tell, a board member even invited me to witness an oath-taking ceremony of barangay officials in a town near Banaue. I chose not to be part of this ridiculous early bird activity.
The best way to understand the foregoing is to cite the fact that the President of the Republic of the Philippines takes his or her oath of office at noon of June 30. Why? This is to avoid any vacuum of leadership. Why not let the Mayor call all incoming barangay officials in one venue for their mass oath taking rites to avoid any complications. It is a simple solution to a simple problem. If you insist, take a dip at Ibulao River. If don’t know how to swim, it is not my problem anymore!
-o0o-
In the just-concluded Gotad-ad-Ifugao’s jobs fair, no less than Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos was the guest speaker. Joke was going around that she herself was an applicant. Say what? It’s an open secret that she is also running for senator in the 2019 polls. Is it etched on the wall that there is vacancy at the Senate by 2019? Applicants may apply by October 2018, with or without experience. Gov. Marcos, daughter of late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, took time to shake the hands of many at the Lagawe Central School gymnasium. Was she hired on the spot by the Ifugao voters? Only time will tell. Apparently, the Ifugao provincial government spent a great deal of money for her float and stage preparations. It does not bode well for it to do so under the prevailing situation. With insufficient personnel and small operational budget, various departments experience difficulty in carrying out their mandate. Projects are underfunded. And now, funds were used for such a purpose in what could otherwise be earmarked for more pressing needs. It doesn’t make sense that a poor province like Ifugao is spending so much of the people’s money given that the illegally-amassed wealth of the Marcos family is far, far, far bigger than the budget of the Ifugao provincial government. Such expenditure should be disclosed as part of accountability and transparency.
-o0o-
The ZigZag Weekly’s editorial “What they are not saying about Roilo Golez,” on June 17, 2018, serves admirably to give readers a good understanding of outstanding public servants. I met the late Congressman Golez years back. He was known as the forerunner of reforms at the Post Office. His contributions to the society and the country have made him an exemplary model of public service.
This editorial is particularly important in reminding the people of electing well-meaning, highly-educated, competent and dedicated officials. It champions, a heightened cause for good and responsive governance, for it would bring nation betterment. Considering the fact that a lot of vital positions are at stake in the 2019 midterm elections such as senator and congressman, the voter’s choice is crucial. A good number of individuals have already announced their plans to become the next Senators or Representatives of the country. Unfortunately, many of them are clowns and crooks. These good-for-nothing aspirants come with gold watches and necklaces so they surely look like “trapos” or traditional politicians.
-o0o-
A tip for success: Don’t be afraid or shy to seek advice on how to improve your business establishment no matter how small it is. By getting a tip or two from one who is gifted with acumen for business (like the Chinese), an entrepreneur is in a better position to get financial boost. It is so important that business will progress smoothly and its owner will also find plenty of opportunities to develop further.
-o0o-
Bloopers in Ifugao: Overheard at a grocery a young girl (who is enrolled in a private school) telling her mother: “Put it in the down!” She was referring to the items they bought and the basket used for their purchase. Correction: “Put it under!” Really, the standard of education went down! Well, I just realized the bad, gripping fact how the English language is being taught these days.
At a jeepney bound for Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, the driver suddenly stopped the vehicle at the most unimaginable places of all, near a makeshift house with two doors but no windows. Most passengers covered their noses because of the stench and suffocating smell. An old woman yelled: “CR ito ng baboy!” (This is a comfort room for pigs!”). Really, and so pigs and human beings are of the same level! Well, I just learned that there are domesticated pigs after all. Only in Ifugao!
According to Department of Health (DOH)-CAR regional director Dr. Lakshmi Legaspi, 54,000 Cordillera households do not have toilets. Are these Ifugao pigs (called wek-wek in the province) then better off under these circumstances? Maybe this time, I need an urgent answer. Lord, make it soon!
-o0o-
In this coming great season, the whole of Christendom will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a significant reminder to Christians to share their blessings with the poor, most especially the indigents of far-flung villages of Ifugao and elsewhere. Why not give food, books, toys (no toy guns, please!) or clothes to them?
-o0o-
For our food delights corner: How would you like to serve your loved ones another wonderful meal at dinner time? So come up with corned beef, sweet and sour fish, mushroom, ham and onion soup and java rice. I’d always go for the creamy smoothness of a soup. Mixed with some condiments, the mushroom and ham-enriched soup takes an entirely new flavor.
For appetizers and dessert: vanilla cake, avocado and chilled guava juice.
Celebrate life with food, family and a PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) game. Always be thankful to the Lord for the great food, most especially from produce that is organic. I am always grateful if there are items at the table that are sustainably grown such as grass-fed beef or there is a mixed bowl of seasonal organic vegetables. Presently, I am brushing up on many other facts surrounding the attractiveness of a light and refreshing intake of salad vegetables. It is now your turn. See how you measure up preparing a salad against members of your family. Get your game at the table sooner or later. Then share the lessons.
-o0o-
Finally, some thoughts for our readers: “Nothing great was achieved without enthusiasm.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“It is lamentable, that to be a good patriot, one must become the enemy of the rest of the world.” Voltaire
“Tell the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.” Ps 96:1-2a**
