By Anthony A. Araos
Alfonso Lista town has a number of attractions for local and foreign tourists to visit at any time of the year. Yet, the tourism industry is hardly making a dent on the lives of the people. There are but a handful of visitors around.
What ails the tourism industry of Alfonso Lista? You don’t have to be a genius to answer this question. There is one such attraction in Barangay Sto. Domingo known as 1,000 steps. Oh yes, Alfonso Lista folks call it 1,000 steps.
Out there in Pangasinan, my home province, folks-young and old alike proudly speak of the Hundred Islands, not 100 Islands, as a great attraction of the province. I’m surely missing this wonderful place located at Alaminos town, just within the Lingayen Gulf.
In my travels abroad, I remembered visiting the noted Two-Mile island attraction. They don’t call it 2 Miles Island.
When it comes to vegetable salad, the Thousand Island dressing perfectly enriches my all-time favorite desert. Again, it is called “Thousand Island” dressing, not 1,000 Island dressing.
There is also the song entitled “A Hundred Miles.” (…you can hear the whistle blow, a hundred miles, just in case you forgot the lyrics) not 100 Miles.
The list goes on and on.
I simply can’t understand why Alfonso Lista folks (government functionaries at that) continue to say and call the place 1,000 steps. It is grammatically wrong! Correction: It should be A Thousand Steps!
To stop this utter madness, blatant stupidity and laughable thought, I am drafting a resolution and forwarding the same to the Sangguniang Barangay of Sto. Domingo to properly name and subsequently rename it as ‘A Thousand Steps.’ I am also sending a communication to Punong Barangay Jovito Valenzuela expressing these thoughts. My friends at Sto. Domingo Barangay Council are likely to listen to reason and good wisdom and so I’m not wasting my precious time elsewhere. By doing so, foreign tourists- most especially from North American, shall have the impression that Filipinos earned the right lessons in the English language. Again, (borrowing the words of my esteemed friend, Banaue Councilor Chester Bahatan) since time in memorial, so to speak, town folks here call it 1,000 steps. They call it, without blinking an eye and gleefully at that, 1,000 steps. Hehehe!!!
Bottom line: you’re doing a great disservice to the people by erroneously sending the message that Filipinos are hard up in speaking English. Considering that the United States even colonized the Philippines.
It is high time to check out all the vital tools in operating the whole gamut of the tourism industry apparatus. The mentality that speaking “carabao English” to a tourist from New York City is perfectly alright is absolutely wrong. It stinks! Got to change the Ifugao mindset to effectively address this problem. Adopt a new mindset because the entire country has already embraced the global order. You’re simply lagging behind by A Hundred Years, not 100 Years!
Numerous “gems” abound in Barangay Sto. Domingo for local and foreign tourists to see, enjoy and appreciate. Of course, one of them is the aforementioned site. But, please call the place properly and accurately. For the record, it is A Thousand Steps, please!
For the tourism industry here and elsewhere in Ifugao to finally spin-of, attractions as this one need to be identified and promoted properly at all times. Otherwise, public funds are wasted because erroneous information tidbits are fed to the public.
Ironically, there is even an Ifugao State University (IFSU) campus out here. Not one professor even entertained the idea that they are not correctly calling the place as such. No one bothered to make the necessary correction. Except me! My guiltless thoughts are haunting me each day and night. Enough is enough!
The change in name signals the Sto. Domingo Barangay Council’s new role as major promoter of this destination. It also emphasizes the barangay government’s commitment to provide right information to the public vis-à-vis its intent to ensure sustainable tourism development in the locality.
The foregoing is a constructive commentary. “Trabaho lang, walang personalan!” (This is just work, nothing personal). If heartache or negative feelings persist, consult your dictionary. Go find one at the nearest library- if there is one. If there’s none- just google it! Hehehe!
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At the back of the Alfonso Lista Municipal Hall is a small, unattended relic of the past. I saw this concrete structure with the emblem saying “Bayan ng Potia” (Town of Potia). Alfonso Lista used to be Potia town. While I’m quite focused in another barangay of the town, I’m also having concerns about this structure located well within Barangay Sta. Maria. This is understandable because the site is undeniably a major landmark rich in historical and cultural values. Yet, town folks are neglecting it. I can’t understand why this is happening when the Sangguniang Bayan has a committee on tourism as well as a committee on culture and the arts.
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In addition to its core infrastructure of road improvement projects, Barangay Sto. Domingo’s growth and development should easily be accelerated by the construction of its first-ever public high school. The village has two public elementary schools. It is high time for the barangay council to aggressively pursue this project. Educating the young by providing them a learning institution to obtain their secondary education should be prioritized by Punong Barangay Jovito Valenzuela and his kagawads (councilmen). Definitely, this is the right time for the Sto. Domingo High School- equipped with modern facilities and manned by highly-competent faculty, to rise at an appropriate site at sitio Susok. Needless to point out, it should have a high standard of education, at par with those in Metro Manila or the National Capital Region.
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I surely learned a lot from coping with the hardships of life during these difficult times. It gave me a better perspective of a purpose-driven life in relation to my overall interests and a few unachieved goals. Certainly, there is a backlog of important “things to do” in so many places due to “mobility” problems brought about by the community quarantine. Despite being “stranded” in a far-away place and devoid of the conveniences of modern-day living, I met “new friends” and have just been blessed with “golden opportunities” totally unheard of. I’ll surely grab them.
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A glaring lesson worth telling the people is on how nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) play a pivotal role in uniting people to advance shared goals and interests. I vividly witnessed their actions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis. At Alfonso Lista town, I only saw three councilors actively interacting with the people. Where are the others? It is good that these organizations made their presence at various underserved villages and distributed relief assistance packs to the poor, needy and sick. I’m more comfortable with the NGOs and POs than the others who walk in the corridors of power. Officers of NGOs and POs are sincere, honest and down-to-earth. They articulate the interests and values of their members. Frankly, I have reservations on politicians- addressed by the adulating, incredibly stupid masses as “Honorables” because of their agenda vis-à-vis the 2022 general elections. I find great comfort with the “humanitarian” projects of a business club or a church-based group because of their philantrophic or religious goals I’m reaching out to the thousands of poor folks badly affected by the quarantine. It is certainly a touching scene when a faith-based organization goes to a distant and impoverished sitio and hand out a good number of relief assistance packs. For sure, it is not hard to imagine the conditions of Filipinos who are living in subsistence levels or extreme poverty. The bubble just burst: the Philippines, after engaging in wanton extravagance in the last Southeast Asia (SEA) Games as host, is a poor country pretending to be rich. Urban and rural poor dwellers are now coming out in droves to get their relief assistance packs. The number of listed “social amelioration program” beneficiaries of the DSWD is astronomically high. The sheer number of indigent families overwhelmed and depleted the meager funds or resources of LGUs for the purchase of the much-needed food items (such as rice and noodles), culled from their Quick Response Funds (QRF). It was a nightmare at the Barangay Hall! Now, the “poorest of the poor” is a by-word among troubled, hungry Filipinos.
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For our food delights corner: In the post-Holy Week period (with direct reference to pork abstinence on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday), I’m highly recommending sweet and sour pork, fried tilapia (fish), mixed vegetables (half-boiled just to keep its nutrients) and java rice. It is a yummy meal. It is a wonderful treat for your family, loved ones and friends this lunch time. For dessert and appetizers: puto, avocado and chilled grape juice. Meal time is still the best opportunity to gather around the table to smile, eat and reflect on God’s blessings. Henceforth, don’t forget to pray. Be grateful to this blessing albeit the difficult times.
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Brainy tidbit: I’m glad that banana heart (flower) is abundant in Alfonso Lista, Aguinaldo, Banaue and Mayoyao, all towns in the second geographical district of Ifugao. Ifugao folks should really appreciate banana heart for its value on their health and well-being. It makes sense to partake of banana heart at least once a week at this point in time. It is far, far, far better than the “betel nuts.” It is the best time to discourage young Ifugao folks from chewing “moma” and instead tell them to use the hard-earned money of their parents in buying fruits and vegetables. The message is crystal clear: save your remaining money during the COVID-19 health crisis, don’t buy “betel nuts” and stop spitting “moma” anywhere. Presto, you’re even maintaining the cleanliness of your community. Got to use your brains! I suppose you already got such lesson in grade 2- if you were not absent.
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Finally, here is a thought for our dear readers: “Problems during these abnormal times call for abnormal solutions,” Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong,**
