By Anthony A. Araos
When American tourists think of a visit to Banaue town in Ifugao, they smile at the thought of being at the receiving end of warm smiles that await them. After all, who can say no to the VIP treatment given by villagers of Kinakin for tourists from the United States of America (U.S.A.) as a way of reciprocating the good deeds and a host of invaluable contributions of the famed American anthropologist Harold Conklin who stayed for quite some time here.
Past revisited: Dr. Conklin stayed in sitio Bayninan of Barangay Kinakin. He authored the “Etnographic Atlas of Ifugao: A Study of Environment, Culture and Society in Northern Luzon.” Published in 1980, it is a splendid research work. His well-researched and well-written works focused on terraced rice farming in Ifugao. He penned many other important papers.
Conklin was born in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1926. He died on February 18, 2016. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1950 and his Ph.D. in anthropology from Yale University in 1955. He saw action in the hostilities against Japan during World War II. He was assigned in the Philippines and other battlefields in the Pacific.
Thus, American tourists (and all other nationalities) can go back in time and relive the glorious past that one can glean from the village’s well-preserved heritage sites.
I made my mind to tell three friends from Des Moines, Iowa (who visited the country just last week) to visit the village. I told them to be charmed by the town’s art, musical instruments and traditions. It is a perfect place to study human society at the other side of the globe.
How to get there is not difficult. Banaue is the tourism hub of Ifugao. It is accessible by buses from Manila (from Sampaloc by taking night trips of Ohayami Trans) and Baguio City (from its Governor Pack Road terminal, also taking night trips of Ohayami Trans). There are ITTAG vans at the Teodora Alonzo terminal, daytime and nighttime daily trips. CODA Lines buses bound for Sagada, Mountain Province are passing by Banaue. Daily night trips are available at its Cubao, Quezon City terminal.
Trek to Kinakin for a memorable adventure. The village is still highly unspoiled, rural and attractive. Put in extra effort to take rare snapshots of the place and meet new friends there.
Kinakin is easily poised to be the next destination of Banaue. Second time visitors need not hesitate to see the village one more time. There will be opportunities for you to invigorate, recharge and relax. Revisiting Kinakin is always a pleasure!
Could dreams fly on the crisp of the wind? Enjoy the sights, feel the gentle and cool air of the village and chase your dreams right here. You better move fast and visit Kinakin (and the other villages of Banaue) soon.
Beyond the popular and majestic rice terraces of the town, I also believe that the future of Banaue’s town industry may be well within the confines of the organic farms in hitherto unknown villages like Kinakin. It is hard not to be charmed by the emotional intensity of seeing folks till the soil for a living. People have a real love of the town’s fertile soil. Why do farmers feel to live with the soil, to have a lot of them around? I figured that it is all about creation and the undeniable fact that God is so good! I like the idea of my fellow columnist, Danilo Padua who pointed out that God is not stupid (“Stupid God and Foolish President,” July 1, 2018), the context of arguing correctly and sensibly. Water and soil in a rice field should prompt reflection. Planting and harvesting palay (unhusked rice) is an unfolding story of God’s love for humanity in this part of the world and elsewhere. The recent rant against God has opened a new front in the debate in heavily Roman Catholic countries like the Philippines. What is the connection to the tourism industry? Of course, local and foreign tourists are always praying for their safely while touring the countryside. Don’t pray in a place where lawless elements are one too many. Terrible! Terrible, extremely terrible! Bad attitude. Even a frequent traveler needs frequent prayers! Imagine yourself in Southern Philippines where the Abu Sayyaf bandits and Maute group are scouring the place for their victims.
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Bloopers in Ifugao: Believe it or not: a rooster crows daily at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. instead of the wee hours of the morning, say at 5. So what is the rooster doing in the morning? Perhaps, sleeping like a baby. Why? Had a baya-drinking spree? Hahaha!
A concerned Lagawe resident who attended a meeting with IFELCO (Ifugao Electric Cooperative) officials to thresh out issues on the present problem related to never ending brownouts in the town beamingly proclaimed that the talks were very productive. The following day, there were two brownouts.
Even worse, an IFELCO employee went to hand over an electricity bill to a government office at the provincial capitol compound in Lagawe. IFELCO employee: Good morning. Here is your bill for the month, please receive it. Government employee: What’s good in the morning, don’t you see, we don’t even have light this morning. Look, there’s brownout again! We’re paying diligently and yet we are suffering from all of these. A case of payout and lights out!
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Tips for success: Do your very best at the office to get promotion. The chance is high in getting a higher position. Why? It is because you’re an asset to the firm. By doing so, productivity in the workplace increases. In other words, you’re bringing more money to the business establishment. Likewise, improve your relationship with your co-employees or colleagues at the office for a better chance to be promoted.
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Farmers in Ifugao are hampered by the lack of farm-to-market roads and irrigation systems as a result of the inaction and insensitivity of officials. There is confusion and fear over the problems brought about by climate change and other turbulent weather conditions.
It is a three-cornered race for the position of Vice Governor in the province in the 2019 midterm elections. Contenders are Board Member Victor Bunnol Jr. of Lamut, Board Member James Frederick Dulnuan of Banaue and Alfonso Lista Mayor Glenn Prudenciano. All are serving their third and last terms.
There is nothing more tragic than telling farmers, who are in dire need of farm-to-market roads to transport their produce faster, than “there are no funds available” for vital infrastructure facilities when the officialdom is spending for unnecessary outlays.
What are the plans of the aforementioned aspirants to help the agricultural sector in Ifugao, in terms of projects, programs and budgetary allocation that would cut down production cost, provide input subsidies, establish linkages to market and augment agricultural productivity?
Certainly, there are funds for cash-strapped farmers. The problem lies in the fact that the agricultural sector is not a priority of those who walk in the corridors of power. These funds should be utilized judiciously to improve facilities like farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, warehouses, cold storage and market centers.
Can the abovementioned hopefuls to be the next presiding officer of the powerful and influential Sangguniang Panlalawigan assure farmers they are willing to provide them seed subsidy? Who among them is willing to go the extra mile of providing honest-to-goodness support for farmers to increase their productivity and help them in marketing their products? I believe this is an effective remedy apart from poverty, hunger and low productivity besetting the agricultural sector.
The presiding officer of this august body will figure in the deliberations of the budget of the provincial government, as will the direction of the supplemental budgets and the other so-called term-based plans of the Ifugao government take.
Maybe this time, the next Vice Governor shall prod his esteemed colleagues at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to allocate funds for seeds for farmers to as well as post-harvest facilities to double their rice production and provide them adequate income to uplift their living standards.
The next Vice Governor should be committed to the development of the depressed and poorest villages in Ifugao, where farmers are tilling the soil to feed the people. Who has a deep and genuine concern for the welfare of the impoverished farmers?
What are some things that Ifugao voters can do to make sure that the agricultural sector remains a priority of the next Vice Governor? Make him hold and true to his “promises.”
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In 2016, when officials simply eyed “survival” in the political arena and took the convenient route of running under the well-oiled machinery of then ruling Liberal Party (LP) of President Noynoy Aquino, a youthful, vibrant, intelligent and principled individual in Lamut, Ifugao was credited for raising the banner of the moribound PDP-Laban party. Tom Kristoffer Guinomon ran under the PDO-Laban for Councilor in Lamut in the 2016 polls. I supposed no one else in the province filed his or her certificate of candidacy (CoC) for any position under the PDP-Laban. Following the victory and ascension into power of then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to the Palace in the said polls, thousands of LP officials defected to the PDP-Laban. Immediately, the joke that LP also stood for “Lipat Party” (transfer party) swirled around.
Presently, Tom- as he is fondly called by his peers and who is a nephew of Board Member Robert Humiwat, keeps himself busy with his work. Tom shuttles back and forth Lamut to Quezon City (at the House of Representatives) in dizzying mode. He is still an up-and-coming leader of Lamut. Although he failed to win in the last electoral exercise because of the stupid voters in this farming town, Guinomon is remembered as the “lone” brave soul who took the cudgels of not only campaigning for Mr. Duterte but also advancing the causes for federalism and end of drug abuse when it was not yet fashionable to do so. Today, Mr. Guinomon- the “original” PDP-Laban stalwart in Lamut if not the entire province, is still committed to promote the general welfare of the people.
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Knowing who is working in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) can be a great help in getting new hires at an institution where the practice of employing job-ordered personnel out of political accommodation is rampant.
I just got hold of a copy of a resolution authored by a Board Member whom I’m not identifying for obvious reasons. A portion of the resolution reads: “the province of Ifugao is composed of 175 barangays and 11 municipalities with a total population of 202,800 indigenous people (2015 census), mostly belonging to the Tuwali, Ayangan, Kalanguya and Ilocano tribes.” My manifest corrections: One, there are now 176 barangays (villages) in Ifugao, with the addition of barangay Liwon in Asipulo. Secondly, not all of the populace are IPs, there are a number of lowlanders who comprised its population. Lastly, Ilocano is not and never a tribe. It is a dialect at the same time collectively represents people of Ilocos region. If it is one, are you telling me that former Presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Elpidio Quirino, both Ilocanos, were ethnic Filipinos? I’m on the lookout for a history professor (past or present) who is steeped with the knowledge that former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson and Ilocos Norte Rep, Rudy Farinas are members of cultural minorities.
By the way, the resolution has drawn 36 corrections. Here is another one: “the province of Ifugao is strengthening its own on-going participation in the built, built, built program.” Correction: build, build, build. Present tense, plain and simple!
Providing IQ test in hiring the right staff members at the SP should be the threshold qualification to raise the level of efficiency of the SP. It definitely matters!
It is the duty and responsibility of a Board Member to ensure that the performance of each employee at his office is at par with the noble standards of public service.
Ifugao has been riveted by the election of two intelligent governors in recent past. One took place in 2013. It is hoped that another one prevails in 2019 and puts premium on work competence and excellence!
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For our food delights corner: Let’s have a nutritious stuff long known to most Filipinos at breakfast time. I’m referring no less to bangus sisig silog. There’s bangus (milkfish), sisig (grilled pork), fried rice, scrambled egg and achara at the plate. For appetizers and dessert: avocado, bananas, caramel sesame roll and hot chocolate.
Now, if you think that breakfast is just eating something before going to school or work you’re absolutely wrong. It is much, much more than having a big breakfast as this one. God created all the food items at the table. It is a powerful part of his love for each one. Say your prayer and be grateful. It is like a wise person who built a strong foundation for the future by working hard. Typhoons hit the country, rivers flooded and prices of basic commodities soared due to the TRAIN law. But the wise person is not hungry, because his future was built on a strong foundation. The wise person is always praying. His prayers were answered!
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Finally, here are some thoughts for our readers: “Fear paralyzes us from time to time.” 1 Cor 22:23-26
“Amending our Charter is not like passing ordinary legislation. It is much harder than that. It requires comprehensive studies and deliberations.” Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon.**
