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Excerpts from Baguio Midland Courier Weeks Mail Corner (February 2008 issues)
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WEEK'S MAIL |
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Be proud of our single title |
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by Sophia, Besao, Mountain Province |
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I
would agree with Frances Kollin Laoyan’s reaction to the letter of Isagani Fabian Gonzales. My heart goes out also
to Mr. Gonzales and to those who are still ashamed to call themselves Igorots.
Instead of being ashamed to be called
an Igorot why not prove to those people belittling the Igorots that they have misconceptions of the Igorots. When my sister
went to Visayas on a mission exposure about 20 years ago, she was introduced as an Igorot, they were surprised and their
misconceptions of an Igorot being a monkey or a person with a tail were changed. They saw an Igorot who is as beautiful,
fair-skinned, and educated like them. They had this misconception because they have not seen a real Igorot in person.
I
also have a teacher in college who confessed that she had a misconception of the Igorots. She thought that Igorots are
beggars and have tails. But when she came up to Baguio to study, she found out that the Igorots are better off as compared
to some people in the lowlands. They may not wear elegant clothes and jewelries but they have money to pay for their
school fees. Again, her beliefs were changed because she interacted with the Igorots.
Come to think of it, when
Marky Cielo proclaimed to the whole Philippines when he joined Starstruck, that he is an Igorot, he was supported by the Igorots.
He won not only because of his talents but also because of the full support of the Igorots here and abroad. He has proven
to the whole nation that the Igorots can be at par with others. The misconceptions of a lot of people in the Philippines changed.
Having
been to other countries to work, I have heard of the stories of our fellow Igorots that they were preferred by their employers
because they are industrious. I am proud to say that I am an Igorot from the northern part of the Philippines because I have
nothing to be ashamed of. I look like them and I am educated like them.
There are countless Igorots who excelled
here and abroad. So instead of being ashamed to be called an Igorot and call ourselves as i-Bontocs, i-Benguet, i-Kalinga,
i-Abra, or i-Ifugao and be divided, let us be proud to say, “I am an Igorot, a person from the mountains.” |
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baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph
WEEK'S MAIL |
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Proud to be an Igorot |
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by Denver Marines, (originally from Benguet) San Diego, California,
USA |
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No matter what, I was born and raised in the Igorot land. I am
from Benguet and I am still an Igorot! And damn proud of it!
Not because the author has been derided and ridiculed
for being an Igorot that he should just give up easily and say he should no longer be called an Igorot! That is a shame! A
very big shame!
This person should instead be proud and stand tall for being an Igorot no matter if other Filipinos
say negative things about the Igorots.
The more negative comments I hear about being an Igorot from our fellow Filipinos
makes me more proud and gives me a very good reason to smile. At least I know what a Bisaya, Cebuano, etc., is and this shows
how ignorant other Filipinos are!
I have friends and co-workers (Caucasian and others) who have asked about my “Igorotak”
sticker that I proudly display in the rear end of my vehicle. I go ahead and proudly explain what it means and what do you
know, they are amazed and respect what it means and stands for.
Running away and calling yourself something else other
than an Igorot will not help correct the negative perceptions tied to the term but rather worsen the label. Be proud of your
heritage. Be proud of who you are! Educate them! My ancestors were once primitive Igorots but that didn’t mean
they were not intelligent! They had the intelligence to respect other Filipinos no matter where in the Philippines they were
from and they had the intelligence to educate their descendants. Hence here I am a proud, well-educated Igorot who owes everything
to my primitive ancestors!
The Igorot culture and tradition will not stop with me or my kids, or their kids, or the
kids of their kids but rather continue no matter which part of the world we live in.
You may run but you can’t
hide! Once an Igorot, always an Igorot!
baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph
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WEEK'S MAIL |
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Pilipino
ako |
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by Neil Lee Ambasing, MD, La Trinidad,
Benguet |
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Mr. Isagani Fabian Gonzales, I call myself a Filipino!
Sa kanta po ni Kuh Ledesma, “Ako
ay Pilipino, taas noo kahit kanino. Ang Pilipino ay ako.”
I am a mongrel Filipino. A mixed blood. My blood
is an amalgam of Ibaloi, Ibontoc, and Ilokano, with some Chinese mixed in. Now, when asked specifically of my ethnic roots,
I say all four and I am damn proud of it! I’m not ashamed of wearing these shirts I purchased at this souvenir shop
at SM with large prints of Ibaloi, Igorotak, and Ilokano ak.
Pity those individuals who ridicule anyone with roots
from the Cordillera for they are ignorant of their fellow Filipinos in the highlands of the north. Stand proud if only for
the fact that you know that what they believe in is utterly false and that you know better. You would be remiss if a stinging,
witty, and sarcastic retort was not uttered in response to such a situation.
Education. The solution is really to educate
these individuals and you can start with yourself. Start the Chinese New Year right and show ’em what you’ve got
and silence those critics! Educate even at home where one’s upbringing would be, such that being an Ibaloi, Ibontoc,
Ilokano, or even Chinese is nothing to be ashamed of.
I’m also thankful to have been educated in institutions
with teachers who respected one’s ethnicity — the then Baguio Colleges Foundation, the University of Baguio Science
High School, and the University of the Philippines.
So Mr. Gonzales, start being part of the solution by educating
these “hung-hangs.”
I do not believe, however, that “identifying ourselves as Kalingans, Apayaoans,
Ifugaos, Bontocs, and Baguenos” would negate the “negative perceptions about Igorots.” On the contrary,
I believe that it would instead be divisive and further perpetuate beliefs that you have spelled out. Can Ibontocs be trusted
and are they truly war-freaks? Are Ibalois too trusting and gullible? Boy, am I a hot-tempered, naïve, and a conniving mongrel?
Mr.
Gonzales, your letter has a heading of “Respect should come first of all.” Yes, people should respect you. Regardless
of who you are, people should be respected. That is one thing basic in life. We are God’s creation, right? But would
you expect people to do so if you yourself do not respect yourself by being shy of your ethnicity?
Stand proud Mr.
Gonzales! Stand proud and be strong, hold your head up! But be compassionate to those who need to know the truth. Teach. Educate.
For this year’s Panagbenga, I think it wise for you and anyone in a similar predicament to rise up from the rubble!
You may be shaken, but sometimes we need to be shaken to awaken and do what is right.
As an aside, why not make Dr.
Howard Fry’s book on the Mountain Provinces required reading or at the very least, listed as reference material in the
curriculum and be made available in every library in the Cordillera? | |
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