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United Igorots in Europe |
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4th Igorot Cordillera BIMAAK Europe (ICBE) Consultation, Ireland 2007 |
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Arrival and departure: 15-18 May 2007 and 20-24 May 2007, respectively. Billeting and Accommodation; Countries in Europe and provinces in the Philippines represented. Caridad B. Fiar-od
There were a total of 48 participants who registered for the conference. There were others who joined the Gala Night only, like the Igorot miners from Tipperary, the other members of the Filipino community, and the Irish band and dancers. The Cordillera provinces that were represented were Benguet, Ifugao, Mountain Province, and Kalinga. There were no delegates who trace their roots from Abra and Apayao. The number of representatives from other countries was: two from Canada; three from the USA; one each from Germany, The Netherlands and the Philippines; three from Austria; five from Great Britain; and four from Switzerland. The rest were from Ireland. The ages of participants ranged from 1 to 61 years old with majority of them from the labor force age group of 25 to 55 years old. As early as May 15, 2007, which was two days before the conference, the organizers were on alert with their cars to fetch the participants arriving in Dublin airport and bring them to the conference venue. Though Ireland was chilly with rain showers, there was a warm welcome from BIBAK Ireland and warm greetings from other participants, manifested by the sincere expression of “hi!”, “hello!” as well as the usual hugs and kisses. Those who arrived early on May 15, 2007, were Patrick and Cristabel ‘Dono’ Bounggick, and Ruth Licay from Vienna, Austria; Yvonne Belen from The Netherlands, and Caridad B. Fiar-od from the Philippines (via London.) Carmen and Tim Umayat hosted a welcome dinner for the ‘early birds.’ Their under-five three kids were too disciplined, which amused and inspired everyone. They became the youngest participants. Rose and Claus Nabert from Canada also arrived on May 15, 2007. On May 16, 2007, Henry Foken, Frederick Baldo, Rick Kilongan from Switzerland arrived early in time for another welcome dinner hosted by Judith Balangyao and Martin Bowens. Others who arrived later after dinner were Rhino Oblas from Germany, Fely Bongalos from Wales and Kathleen Tadawan from Bristol, Great Britain. On May 17, 2007, the arrivals were Anna Liza Anton from New York, USA; the Agnaonao (Peter, Susan with son, Cristobal) and Cuyob (Ric, Alice and daughter, Marivonne) families; Monica Donguez and Jane Batnag from Scotland; Fred Labfayong from Zurich, Switzerland; and Conchita B. Pooten from London. The last to arrive on May 18, 2007 from the U.S. were Elizabeth Omengan and her son, Kai. The above-mentioned delegates from different countries were all billeted at Marino Conference Centre’s Bed and Breakfast accommodation. Members of BIBAK-Ireland were also accommodated with the other delegates; those nearby came early for the sessions with their cars. Likewise, after the formal closing ritual, and many informal parting ceremonies among the participants with the emotional singing of Auld Lang Syne, there was the unending picture taking, followed with the usual hugs and kisses, giving of gifts of love, sincere expressions of “Goodbye, see you in Germany!” or “Bye and God Bless You” or “Bon Voyage!” As departure came, the accommodating organizers drove the participants to the Dublin airport. The trips to the airport, from May 22-24, 2007, were according to the participant’s varied flight schedules. The first to depart was Fred Labfayong, who had to leave in the exigency of going on duty. He left just after the closing ritual while all others went for the Sunday Mass at the Parish of St. George and St. Thomas with the Rev. Katharine Poulton as the mass celebrant. The delegates had lunch with other members of the congregation. Afterwards, the Agnaonao and Cuyob families left for the airport while Rose and Claus Nabert toured other places of Ireland. In a caravan, some delegates boarded different private cars driven by Dave Aragones, Tim Umayat, Mark Calawen, Jane Gavino, James Quintin, Judith Balangyao and Martin Bowens. They proceeded to the Tipperary mine fields where they joined the miners in their cottage farm house for a camping with hands-on workshop on Igorot dances. Others opted to exhibit their talents in sing-along as others prepared the pinikpikan and barbecue. The parting for the departure of some delegates ended with picture taking, singing of Auld Lang Syne, and saying goodbye with hugs and kisses. From the parting in Tipperary, Conchita Pooten, Yvonne Belen, Mary Kay-an, Anna Liza Anton and Caridad Fiar-od went with Jane Gavino and Judith Balangyao to several directions of Ireland and reached the famous cliffs of Moher in County Clare. Patrick and Dono Bounggick, and Ruth Licay went to Mark and Brenia Calawen’s place. Those from Switzerland, Germany, and Scotland took off back to their workplace. Elizabeth Omengan and son, Kai stayed two days more in Dublin. Finally, on May 22, 2007, Eryl and Dave Aragones hosted a farewell dinner for overseas delegates left behind. Liza Anton was left to travel on May 23 to London, and Yvonne Belen to travel back home on 24 May 2007 to the The Netherlands. |
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Workshop Group Discussion Reports on the Theme Collated by Agnes Abanag The workshop outputs were composed of the reports of three groups that followed immediately after the power point presentation and in the afternoon, workshop reports by groups to address issues that were earlier identified during the program planning. The morning session workshops were guided by the recommendations identified in the power point presentation on the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. It was a matter of coming up with activities to respond to the recommendations.
Morning Session: Workshop Reports Group 1 “Preservation and Promotion of the Cordillera Cultural Heritage and Addressing Prevailing Issues in Society” Ruth Licay Issue: Documentation of tangible and intangible heritage should be copyrighted as the Igorots’ intellectual property before they are pirated by other artists or authors.
Implementation Plan as recommended by Group 1 Duration: Two years and the documentation to be presented at the 5th ICBE Consultation. ¨ Year 1: Distributing and collecting pieces of researches. ¨ Year 2: Writing, and finalization of documentation. · Tasking: Every member is tasked to contribute his/her own original stories, music, songs, films to be validated and included in every ICBE document. Terms and Agreements: · Originality. It was suggested that ICBE members themselves and their children can be the best actors/actresses to perform or reenact the documentation made during the ICBE Consultations and be filmed or printed. · Vigilance. We must learn and be very assertive - with proper education through seminars, consultations, videos, flyers, DVDs, CDs - to protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to control exploitation and piracy. · Petitions and Recommendations. Documentations related to culture made by ICBE should, if possible, be recommended for inclusion in school curriculum. · Need for Overseer. The group members recommends if practical, the need for an overseer or governing body to oversee and present Consultation program/project proposals relevant to the preservation of cultural heritage. In the meantime with no one voted upon, Dave Aragones of Ireland agreed and assured his support. · Need for ICBE governing body not only to oversee the event but also, as lobbying and validating authority in order to protect the Igorot IPR. Members: Agnes Abanag Recorder Peter Agnaonao Dave Aragones Jane Batnag Patrick Bounggick Caridad Fiar-od Fred Labfayong Ruth Licay Facilitator; reporter Nieves Pilacan Fred Sagmaguen Kathleen Tadawan Carmen Malidom-Umayat |
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About the ICBE Consultation
The ICBE Consultation is a conference of different Igorot organizations from various countries of Europe. The Igorots are indigenous peoples living in the Cordillera, northern Luzon, Philippines. Previous consultations have been held in Belgium, Austria and Switzerland. Participants come not only from Europe but also, from countries worldwide. There have been delegates from Israel, Canada, the Philippines and the United States of America.
Objectives:
1. To value our Igorot identity. 2. To integrate with our new adopted home and with other Filipino communities. 3. To address the different Cordilleran’s concerns and issues at home and abroad.
Conference Contact persons:
Introduction:
The thematic approach is used in recording the conference proceedings considering that the secretariat is composed of a team working in different areas with their specific assignment. In this way of recording, it allows any reader to read a specific topic he is interested in before going through the other areas of concern.
Giving premium to what was learned during the workshop on the aspect of leadership and volunteerism, Agnes Abanag summarized the workshop reports while Susan Kilakil collated the evaluation forms. Caridad Fiar-od was commissioned to put the proceedings in its draft form and Yvonne Belen to edit and finalize the proceedings.
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Proceedings of the
4th Igorot Cordillera BIMAAK Europe (ICBE) Consultation
Theme: Preservation and Promotion of our Cultural Heritage and Addressing our Issues in Society
17-20 May 2007 Marino Conference Centre Marino Institute of Education Griffith Avenue, Dublin, Ireland
Host BIBAK Ireland |
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Overview of the 4th ICBE Consultation Planning Judith U. Balangyao
In May 05 of year 2005, Jane and I arrived in Switzerland @ 6pm to attend the 3rd ICBE Consultation. While on our way to the venue at the Friedegg Hotel, excitement started to summon up as we knew that we will be meeting a lot of acquaintances and new people, who share the same culture and perhaps the same upbringing as ours. After the opening ceremony, Yvonne Belen approached and invited us and some others to go through the conference program. When we reached the part regarding the next consultation, some of those around the table directed their eyes on us with smiles, which implied only one thing. Jane and I looked at each other and after few moments of eye-conversation, we reached a joint decision to say “yes” in hosting the next consultation. Such decision, however, was coupled with a little hesitation on our part as there were some factors that needed to be considered, i.e., capability, willingness and most importantly, readiness of BIBAK Ireland organization. Nevertheless, later that night while we were already in our room discussing the matter, our excitement had exceeded such worries in hosting the same.
Such excitement even grew stronger when, during the turn-over ceremony held on the last day of the consultation, BIBAK-Switzerland passed on to us (as representatives of BIBAK Ireland) a banner that symbolized responsibility for the 4th ICBE Consultation. Thus, when we left the hotel for Grimmialp to spend more time with some others, who like us, decided to stay for more “is-istorya ad dap-ay,” Jane, some aunties and I were actually already working on the proposed program. So, even before we reached home, Jane had already written a draft along with a couple of suggestions and ideas.
On May 28, 2005, BIBAK- Ireland had a general meeting with two main agenda: 1st - Independence Day which will be celebrated soon that time; 2nd - ICBE. With the second agendum, Jane and I were eagerly looking forward to breaking the astonishing news. Later, when we were given the chance to stand up, we first talked about our great time and experience in Switzerland, how it felt to see people whom we got acquainted with when we first attended the consultation in Austria two years ago, the cultural facts we’ve learned and how remarkable the whole affair was, followed by the announcement that “we BIBAK Ireland were fortunate to have been nominated as the next host." As we expected, they were greatly surprised and had the same worries we had back in Switzerland. Nonetheless, after a few moments, most of the organizational bodies responded positively and verbally expressed their willingness to actively support the group in going through the preparation of the activity. Hence, planning then commenced on such day.
Although we haven’t formally completed anything until after a year, the consultation had always been a part of any conversation amongst the group, be it in big parties or small gatherings.
It was in April of 2006 when we started searching for a suitable venue for the conference, taking into consideration the following factors: price, accessibility, attractiveness of the place and its surrounding area and most especially its safety for everyone. We first found a place run by missionaries, which we booked temporarily as assurance can’t be given since the person in-charge was on holiday at that time. Unfortunately a month later, we got a call saying that the place was actually catering to an affair with a purpose of greater priority on the same dates that we needed it. As a result, we continued searching but this time with more perseverance from everyone.
While searching for a venue, the group was divided into different committees. Although each one was entrusted with duties and responsibilities, support and help from one another was made available whenever required. Efforts were likewise made to get together at least once every other week at the start, which eventually progressed into a weekly meeting as the preparation got tougher especially for those with kids or babies.
In addition, we talked with the “Manongs” and uncles in Tipperary about having a “mini-kanyaw” in their place after the conference for those who wanted to stay behind for more sightseeing. They happily said “yes.” Thus the announcement made through the net for the inclusion thereof in the itinerary of those who were interested.
By early September of 2006, we spotted a place called Marino Conference Centre that caters to different kinds of gatherings. We instantly booked a meeting with the man in-charge to see the place ourselves. The price was very reasonable despite its location which is just ten minutes from Dublin city center; the bedrooms looked comfortable; the gardens surrounding the building was great for morning or evening walks; the hall they showed us looked perfect for what we needed except that it was being renovated at that time. The man in-charge made a definite commitment that it will be finished before the scheduled date of our affair. We reported the above-mentioned details during the next group meeting and after few more visits, and a lot of discussion and computation, we booked the Marino Conference Centre.
Regarding the program, it wasn’t easy to come up with the right theme as we had to base it from what was earlier proposed and agreed upon. Many parts were a continuation of previous consultations. Worth mentioning are the other suggested themes, to wit: 1) Appreciating the past and planning for the future. 2) Treasuring our Igorot Cordillera cultural heritage. 3) Integration with our new adopted home and other Filipino communities. 4) Discussing social and migrant issues for old and new generations to come.
As to the other parts of the program, despite some changes and adjustments done every now and then for varied reasons, it went smoothly with the many suggestions that came from other BIBAK organizations all over Europe.
For the Saturday tour, the group chose the Wicklow tour since it is a nearby county of Dublin, meaning less time in the bus and more time in wandering around the tourist spots. Likewise the views are fabulous and so green which somewhat reminds the views in Besao… anyone who comes from same hometown as mine will agree with this…except for its rocky road.
On the succeeding days from March 2007 until the day of the conference, the group had been meeting at least three times a week, and sometimes even more when needed, as merely talking thru the net or phone wasn’t enough. Sometimes I had to ring-in sick for work just to be available, and the others did the same the following meeting. We had sleepless nights and restless days for a couple of days due to worries attached to the excitement of the coming conference. But mind you, despite all the work, we didn’t lose weight. And how could we when, whichever house we had the meeting, there was a separate table of tasty food. No wonder we always worked in the kitchen. The best was the coffee maker at Dave Aragones’s or Tim Umayat’s using a real “barako” (it might be a product of Bontoc, I actually haven’t asked since I was always busy sipping it, too busy to ask.) We could have not survived the long nights without it.
The last week before the consultation was spent re-touching the work done just to make sure everything was all organized (but I guess nothing is perfect in this world as proven in the actual conference, there’s always some error or shall we say a space for improvement.) Some of us spent a whole day shopping with a long list on hand... I thought a day shopping was not always enough for a lady, but it was actually possible if you have a list and if you go for the not so interesting stuff like A4 pads, folders, paper plates, paper bags, a couple of bin bags, hundreds of pens and thumbtacks. Dave used the next day, after the shopping, to make a design for the name tag. He finalized it by putting the BIBAK Ireland logo, part of European Union logo, and some Igorot design. One thing I learned from him while we were working on this was the importance of putting some personal touches in the things you do.
Finally the long wait was over. On Tuesday, May 15, 2007, we started fetching delegates from the airport. With exchanges of greetings and welcoming hugs, the 4th ICBE Consultation commenced.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dave Aragones President, BIBAK Ireland
To all, we give our immense & heartfelt thank you. To Almighty God for allowing this event to take place. To our families for their love, support and patience. To Yvonne Belen for tirelessly and patiently prompting & reminding us of the things to be done using almost all means of communication – snail mail, e-mail, text & phone. To Canon Katharine Poulton for suggesting the venue, use of the church premises for meetings to prepare for the event & for her continuous support of BIBAK Ireland. To our donors - Angie Norton, owner & proprietor of Bayanihan Superstore, and the staff and management of Pinoy store - for their valuable donations and continued support. To Rev. Ian Poulton for opening the event with a prayer and for his fond memories of the mountain provinces. To Dr. Caridad Fiar-od for the knowledge, songs and laughter - there is never a dull moment with her. To our Honorary Consul John Ferris for his talk on the Gala Night and his continued hard work for the Filipino Community. To Henry Foken for the video editing & for adding his original songs. To the staff of Marino Conference Centre especially Michel Loftus for trying his best to facilitate all that we need. To the Mc iLhatton Band and Gains School of Irish Dancing for both their superb performance on the Gala Night. To Claus Nabert a.k.a. Agpad for the beautiful photographs. To all the participants who traveled from all over. To the Igorot miners in Galmoy & Tipperary for accommodating almost all the participants and for the mouth-watering pinikpikan and pinapaitan. To all officers and members of BIBAK Ireland who made their contributions in different ways, especially Tim Umayat & Mark Calawen for showing the participants around Ireland; Ronaliza Laron-Quintin for the decorations; Fred Sagmaquen for the video & photographs; and Agnes Abanag, Gracia Kibad & Arnel Kidpalos for their help with the program. To the Steering Committee - Brenia Calawen, Carmen Malidom-Umayat, James Quintin, Jane Gavino & Judith Balangyao for their tireless effort and hard work for the success of this event. To all who has been part of this event, and to all participants who travelled from all over. |
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…………………………...ooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo…………………………... Group 3
“Preservation and Promotion of the Cordillera Cultural Heritage and Addressing Prevailing Issues in Society” Anna Liza Anton There should be an aggressive continuing education among the youths on the dances, chants, indigenous technologies for them to understand their implication for development.
So, the group has spoken. For the aggressive education, we have to involve them. We have to give them the chance to experience and learn with hands-on experience. We should provide workshops. We should provide narration during workshops and explain what culture is. Culture not only includes dances and chants but also dialects, costumes, stories and narration. On reason that was also brought up with educating the youth is for them to know why. There is a difference between telling them what they should do and telling them why. It gives them more reason to do it than being just obliged “because my parents said.” Oral and written documentation. Other groups have talked about this. There will be CDs or videos or articles that will be written about our culture. Re-enactment of culture especially for us here abroad because we don’t get to see rituals at home being reenacted here. It has to be done right. It has to be explained while doing the reenactment. It should be done in a quiet and solemn manner just to preserve the solemnity of the rituals. Recommendation: 1. There should be a continuity of education not only during gatherings or conferences but one should start at home. That parents should educate and explain culture to their children. They should speak to them in the dialect. They should explain to them what culture is. 2. We should involve other Filipino communities. Unfortunately, it is other Filipinos who have degraded us a lot of ways. “Ay Igorot ka,” with all the moral degradation. What we can do is to involve them during gatherings like this conference, to educate them. One more thing, to avoid misrepresentation of our culture, being commercialized, being adulterated. What we want to do is to let Igorot peoples represent themselves the proper way. Involving other Filipino communities to let them know of our culture is the right way. Thank you. Members: Anna Liza Anton Reporter Fely Bongalos Cristabel Bounggick Mark Calawen Gracia Kibad Claus Nabert Rose Nabert Facilitator |
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Group 2
“Preservation and Promotion of the Cordillera Cultural Heritage and Addressing Prevailing Issues in Society” Geraldine Ayban Our topic was on the second recommendation: There should be continuing advocacy and promotion of the Igorot culture through conferences, symposia and other forms.” After sharing our experiences, Ric Cuyob asked, “How can we advocate and promote our Igorot culture when we don’t even know what these are?” So we answered this question and came up with the following recommendations: 1. We continue to advocate our Igorot culture. One example is to create meetings on the local level. For example, in Ireland, BIBAK Ireland can invite other organizations like those of the Ilocanos and Kapampangans. We can play the gongs to promote our culture. Another example is through socialization like birthday parties. We invite people and play the gongs so people can see our tradition and practices. 2. We advertise our BIBAK organization through websites. 3. Continue to make researches and enhance our knowledge and skills so that we can become effective teachers to other people. If we see people who dance our different dances and they are not doing it properly, we can give constructive criticism. We should teach them the proper way to dance our Igorot dances. A big recommendation is the publication. We will make our research of different Igorot rituals of the Cordillera provinces. These could be on the life cycle like birth, marriage and death. We will look for commonalities and differences among the rituals. We will make a research and hopefully publish it. This will be for the next consultation. There is a concrete proposal for the research. Each country organization will research on the Igorot rituals of a Cordillera province. Group members volunteered for their organization. There was no volunteer for Abra so Yvonne (The Netherlands) did. She also volunteered Rhino Oblas of Germany. The organization and the Cordillera province, whose rituals they will research on, are: Igorot-UK - Mountain Province Cordi-Bel - Ifugao BIBAK Ireland - Benguet Igorot-Austria - Kalinga BIBAK Switzerland - Apayao Germany and The Netherlands - Abra Someone raised a question, which was inaudible on the video recording. Geraldine Ayban replied, “We are trying to make our own book, authoring and publishing our own book so we make our own research. We can also sell the book.” Yvonne Belen added that the reason that we came up with this research was even we ourselves don’t know our Igorot culture. So, she proposed, “Why don’t we make our own research? It could come from primary or secondary sources. Then we find commonalities and differences. For example, even for the Mountain Province, there is eastern, central and western. So we find commonalities and differences in their rituals. We will do it for each province. The procedure is we make the concept paper of the research and refer it to our consultant and adviser, Dr. Caridad Fair-od. After she comments, she returns the paper to us and we start our research. Now, our proposal for the next consultation is for each country organization, which will make the research, to give a presentation. It does not have to be a lecture. It can be through singing, a skit or a power point presentation, as long as it’s a varied presentation so everybody.” Members: Agnes Abanag Cristobal Agnaonao Geraldine Ayban Reporter Judith Balangyao Jane Batnag Yvonne Belen Brenia Calawen Marivonne Cuyob Ric Cuyob Monica Donguez Jane Gavino Recorder Conchita Pooten Facilitator Timothy Umayat |
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Opening and Closing Rituals and Others: A Show of Innovativeness in Integrating the Igorot culture to Christianity Caridad B. Fiar-od A. Opening Ritual: Rituals were interspersed in the opening and closing ceremonies that reconciled culture and religion. In the opening ceremony, part of the ritual was the opening prayer for the 4th ICBE Consultation (Consultation) by the Rev. Katharine Poulton. a. Prayer by the Rev. Katharine Poulton: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. AMEN Today is Ascension Day, the 40th Day after Easter and the day on which Christians remember that Jesus ascended into heaven to be with God, His heavenly Father. And so we have a reading from the Acts of the Apostles.” The Epistle: Acts 1: 1-11 In this book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the \holy \spirit not many days from now.’ So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the Kingdom of Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was filled up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.’ Let us pray. The Collect for Ascension Day Grant, we pray, Almighty God that as we believe your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens; So we in heart and mind may also ascend and with him continually dwell; who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. A prayer for the Conference: O God our Heavenly Father, we thank you for gathering us together for this meeting and for bringing each one of us safely to Ireland. We pray for those members of our families we may have left in other places at this time and ask for your care and protection of them. We pray for the people of the Igorot Communities of the Cordillera Region of Northern Philippines and for all the families and friends of the people represented here tonight. We give thanks that through this meeting, people who are living and working far from their homeland have the opportunity to share together and to talk about issues of mutual concern. We ask God that you will bless this gathering and each participant, praying that every individual may be listened to and given a chance to express their opinions. Above all, we ask that you will strengthen friendships across the group and that all those who have travelled for this meeting will find it has been worthwhile. All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our risen and ascended Lord. Amen. We pray the Lord’s Prayer together. b. Endorsement Ritual: Part of the opening was the Endorsement of Leadership by Henry Foken as President of BIBAK Switzerland, which hosted the 3rd ICBE Consultation, and acceptance by Dave Aragones as President of BIBAK-Ireland, the host country of the 4th ICBE Consultation. Henry Foken: With the symbolic striking of the gongs by Henry Foken, clad in Igorot attire (G-string, topless with a head gear) and with his gestures of an Igorot chanter, it caught the attention of all participants to listen to his indigenous chant ‘Uggayam’ that started with the phrase ‘ Ay Uggayam, o gayamen ….’ In essence, Henry greeted all participants, guests and the dance performers from the Gains School of Irish Dancing. He further expressed the significance of the ICBE Consultation in terms of changes in one’s outlook in life. Henry further wished the members of BIBAK Ireland represented by Dave Aragones that no matter how difficult it is to organize a conference, there is always a price for every sacrifice. In closing, Henry thanked Kabunyan, the Almighty for the safe journey of every participant and called everyone to pray with him that Kabunyan will continue showering each one with His blessings. Dave Aragones: Wearing the G-String (wanes) for the first time, Dave proudly proclaimed that this day, he can truly call himself an Igorot. Dave accepted the 4th ICBE Consultation leadership with confidence because he was sure that everyone will cooperate and has a role to play. Dave then proceeded to the podium to deliver his brief but meaningful welcome remarks. Peter Agnaonao: The opening of the May 18 activity was with the ‘Uggayam’ of Peter. He adored Kabunyan for his guidance and thanked him for the safe travel of all participants. He wished that with the Consultation, others will share what they know about culture for others to learn. He also wished that BIBAK or Cordillera organizations, through the ICBE Consultation, will always maintain their solidarity. B. Cultural Ritual: Before the cultural presentations as part of the Gala Night, it was opened with the acknowledgment of the Almighty with a prayer led by the Rev. Ian Poulton. Prayer by the Rev. Ian Poulton: ‘Dear God, Creator of the earth, wind, fire and water; Creator of all peoples, Help us to seek to be the church where we are – In our community, with its needs; in our country, at this time; and in this world, at this moment. Through your passionate and justice seeking love, bind us to all peoples all over the world. We are part of a global community that is greater than ourselves. Creator of all peoples, animals, insects, birds, and all the elements of life, we seek to imbibe what it means to be the church in other places so that by understanding your call better, we can act as brothers and sisters or partners around the world. We lift up their witness and costly discipleship, Are we ready? We listen to their stories of dispossession. Does this happen to our own communities? You who are our Courage and Fire You who are our Wisdom and Water You who are our Comfort and Earth You who are our Breath and Wind You give us love and strength to defend life and dignity You are with us, all of us around the world striving to make real your liberating love. Amen, Bogaw by Elder Patrick Bounggick. Bogaw literally means to shout and proclaim. As part of the cultural ritual, Patrick who was the eldest of the male elders, assumed the responsibility for leading the cultural presentation. He symbolically opened the jar of rice wine (tapey) with his shout to acclaim the presence of Kabunyan, who is the director of all things done. He further shouted that may there be friendly relationship as each one sips the glass of rice wine (tapey.) Cultural dances by all followed. D. Closing Rituals: As it is, the Igorots are ritualistic people. Rituals are performed in different ways in accordance to its appropriateness to the occasion. These rituals performed at the ICBE Consultation were: a. Parting Ritual: Before parting time, usually wishes in chants or songs are expressed in groups or by individuals. During the closing program at the Marino Conference Centre, Patrick Bounggick delivered his ‘Uggayam’ highlighted with his wish that in every ICBE gathering, may all the ‘singles’ find a partner, get married and start a family. He further wished them more children, prosperity and abundance. At Tipperary with the Igorot miners, Dono (Cristabel Bounggick) called for a group closing prayer song, “Bond of Love,” then singing of the Auld Lang Syne, followed by the goodbye song. b. Turnover Ritual: Turnover of hosting responsibility by Dave Aragones as President of BIBAK Ireland, host of the 4th ICBE Consultation to Rhino Oblas, from Germany as the host of 5th ICBE Consultation. Dave passed the Irish art craft to Rhino Oblas, as a symbol of being the host. As a general expectation, Dave expressed the feeling of satisfaction of hosting and to be passed to others. Rhino willingly accepted the responsibility of leading the hosting with the cooperation of all others since there is no BIBAK organization formally organized in Germany. c. Watwat Ritual. Literally, watwat means sharing of one’s blessings during parting times after a wedding celebration. This is locally termed ‘buka.’ Originally, what is shared by the celebrant or host is a piece of meat referred as watwat. During the 4th ICBE Consultation, it is impractical and inappropriate to distribute a piece of meat. Or else, it will be confiscated at the airport. Hence, gift items symbolized what watwat was. Integrating prayers in Igorot chants, and the traditional practice of singing the Auld Lang Syne, and the giving of watwat, it was performed in the following sequence: 1. Prayer to the tune of the dance-chant, ‘Digdigwi.’ 2. As a way of saying AMEN, the choral singing of the popular songs was sang: ‘Sha mampay, owen mampay’ and ‘Surwei, surwei, ompeh (3x) om, pehpeh om, pehpeh om’ 3. Singing of Auld Lang Syne and passing of wish signalled with the pressing of right thumb over the thumb of the next person at the left. 4. Proclamation of the wish by Claus Nabert. Claus expressed the wish in German and then in English: Wir wünschen uns, dass die Freude und die Kameradschaft, die wir in diesen drei Tagen miteinander teilten auch weiterhin in der Zukunft bestehen wird. Wir hoffen ebenfalls, dass beim Wiedersehen, in 2009 in Deutschland, unsere Gemeinschaft und der Zusammenhalt erneuert werden kann, um uns gegenseitig und unsere jeweilige Kultur zu entdecken; Damit wir eine bessere Zukunft für uns selbst, unsere Kinder und unser Volk verwirklichen können. We wish that the joy and camaraderie we have shared these three days will extend into the future and that we will once again come together in Germany in 2009 to renew our bonds, share again, and discover ever more about each other and our culture to create an ever better future for ourselves, our children, and our people. 5. Giving of watwat. With inner circle moving clockwise and the outer circle moving counter clockwise, the participants sang with action, the song, “Umisem ka, naimbag aramid mo, Ikampay ti imam iti Apo, Lamanuem kaabay mo, saka umisem” At the end of the song, whoever is in front of one, exchanged gift (watwat) then they continued to sing while hugging each other, ~Ay shana, ay shana, ay shana nan kanan da en layad, Nan watwat ay inted ko et layad ko, et layad ko!~ |
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Workshop Group Discussion on Topics of Interest Group 1: Cordillera Concerns and Migrant Issues Ric Cuyob Dealing with the Cordillera concerns and Migrants issues has its sad and happy stories. In our workshop, we lamented with the sad stories but at the same time found encouragement and strengths with the happy ones. Here are some stories that we have seen as “not happy ones” in our workshop. What is famous is the story of the Republic Act no. 7942 known as the Philippine Mining Act of 1995. In January 27, 2004, the Philippine Supreme Court declared this mining law unconstitutional but then on December 1 of that year, the same court reversed its decision and made it legal. Besides, to further assure the liberalization of the Philippine mining industry, the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) crafted the Mineral Action Plan under the Executive Order 270 with the aim of revitalizing the Philippine Mining Industry. We have learned that in the whole Philippines, the 23 areas identified as priority mining locations under this Mineral Action Plan and the President’s Executive Order 270, are within the Cordillera provinces. These include the areas covered by the Teresa Gold and Far Southeast Gold Projects of the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company, the Padcal Expansion Project of the Philex Mining Corporation, and the Itogon Gold Project of the Itogon-Suyoc Mines in the province of Benguet; the Batong Buhay Gold Project in the province of Kalinga; and the Bucay Magnetite River Iron Sand Project, Sanvig Iron Sand and Alluvial Gold Project, and Capcapo Copper-Gold Project of the Abra Mining and Industrial Corporation in the province of Abra. The Guidance Management Corporation ( GMC) and Aracorn Power and Energy Corporation (APEC) are among the mining and energy companies that are expressing their interest in the province of Kalinga. GMC is applying for a permit to explore the geothermal potentials of this province. In addition, there are more than 100 standing applications filed by various corporations for permits to mine the Cordillera – for example, Newmont’s applications for Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) that will cover large portions of Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Abra, the Ilocos Sur uplands, Benguet, Ifugao, and the Nueva Vizcaya uplands. Combining all these applications will cover an area of about 1.4 million hectares in the Cordillera. The human rights issues in the Cordillera as well as in the whole Philippines are very alarming. Killings by assassination and attempts of eliminating people’s leaders continue to happen in spite of the call of many organisations and concerned peoples on the national and international level to the Arroyo government to do something to stop it. The Cordillera Administrative Region is also among the heavy militarized areas in the Philippines and oftentimes massive militarization disturbs the cultural tranquillity of the community. On the migrant issues, there is the concern of aging among the first generations of Igorots in Europe, which will certainly confront us in the next five years. Migrants as an important sector in the Philippine society have not come up yet with a parliamentary representation that will look closely on the welfare of migrants and their families. Internationally, there are only 34 countries that have ratified the “United Nations International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.” It was adopted by the General Assembly in 1990 and the treaty only entered into force in 2003. But most of the countries that signed and ratified the treaty are the labor-sending countries, like the Philippines. To this effect, the UN’s independent expert on the rights of migrants has called on its member-states to ratify this international treaty, which seeks to protect the almost 200 million migrant workers around the world against abuse. Jorge Bustamante, the UN’s special reporter on the human rights of migrants is hopeful that more states would ratify the treaty during the Global Forum on Migration and Development to be held in Belgium in July 2007. He also called for the creation of a Voluntary Fund to allow the world’s least developed countries to attend the forum. This treaty, among others things, calls for a halt to the clandestine employment of irregular migrants so that they do not work in abusive conditions but enjoy safe and decent work and equal wages. It also provides for assistance to the orderly return of migrants to their home countries, so that they can enjoy adequate economic and social conditions for their reintegration. Vis-ŕ-vis these sad stories are happy and challenging ones. In Kalinga for instance, villagers stood fast and accused the GMC of arrogance and disrespect to their culture when the firm started explorations for sulphur and took mineral samples without getting the approval of the affected tribal communities. The Colayo tribal folks alleged that the company stole mineral samples from the area. They said that the GMC tried to deceive them because the company is actually interested in the minerals found in the area and the claim of sulphur exploration was just a ploy. The Igorots in diaspora are also responding to the many faces of the Cordillera concerns in many ways and in various means. The Igorot Scholarship Program (ISP) that came out after holding several Igorot International Consultations is one example. Efforts of many overseas workers to participate on the May 14, 2007 midterm election in the Philippines by directly voting or calling their relatives at home to vote for a favoured candidate or party list is also a response. On the 6th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) to be held from May 14-27, 2007 in New York, three women from the Cordillera went to attend. This session will focus on the indigenous peoples’ rights to lands, territories and natural resources. Besides, this will also include presentation on other key issues such as urban indigenous peoples and migration, data collection and disaggregation. In our workshop, we were optimistic that this 6th session of the UNPFII will come up with recommendations that address the indigenous peoples’ pressing issues. As a conclusion, we take the sad stories and gloomy situation we see at home as a challenge and the happy ones as inspiration and encouragement in our endeavours and in our groups, organisations or consultations, big or small. As recommendations, we recommend to all Igorots in Europe to support the Igorot Scholarship Program (ISP) in every way they can. We often hear also the word “successful” or “success.” But oftentimes this is measured with material things such as the amount of money earned, the educational degree that one obtained or a project that was properly executed. We recommend that our idea of “Success” or “Successful” be remoulded so that as a value, we will look at it in a way wherein we will gauge “success” with the life-giving services one has rendered to the masses, that the success of a project, for instance, be evaluated automatically on how it improved or bettered the lives of the poor people. The Three Spirits of the Workshop: Peter Agnaonao Elizabeth Omengan Ric Cuyob
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Group 2: Leadership and Volunteerism: Agnes Abanag The group members identified and agreed on the objectives of the workshop as: · Discuss how to encourage/recruit a good leader; · Identify the core values of an Igorot leader; · Discuss morality issues/moral concepts like the concept of inayan as a vital cultural trait a leader should possess. From the identified objectives to anchor the discussion, the following concepts were highlighted as drawn from the sharing session: In recruiting an inexperienced or incompetent leader, be guided with the following: · Lay out the expectations; · Make it clear to him the details of accountability and responsibility; · Identify the pros and cons of volunteerism; · Identify the difficulties, and conduct trainings to increase the confidence and assertiveness of would-be leaders; · Motivation is needed to encourage someone; and · Set deadlines in assigning tasks. As to the qualities of a needed leader, in addition to what is innate in one (God-given talent), the following qualities were perceived to be contributory to effective leadership on voluntary basis: · Belief in oneself in making a difference. Show others how things are done. Convince others to see or explain why and how things are done; · A leader is committed and dedicated. He finds time to lead because he understands the objectives; · A leader is patient and not a ‘quitter.’ He finds alternative; · A leader is a positive thinker; · A leader mentors others and stands as role model in training others to become leaders; · A leader loves the organization and has no hidden agenda. No hidden agenda means he should not think only of himself in terms of what he gets back from the organization; and · A leader refrains from being self-centred and ends to doing nothing. As to the third objective of the workshop that dealt with moral values, the following concepts were crafted from the sharing, per se: · The quality of social life is affected by many factors. In most cases, problems at home may rock the family up and carried over to the organization. Hence, leave problems as you close the door. Dedication is very important. This may refer to quality relationship of parents or among the siblings; · Respect for elders. As leaders, they should never forget their mentors or those who came before them. The moral value of respect is biblical as it was written ‘Honour thy father and mother’ or elders in general; · Transparency. The moral value of honesty, sincerity, fairness is usually tested when dealing with money matters. A typical example is the transparency in disbursement of fund. Auditing should be made known to all members; · Tasking. Volunteerism is typical among Igorot communities. The morality of doing things is always exhibited by sincere volunteers. In tasking, call for volunteers. However, others may be too shy to volunteer so tasking becomes necessary. Members: Agnes Abanag Reporter Cristabel Bounggick Alice Cuyob Henry Foken Ruth Licay Claus Nabert Conchita Pooten Facilitator |
