Is it Mt. Polis or Mt. Oona? Is it Paradise Falls or Ballay Falls?

Maraming hikers at tourists ang naco-confuse because two municipalities in Mountain Province are promoting these two destinations with different names. Tinatanong nila kung magka-iba ba ang Mt. Polis sa Mt. Oona? Or kung iba ba ang Paradise Falls sa Ballay Falls.

To set the record straight, these are the same sites. Magka-iba lang tawag ng dalawang munisipyo.

For the waterfall:

1. Sabangan calls it Ballay Falls.

2. Bauko calls it Paradise Falls.

For the mountain:

1. Sabangan calls it Mt. Oona.

2. Bauko calls it Mt. Polis.

Where Did Kabayan, Benguet Get Its Name?

This is a plant called "Pueraria montana var. lobata". In local languages, it's called baay or ba-ay or bay-an. It is believed that the municipality of Kabayan in Benguet derived its name from this plant/vine. 

A lot of this vine thrive in the town. "Kabayan" means "baay land" or "place where there's a lot of baay".

This plant is native to East Asia, Southeast Asia, and islands in the Pacific.

#kabayan #benguet #baayvine

A Method In Transporting Agricultural Products On The Hills And Mountains Of The Cordillera Region

Transporting goods across hills and mountains is always a challenge in the Cordillera region. Especially for places that are not accessible by roads. But challenges breed ingenuity. 

Like this pulley system which is a very common method of transporting agricultural goods in the Cordilleras. 

I came across this while on a weekend run in Bagong, Sablan, Benguet. This pulley/cage can cut transport time by hours.

On Using AI-Generated Images In Creating Content About Igorot Culture And History

This is a friendly reminder to content creators in the Cordillera region. Let's be very careful when using AI to create content especially content that concerns our history. When writing about history, accuracy is the top priority. Using AI often defeats that purpose.

Here's an example. This post by Wow Cordillera, a page with a large following used an AI image to accompany a story about how Igorots successfully pushed back against the advances of Spanish conquerors and empire loyalists in the 1600s. 

The image used can be misleading. It doesn't show the likeness of Igorots, or Spanish soldiers. Instead, it shows a group of warriors from an indiscernible tribe against what looks like soldiers from the American Civil War. 

If you read into the conflict between Igorots and the Spanish empire, there were no open battles as depicted in the image. Igorots used what are now known as guerilla tactics.

AI can be a helpful tool but it can also be a vehicle for misinformation. It's important to tread carefully when using it ESPECIALLY for content about HISTORY. 

Written accounts on Igorot history are already minimal at best. There's so much we need to learn. So many historical gaps we need to fill. Using AI-generated images that can mislead or misinform readers isn't going to help us in our goal to fill these gaps. 

We Igorots have been the victims of misleading portrayal in the media for decades. And we rightfully fought back against these to try and correct them. So it's disappointing to see that many of these misleading portrayals are now coming from within our ranks.

Where Did The Cordillera Region Get Its Name?

Where did the Cordillera region get its name? It got its name from the massive mountain range that occupies most of the region's land area. This mountain range is called Cordillera Central. It has a length of 320 kilometers and a width of 118 kilometers. 

The Cordillera Central don't just cover the six provinces of CAR, portions of the mountain range also extend into parts of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, and Cagayan.

"Cordillera" is the Spanish word for mountain range. 

📷 Khevindeguzman; Wikimedia Commons

Why Some Igorots Don't Like Being Called Igorots

It's common knowledge by now that some Igorots don't want to be referred to as Igorots. They find the term inappropriate or derogatory. Their reasoning is that it's a name given to them by the Spaniards who were opressors of their ancestors.

Some of them would say they prefer being called Cordilleran instead of Igorot. But if you look into the word "cordilleran", it means the same thing as Igorot.

The Spaniards used the word "igorotte" to refer to "people of the mountains". 

"Cordillera" is the Spanish word for mountain range. That said, "Cordilleran" means mountain-dweller. 

In conclusion, Igorot and Cordilleran mean the same thing. And both terms are remnants from the Spanish occupation. 

#cordillerahistory

Two Cordillera Days: Is It April 24 Or July 15?

Someone sent this page a message. She's confused. She wants to know kung kelan ba talaga ang Cordillera Day. She remembers that there were celebrations din last April ng Cordillera Day. 

Well, parang dalawa nga ang Cordillera Day. These are April 24 and July 15. There are individuals, groups, and organizations that don't recognize July 15 as Cordillera Day. Instead, they celebrate Cordillera Day on April 24. This day marks the assassination in 1980 of Macli-ing Dulag, the Kalinga "pangat" who opposed the Chico Dam Project. 

However, the date recognized by the state as Cordillera Day is July 15. It was on this date in 1987 that then president Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order 220 which created the Cordillera Administrative Region. 

Para walang away, let's have two Cordillera Days na lang. Let those who want to celebrate it in April do so. Let those who want to celebrate it in July do so. 

Both dates mark critical events that molded our regional identity. Both events are watershed moments in our history. These are what's important. Without these two critical events, the Cordillera Administrative Region may not be where it is today.

#cordillerahistory #igorothistory