Maymayat siguro no next time nga ada ag-protesta wenno ag-rally ditoy Baguio/Benguet, ag-attend kayo kuma ngay. Tapno makita yo with your own eyes ken mangeg yo with your own ears ti mangmangyari during these anti-corruption protests. See the whole picture nga kuna da. Tapno haan met ah nga "selective" diay atake yo.
As media practitioners, you know the rule that in order to offer a balanced report or commentary on a specific event (especially an event happening in your own backyard), it's best that you are there on the ground.
Diay ibagbaga yo ngamin nga "sablay" ken diay kanayun nga pang-question dagidiay followers yo no taga-Benguet ba talaga dagiti umattend ket very far from the truth. It's very UNFAIR to the people who made efforts to be there. They are being being made fun of and insulted by too many people. Their indigeneity are being questioned. They are being redtagged. They don't deserve it.
In the recent protest in La Trinidad, all of those who spoke during the program are i-Benguets. They even spoke in our Cordilleran languages.
Ada ni sir Pablo from Mankayan who spoke about their current fight against proposed mining in their communities particularly in Bulalacao and Guinaoang. He raised concerns on how these communities can be turned upside down once the machineries of mining enter their lands.
Ada ni ma'am Emy, a senior citizen who spoke about the Igorot concept of πͺπ―π’πΊπ’π― which she described as the Cordilleran equivalent of the golden rule: do unto others what you want others do unto you.
Ada ni ma'am Betty who spoke in Benguet Kankana-ey about her work in an advocacy organization serving and helping our less-fortunate kakailyans.
Ada ni sir Armi-Jay, a student in BSU and an i-Benguet. He talked about the budget cuts in the national budget in the education sector which will significantly affect the building, upgrading, and maintenance of BSU's physical assets and infrastructure.
Ada ni sir Kenneth, a youth leader and also an i-Benguet calling for what everyone is calling for: accountability, transparency, and good governance.
Ada pay diay daduma nagsao idiay.
The point is that the protest achieved its goals. It was not "sablay". The persistent insinuations that the protesters are not from Benguet are false.
As to the term "Benguet, tumakder ka", let's not interpret it literally. It's simply a call to action. As sir Pablo from Mankayan said about proposed mining in their communities, "Tinmakder ti ili nga Mankayan particular ti Bulalacao ken Guinaoang nga mangbarikada kanya da."
That's what the signs and placards meant when they say "Benguet, tumakder ka". Tumakder against destructive mining. Tumakder against budget cuts in state universities like BSU. Tumakder against government policies where people have to beg officials for basic services.
Dagitoy ti mangmangyari in these protests and rallies ditoy ayan tayo.
Ti question met ti kinabassit ti napan naki-rally, that is irrelevant. A protest is a protest whether maysa nga tao wenno one million katao ti napan. A protest is not defined by how many people attended. It's defined by what the protester or protesters are fighting for.
Again, kadagiti critics, maymayat ladta nu ag-attend kayo mismo diay protests and rallies. Uray ag-attend kayo not as protesters but as neutral observers. Tapno makita yo mismo. Adu-adu ti ibato yo after the protests ngem kasla awan kayo met idiay. Nag-atiddug essays ken articles yo about diay protests ngem kasla awan kayo met idiay. Nagadu i-content yo about diay protests ngem kasla awan kayo met idiay.
Ti event, kasla pelikula wenno libro dayta. Bagum nga ireview ken icriticize, maymayat no buyaem pay or basaem pay tapno ada basis ti criticism mo.
So next time nga ada protest ken rally, sapay kuma ta ada kayo idiay nga ag-dengeg ma'ams and sirs. Mas credible diay after-event commentary yo no it's based on what you personally saw, heard, and experienced.
