Macli-ing Dulag: Kalinga Chief, Defender of the Cordillera

This is a book worth reading for those interested in Macliing Dulag, his activism against the Chico Dam Project, and his impact on Cordillera social struggles. 

It was written by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo, a journalist who covered the aftermath of Dulag's assassination by state forces in 1980. Doyo wrote an investigative article about Dulag's death which wasn't a good look for the Marcos Sr. regime. She was chastised and even interrogated by the military authorities. 

This book is an expanded version of the article Doyo wrote in 1980. It was published by the University of the Philippines Press. So if you are interested in getting a copy, check out the UP Press website.

In the book's "Author's Note", Doyo writes: "This book is a way to remind Filipinos and those in foreign lands who supported his cause about the essence of his struggle and the price of triumph. The younger generation, particularly those in the Cordillera, needs models like Macliing." 

If you visit the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City, among the hundreds of names etched on the granite Wall of Remembrance is that of Macliing Dulag. 

Cordillera Indigenous Political Institutions

What was politics like in the Cordillera region before the arrival of the Spaniards and the Americans? How did our Igorot ancestors choose their leaders and decision-makers?

This paper by June Prill-Brett, a Cordilleran anthropologist, offers an overview of Cordillera indigenous political institutions from the Ifugaos in the south to the Isnegs and Tingguians of the north.

Back then, the largest political unit is the "ili" or the village. Our ancestors didn't vote to determine who should be the leaders and decision-makers in their "ili". In most cases, elders were the designated leaders and decision-makers.

The closest thing to a modern politician is the "pangat" of the Kalinga. Becoming a "pangat" is an achieved status. Prill-Brett writes that "the qualifications of the pangat include wealth, lineage, family connections with other pangat, personality, cooperativeness, fairness, oratorical ability, a record of having settled cases of controversy between kinship groups, and above all, a reputation as a "dangerous" man who is feared by his own village mates."

This paper is one of several academic papers by Prill-Brett that were collected and published in a book volume titled "Tradition and Transformation: Studies on Cordillera Indigenous Culture".

Of Igorots and Independence: Two Essays by William Henry Scott (Book)

William Henry Scott was an American historian who dedicated a huge chunk of his time researching and writing about the Igorots. The scholarly papers and books he wrote about Igorot culture and history are invaluable resources that continue to shape the direction of Igorot/Cordillera research to this day.

This book contains two essays by Scott. These are:
1. The Defense of Igorot Independence
2. The Origin of the Word Igorot

The essays are accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations by Alex Aguilar. The book also contains a biographical note on the author by Erlyn Ruth E. Alcantara.

This particular book is most likely out-of-print given that it was published in 1993. But thanks to the internet, you can easily find these two essays online. Google is your friend. Just search for the titles of the individual essays. Scott passed away in 1993. His remains now rests in a tranquil cemetery in Sagada, Mountain Province.

The book cover for Of Igorots and Independence: Two Essays by William Henry Scott.

How Did the Hangar Market in Baguio City Get Its Name?

A lot of people are curious as to how this section of the Baguio City Public Market got its name.

The answer is simpler than you'd think. In 1955, an aircraft hangar (yes, a literal hangar) was moved into the location to serve as a selling place for local vendors. The place was referred to as Hangar Market and the name stuck to this day.

Today, the market has stalls selling all sorts of goods from flowers to vegetables to ground coffee.

So yeah, it's not because "hangers" are sold here. Adding to the confusion is the fact that there's a lot of clothes and hangers being sold in the nearby stalls and shops.

Hangar Market in Baguio City.

Buried for Days Under the Rubble of the 1990 Northern Luzon Earthquake

Imagine being buried alive under tons of rubble for two weeks. No food, no water, and very little hope of being rescued. This is the story of Pedrito Dy, Luisa Mallorca, and Arnel Calabia. They were employees of the Hyatt Terraces hotel in Baguio City when the deadly 1990 earthquake struck. The three hotel staff were buried under the debris when the hotel collapsed. At least 80 employees and guests of Hyatt Hotel were killed by the earthquake. Dozens more were seriously injured.

Pedrito Dy, Luisa Mallorca and Arnel Calabia are among the lucky ones. They survived the ordeal. Their story of survival caught the attention of the international media because they were miraculously rescued after spending days pinned under the rubble of the collapsed hotel.

Mallorca, a casino employee, and Calabia, a security guard, were pulled out of the rubble 11 days after the earthquake. Mallorca said she survived by drinking her own urine.

Dy was rescued after 14 days at a different section of the collapsed building. A cook and a gym instructor at the hotel, Dy said he survived by drinking the rainwater that seeped and flowed through the rubble.

The three survived but they will never forget the days they spent praying for help and rescue. Mallorca and Calabia said there was another man with them during their ordeal. They would talk to each other and pray together. Unfortunately, the man died about a week after the earthquake which was just four days before Mallorca and Calabia were rescued.

Dy recalled that for days after the earthquake, he would listen to voices around him calling for help. Sometimes, they would talk to each other in the dark. But as the days went by, these voices slowly dwindled and eventually stopped. According to estimates, 1621 people were killed by the earthquake, 3513 were injured, and 321 went missing.

Did Bontoc Igorots Practice Earlobe Stretching?

The Bontoc Igorots may have practiced earlobe stretching both for decorative and practical purposes. I say "may" because this needs a bit more validation from other sources. This the first time I've heard about it being practiced among our ancestors. This is the first time I saw the picture (see below) and the accompanying description from a Princeton University catalog. I did a little bit of digging on the files and documents I have on Cordillera history and I can't find one that referenced the practice.

Growing up in Mt. Province, it was quite common for me to see old folks with overextended holes in their earlobes. However, the explanation I usually got when I asked about the holes was that these were the effects of heavy earrings that were often made of gold, silver, or bronze. The earrings were so heavy that the holes in the earlobes stretch and enlarge over time. It's a logical explanation. But it's also possible that the immensely larger holes in the earlobes of older folks were due to intentional stretching.

This photo is from the Graphic Arts Collection of the Firestone Library of Princeton University. It's just one of 30 photographs of various indigenous groups in the Philippines that the university library digitized. The photographer who took the images wasn't identified. It's presumed that the photos were taken from the early 20th century. Probably between 1904 and 1910.

The description for the photo goes:

"Showing ornamental stretching of the ear lobe and taken in Bontoc Province, Island of Luzon. While a baby, a hole is made in the lobe of the ear with a splinter of bamboo or wood. This hole is gradually made larger by the insertion of a wooden wedge until it often reaches as much as 2 inches in diameter and is used for carrying a hugh metal or stone ornament, a pipe, or a package of betel nut."

It's difficult to identify the item (or items) that were stuffed in the woman's earlobes. I zoomed in on the image but I can't still figure out what it is. It looks like strips of cloth/textile that were meticulously folded and inserted into the lobe. It also looks like dried and folded corn leaves. 

Earlobe stretching is common among indigenous groups from around the world. It was practiced (and some still practice it) by the Mayans, the Aztecs, the Lahu tribes of Thailand, the Karen-Padaung of Myanmar, the Fulani of Nigeria, the Maasai of Kenya, and the Mursi in Ethipia.

The Tragic Plane Crash in Mt. Ugo in Benguet That Took 50 Lives (Cordillera History)

Mt. Ugo is a well-known hiking destination in Benguet. It's long and winding trails will quench your thirst for outdoor adventure. However, the beauty of the place hides something dark, something tragic that happened there more than three decades ago. An incident that is now largely forgotten. In 1987, a plane carrying 50 people crashed on the mountain. Those onboard were composed of 46 passengers and 4 crew members. Witnesses say that the plane burst into flames when it hit the slope. All 50 people onboard lost their lives. Rescuers who reached the scene said their bodies were burned beyond recognition. For a couple of days, the accident was the talk of the world, with headlining stories from the New York Times to the Sun Sentinel.

Before the great pandemic of 2020, hundreds of hikers climb Mt. Ugo every year. Most of them are unaware of the mountain's tragic past. But most of them will hear of the plane crash story once they are at the summit. There's a marker installed at the summit in memory of those who perished during the crash.

Theirs is a story that needs to be told.

On the morning of June 26, 1987, Philippine Airlines Flight 206 (PR206) took off at the Manila Domestic Airport and headed for the Loakan Airport in Baguio City. The aircraft, a twin-engine Hawker Siddeley HS 748, was scheduled to land in Baguio City before noon. However, as the plane neared the city, the pilot reported poor visibility because of thick clouds and heavy fog. Ten minutes before it was scheduled to land at the Loakan Airport, the plane disappeared from radar screens.

A search and rescue operation was immediately put together. Five hours after the plane was reported missing, the smoldering wreckage was discovered on the slopes of Mt. Ugo. This is a high-altitude mountain on the border between Itogon, Benguet and Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. The plane crashed just 180 meters below the mountain's main summit. The crash site was inaccessible to vehicles. To get there, rescuers sought the help of the Americans. Three American helicopters were dispatched to the scene from Clark Air Base.

So that the helicopters can land on the mountain, engineers had to immediately build a landing zone near the wreckage. A path is then cut from the helipad to the crash site. Around 80 people were involved in the recovery operation. They were composed of rescue teams, doctors, nurses PAL employees, locals, and volunteers. Some of the search parties had to hike for hours from Baguio City to get to the crash site.

An unintended consequence of this disaster was Mt. Ugo's establishment as a hiking destination in Benguet. Mountaineers were among the rescue teams involved in the recovery operation in 1987. They saw the beauty of the place and word immediately got out. Climbers started visiting the place. Mt. Ugo is now one of the most climbed mountains in Benguet.

This is a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 plane that was similar to the plane that crashed into Mt. Ugo. Photo source: Wikipedia

September 13 (Friday) Declared as a Non-Working Holiday in the Cordillera Region

It's going to be a long weekend in the Cordillera region come the 13th of September. A proclamation from Malacanang dated August 29 has declared September 13 as a non-working holiday in the region. The declaration is in commemoration of the Mt. Data Peace Accord that was held on September 13, 1986 between core members of the CPLA (Cordillera People's Liberation Army) led by Conrado Balweg and the Philippine government. The event is referred to as the Mt. Data Peace Accord because it was held at the Mt. Data Hotel in Bauko, Mt. Province.

Corazon Aquino, then the President of the Republic was present at the historic peace pact. As tokens for the signing of the peace pact, President Aquino presented a Bible and a rosary, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) presented an ArmaLite rifle, and the CPLA presented an Igorot spear and shield.

Then President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino and Conrado Balweg at the sipat (peace pact) in 1986.

Balweg, the enigmatic leader of the CPLA, was a former member of the New People's Army (NPA). He split from the NPA in 1986 to form the CPLA and its political wing, the CBA (Cordillera Bodong Administration).