Reflections on Cordillera Day at Bakun

By WENDY ATUBAN
www.nordis.net

While journeying through misty mountain peaks in the heart of the Cordillera, I have incurred considerable but worthwhile absences from my classes. However, those absences pale vis-a-vis the beautiful sights and the ride on the cloud that the experience of the 25th Cordillera Day celebration in Bakun packaged for the delegates.

Delegates to the Cordillera Day in Bakun, Benguet walk to the program area. Photo by Kristof O. Banheh/nordis.net

The ride that started from Baguio, which from the peak of Halsema Highway seem the lowlands of the high mountains, dragged for three long hours. Fortunately, the rugged terrains proved to be amazingly picturesque capable of snatching your attention from the guy across you and certainly from the anxious anticipation of when the jeepney would ever reach its destination. While the terrain spread broadly and lazily, the height to which the jeep kept on climbing and the sudden change of temperature from humid to chill air, add to the anticipation of what other surprises lie ahead. It seemed the chill air preceded the ride on the clouds where the mountains disappeared and heavy clouds float in their place. The ride on the clouds went on for several minutes until vegetable terraces become visible to view.

The vegetable terraces which start from mountain tip to halfway the middle of enormous mountain amazes the observer and more importantly these give you a hint of the lifestyle and values of the people. The terraces show that industry and diligence are a must in this part of the world.

These sights: the rugged terrain, huge mountains concealing in their depths rich mineral resources and high-grade gold ore, and long stretch of vegetable plantations, which are treasures at first sight lies the cradle of a culture and a group of highly interesting people — the Kankanaeys and the Ibalois. For these people, these lands are their source of life.

Unfortunately though these same source of life prove to be such a lull to greedy people masquerading as development-oriented people who see gold in the mountains and simpleton caricatures in the people residing there and most importantly people who eye these formidable mountains as wellspring of wealth and therefore site of conquest. The bad thing about this is that these wealth, gold in particular will be extracted at the expense of the environment and the indigenous peoples whose lives are interwoven with that of the land they call their own because it was bequeathed them by their ancestors who braved the challenges of the land. Worst of all, the people will have no share of their wealth and will have no part in the plunder of their resources but they alone will bear the brunt of these mining explorations.

The indigenous people of Bakun, particularly those in Gambang, are threatened by another exploration going on in their land. They voluntarily hosted one of this year’s decentralized Cordillera Day celebration to tell their case and more especially their resistance to the said Royalco Philippines mineral exploration projects which is going on for several months now. Here and now, the Cordillerans are once again called to stand up for rights to their ancestral domain.

Affected residents, especially some tearful women, showed through different cultural presentations their resistance to the mining exploration. In their dialect, the women lamented the division within themselves. Their songs speak of disgust about their fellows who are receiving siping or money from their supposed enemy and who try to discourage the resistance. As the resistance which is fraught with concerns goes from fragile/weak to hopefully a formidable force, the challenge of defending ancestral lands stands daunting; and the pressure of history which tells of triumphant struggles balanced with failed ones are things to ponder about.

In the ride back home, the mountains and the vegetable terraces no longer seemed only picturesques but they echo an appeal to be protected and preserved. # nordis.net