Baguio-Sagada-Cordillera Travels: July 2017

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Why it’s more fun for kids to grow up in Sagada?

Kids playing the gongs

I believe every kid loves growing up free from the hassles of city life. I wish all kids in the world can enjoy life with freedom like these kids in Namsong, Sagada, Philippines.

I attended a wedding of my wife’s cousin in Namsong, Sagada last July 08, 2017 and I was much amazed by the happiness and pleasure the people celebrated the event.

Kids sitting around waiting for the gong players to beat the gongs.

We arrived in Namsong at around 12 noon, and while we were still half kilometer away, we could hear the beats of the gongs playing – and it seems there was no letups – as soon as one round of music was finished another round was played immediately. We were guessing, they were trying to take advantage of the absence of the rain because anytime rain might be pouring.

Along the way to the place of celebration, we met children and parents carrying foods, either to bring it home or find a good place to eat. Well, it signals lunch was already being distributed.

When we arrived at the place, dancing was going on, and we could see the delight in the people’s faces enjoying their food while watching the performers.

Rice, meat, pansit(Rice noodles), was the main menu. And what makes it extra unique is that the foods were placed in the bark of cut banana trunks. It reminded me of my childhood days when banana trunks were used as plates. It was the “king of plates” during weddings and all kinds of celebrations where people were invited to eat.

I can't remember when was the last time I ate in a bark of banana trunk as plate - I was about 10 yrs old I guess.

And as I was watching, I noticed how the kids were part of the celebration. No wonder the gongs don’t stop singing because every time the adults put down the gong the kids(ages 7-12 years old) immediately pick it up and start beating it – and they play very good, too, like the adults.

I can’t help but say, “Wow, it’s really fun being a kid growing up in Sagada!” In the background of those playing the gongs, small children are enjoying the music: some were trying to dance and some were just running around freely without being restrained, and the others just watching with curiosity. And this went on till late at night. I left around 11pm at night to get my rest and the kids are still around enjoying themselves. According to my mother-in-law, the children were the major gong players until past midnight before the young men took over.


The elders sit near the couple. Listening to anyone who would like to say a story of which everyone, specially, the couple can get lessons or wisdom.

The young people watching the players and dancers and try to be part of the group once in a while

I thought to myself, how much I had missed as a kid!

I grew up in the province, but I haven’t gone to wedding celebrations like this one where you can learn the gongs and traditional dance of the Igorot.

It is this kind of experience that made the people of Sagada vocal in sharing their Ideas and always active during traditional weddings. They start as kids.

In the city of Baguio, it is seldom to see very lively wedding celebrations. The lively ones are those with the gongs being played. Without it, or once it’s stopped, expect the celebration to be dry or just like as if there is no wedding going. I told one of my friends, if there is no traditional gong music and dances, it is much better to just do it in front of a mayor and eat at the restaurant.

Anyway, to see what I am talking about watch the video, below:

Saturday, July 22, 2017

So, What's Up In Sagada?

For almost eight months now, I have been in and out of Sagada. From these trips, I am amazed to see how much the place have changed, and still fast changing. In fact, a month you don’t visit will make you wonder if you’re visiting the same place you visited the last time.

Last March, the road widening at the entrance to the poblacion was just finished. Also, a road from Ambasing to “Alab”( I am not sure of the name of the place) is now in its last stages to complete. Before these roads, the farm to market road were also constructed from Atey to Demang near the Episcopalian Church. But the fastest that’s changing the makeup of the place are the residential houses cropping up like giant mushrooms. Anywhere you look, beginning at the entrance to Sagada, once you passed by Tetep-an, you will notice houses being constructed in almost every corner.

Well, Sagada is now booming because of its flourishing tourism. Unlike decades ago, when mostly foreigners are the clients to guide, local tourists quadrupled or increased 1000% according to the local guides I know. That’s very good for the tourist guides because their earnings also increased, and it’s very good for the businessmen because they can price their products higher which they call “Tourists’ price” and believe me it is even higher than the price found in the City of Baguio. And – whether you’re from Sagada or not – you pay the “Tourist price.”

The Problem of booming tourism

While tourism is giving instant jobs to the locals, the farmers are losing due to lack of manpower to help them in their farms.

(Note: when I say farm, I mean lands planted with vegetables, not planted with rice like in the lowlands. Although, there are few farm lands specially designated form rice.)

One of the gardeners I spoke with complained that it is very disappointing to plant vegetables nowadays because you can’t find young able men to help carry the harvest to the road accessible for loading. All the men young and some middle age men choose to work as guides because they get a better pay without working hard. In fact, my brother - in-law who used to cultivate vegetables left his garden to work as guide. Now his garden is covered with thick different kind of grasses.

Another problem, is you can’t find enough carpenters if you want to build a home or building.

So, the people of Sagada are forced hire people from the lowlands: carpenters, masons, including house helpers, and farmland helpers.

When I learned many people being hired as helpers are coming from the lowlands, I exclaimed "Wo, Sagada is the next destination for OFWs!"

What makes Sagada attractive to the lowlanders is that the salary is higher than the national standard. From what I heard, here are the salaries of people working in the different field of work: In the construction area, the salary for helpers is ranging from Php300 to Php400. Rough Carpenters Php500. Skilled Carpenters and mason Php700.

And mind you, this is with free lunch and free supper. And sometimes even breakfast is free. Not only that, expect free alcohol in the afternoon after work.

And, unless you are an engineer, a lawyer, or well high educated, one will not worry about the next job because there are lots of menial jobs where help is needed.

The road entrance in Atey just after Lemon Pie House

Atey road going to Demang. Turn to the left because the right is only about 50 meters long and it's a dead end - unless you want to see the present vice Governor. According to the people, the fund used to this road was from the "Farm to market road" project of former President GMA

Middle Continuation of the road

A little further to the left is the end of the road. Anglican Church at the background

Other source of income
Aside from tourism, Sagada is also booming in their weaving of different kinds of export quality bags, and other kinds of weaved products such as coin purse, wall decors, etc.

At the nearby places, like Namsong, Balugang(Bugang),
Suyo, and the others are still cultivating gardens, planting sugar cane, and coffee trees.

Of course, since the booming of visitors, hotels have been going up, but even home residences are being rented to tourists the hotels cannot accommodate. This is one of the ingenuity of the Igorot people, they always make sure that they have more rooms to be used for visiting friends and relatives rather than having a spacious living room with no room for visitors. Now, those extra rooms are a source of extra income.

And, an Igorot is not complete without Pigs. Although, again, these days people tending pigs are becoming scarce. If parents have works, they sometimes don’t have time to have extra work at home like feeding domesticated animals. The kids, mm, when a person finished college and the course taken was not in the field of agriculture, don’t expect that person to takeover dirty chores.

Monday, July 10, 2017

Baguio City: Remembering July 16, 1990 Earthquake

Figure 1 Damaged structures with the Baguio Cathedral at the background. Image taken from http://www.cityofpines.com/baguioquake/quake.html.

It’s just a few days and July 16 is here. Why this date is very important? Because it’s the day when a killer earthquake devastated our place Baguio city. I was still in college at that time. The memory of it is coming back to my mind each time the month of July is near until this date is finished. I had no intention to write down about the day, but when yesterday a 6.6 quake happened in Leyte, some of the pictures in the television are just like the pictures I saw in the TVs in 1990.

However, it was not the destroyed buildings that’s always coming back into my memory but the fearful sound that accompanied the quake and the different reactions of people I saw during the disaster stuck in my mind.

1) It rained then the ground shook. I was at Dangwa Bus station when the first quake happened. I went there to see if I could find a friend but there was none. It was sunny but it rained for maybe about 10-15 minutes. When the rain stopped, and, since I didn’t find even one familiar face, I started to walk to go home when felt as if I was losing my balance. I stood still and knew it was earthquake. The world was really swaying. I thought and guessed the magnitude must be around number 8 comparing it to previous quakes I experienced which was at magnitude 4.2 – 5 in the Richter scale.

2) The Hilltop Hotel collapsed. I casually walked to the Rabbit Bus Station along Magsaysay avenue where the jeepneys traveling to La Trinidad were parking. I was sitting at the front and waiting for other passengers to fill up the backside of the jeep when one young lady came in and sat next to me. As soon as she settled she started talking and telling about her recent experience and what she saw happened when the quake struck – I sensed worry and fear in her voice.

Figure 2 Baguio Public Market with collapsed Hilltop Hotel at the background. Image taken from http://www.cityofpines.com/baguioquake/quake.html.

She said she saw the Hilltop Hotel collapsed downwards and said people might have died. I said we will know it by the following day or in the evening news. She was telling me about she was buying a tray of egg in front of the New Tiongsan Grocery when it suddenly shook. She was saying “I, I, I, …. was holding the tray of egg when it quaked. I panicked so I dropped the tray of egg and when I looked at the direction of the Public Market I saw the Hilltop Hotel suddenly collapsed. OH, my… I think some people may have crushed beneath and died…” she had not yet finished talking when all of a sudden the jeepney started rocking. The lady nervously jump out of the jeep and I saw her ran away. The driver who was sitting next to me also jumped out, and all the other passengers behind us hurriedly went out. I was not supposed to get out but the quake seemed to don’t stop and what made me anxious was the sound of rolling stones. So, I also hurriedly step out of the jeep. I was afraid the earth might just open up! Whew!

When the second jolt was taking place, I believed everyone’s heart beat faster than usual because of the scary sounds of rolling stones beneath the ground. One wondered if “Is it the end of the world?”

3) Shouting lady from one of the disco pubs. When the second jolt happened, everyone went out in the street. I saw confusion, fear, worries in the faces of the people as the shaking seemed to have no end. As I was standing at the side of the street of Magsaysay avenue facing P. Burgos street I noticed a woman running and shouting out from the one of the disco pubs wearing a unbuttoned long-sleeve shirt and just an underwear/panty. When she was out hysterically, about three men followed her outside. And as the woman reach the side of P. Burgos street she collapsed but before she completely fell on the ground one of the men was able to catch her body. The other two men then helped to hold her on the legs and at the lumbar while the first man held the woman on her shoulder side. The three men then carried the unconscious woman hurriedly inside the building.

4) Old lady arranging back her vegetables in place for sale. After the strong jolt, a series of still strong aftershocks followed immediately. I remembered my cousin and a close friend who were tending dry-goods at Hilltop or known as Baguio Public Market. So, I decided to go and see if they need help. The streets were full of people walking back and forth, some shouting and calling names – it was a real chaos. When I was going up to Hilltop from Magsaysay avenue I saw an old lady(probably 60-65 years old) sitting calmly at the roadside selling cucumbers. She attracted my attention because while everyone was running or nervous of the continuous aftershock, she was there sitting like all things are okay. I slowed down my steps and fixed my eyes on her, then I stopped to watch her. Because every time the earth shook some of her cucumbers roll down to the pavement of the road but she immediately pick them up, sit down on her low stool and carefully put the cucumbers she picked up on top of the other cucumbers which were neatly arranged on top of each other being displayed for sale. After carefully placing her cucumbers on top of each other she rests her left elbow on her knees while her left palm carries her chin. While on that position she looks down on the cucumber quietly. Then about a minute or 2 the earth shook again and as if trying its best to let the cucumbers roll down to the street. However, the lady was quick enough to pick the any cucumber that rolled down from there arrangement and the process was repeated again. The incident must have happened three more times then I hurriedly walked again.

Now I am always thinking what happened to the lady and her cucumber. She was so optimistic things get to normal soon. Probably thinking that earthquakes before did not last longer than one tremor, only, that time was a different story.

5) Six kilometers walk from Baguio City to Km. 6 La Trinidad. When I went to Hilltop, only my friend who was still busy putting away her goods. After helping her we started to walk home as there were no passenger jeepney available. The ones running were overloaded and people like us who were not lucky had no choice but walk.

As we were walking down Magsaysay Avenue we saw a woman who was probably in her mid-30s running up and down calling the name of her child who must have lost from the throng of people walking up the street and going down.

And further down, as we were approaching Baguio Central High School, we saw a heap of slippers and shoes placed in the middle of the street. I was wondering if somebody made it a purpose to collect the slippers and piled it there. I guessed there were thousand single pares of slippers left by people who got shocked and didn’t mind running without one of their slippers or shoes.

And when we reach the middle of Km3 in La Trinidad(where the houses are painted by a group of artists and being visited by tourists these days) we saw in the side of the street a car with a boulder on top wrecking it. We don’t know if the passenger or passengers were safe as there was some traces of blood.

6) A stronger quake coming. When we reached home, I decided to go to the ground of BSU(Benguet Estate University) to see people I know if they’re alright. When I saw them, I saw fear they were scared. I tried to calm them down by telling stories about what transpired about me during the first and second major quake. Then they told me that some people heard from the radio that a stronger one is coming. “What?” I said. I calmed them down by saying or assuring them the world has no way or has no technology to foretell exactly when a quake is going to occur.

7) Our home was safe. Many people if not most were so afraid to sleep inside their homes because of the almost every 15-30 minutes gap of aftershocks. Every time the earth shake people hurrying to run outside their homes. And while they do that, I stayed calm the best I could because I know that the house of my aunt where I was staying was very safe. It was a little home with three rooms and is made up of wood. My aunt and my cousins were worried the two houses going to collapse. My aunt even was suggesting we also go to the school ground of BSU to be safe. I assured them we are safe.

Well, listening at the feet of the elders really is true. Because the things they said about what to do during disasters is now helping. So, I told my “family” about what I heard from my father and old people that homes made up of wood is safe during an earthquake. Well, unless of course if you have things put above your head that can fall to hit you. And be careful when cooking because fire might happen when a sudden quake happens. So, I made sure all things inside our home are not potential danger.

8) I was saved from possible death. This memory sometimes makes me shudder to my bone. That day was supposed to be a school day but students of the Saint Louis University planned to stage a demonstration in the afternoon, but the school was smart to suspend classes in the afternoon. At one pm in the afternoon, when I passed by the main gate of the school only the handful protesting student sitting in front of the gate. Since there was no classes, I decided to go watch a movie to let the afternoon passed by. Luckily, there was no movie that enticed me to get into the Aurora Theater found in Mabini street. Instead, I went to the city library found at Burnham Park(Located near UC – Cordillera College formerly known as BCF or Baguio Colleges Foundation). Then at 3:30PM I decided to go home.