Sagada: A Perfect Example of Ecotourism

Ecotourism is probably one of the most abused words in the tourism industry. It is the cry of almost all promoters of tourism in any place with natural environmental beauty.
However, ecotourism is not merely marketing the natural environmental beauty of a place. The United Nations described the general characteristics of ecotourism as (1) nature-based forms of tourism in which the main motivation of the tourists is the appreciation of nature as well as traditional cultures in natural areas; (2) contains educational and interpretation features; (3) generally, but not exclusively organized for small groups by specialized and small, locally owned businesses; (4)minimizes negative impacts upon the natural and socio-cultural environment; and (5)supports the protection of natural areas.
Ecotourism then goes beyond what the eyes can see. It’s not merely earning money through the environment but making the least damage to it. While tourism is the most expensive industry, it is also the most destructive. Sometimes, even those claiming for ecotourism are the very ones violating the very same concept.
In ecotourism, it matters much who controls the resources because control of the resources ends up to those who controls the profit. In Sagada, all tourism amenities like hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops are owned by the Isagada. No non-Isagada, even by disguise, owns any business establishment in the town.
Even the Sagada Environmental Guides Association, which is the front liner of the tourism industry is one hundred percent composed of Isagada. The environmental fee of ten pesos which is now being collected by the Municipal Government was once under the care of the SEGA. And, from it, they had thought and implemented projects that improved the tourist spots but did not really removed the thrill or the natural beauty of the place. Yet, even when the collection was transferred to the Municipal Government, still the control is in the hands of the locals.
The projects that might have improved the tourist spots are conceptualized not only to serve the tourists but also the locals. And, it is only implemented if it incurs the least damage to nature. In ecotourism, it is very important that the voice of the locals should be heard and it is only with them that it is implemented. This is based on the contention that the locals know what is best for them and the community.
Almost 15 years ago, there was a proposal to build a five-star hotel in Sagada through the Philippine Tourism Authority. This was disapproved by the locals and the reigning Municipal Local Government Unit officials at that time. At first thought, questions such as why would they do such a thing when tourism is starting to be the lifeblood of some Isagada. It seems it was not right to do so. However, on second thought, it was after all for the good of the Isagada. It was ecotourism all along. If they would have allowed a five-star hotel, will the Isagada be in control? They say it generates more income and jobs. True, but what kind of jobs? The locals are not the owner of the hotel. They will for sure be there to work only to serve, and who will benefit from the income? In a way, they will but not directly.
Another point raised was, the Isagada sometimes lack water. If there will be a five-star hotel, of course, the concentration of the water will be on the hotel itself. One flush for the toilet bowl is almost enough for one to use to take a bath. And, will the five star hotel serve the locals? For sure it will not as a hotel but it would be for their eyes only.
Such contentions may seem to be arrogant to some but it is ecotourism in the whole sense of the word. Whatever amenities put up should not only be serving the tourists but also the locals.
Culture is not to be marketed. The culture of the Igorots had always amused tourists and even locals themselves. But, cultural practices were done only when they are supposed to be done. Traditional practices are not done for tourists’ amusement only. Old folks follow their calendar so if the tourists want to witness such practices, they have to adjust to the schedules of the locals and not vice versa. And, the practices are not done on artificial settings but on where such practices are really to be done like the “dap-ay.”
If there had been rumors on some locals being paid to perform some rituals, social ostracism, even oral ones, had righted the acts. In other words, the control of the locals and their way of disciplining the errant, even the older folks, had always been effective.
Though commercialization of culture is very rampant nowadays, Sagada is still not going with the flow. Again, this makes it an ecotourist destination in the real sense of the word – avoiding destruction of nature as well as culture.
Another feature of ecotourism is the motto of some guides, “if you are in Rome, do what the Romans do.” Putting it in context, if you are in Sagada, do what the the Isagada do. In other words, while the Isagada would adjust to the tourists in one way, the tourists should also adjust. It is a two way traffic and both parties should meet at the center. The Isagada should not adjust all through out to cater to the whims of every visitor as well as the tourists should not adjust all throughout to cater to the whims of every locals. Each party should share a part of him/her and each should understand each other. Both parties, in a way is partly educating the other. So, tourism is also a powerful way of sharing who you are.

Though there are still so many things that need to be improved in Sagada’s tourism industry, as of now, it is still what we call an ecotourist spot in the real sense of the term.

Paracelis will be green again

Paracelis will be green again.

This is the cry of the 130 Supreme Student Government Paracelis-Saliok, Natonin Cluster participants to the SSG Leadership, Peer Counseling and Child Participation Training held at Paracelis National High School on October 11-13, 2008.

The SSG students and advisers committed to join hands to set a day for the whole student body in Paracelis and EBNAVHS-Saliok Annex for tree planting with the aim of restoring the watershed and the forests of the municipality. Thus, they are calling on all possible support to concerned individuals and offices to be one with them in one way or another in this endeavor.

The cry was a result of the SSG officers’ realization and assertion of their rights to child participation and leadership. Eastern Barlig National Agricultural and Vocational High School – Saliok Annex who joined the cluster due to proximity also vowed to join Paracelis in the realization of their cry.

Asked for their reasons for supporting the regreening program of Paracelis, the SSG officers of EBNAVHS – Saliok Annex say, “ Paracelis is our neighbor, so we want to help them. Besides, we might be residing here someday. Moreover, it is our responsibility to take care of mother earth for we are all affected because, after all, we are in the same planet.”

The Municipal Mayor of Paracelis, Almeida, already committed the full support of the Local Government Unit to such an endeavor.
With the theme, “Empowering SSG Officers and Advisers As Effective Leaders and Counselors,” the training is a joint effort of the Department of Education – Division of Mountain Province in partnership with the host schools, Youth Alliance Philippines – Northern Luzon, Outstanding Students of the Cordillera Administrative Region, Mountain Province State Polytechnic College, Local Government Units and the UNICEF.

MPSPC, under the leadership of Julie Tuguinay, the guidance counselor and the Liwid Organization of Student Peer Counselors works on Peer Counseling for Students and Guidance Counseling for Advisers. DepEd, through the SSG Coordinator, Irene Bakisan; OSCAR through Ronald Lopez, also an OSCAR; and YAPNL, through the leadership of Dazzelyn Zapata, a UP-Baguio instructor, work on Leadership Development Training. Other topics are as Parliamentary Procedure and Child’s rights and participation are tackled by the DepEd / UNICEF and LGU.

This training is a result of the Orientation and Consultation of SSG advisers and officers held at the Government Multi-Purpose Hall, Bontoc, Mountain Province on June 30, where participants voiced out the need of a Leadership training.

To cater to more participants and to lessen the hindrances leading to non-attendance of the said training, it was decided that the training shall be done by clusters on different dates. SABATA cluster (Sabangan, Bauko and Tadian) finished their training with DepEd, MPSPC and the OSCAR on September 27-29; Paracelis-Saliok Cluster with DepEd, MPSPC and YAPNL on October 11-13; Sagada-Besao Cluster with DepEd, YAPNL, and MPSPC on October 17-19. Barlig-Natonin Cluster will have to reset their training due to health reasons in some parts of Barlig. They will be having their training with DepEd, YAPNL and MPSPC. Bontoc-Sadanga cluster will have their training with DepEd, MPSPC and OSCAR.

After the training, SABATA students were heard with words as, “We will do our responsibility as empowered students/officers in our own school by applying what we have learned.” Meanwhile, a Paracelis-Saliok participant mentioned, “I will share and apply what I learned so that others will see that this training is really helping. I will do my part as a leader to serve JOY – Jesus, Others, You.”

Adventure in Sagada, Mountain Province

I have explored the world before I explored my own town. What a shame!!! Though exploring the world was not so literally applied here, I realized that I visited places outside my hometown eventhough I have not visited all the barangays of our place. I may hiked to the north or to the south or to the east of my town but it was usually from Poblacion and back again. Now, when I was given this chance to visit the schools in the peripherals of Sagada, I took it with glee as a chance to hike around my town.

On the first day, I rode from Poblacion to Bangaan that's towards north. I first visited Fidelisan Primary School, then continued to Tanulong not via Bangaan and Madongo but via Guesang. I have never been to this part of Sagada before so the fear of getting lost was overpowered by the excitement I felt.

My brother once told me that you can always find your way if you have Magtanong. So, I would jokingly say that I have Magtanong with me so I will not get lost. Even if Magtanong is a Tagalog, he knows the ins and outs of our town and Mountain Province as a whole. Others would raise their eyebrow and still others would try to find Magtanong for they know full well that I came alone. Yet, still others would understand and laugh and say, "wen met-a."

The hidden beauty of the man-made terraces of the Northern and Eastern part of Sagada really amazed me even if rice terraces had all been a part of my life.

Walking had been my daily habit for three days. Even if I had wanted to ride from Poblacion to Balugan, it would have taken me more than one hour than what it took me to walk. Why? The people of Balugan and even Southern Sagada have this habit of stopping at all stores they pass by and let the PUJ wait for them as if the ride is their own. But, that is one thing good in Sagada coz you don't do that in the city. So, I walked from Poblacion to Balugan then Peg-an which is an annex of Ankileng NHS. Well, I rode to Antadao ES and NHS after I hiked back from Peg-an.

Antadao ES is something to worry about. The ground cracked for a portion of it sank. A building is no longer in use with all its cracks on the walls and the floor. One room which is being used by the Grade IV and V has cracked cement floors which looks like it was an effect of faulting. Aaaaah, another problem for DepEd and a potent danger to all teachers and pupils.

Then on the last day, I hiked all the way to Suyo, then Nacagang, Taccong and lastly to Payag-eo. Aha the beauty is nothing compared with anything since all the places in Sagada have their own. But, I have this funny experience of having no other better choice but to remove my pants in crossing the Taccong river. If not, then I have to present myself at Payag-eo PS all wet and I have to choose to be dry since I still need to hike for another hour before I reach Malitep, Bontoc. I love the feel of the water and trying to be invisible knowing that other people might be watching since there are people harvesting in the fields above.

Below is a photostory of my hike around my town.

Sabangan, Mountain Province

One of the things I really enjoyed in my new assignment is going around and exploring my own Igorot land - Mountain Province - Sagada, Sabangan, Besao, Bauko, Tadian, Sadanga, Barlig, Natonin, Bontoc and Paracelis. I love the feel of conquering its numerous mountains. And, I really thank God for giving me my sakamobile which I can use with or without gasoline and all its price increase. And the more I explore my place, the more I come to love it and the more I thank God for making me an Igorot born in the Igorot land.
I have lots of interesting experiences but best are when I am with nature. Below is a video of my latest adventure in Sabangan, Mountain Province.

Inayan and Lawa in Education

It is a general perception nowadays that side by side with more people becoming educated is the degradation of values. The Department of Education as well as other sectors had been finding ways to regenerate the “good old behaviors and attitudes” that had been practiced in the “good old years”. In fact the DepEd created Values Education as one of the subject areas. Working with other sectors in the government, like the Armed Forces and with private sectors, the government was able to launch the Moral Recovery Program.

Yet, with all these, one casual observer commented, “Why is it that the more they infuse Values Education, the more that people become greedy?” And one old woman once said, “You have all the undies and the clothes nowadays to cover yourself, yet why do more and more females get pregnant though still single? Before, we slept in the “ebgan” in groups with our suitors but no one got pregnant before her wedding.” Amusing but true.

In Sagada, they have two terms which is culturally welding them together. These are “inayan” and “lawa.” Practically these two terms mean the same though “lawa” has deeper inclinations into the traditions and ritual practices in Sagada.

The terms denote that something is taboo and should not be done. Like, “Inayan di mang-is-isik is ib-a na ay ipogaw." (It is not good to do bad things to other people.) Or, “Lawa di mang-isasaa is nagapo sin baey ay napuowan." (It is bad to bring home things from a burned house.)

“The use of “lawa and inayan” had been a great controlling factor to the people of Sagada. When a house burns down, the owners are assured that recovered things will not be brought home by anybody since it’s believed to be “inayan” that such acts will bring the same tragedy to the house where the things are brought home.

Same is true in tragedies like vehicular accidents. If other people are too vindictive to the drivers when one dies due to a lapse in judgment that may have resulted to an accident, the Isagada are not so. “Inayan, ayke way nanglayad sidi is maikkan." (Inayan, nobody liked that to happen.)

One of the growing problems in Sagada is land grabbing especially so that economically speaking, ecotourism in the place is drawing thousands of tourists every month. This, of course, helps upraise the price of land in the place and the mere fact that the Isagada are growing in number are reasons enough to understand such happenings.

Yet, “inayan” and “lawa” still helps a lot to control the greed of people. “Inayan di mang-ag-agaw is baken na kuwa. (It is ‘inayan’ to take what you don’t own.)” “Inayan di mang-iyal-alis is mohon / pegnad. (It is ‘inayan’ to change the boundary.)” And, it worked for a number of years, and it’s working to most Isagada even until these days.

“Inayan di adi men-i-wayang is daan di ib-a, ta ay mentayaw da. (It is “inayan” not to give a way for people to pass through in your property.) The right of way is also culturally imbedded. So, no one is excused. Whether you are the owner or the benefactor or the owner of the land, both are bound by the “inayan.”

“Inayan di mang-al-ala is baton di tuping di nagday ay kwan di ib-a. (It is “inayan” to take the stones of a destroyed stone wall.)” Just like in house fires, it is also considered “inayan” to get the stones from a corroded stone wall most especially if you use it to strengthen your own riprap. It had worked for generations and the rice terraces in Sagada are a noted example of such a practice. When a stone wall gives way, other people who need stones cannot just go and get the stones from the destroyed wall even if they too needed the stone too much. If they can’t help, then they are not supposed to add to the misery of the owner. The same thing applies to all stone walls which are numerous in this municipality found on top of mountains. The Supreme Being is not asleep.

Yes, the “inayan” and “lawa” are words which do not have exact translations in English or Filipino. It means to say, it is culturally imbedded in us, the Isagada, whether we are educated or not, whether we are somebody in the society or not. Having stayed out of the place for years is not a reason to forget the values of “inayan” and “lawa.”

These are some of the culture which should be retained and taught to all generations, be they digital natives or just techno-migrants. These are things which should be taught and caught in Values Education.

And, if such had been successfully practiced for years and years by our ancestors, infusing “inayan” and “lawa” with Christian values should weld people further, as unbreakable as iron, not the other way around.

Around Mountain Province

I remember something I read that says, "Whatever you do, you have to choose to be happy." Whether you know that the next 24 hours will be a lot different from what you were used to. That is exactly what I did. I chose to be happy even before I started my journey visiting Grade 1 students in Sagada, Besao and supposedly Natonin but was reassigned to Paracelis.

I really enjoyed my first assignments outside of the usual daily work. I enjoyed giving posttests for Grade 1 and i observed different kind of pupils. Really, Grade 1 teachers should be the best in attitude, especially in patience, and in teaching. Imagine teaching children who would sometimes just look at you as if you are talking of Mars. But, Grade 1 is also one of the most rewarding grades. In this grade, teachers can really see their outputs - whether they have done something or not.

In Sagada, I went to Tanulong Elementary School and Fidelisan Primary School. It's not just to lift Sagada up but these schools topped the posttests I administered. (Well, I have not yet checked the test given to the other schools.)

I saw the beauty of Panabungen being the part of Mountain Province very near the boundaries of Mountain Province, Abra and Ilocos. In fact, the Tirad Pass is so clearly "natitirad." I have been to Besao but never to Catengan and Panabungen. So, going there had been an adventure and I truly enjoyed every minute of it, especially including the great snacks and meals prepared by the very hospitable teachers and school heads in the person of Madam Semon and Madam Agnaonao. (In fact, the teachers of Panabungen ES even went to get fresh shrimps, wading ya tokak. Ulay iman basta men ipabulek et aped men imis ay kanen amed no ipangan isan binayo da. Aye pay di busog ko isdi.)

The difficulty of multi-grade classes is very clear in Camparadi, Paracelis. Imagine a complete elementary school, meaning they offer Grade 1 to 6, with only two teachers. One teacher will teach Grades 1-3 and another for Grades 4-6. Wow, they have to be superwomen to do that and they are. Though the pupils are very few (there are only 10 Grade 1 pupils) still it is hard to prepare for three classes with all the subjects. Added to that is the hardship in going there. It entails hiking. And, though it did not rain for two days, the road is still unpassable by vehicle. Accordingly, a motorbike can but the motorbike can carry you as well as you need to carry it too when the going gets too rough. We preferred to hike for almost six to seven hours to reach Camparadi, which is a combination of Camfiangan and Paradi (the school is in between these two sitios).

I saw several problems in my visit here. Aside from the multi-grade classes, it is so hard to reach the school. Even if the soil is already dry, it is still slippery. If adults find it slippery, how much more to pupils? They also need to cross rivers which get really turbulent during typhoons and rainy seasons. The ili helloare far from each other and the people keep on moving as we have seen along the way. When the soil is not so fertile anymore, they move to a greener pasture. They still have a percentage of nomadism. As I said a while ago, the people are very far from each other so it follows that they have to walk very far distances to reach each other.

The road is not even a road at all. There is a road that reaches the place but it's not usable. It can only be serviceable during the summer if it does not rain for five days or more but there are more rainy months (about 9) in Paracelis than summer so the road is basically useless as a road. By the way, the road reaches kalinga.

The case of Camparadi is not new in Paracelis. In fact with the 30 plus elementary schools, only seven has a 1teacher:1 grade ratio. The rest are combining two or three grades at a time.

I learned a lot and though i earned some wounds i will never forget the lessons that experience taught me again. Experience is really the greatest teacher of all time.

Hurray to the gold medallists!!!

They were ordinary students. In fact, like all students, they have some problems with their grades like whether they will pass or not or whether they will still make it to the honor roll. But, in spite of that, they were able to excel and grabbed golds for Mountain Province during the 2008 Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) Meet held at La Trinidad and Baguio City on February 24-29.
The Little League (Elementary) Baseball boys, after the championship row against the Abra, excitedly reviewed their play. When asked why they tuouth they were able to win, the boys unanimously raised their hands, each willing to be the first to give his answer.
“We did our best,” Teddy Bawaan of Ankileng ES said.
“We concentrated,” Jaser Lizardo of Bangaan ES added.
“We were really disciplined,” Kevin Viray of Aguid ES volunteered.
“We worked with positive minds,” Franklin Baldo of Sagada CS added to the already growing reasons.
“We supported and cooperated with each other,” Jerry Marco of Tanulong ES and Jude Awingan of Ankileng ES excitedly supplemented.
“We had strategies and we really keenly watched the ball,” volunteered the other members of the group. And the list could have gone on and on have no one started to sing their team song.
After singing their team song, “No panggep di baseball (originally di ayat), anusan di rigat,” the boys shared the typical hardships as a baseball player that they have met already. One pointed out missing class for practices and games which was chorally seconded by members of the group.
Their discipline in their games extended to their interview session for they supported each other’s statements, piping out additional information to whatever one said. Nobody contradicted what the other said. Asked for hardships that they need to endure as baseball players as they have sang, one said, “Our coach would sometimes get angry for he would be saying the same things every now and then but we would always commit the same error but we know that his anger is for our good.”
And, what do they still need to improve? “Best running. We need to practice running the fasters and best way we can,” one piped in. Another said, “We still need to improve our grades. When we go back, we still need to cope with our lessons.”
When asked for any additional reasons they can attribute for their win, one said, “We always pray. We pray before and after a game led by our coach, Allen Angway or his co-coach Frenzel Doligas.”
Jeanine Pearl Cariño of Abatan ES also experienced so many difficulties before she finally forked the gold in the table tennis individual category with her coach, Romeo Lacbawan. She had been to the CARAA twice placing third in the same event last year. “The support of my parents as well as my desire to go to Palawan helped me edge my opponents.”
Composed of students from Sabangan and Sadanga, the secondary boys team championed in the 4 x 100 Medley Relay and 4 x 100 Freestyle relay. Lido Modcharang of Sadanga NHS garnered the gold in the 200 M Breast stroke.
“These they were able to garner despite only one week practice in Bontoc just before the CARAA,” explained their coach, Jess Chomaran. “We need longer period of practice if we want better performance especially if the swimmer came from different districts, so we could also culturally and socially adjust to each other,” he continued.
Asked for their reflections on why they won, Noel Amboni of Betwagan NHS and Jose Yagyagan of Sadanga NHS claimed, “While we swam as fast as we can, we really gave our best. We supported each other. It was really team work.”
Madle Con-o of Betwagan NHS mentioned their swimming spree along the Betwagan River during their leisure time as a further contributory factor to their win despite their very short training period.
A family that plays together, wins together is the case of the Alawas brothers, Merv and Erwin, 2nd and 4th year respectively of MPGCHS, who gained gold in the Lawn Tennis Team Category. Coming from a family where almost everybody plays the game, these two openly admitted that they really worked hard for they wanted very much to go to Palawan, the venue for the Palarong Pambansa.
Playing together on the same game since elementary, these boys developed team work and trust in their own selves as well as to each other. This accordingly helped them snatch the gold after placing third in the 2007 CARAA in Kalinga. Yet, they also championed in the 2004 CARAA in Kalinga when they were still in the elementary. Interestingly, their small brother also placed third in the Lawn Tennis Individual Boys Category while their older brother is a Lawn Tennis varsity player in St. Louis University. Coming from a mother and a father who play tennis, can we say that being a player is genetic? (Hups.)
Determined to win the gold after garnering silver in the last CARAA, Ruben Bibat of MPGCHS, finally landed first in the 400 M Low Hurdle. “I was so challenged by my loss in the past that I really aimed for the gold this time,” he said.
Still having one year in high school, Bibat with his coach Regina Codpayas, still aims for the gold next year. And, when Bibat was asked for his secret weapon, this lanky fellow said, “Ipapati yo anggay nan ay-ayam yo.”
Alvoredo Polic-ew’s hobby of constantly throwing stones from home to school has finally paid off when he grabbed the gold in the javelin throw, elementary boys level.
Polic-ew is from Natonin Central School, one and a half hour walk from their house. So, to amuse themselves while walking to and from school, they would always challenge each other to aim at the “bulong ti atifangran (as he puts it).” That experience, he says had contributed to his win when he concentrated in his play, “It was like concentrating for the bull’s eye on the newly sprouted leaves of the atifangran tree.”
Aside from these, Mountain Province also championed in the last day of the CARAA in Lawn Tennis Girls Elementary in the person of Ayra Joy Alingawad of Besao Central School with his coach Peter Bangsoy.

KIDSSSS...

Kids . . .

are more than just what you see in them

they make you laugh as well as cry

they can teach you the most valuable lessons of all

they are the best to have when you think of changing who you are to the better

they can discipline you more than you can ever imagine

more lovingly than you will deal with them

yes, kids....

I LOVE THEM.

Facing Up to the challenges of life

There are so many challenges that we face each day. Sometimes, these challenges are everyday decisions that you have to make thus seems so normal. But, there are other challenges that would really make us feel so alone, so small and so useless. Yet, we are more than conquerors.

AS WE CONTINUE TO BATTLE THESE CHALLENGES, LET US NOT FORGET THAT GOD IS OUR STRENGTH.

The best men in the Philippines

Leonard Woods, a governor general of the Philippines during the American regime once said, "The best men in the Philippines are the women." Absurd for someone who would take the words literally but as i continue to ponder on it, i know, i agree with him.

I grew up in a family with my mother as my mother and my father. She raised us up as normal kids and was even able to send us to school given the very limited resources that she had. And the man of the family - our father - he was somewhere making another family which will later on be under my mom's care. He died leaving nothing for his children even the children he bore down in Mindanao.

When i married, my husband had to go abroad to find work as a factory worker though he had been one of the best student teachers during our time. He abhorred doing the papers and so he went. I was left with a girl barely two years old and i was pregnant with our second. For most of my married years, i was alone raising my kids though of course, he usually sent financial support.

I hated it at first. I would terribly miss him and my only consolation was having my kids around to distract me from falling into a great depression. But, i also learned to depend on myself. I learned to stand on my own and not depend on a husband who may not be around to hammer the nail or even to carry bed. I may be a woman but i can also do the work of a man.

Yet, while i was glowing in my achievements as a man and a woman of the house, i forgot that my husband is but a man in need. Until one day when i came to realize that he was calling less and less until less is never even for about two or more months. I contained myself and prayed that things will be fine and things will go back to normal. But then, what is normal to us may not be normal to others. Yes, a normal family would come together in the morning for breakfast and in the evening for dinner but we never did that.

Until last night.... I was about to go to bed when a sudden realization slapped me right in the face. I was in Grade III when my father left us. My daughter is in Grade III now. Will it be history repeating itself? At least for me before, it was a great relief when my father finally went coz my mom can now lay down to rest at night not afraid of somebody waking her up with a punch in the wee hours of the morning. However, how about my daughter and my son? They can't say it's a relief. Even if their father had not been a physically present father, they have been in touch with each other so much so that i know they are hurt more than i am.

However, i am still one of the best men in the Philippines. Women can stand up and still prioritize their children more than their hurt. Yes, that is why they are the best men - an example of strong faith, muscled responsibility, cushioned comfort and so on. They don't just rely on tomorrow, they work for tomorrow whether the man of the house is present or not.

This then is a call for the women left by their men - BE A MAN. Tomorrow is a better day.

Life is death and death is life

The past year had been a year of deaths that touched me not only outwardly. In February, my cousin died of cancer in Bicol. I had to leave my student attending the National Schools Press Conference in Baguio just to attend to attend the burial in Daet, Camarines Norte. That was my first time to go to Bicol - but what a reason to visit. We really thought of visiting him during the summer but he did not wait for us.

By the end of August, my father was murdered and robbed in Masbate. I was not really emotionally affected by his death since he left us since we were children. But, i was horrified by the way he was murdered. He was hog tied then was hurt with a pointed knife, afterwhich, he was shot in the eye. He did not die because he was shot but he died because of bleeding and because nobody took the heart to help him.

By the end of September, another woman in my life bade farewell. I had been planning to visit her but the short span of time i spent in baguio never allowed me to do so. i was so sorry when i learned that aunt rhoda bondad died. in a way, she had been a mother to me since she had been helping my mom in so many ways especially financial when we were still going to school.

Then another tragedy happened again in November. Another father to me died. Uncle Francis Buyagan who rode the Besao jeepney from Bontoc died on arrival at the Bontoc General Hospital when the jeepney they are riding fell upon a ravine along the Pegew Road. Whoever will see where they fell cannot truly explain what happened. There were other eight people who died either on the spot or in the hospital and one died later this january.

December did not leave us with no death. My cousin, the last first cousin i have in my father's side, died due to internal bleeding. We just reached Baguio to attend a cousin's wedding when the news reached us so the next day, we came back straight home. Good, we had a free ride from Baguio. We buried my cousin, Dante Degyawi, the brother of my cousin who died last February on December 31.

Then the tragic news of our batchmate zennia aguilan was heard. of all people, she was killed by a stray bullet when guards were trying to block the suicide bombers who were entering the serena hotel she was working at afghanistan. what a tragic way to die. she died so far from us. but i hope it will not just end as a death but i hope it will further bring us to realize the extent of the terrorism. she was the first death victim due to terrorism in Sagada, Mountain Province and in CAR.

Just after the fiesta, we were taken aback by the news that one of our students who had been missing for two weeks was found rotting already in "Baw-eng." We passed by Baw-eng last fiesta and sometimes a smell would overwhelm us but it never occurred to us that smell is a rotting body. He was directly brought to the cemetery. Whether it was really suicide or with a foul play, it is still to be investigated.

I hope March will come and go without any other unnatural deaths. My heart is already stoned with so many deaths that i don't know now what to expect. But life is here to be lived - let us live it always ready for the sting of death knowing that death is a door opened for us to enter heaven.

But, just as the sun comes up after it sets so will life sprout after death.