BENCHWARMER

Small village keeps orphan’s legacy alive
by Ramon S. Dacawi

When natives of Gonogon, Bontoc, Mt. Province returned to the village mid-month for their traditional homecoming, some couldn’t help but wonder why their forebears had to settle on three steep mountainsides that now make up the land-locked barangay.

The ancestors could have chosen a less harsh environment to build a community. That would have allowed more rice terraces and better livelihood opportunities. Later, it would have discouraged out-migration.

It had something to do with its bounty of cool, clean water generously flowing down the mountain crevices. For generations the life-blood of the village rice terraces, it now cooled visiting kin weary from the travel to homegrounds.

As in the three previous reunions, they discussed a lot. They talked about how the homecoming could have been better-prepared, about the things they had and could have done and have yet do for the village many had to leave years ago. Discussions were more sober this time.

Those who had remained in the village kept the lid on their fermenting rice wine jars until the business meetings were over. Those who couldn’t quietly quenched their thirst in the privacy of houses or in secluded nooks. Most jars were opened only when it was time to beatthe gongs and dance, root for teams in the sports events and, as a finale, witness the crowning of the year’s king and queen.

They listened to punong barangay Anastacio Angway’s update on issues needing attention, specially efforts to protect the integrity of Gonogon’s boundaries and traditional water resources. Officers of the Gonogonian Association gave detailed reports about finances, meetings, and project thrusts in support of the village.

Nurse Jenelyn Paclayan-Balanza flew in from Michigan while forester Emilio Damogo took a leave to help keep a legacy that Jenelyn’s father left behind. Both were instrumental in organizing the Gonogonians and the reunions.

Damogo, who now serves as adviser, brushed aside insinuations for him to steer again the Baguio-Benguet chapter, while Balanza opted to work as international representative. Out-going presidents Fernando Palitayan and Edward Sacgaca also declined re-election, yielding the leadership to Victor Secyang for the Baguio-Benguet chapter and to Oscar Dao-ayen for the “ili” side.

So did school supervisor Pascual Sacgaca, the pioneer president for the “ili” side. He, however, reminded the new leaders to pursue the vision of the late Jackson Paclayan founder of the association and Gonogon’s punong barangay until his death in July, 2002.

Orphaned at an early age, Paclayan had left home to survive with his younger brother Jacinto. He became a miner, labor leader, overseas worker and, with his wife Cornelia, raised four daughters and Jackson, Jr.

As Sacgaca noted, Paclayan repeatedly asked Bontoc and Mt. Province officials to resolve Gonogon’s lingering boundary and water rights disputes with its neighbors. Immediately after he took his oath, Paclayan imposed curfew on minors and stopped gambling outright. He pushed for cultural heritage preservation and environmental protection, and improved the elementary school and the footbridge leading to the main village.

With support from Sen. Franklin Drilon and endorsement by then Baguio city prosecutor Erdolfo Balajadia, and later from Rep. Roy Pilando, he started building a multi-purpose hall to house a barangay and health center, day care, and quarters for guests. “How can you ask government workers to serve our barangay without providing them accommodations?,” he noted once.

Five years after his death, the boundary and water rights disputes remain unresolved. For lack of funds, the multi-purpose hall they will name in honor of him who was their rallying point for unity has yet to be completed.

Still, a chorus of women of the “ili” highlighted the gathering with a tribute in song to “Ama” Paclayan who initiated the reunion in 2001, a year before his passing. As Palitayan, also a councilman of Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet, noted, the series of homecomings are crucial, especially for the younger ones to meet and know each other.

Most of those nominated for positions were reluctant to offer themselves, only to end up getting the biggest votes. An out-going treasurer was close to tears pleading against her re-election, reminding the assembly that while her team did its best to serve, cooperation from members was still wanting.

Visitors, however, saw the matter of commitment a non-issue. Despite the arguments, those assembled did their chores even without being told – cooking and distributing food, preparing the elementary school grounds, setting the stage or running parlor games for the kids. Those who failed to come home sent contributions. “

I never saw unity and sense of community more demonstrated than here,” one lady guest told them during the coronation night. That observation became clear during the last canvassing for the royal court a week before the homecoming. In less than two months, the four pairs of candidates put up by the Baguio-Benguet chapter totaled over P378,000 in gross receipts.

As in the past, natives working abroad delivered their own support, including those in Korea who coursed their contributions through Balanza during a stop-over on her way home. The whole community later watched in awe and pride as Sylvester Bagtang and Wendy William led the royal court.

They also honored their native son, retired regional director Faustino Maslan of the Department of Agriculture as their main speaker during the opening program. He focused on the value of prayer, sacrifice and perseverance, citing his own struggles for education.

Last Sunday, the Baguio-Benguet chapter officers took their oath before lady lawyer Cheryl Daytec-Yangot at vice-president Hilario Damogo’s residence in Bayabas, La Trinidad. . Yangot said she, too, was impressed by the closeness and sense of community of those whotrace their roots to Gonogon.

Three years from now, the Gonogonians will again go home where the younger ones will wonder what drove their forebears to live in so steep an incline. The older ones will argue on a lot of things: how to improve the next homecoming, about variations in the food, parts of the program, the need for more commitment, better sound and lighting system.

Before then, they vowed to continue pushing what Paclayan fought for and hope to finish the multi-purpose hall in memory of the orphan who left to survive.