Cartoon images

BENCHWARMER
Ramon Dacawi

So we’re into “frost tourism”. We’re into exploiting as a visitor come-on the frostbite wreaking havoc on our vegetable gardens. It’s the latest in an endless series of events, places and things that we explore and develop as bait for tourists to come and spend their money up here.

We still have this tendency to link anything to tourism promotion long after vandals had destroyed the Crystal Cave and desecrated the Ibaloi mummies at Mt. Sto. Tomas. A still untouched cave of stalactites and stalagmites is discovered and the mind immediately works out how its beauty can be announced to all and sundry.

Yet the sooner tourists (whether backyard or from beyond) will come, the sooner the lure of the place – like Baguio’s temperate clime, terrain and pine - leads to its undoing.

Time was when nature, which came first, was on top of the order and value of things. This is the substance of indigenous knowledge and culture, which developed and flourished out of respect for nature. The Cordillera rice terraces were built out of respect for the contour of the mountains, their extent dictated by the natural flow and volume or water.

As the hierarchy began turning upside down, with tourism and commercial enterprise lording over nature and culture, we came up with “eco-tourism”, “cultural tourism”, “community-based tourism” and whatever term there is to make the industry appear responsible. I cringe hearing the label “medical tourism” that spells profit from sick foreigners seeking medical deliverance here.

In Thailand, they label expatriates living there in the guise of development workers as “development tourists”. On the other hand, it would be demeaning and uncalled for to term as “humanitarian tourism” the return here this week-end of a medical team from Canada to do free surgery for the third straight year at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center. As immigration officials plan to issue “medical tourism” visas to foreign patients, I pray they’d also consider issuing life-time medical mission visas to these healers and Samaritans reaching out to the poor.
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Cabbage frostbite tourism. At least the come-on is not contrived or man-made. A temperature dip always lures tourists up here, and the current cold spell redeems us from the embarrassing frostbite of that vain attempt to put up an artificial snowfall along our inclined, narrow main street.

To the chagrin of the surprisingly huge crowd occupying every inch of Session Road for the “snow show”, what fell were like soap suds and bubbles that just burst and vanished in the air, shattering the precious wish of thousands for a feel of a white Christmas that only those out there pursuing the American dream really experienced.

I was not there, but the image conjured when I heard of the sizable crowd was that of a cartoon, of thousands gawking up the sky to see the initial letters “S” and “W” melting off and falling, so that the “snow show” written in white up in the sky ends up fittingly reading “no show”.

City councilor Elmer Datuin, whose idea it was to try the “snow fall”, admitted the overwhelming crowd turn-out was truly unexpected. He absorbed the flak and apologized. He assured that the city lost no penny in the attempt, as a private donor bankrolled the expense for the machines that churned up a short winter of discontent.

Councilor Edison Bilog, who quickly called for an investigation into the botched show, told all and sundry that the city procurement office certified no bidding was ever held for the rental of the gadgets, and no voucher ever processed for payment of the same.

For their statesman-like gestures, we join the community in wishing both councilors Kung Hei Fat Choi as we usher in the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese lunar calendar. Likewise, we wish our friends – and ourselves – prosperity and riches.

The rabbit, according to Dr. Charles Cheng, symbolizes peace, good luck and happiness. As wags had it at the launching of the lunar year festivities, it also symbolizes clear vision - literally that is. The silent animal is living proof that carrots are good for the eyes. After all, we never see a rabbit wearing glasses.

The coming Year of the Rabbit brings to mind one of the best cartoons I’ve ever seen. The scene drawn was after the Great Deluge in the Bible, after the flood had subsided. Noah was leading out of his ark the pairs of animals to dry land.

All alighted in pairs, including those in the traditional year cycle in the Chinese calendar: Rat (Shu), mOx (Niu), Tiger (Yin), Dragon (ch-en), Snake (She), Hose (Wu), goat (Yang), Monkey (Shen), Rooster (Yu, Dog (Kou) and Pig (Hai).

Except the rabbits. To Noah’s chagrin, the first pair was followed by another pair, and then another, and still another. They came out legion.

Baguio’s observance of the Lunar New Year keeps a tradition established 12 years ago. Rather than a tourism promotion ploy, it is a cultural event. It is, in the words of Mayor Mauricio Domogan, to help us appreciate the uniqueness of our city as a cultural melting pot and the continuing contributions of the Fil-Chinese community to its growth and development.
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