HAPPY WEEKEND
SAGADA, Mountain Province --- Peace is a much sought state where any
person would like to move and work without restraint or fear of
being shot, harassed or killed. With rights to a free and
unhampered environmental and social state that almost every one and every
community hankers for is espoused in a number of causes of
organizations and movements. Rotary International is one in celebrating
this significant aspect of human existence with its theme for
the year : Peace through Service.
August 14, 2012 marked the induction of officers of
Rotary Sagada. Inducting officer District Governor Tony Bautista of
District 3790 sworn the first officers of the town’s Rotary
Club of Sagada vice mayor Richard Yodong, president; Bontoc
vice mayor William Aspilan, vice president; Dr Clare Lalwet,
secretary; councilor Edward GuitilenJr, treasurer; Engr
Patrick Cerilo, auditor; Gina Dizon, press relations officer
and Sgt at Arms police officers Johnny Paleyan and Rafael
Pinayacan, and Jacinto Degay. Inducted members of the Board of Directors
areBontoc councilor Jerome Tudlong, Sagada councilors Francis Kilongan,
KaponGomgom-o, Denis Lopez, and Moses Padayao, businessman
Dave Gulian and Rev. Charles Buking. Members are from Mountain
Province towns- Sagada, Bontoc, Besao and Sabangan.
Former assistant district governor Agerico Rodriguez,
past president of Rotary Club of Baguio Dominador Jun RoxasJr
, past president of La Trinidad Rotary Club Police Inspector
Dinky Del-ong, former president of Rotary Club of Baguio AG
Kenneth So, Engr Luke Cutiyog and former PNB manager Nick
Moran of the Sagada’s mother club of the Rotary Club of La Trinidad
witnessed the induction of the first set of officers
and the oathtaking of new members CPA Benedict Yodong, Dr.
CaridadFiarod, businesswomen Helen Geronilla and GraalBayang
, LGU employees Karen Lumiwes and John Ladiong , and police
officer DominadorTacut.
District governor Tony Bautista shared principles and experiences
of Rotary Clubs. He mentioned sisterhood ties between two
rotary clubs and the support that a sister rotary club can give to
another sister club’s projects.
Rotarians also conduct group study exchanges which offers
opportunities for members of Rotary Clubs to share fields of
expertise whether it be about urban planning or organic farming or
any other topic as may be requested by another rotary club in any of
their projects or educational activities. On the process, one
forwards potential projects to generate support for possible
support. One identified experience that members of
Sagada’s Rotary Club can share is peace making.
History and recurrent related concerns talk about
Bontoc and Sagada’s experience in peace making between
conflicting tribes. Communities where finds members of RotarySagada
are villages where tradition plays a major role in peace
making, for one, tribal conflicts noted in boundary
delineations, and physically injury incidents.
Bontoc and Sagada including neighboring Besao have also noted
experiences of keeping peace where New Peoples Army and the government’s
Armed Forces of the Philippines have done their operations within said
villages and disrupted regular working conditions,
dislocating farmers from their fields and sowing fear among the
villagers.
In said induction event, consultant to the Office of the
Presidential Assistant on Peace Process (OPAPP) Thomas Killip and adviser
to the Rotary of Sagada said Sagada’s experience
in having established Sagada as a peace zone in the late 1980s
following the death of two children in Sagada due to the conflict
of NPAs and the government’s armed forces.
History also tells of Sagada having been a haven of Kalinga’s
children studying in Sagada’s elementary and St Mary’s high school due
to Kalinga’s tribal wars. While such is the case, tribal wars also
led to Kalinga’s children dropping out of school to hide in other
places.
And so the ‘aluyos’ (friendship) pact between Thomas Killip and
Bangadpeacepact holder Andres Ngaoi was held August 26 here
in Sagada with the attendance of 80 tribesmen from Bangad,
Tinglayan and Board member GhachayClaver of Kalinga witnessing the
event and some few elders from Sagada.
The pact was observed with a ‘balbeg’ (spear) given
by Kilip to Ngaoi in exchange to a ‘whachang’ (bolo) given by Ngaoi
to Killip some months back, a cultural practise called ‘sipat’ in
Kalinga. A cow and two pigs were butchered as ceremonial
offerings of the pact and partaken during the event.
The event went on with playing the gongs and tribesmen from Bangad
sharing what bodong means as a system to protect tribe
members and keep peace between two agreeing tribes.
Bodong to Kalinga means a pact between tribes to keep
the peace with parties agreeing on the terms in what is called the
‘pagta’. Protection of those considered in the pagta or tribal
members is strongly observed much as preventing
anything bad to happen to another to keep the peace. An individual
is the community much as the community is the individual. In like manner,
exacting justice to harm done to a tribe’s any member takes its
toll upon any member of an offending tribe or those considered in
the terms of both parties.
Non-binodngan Sagada drew mixed reactions from the public
generally veering to wariness of a bodong, understandable to the reaction
of a community which does not practisebodong. Though a century ago has it that
Sagada has practiced ‘peden’, similarly bodong, with Samoki of
Bontoc, history notes.
In non-binodngan Sagada, one who does a crime to another shall be the
one to suffer the act of what he has done. The individual is an individual
owing his deed to himself and no one else. Where he has done wrong
is himself to blame and shall mean penalty to be exacted on him. The
community is a separate being composed of different
individuals.
In binodngan Kalinga, the individual’s actions are the
community’s. Thus, exacting justice as retaliation is meant to any
member of the community or those considered in the terms.
Pasil, Kalinga councilor Samuel Tayaan says the
practise still exists today. Townmate cultural musician Edgar
Banasan says there are instances of instant revenge on any member
of the offending tribe in a practise called ‘fug-uy’.
What is threatening is the severance of a bodong which may result
to injury done on any member of both tribes of a previously
done injury. The relationship of a bodong then becomes friendship-war
relations ,Kalinga newsman Estanislao Albano says.
The terms of a bodong is not static to be applied to all
contracting parties. Terms can be modified according to the wish
both parties, councilor Emilio Kitongan of Pasil said.
It is now up to the two friends- Killip and Ngaoi- to define
the parameters of the friendship, the intents and extent of the peace
pact, the dos and the don’ts, draw up the ‘pagta’ or any other term of
which it is favorable to both ,and whether to fully involve the two
community tribes and the sitios and barangays covering Bangad and Sagada
as consented by the people concerned.
It may be terms covering security and peace to development
programs with both communities sharing the Bontoc- Tabuk road and
the Chico River where locates two tributaries-Malitep and Amlosong River as
sources of the mighty river of the north. Bangad is one of the
peaceful tribes of Tinglayan which has not involved itself
much in unpeaceful activities.
Chairman of the Sagada Rotary club Engr Richard Yodong said
Rotary Sagada supports and promotes peace measures either
forwarded by individuals or communities. Other Rotary members of
Sagada joined the event including the Sagada
Community Choir with music composer and conductor
Mauricio Patungao
from Pasil, Kalinga.
No comments:
Post a Comment