Of dap-ay, men and women in Cordillera

Richard Kinnud

Over coffee some time ago, a friend shared his idea of putting up a dap-ay in the compound of the workplace.   The image of rocks arranged as seats in a circular formation with a fireplace at the center immediately flashed to mind and so I suggested that the number of seats would be the number of major units in that workplace.
    “So that would be a dap-ay of heads of units?” he asked.
    “That would be like it,” I replied.
    My friend paused awhile and said, “But some of the heads now are women!  In the indigenous dap-ays, no women are allowed to seat.”
    It is Women’s Month, and that statement struck something in the brain wave.  Was it an affirmation that the culture we so treasure, in some situations, abides to gender inequality, a situation that can be said to be not treasurable?
    The dap-ay has always been regarded as a place where leaderships are exercised.  It is the venue for cerebral discussions of interests of the concerned community.  And these leaderships and discussions are expected to result to resolutions of issues and something for the common good.  It is thus an important spot where everyone be given equal access.
    In present-day governance, one of the ways by which leaders rise in communities is through the electoral process.  And regardless of sex or gender preference, for as long as one meets qualifications, anyone can throw in his or her hat in such a process. 
    But it is observable in local politics that there are fewer women than men who occupy elective posts as representatives to Congress, governors, vice governors, Sangguniang Panlalawigan members, and even down to being barangay council members.  This wouldn’t be pinned down though as singularly Cordilleran as it is also true in other regions and even the nation as a whole.
    Back at the coffee table, my friend acceded, “At any rate, yes, the dap-ay is already modernized!”
    In many venues, women are seen participating in discussions of community concern and even in the forefront in a lot of them.  Though a few as earlier mentioned, it is recognizable that they are capable to be in key elective positions.  An internet resource handbook on Cordillera statistical information (Women and Men in the Cordillera Administrative Region, published by the PSA in 2019) says that the number of women in elective positions shows an increasing trend in the past elections.
    The same handbook also had the data that there is an almost equal number of men and women employed as managers.  It also says there are more women in professional employment than the men. And in occupation that has long been dominated by men such as the police and jail management services, there an increasing trend in number of women employed there.
    All these indicate that the woman has long been in the dap-ay – in the discourse of issues and in leadership towards the common good.
    In another coffee session where some similar topic was brought up, another friend said that what is important is that no one should constrain his or her conception of what any person, man or woman, can become or can do for society.  
    Differences, which could be sex-related as the biological ones, or not related to sexes such as personality traits, should not lead to some kind of putting down people’s ability to contribute to societal good, which one usual way is to be part of discussions.
    “What then are in there for discussions?” another friend begged.
    The handbook earlier cited was again a very useful source for some development data on differences in men and women that are good fuel for some discourse.  It said that in the Cordillera, just like anywhere else, women have longer life expectancy than men.  In terms of employment, men have a greater labor participation rate.  That is more men of working age are in a job or actively looking for one.  But they also have a higher unemployment rate than women.  In terms of education, more boys are enrolled in the elementary grades. 
    That could be attributed to the fact that there is a greater male population than females.  But more of the girls are enrolled in secondary and higher education institutions than boys.  This gives the impression that more girls than boys actually go on with their education up to they finish their degrees.  This is bolstered by the data that there more repeaters and drop-outs among boys than girls.  In terms of migration, men and women Cordillerans are abroad as OFWs though the later are more in number.
    For sure, these things are tackled in the formal dap-ays – that is the government departments and private institutions in which addressing issues related those are their mandates.  And certainly, men and women in there are participating in the discussions and leading certain solutions to problems that may have been identified.  But these discussions need surge also in small groups as well such as in families, or some loose ones as in coffee groups.
    “So we really need that dap-ay as suggested,” a colleague concluded.
    “For certain,” someone replied adding that the rocks to be used should be carried by the employees themselves from the nearby river to where it would be constructed.  This would let them feel they are part of the making and let them imbibe the sense of belongingness to the dap-ay.    
    “Won’t that exclude those who can’t carry rocks?”  Well, they can contribute other else than moving big stones!
    Belated greetings of Happy Women’s Month to all.  But as activities for the celebrations culminate, may it commence dap-ays that bring forth the common good.