Pay now, sit later

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March FIanza

As 2016 nears, we cannot avoid joining conversations about who to vote for President. The majority who worry about having food on the table three time a day think of election time as an opportunity that will save their family from hunger. And so, they wait for the offers from politicians that are served through campaign managers. The votes go to the highest bidder.     

“Pay now, sit later.” This is addressed to politicians, especially those who get sick with amnesia once they occupy office. During election campaigns, our ears become depositories of promises from political candidates in order to get your votes. While most of them simply deliver “clean” speeches, others simply crack jokes thinking that the audience will recall the name come election day.

Cousin and favorite Bokod son Atty. Robert Basco is the man when it comes to catching the attention of an audience in a campaign sortie. He cracks jokes at the same time promotes his candidate by educating the audience about why they should vote for him.

In one campaign sortie, he tells his audience why they should not offer their votes in exchange for favors, particularly money. “Haan yu ilaklako ti botos yu” (do not sell your votes). He says the reason behind this is that in case the candidate wins and one asks for his help, he can always deny the request since he already paid for your vote.

In contrast, most voters choose their candidates according to their conscience and simply consider the qualifications and past accomplishments of the candidate. In this case, the best candidate wins, no matter how much his contenders spend.

On the other hand, there are those who complain about having been rejected by candidates who won after having supported and campaigned for the latter. They say, the politician seems to have acquired amnesia. This is the reason for the phrase “pay now, sit later.” Whatever, this should not be the case.

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In a two-day training for nominated members to the newly organized Council of Elders last week, I was made aware of reasons why there are landholdings in Baguio outskirts that are owned by a mixed clan or sub-clan of pioneer families. Listening to Pinsao Elder Pancho Alinos, he said, in the past Ibaloys had unwritten laws that they believed in.

These were in the form of verbal agreements heard by witnesses and were more valued than hand written MOAs that we now have. Lawyers, in contrast to the “tongtong” (verbal agreement) as a tradition, believe more in what is written. For example, lands may have been named after the eldest son or daughter but such was actually agreed on as owned by all siblings.

Today we have modern laws that in most cases, go against time tested traditions. Also, younger educated generations tend to disregard such, instead seek the assistance of lawyers who depend on written documents.

In the course of our conversation, we took note of some of our ancestors’ unwritten agreements, especially on land issues. Some of these are: Lands, due to its availability, were swapped with cows, tobacco and even liquor.

Certain portions of one’s landholdings were bequeathed as gifts to newlyweds. This Intermarriages explains the presence of other clans or sub-clans inside districts that are predominantly occupied by a main clan or family.

On the other hand, there were also some members of families who simply entered parcels of vacant lands inside more attractive areas, attached themselves to the other occupant families and “squatted” and declared the same as their ancestral lands. These are the cases that have apparently caused problems to the issuance of ancestral land titles (CALTs) in Baguio.

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Lately, the environment code for Baguio was discussed in a public forum. As always, the age-old Ibaloy practice of burying a dead kin in the homelot was put in the limelight. An official representing the PEZA area in Loakan assailed a resolution of councilor Leandro Yangot that was passed years ago. He said, allowing Ibaloys to bury their kin in their homelots has been abused and had to be reviewed. In addition, he argued that most homelots are too small to contain the dead and some burials were used to improperly establish ancestral land rights.

I disagree with his argument because while it may be true that some homelots are too small to accommodate private burial grounds, it is not his right to dispute land claims by going against an age-old burial practice.

Former Lands Management Office director Victor Carantes said Ibaloys get the feeling of still being close to their departed kin who are buried beside or under the house. There is also the “kaelan” ritual in honor of the dead where it is exhumed, the bones are cleaned, clothed and pigs are butchered.