Baguio Council of Elders

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Roger Sinot

ASIN HOT SPRING, Tuba, Benguet – Some members of the Baguio Ancestral Land Claimants nominated to the Council of Elders and Leaders joined the opening parade for the two-day DAYAW FESTIVAL 2014 the other week in celebration of the Indigenous Peoples month organized by the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA), in coordination with the NCIP and the City Government of Baguio. It was an invitation by Mayor Domogan to IPs in the city that was also extended to us through the NCIP. The theme of this year’s festival for the Indigenous Peoples Month that exhibited awareness of the various cultures of the Philippines was "Katutubong Filipino parasaKalikasan at Kapayapaan".

Those who joined the parade were manang Vicky Macay of Loakan, manong Philip Canuto of Happy Hallow and other elders together with the Onjon Ni Ivadoy led by its president Jackson Chiday of Loakan. It was a happy and graceful moment to greet relatives, especially seeing Uncle Mike Kiwas' attire. It was the first time I saw Uncle Mike in G-string, with a grass raincoat and a spear and wearing his sun glasses. Uncle Mike was the eldest of the participants. We are proud of you uncle, may you live longer.

In front of the Casa Vallejo, while waiting for the parade to start, I was all eyes at the old American made hotel. While everybody was conversing, I wondered what could have been the results if the Heirs of CosenPiraso were successful with their ancestral land title over this place. What if the processing of their CALT had no objections or conflicts? Could we be seeing a billboard in front of the building that says "CASA PIRASO"? There are a lot of questions that lingered in my mind but could only be answered by our Creator.

As a Baguio Ancestral Land Claimant member who was nominated to be one of the elders, I am still on my study table. After gathering information, land resolutions, records and references concerning IPs that I can get, I realized that being a part of the Council is not an easy task. After our two-day seminar on how to handle land conflicts, the role made me feel superior than I used to be, not an ordinary follower. As to the reminder of Manang Bridget, Commissioner Pawid about "TiklopTuhod", an elder should be humble as a leader is expected to be. She reminds me of a sage who said, "To be a good leader, one must be a good follower". Guidance from reliable sources, especially in the application of our customary system and indigenous practices, the cultural traditions that promote peace are needed to be researched.

As an Ibaloy elder, am still on my study table in search for the history of "Tongtong", an Ibaloy system of settling conflicts within the tribe. Perhaps as the need arises, there is a need to interview old folks about the commonly accepted justice system among Ibaloys and other tribes who are in the same situation because one has to be equipped with such ideas in order to come up with resolutions. In Baguio, the Ibalois are too clannish. They have their own old folks as their elders, in the same way we have decided that every cluster comes up with its own group of Cluster Elders, same way as the Ibaloys did in the past. An elder should find a peculiar way in addressing the conflicting parties around the negotiating table and come up with a "WIN-WIN" solution to the main problem.

The task given to the elders has a vital participation in the community. Conflicts, especially among families have prospered in the past years, may it be in or outside of the courts of justice. Our job is particularly to pursue the quest for reconciliation among relatives, as our forefathers wished if they were still alive today, a challenging and great experience before time overtook us. According to Manang Bridget, the renunciation of all forms of lawlessness should be one problem to be addressed, specially that the "TuwidnaDaan" program of this administration is in full force. She emphasized also on the ethnic and tribal discrimination to be avoided, instead the application of customary system and indigenous practices and cultural traditions that promote peace and harmony among families and communities be upheld. he said, "Let us concentrate on making solutions instead!”

I came to realize in this time and age that there are no short cuts in all processes in life. Everything has a plan and time frame. Trees and flowers have their own growth plan, a time to be planted, a time to grow and a time to be harvested. The moon must make its trip around the earth according to the Creator's plan. Every human being must be born, grow and grow as old as his body can, according to God's plan. Sometimes we look at ourselves and we think as if we are not growing, but deep in our minds we know that we have to get older. It is not because we cannot see it with our minds does not mean that something is not happening. In ilocano, "Nuwanglaengtilumaklakay!" (Only Carabaos get older), but that is a self-denial." To be an Elder, one has to dig the ground to see how big the camote is, not by merely looking at the leaves," said Uncle IsabeloCosalan Sr.

"Hail to the NCCA for staging the Dayaw Festival! Hail to NCIP Commissioner Pawid for the formation of the Baguio Council of Elders! Hail to the Ibaloys of Baguio, and Hail to the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines."

Happy trails to the Baguio Council of Elders and the Cluster COEls!