Day 2: Cordillera 101

Our entourage met up with professors and students from University Philippines of Baguio of the CSC to learn more about the historical, socio-political, geographical and economic issues of Baguio. There are a total of 27 municipalities and 303 barangays within the Cordillera political structure. The main produces of the Cordillera are rice, corn, coffee, vegetables, fruits and poultry. The primary mining industries of Baguio are gold and copper.

The Cordillera region has many traditional indigenous communities that have been dynamically transformed due to modernization. Nonetheless, ethnic identities still remain significant amongst Cordillera communities despite them living under the thumb of capitalism. Commercialization has turned the cultural lifestyles of indigenous communities into money making businesses. In addition, Filipino tourism industries are responsible for churning indigenous cultural lifestyles and practices into marketable commercial value. For example, misrepresentation of indigenous culture happens when tourists get to wear an igorot costume for 10 pesos.

During the afternoon seminar, social activists from the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance enlightened us on major issues related to the rights of the indigenous groups. The indigenous people of Cordillera are collectively addressed as the igorots.

Issues confronting the Cordillera communities are development aggression, conflicting laws and policies, lack of basic social services, tribal conflicts and militarization. Governmental incentives such as 100% foreign ownership and complete repatriation of capital profits are given to foreign companies to invest in major development projects. Hence, the Mining Act of 1995 was established to combat environmental degradation and socio-political issues concerning labour and land exploitation.

Increasing tribal conflicts also inevitably ensue due to escalating crime rates involving youths in cities like Tabuk and Baguio who are drawn into drug addiction, robbery and inebriated drunkenness leading to aggressive behaviours like murders and physical injuries. Militarization has also oppressed indigenous people in fighting for self-determination of land ownership and ethnic identity. Military groups would impose physical torture on protestors and political activists by pricking big nails into their skin. Some members of Cordillera Peoples Alliance have also received death threats by trying to voice out their rights.

After such an enlightening seminar, our student guides took us to Baguio's famous Burnham Park. Vendors are seen peddling around selling snacks and local delicacies. About 10 adventurous peers from our entourage gulped down Baluts. Balut is a duck's embryo which is a well-known local delicacy.

Everyone has been having a ball, riding on those creatively decorated Jeepneys that transport passenger from random stop-by spots to anywhere in the city. Riding on a Jeepney abreast with two other Jeepneyson our left and right shows how significant Jeepneyse to serve as the pulse of Baguio's public transport. As we returned to the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance HQ for dinner, Dr Yeoh aka Daniel whipped up a Malaysian-meets-Thai dish for all of us to savour.

In the evening, members of the Baguio Muslim Community Association were invited to participate in a conducive and enriching seminar on racial discrimination towards Muslims who are the minority in the Philippines. The tables turned when our entourage shed some light on how non-Muslims from Malaysia also get unequal rights. Therefore, we came to a mutual conclusion that minority groups in society will always be marginalized regardless of ethnicity, nationality or religion.

By Jasmine Chew

For more photos on Day 2, head over here.

A New Friend

I have heard that Jollibee is a popular fast food chain in the Philippines but I did not have the chance to ask eyewitnesses how popular it was, until now. Today is my first day in the Phillipines, and I was really shocked to see that the Jollibee signboards actually outnumbered those of McDs. Our bus passed by a few Jollibee restaurants and they were literally packed.

While we (the travellers) were on our bus to Baguio, I sat beside a guy who was holding a Jollibee cup. I started off my conversation by asking him if Jollibee was as popular as McDs, and his answer was that Jollibee is actually the most preferred fast food brand in the Philippines. So what is so special about Jollibee? According to this guy, it is because Jollibee understands the Filipino market better. The company always comes up with food or promotions that generate Filipino's interests. I guess, the other reason Jollibee is so well-accepted is because it is a local brand, and people generally feel proud of products by their local companies. (Ed: Maya the student guide mentioned that, Jollibee made sweet spaghetti and that suited the Filipino market a whole lot more)

We talked a lot, from 'How freedom of speech became a buzzword amongst Filipinos in the 1980s', to 'how the Malaysian government controls the mass media'. People in the Philippines are allowed to voice out their opinions as newspapers (and other forms of media) in the Philippines are not owned by the government. A lot of parks can be found in the Philippines and Filipinos are allowed to hold non-violent demonstration in these parks if they are unhappy with certain governmental policies.

Being a car fanatic, I noticed that most of the sedan cars & MPVs in the Philippines are imported from Japan and Korea. I was wondering if the mass-production of foreign car models would threaten the local car industry, but it turned out that Filipino car makers are professionals in producing a special vehicle called 'jeepneys'. Jeepneys look like jeeps, but they are unusually long, and can easily accommodate as much as eighteen passengers.

This Filipino guy that I met on the bus told me that many Koreans are coming into the Philippines to learn English. He knows this because he is a lecturer in Tarlac State University, Philippines. When this guy was about to disembark the bus in Tarlac town, we introduced ourselves and I gave him my email address. Yes, I know it sounds weird to introduce myself at the end of a conversation but I see this conversation as a very good start for my post-graduate life. The reason is simply because I was shy to speak to people until I realized that communicating with other people is a good way of increasing my general knowledge.

It's only Day One, and I have had lots of fun. :-)


by Max Tan

Burnham Park

After the sessions with CPA (Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance), our student guides from the University of Philippines Baguio (UP Baguio): Romel, Maya, and Maureen took us to Burnham Park. This park is known to be the biggest in Baguio and was named after Daniel Burnham, an American architect and urban planner. He was famous for the city planning of Chicago and he helped shaped Baguio City.

The park is located near UP Baguio, right in the middle of the city of Baguio and we took a jeepney to get to Burnham Park from CPA and we each paid 6 pesos each.

There are a lot of street vendor at Burnham Park. They mostly sell food and fruits. We tried soy bean and a famous delicacy in the Philippines, balut. Balut is a nearly developed duck embryo. This dish is known to be a healthy choice as it has a lot of protein. However, the image of swallowing a duckling with a half developed body made a lot of people (even Filipinos) not want to try eating balut.

But, unlike a lot of people, some Monash University Malaysia students dared to try this delicacy. Among them are Erica, Mindy, Max, Aaron, Grace and Susan. They found it hard to open the shell but after eating it, balut has a distinctly tasty flavor. Balut costs 12 pesos each.

This park used to be famous for the green grass, horse riding and boating activities. Now, Burnham Park grass has turned brown, the city council took the horses away because they were becoming an irritant to traffic and the pedal boats are still there but the water has turned murky, dark and smelly.

Most people come to this park in the morning to jog, ride bicycles or simply walk their dogs. In the afternoon, there are a lot of family picnics. Despite Baguio being a fairly safe city, I would not recommend you to come to this park after dark. There are a lot of people who will take advantage especially of women and conduct the sex trade.

Overall, our experience in Burnham Park was enjoyable. Unfortunately, we had to cut it short because Dr. Yeoh aka Daniel was waiting for us at CPA with a delicious Tom Yam dinner that he cooked for all of us. I would like to say thank you to Rommel, Maya, and Maureen who were willing to accompany us despite their own busy schedules and exams.

By Dyah

Muslim Community in Baguio

On the sixth level of our hotel lobby, the people from the Baguio City Muslims Associations shared with us, the students from Monash Malaysia their experiences living in Baguio City. They shared their experiences as Muslims and also as the minorities here. The interactive and informative talk started at about 8 p.m. It was the last presentation for the day. The venue was changed due to the power circuit failure at the mosque. The talk was different in comparison to the two talks held earlier as they had used power point slides shows. It was more like a discussion with a two way communication; the organization gave their views and experiences and in turn, we did ours too.

The Muslims who shared their experiences was Abdul Muhaimin Manumbilao, the Chairman of that organization; Merwan Elnaur Yousif, a foreign student from Sudan studying in Baguio; Fahed Adib Hamdan, a businessman from Lebanon who has been living in the Philippines for 4 years but only a year in Baguio. The next two were Hadji Imran Baniaga, the Vice President and lastly Hadji Abdul Raffy Hassan, the Secretary.

There is said to be more than 10,000 Muslims in Baguio, who migrated from places such as Mindanao and Sudan. Approximately 1000 of the total number of Muslims are student migrants. Most of the students originate from Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Iran and Malaysia as well.

They explained that there were a few reasons as to why they migrated to Baguio City. The conditions of the place where they originated from, played a vital role in the migrating process. The misunderstanding between communities also made them to migrate to Baguio. The war torn areas and the search for greener pastures urged them to move as well.

When asked if they felt inferior by being the minority, Abdul Muhaimin gave a firm yes. There were numerous discriminations towards the Muslims communities living in Baguio, especially job discrimination. He re-called a story about a Muslim brother who could not get his barangay certificate immediately, like the normal procedure just because he's a Muslim.

Fahed, being a Lebanese faced obstacles along the way as well. One of his experiences was that while he was waiting at the boat jetty to get to somewhere within the Philippines, he realized he was being closely watched by the military intelligence. He was also observed when he was walking around to past the time while waiting for his boat to arrive. Coincidently as he was standing at a corner, there were also two other strangers standing at the same spot. The military intelligence then appeared and arrested him and the two men. The authorities accused him of collaborating with the intention of carrying out terrorist attacks. They were then interrogated for a few hours before he was released.

Other past experiences haunted him too. He continued saying that “I feel discriminated for keeping a beard because when I have a beard they call me a terrorist but when I shave, they call me an American”. He felt discriminated both ways. When asked about the issues pertaining to how Muslims are portrayed as terrorists, Fahed said that he does not agree with the term terrorist, as nobody in this world is born a 'terrorist'. He further explained that there was no such thing as being a good human or a bad one, for a person who carries out terrorist acts are provoked and given reasons to act as such.

In my (Alia) experience, I understood the situation as I recalled a much similar encounter myself after 9/11. (I’m sure you all know how much I'm afraid of dogs). Once as I was crossing the road and I stood next to a a man who was walking his dog. I squeaked upon seeing the dog and took a U-turn. He got furious and started swearing at me. All I heard in his reply was that he called me a killer, that I was afraid of dogs, but was still able to kill thousands during the 9/11 attack. I was very terrified after that incident but am always on the lookout for people who associate Muslims to murderers.

On the other hand, the community here is treated with respect and with good manners too. The examples given were that girls are allowed to wear the hijab to school and during the festive seasons they are allowed to celebrate openly and share with other religions.

At one point I (Feeza) thought that the Muslims in Baguio were really facing terrible problems by being the minorities but when they mentioned that the Muslim students were allowed to wear the hijab to school I felt happy. Even though the Philippines is not as well developed as some countries, yet they cherish the value of humanity (something I’ve learned in one of my units in Monash. That some minorities especially the Muslims are not allowed to celebrate their festivals in open spaces, in some countries)

Overall, we considered it a unique experience as it was not held in offices, halls etc like how the previous sessions were but at the hotel lobby where most of us had to sit on the cold floor.

On top of that, it was coordinated in such a way that the Muslims in Baguio session had no slides presentations but still the session was well developed and the Q and A session started from the beginning itself. And instead of having us the students ask them about the Muslims in Baguio they also asked us about the Muslims in Singapore from Alia, Muslims in Indonesia from Linda and Muslims in Malaysia fron Zeck and Feeza.

by Alia and Feeza

For more photos on Day 2, head over here.

Freedom Comes With a Price

The idea of an indigenous people is not a myth. After an afternoon of learning and broadening our horizons, many of us are now more informed of the status of the indigenous people of the Philippines and how the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance (CPA) has been fighting for the rights of the indigenous people to self-determination and to determine the path of their own development.

In a matter of hours, repeated use of unfamiliar terms became the norm as we started to understand what words like barangay and Igorot meant and the deeper issues they carry. For example, the Cordillera region has many provinces and the many provinces has many municipalities and the many municipalities has many barangays and the many barangays has many ilis. Confused yet? Its only a matter of order and the means of how the structure works. While an Igorot is a general term for all the indigenous people in the Cordilleras and it can sometimes be taken as a derogatory term especially when the person involved is an Igorot. The source of the word never meant for it to carry negativity instead, Igorot means ‘from the mountain’, a simple term to carry the actual roots of these people.

Johnny Sawadan like so many of the staff and volunteers at CPA are natives of the Cordilleras and have a vested interest in the land they live in and in the people that claim residency in these lands. Johnny very graciously was our teacher for the day at CPA, patiently guiding us through the background and history of the Cordillera region and the issues and struggles faced by both indigenous and residents of the area.

Foreign investment in the country has brought on a lot of progress. If colonialism in Malaya had the British reaping the rewards of the tin and rubber for their own purposes and without much rewards to the people of Malaya. Here in modern day Philippines, the same acts of colonialism is now given a legitimate reason to ‘rape’ the land of its natural heritage, namely through the mining and potential dam projects. It’s true that the dam built would provide enough water to deliver a huge percentage of electrical current to the inhabitants of Luzon Island, yet the environmental damage destroy homes and cultural heritage, increases the commercialization of indigenous cultures, threatening the food security of farmers and peasants to Transnational Corporations and most of all, the quiet lives lived by these indigenous people.

A phrase mentioned by CPA I found intriguing and yet contrasting was the issue of development aggression. The natural progression of development is supposed to bring on an improvement to standards of living. Instead the aggression that takes place ruins natural resources and demolishes the indigenous peoples’ basic source of revenue.

What is democracy in such a political system? As Malaysians, we can easily recall back to the Orang Asli’s in Malaysia and one oft mentioned struggle they face was the Bakun dam project and look where that got them. Here at the CPA, there is a sense of purpose as they push on with the objectives and purposes of the Alliance and continue on with their work, even when there is the Oplan Bantay Laya and extra judicial killings have been ordered. For the land they live on and its equivalent to life and all things holistic, the CPA will remain in defense of ancestral domain and for self determination of the indigenous people of the Philippines.

An image of a small girl holding up the sign of ‘Ako Na ba ang susunod’ which means ‘Am I next’ will be the one thing I remember most from the CPA and what I can in my small way do to spread the news and inform the public of what really takes place.

by Shu Yi

Being A Rebel

The address of the headquarters is 02 P. Guevara.

Mary, a former member of the alliance sports a black cap worthy of Che himself. The Cordillera People’s Alliance; truly a people’s movement. The CPA’s affinities towards the People’s Republic of Cuba are undeniable. In fact, just recently, the CPA played host to Cuba’s Ambassador to the Philippines.

Socialism is the new cool thing. Wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt increases one’s cool factor very significantly considering rock icons such as Rage Against the Machine and Carlos Santana use Che as a fashion statement. In the Clayton campus of Monash University, dreadlocked, pot-smoking students walk around the grounds handing out “Support Socialism” flyers. Being anti-capitalist and anti-American denotes one is socially aware and non-conformist.

However, the edginess of being a rebel is overly hyped up and very misunderstood. 2 Guevarra Street, Baguio City is the headquarters of the true “non-conformists”. Socialism is really just an –ism. In the end it is all about the people. As Windel, the Secretary General from the CPA says, the CPA fights for the people; to free them from oppression and exploitation.

The Cordillera region is mineral rich and the mining industry is a dangerously profitable one. With that amount of minerals in the Philippines one would expect the people to be living life pretty good. However, The Mining Act of 1995 by the Macapagal government is definitely not an act that benefits the people. This act was passed as an initiative to revitalize the Philippine mining industry. The Macapagal government claimed that it would increase foreign investment which would in turn boost the nation’s economy.

Through the act, the government created deliciously lucrative packages to attract foreign mining companies which include rights to holiday tax and tax exemptions for the first 10 years. The act also allows 100% foreign ownership of mining land. This means that tons of money is flowing out of the Philippines. Of course there are increased work opportunities for the people. However, wages are low.

The big picture: foreigners steal from the locals, and pay them back 0.00001% of what they stole in exchange for labor. The CPA is not against mining and neither is it against development. They are against injustice. Their answer to the mining issue is to replace large-scale mining with small-scale mining.

Johnny Sawadan claims that it is proven that small-scale mining has a much more positive impact on the economy. Small-scale mining will be run by indigenous people, allowing them to have control over their own resources: baby steps in self-determination. This small-scale mining will be organized and responsible; taking into account factors like sustainability.

So what does Che Guevara have to do with mining in the Cordillera region? The mining issue really boils down to one of the most widely debated topics in the world: capitalism vs. socialism. Across the world, people in developing countries are being exploited and the situation is similar. Nike sweatshop workers ring a bell?

Both capitalism and socialism are heavily stereotyped. Capitalism is stereotyped as exploitative and evil (think Blood Diamond and An Inconvenient Truth) while socialism is stereotyped as being idealistic and radical (think Mao Zedong). If small-scale mining is implemented, resources will not be allocated to maximum efficiency as there is no competition. Prices will also increase as demand exceeds supply. Small-scale mining also fails to realize the global nature of the mining industry: an industry determined by market forces. In the long run, small-scale mining will no longer be profitable. If small-scale mining does run efficiently, it will unavoidably (according to principles of efficiency) become large-scale.

However, the capitalist system of large-scale mining is highly exploitative of the people, and destructive of the environment. Most of all, it involves taking land from the indigenous peoples through manipulative ways.

But can there be responsible capitalism? If people don’t buy shares in Anvil or Newcrest will these corporations still be mining in the Philippines? Will people buy shares in these corporations if they knew how people were being exploited? I’m going to make my new mission education.

by Grace

Backbone of Cordillera Research

Today was the first day where we got down to the “serious business” part of the study trip and attended our first session talk on the Cordillera Study Center (CSC). Situated at the spacious and refreshingly hilly spot that is the University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB), the CSC is a prominent research branch of the University.

As we lounged in a meeting room overlooking the rows of pine trees dotting the campus grounds, Professor Delfin L. Tolentino (or simply Delfin) walked us through the richly diverse and somewhat complex university system (to our Malaysian ears) in the Philippines.


Alice, part of the CSC research team then took on the task of explaining the background of Cordillera and the history of the CSC. The CSC which was established in June 1980, was established as a research sector of the Development Studies Program of the then Division of Social Sciences.


The CSC has essentially carved out UPB’s reputation as the lead research university in the Philippines and was reorganized as the university research center of UPB. As such, it sets the research directions of the University.

We were told that despite its namesake, the CSC is not only concerned with research within Cordillera itself but branches into four divisions, (1) Biodiversity Conservation; (2) Ethnicity Studies; (3) Governance and Public Policy; and (4) Local Language and Literature.

The CSC was established to serve as a venue to conduct research pursued by the UP Baguio as well as a platform for the exchange of information and dialogues among academics, social science practitioners, government officials and communities on regional development plans. It seeks to create a positive environment that encourages collaborative and multidisciplinary research, especially regarding developmental issues that involves the Cordillera communities. One of the center’s aims is to ensure full and substantive participation of all concerned parties, hence giving a voice to the indigenous communities as well. Nonetheless, the CSC is not just doing pure academic research but also actively forms close linkages with the local communities and respond to social issues.

Some of the issues of interest to the CSC are such as biodiversity conservation, governance and public policy, and ethnic studies. The center looks at how certain government initiated developmental policies could affect the Cordillera indigenous people and their cultural, political and socio-economic situation. The Center’s library has also became the Cordillera regional information, resource and referral center with its substantial collection of ethnographies and materials on developmental issues, economic change, social transformation and upland resource management. In addition, the CSC also provides research affiliation to local and foreign researchers such as our Monash lecturer, Dr Yeoh, by serving as institutional base and support.


The talk by the CSC has enlightened us about the people and their cultures in the Cordillera region. The Cordillera region is consisting of six provinces and they are Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Ifugao and Benguet; and have two chartered cities – Baguio and Tabuk. We were briefed about the diversity of indigenous groups in the six provinces such as the Ibaloy, Bontok, Kalinga, Isney, Gaddang and etc who come under the umbrella term Igorot. Igorot originated from the Spanish word I (from) and golot (mountain) hence the meaning from the mountain.

Essentially, the exposure to the CSC made us realize the importance of having a flagship research center. For without primary field research, larger social issues cannot be addressed.

by Eunice and Maxine



For more photos on Day 2, head over here