Baguio Public Market: The Heart of Baguio

A wise Monash student once said that in order to truly understand the city you visit as a tourist, you have to visit the local market. Baguio’s Public Market truly embodies the local experience. Situated at the end of Session Road, the Baguio Public Market is the heart and pulse of this university cum tourist city. The market is the newer establishment of the previous market place which was burnt down in the 60s.

If Session Road draws the largest crowd of students, tourists and local folk, then the market is where all of them throng to get everything under the sun. Mornings at the Baguio Public market is a sight to behold. The Baguio Public Market ‘experience’, as I like to refer it as, comes in two parts. The first part is the actual market itself which sell local fruits, vegetables and best of all, local delicacies and popular food items like week-old chicks (tiny chicks strung up on sticks like our Malaysian satay), grilled fish and different types of glutinous rice.


Although the Baguio Market is in many ways similar to Malaysia’s dying legacy of old markets, it proved to be truly fun coming across things that you couldn’t find anywhere in Malaysia. One example are the fresh strawberries laid out as common as mangoes back home. Another is the wide array of gorgeous potted flowers. Truly, both are the little-spoken benefits of being in a temperate climate.

However, the gem of the market has to be from the basement of the Maharlika shopping complex, which is connected to the public market. This second part of the market is undeniably a tourists’ paradise. One of the highlights in Maharlika’s basement are the numerous stalls selling woodcarvings that dot the floor. Although popular woodcarvings are statues of the traveler (no guesses why, for tourists!) and the Ifugao community’ Rice God (to represent a good harvest), one of the main items displayed are the dozens of Catholic-inspired statues and ornaments, a reflection of the Catholic stronghold here.


Nestor Celi Mamarli, who owns one of the woodcarving shops (where I purchased my Bolo) explains that his business, which he has taken over from his father, Pedro, has been in existence for over 50 years. The woodcarvings from his shop like many others, are from Asin, Ifugao, Banaue and even Manila. Albert, his assistant, explains that suppliers from these various places go to those places every three to five months to sell their products. From small ornamental wooden pipes to huge wall displays, the wooden products are mainly made from acacia, ebony or mahogany. Needless to say, I was rather impressed to discover that the Rice God statue I bought was made from mahogany wood!

No market anywhere in the world would be complete without ‘freaky’ souvenir knick-knacks. In the Baguio Public Market, the prize for the most unusual tourist souvenir would hands-down, go to the key chains and purses made from original frog skin. A ‘manang’* who sold a fearsome-looking one told me that the frog skins are made from bullfrogs and supplied from Pangasinan.


If the promise of frog skins and lovely woodcarvings are not enough to draw you to Baguio’s public market when you stop by, you don’t know what you are missing. It is a place that marries the rich local culture from all parts of the Philippines with practical tourist consumer culture. If anything, you will learn to haggle and do it well because the communicating with the locals is all part of the unforgettable ‘Baguio Market Experience’.

*manang: polite Illocano term to address older women. In Tagalog, 'ate' is commonly used for the same reason. (Thanks Maya!)

By Maxine

Day 6: Drama in Sagada

Since arriving in the Philippines, the days have really passed us by. After a day of caving and hiking yesterday, the whole gang (or most of us!) have been suffering from muscle ache due to the intensive workout we had trawling all over Sagada. There was nothing hilarious about the painful condition we were in but it was just so funny each time someone goes down a flight of stairs, followed by moans of “owws” and “oohs”. I myself am guilty of that, going down the steps while tightly hanging on to the railing for support. Honestly, I could not decide which was worse; going up exhausted or coming down and feeling the pain.

Later, the first drama of the day began. When visiting the Sagada National High School, despite the less well-off conditions of the place, they still find it in their hearts to extend their hospitability and kindness to us. The gesture of serving us with biscuits and drinks touched all of us. Mindy was so welled up in emotions that her tears just flowed out. It was then that everyone decided to chip in and presented them with a token of our sincerity.

The second drama began shortly after we returned to our cottages. Max and Maxine were caught dancing Bollywood style in the garden outside. Zeck appeared and both were engaged in a “very violent” and fast paced fist fight while Maxine could only watch helplessly at the side. Later, even Dr. Yeoh got involved and was doing his part in “beating” Max up. Sounds fun? Remember to catch the latest production from Aron, with his film Kadhal Sagada :)

After completing the short film in record breaking time, we all gathered again in Aron’s cottage, this time to play werewolves and vampires. No, it does not involve any painful transformation or physical biting. Instead, it was a suspenseful and strategic game of forming alliances and winning. Very survival material minus the physical challenges and mental exhaustion. The whole game was full of drama, right from the part where many were led on to suspect the other and concealing one’s true identity to me having been “killed off” yet again before the end of the third round of each game.

Phew! What a day! Tears, violence, love, betrayal and suspense all rolled into one. This journey so far has indeed been a rollercoaster of emotions. Not bad, I actually feel a little more grown up and independent :) By the way, kudos to Feeza for her hawk-like observations and excellent reasoning! ;)

By Pooi Yarn

A Social Guide to UP Baguio.

UP Baguio is a noticeably fun university. Despite being not as financially and technologically endowed as Monash University, it is bursting with life. Maybe there are those amongst us Malaysian students who are considering doing their Masters in UP Baguio.

Based on my observations at UP Baguio and through the comments of our gracious and perceptive student guides, I have prepared a guide for anyone who wants to fit in at UP Baguio. This guide is simple to use. Just select your preferred group and follow the steps to ensure full integration into its bevy.

There are the groups known as the Legally Blondes. These are the beautiful girls of the university who hang out together. There are also the sportsmen who can be spotted being surgically attached to their UP Baguio jackets. (Ed: this group sounds like the jocks and cheerleaders we see on American TV shows.) If you are not blessed with beauty or sporting talent you may want to join a political group.

Joining a political group will make you part of the activist clique. One of the benefits of selecting this group is that it is kind on your pocket. If you are male, you can save money on haircuts and shaving cream as members of the activists tend to have long, messy hair and beards. Keeping dread locks may also ensure quicker initiation. The preferred form of foot wear is slippers so be sure to stock up on these. Your hang-out area is known as the Kiosk Plaza. There are 3 main political groups that you can choose from: Cadua, ACS and United UP.

For the women who are not too keen on shaving, the women’s advocate groups are probably a good option. Some of the feminist groups are: Men in Purple and Gabriella.

If you are up for it, you may want to think of joining a fraternity or a sorority. The frat brothers and sorority sisters tell me that there is absolutely no discrimination practiced while recruiting members. As long as you are willing to go through the secret initiation rites, you may become a member. There are three stages you must go through: the presentation stage, the baptismal stage and the final stage.

You may also choose to be part of an academic organization. There are 6 of these to choose from. These groups hold activities to promote their respective disciplines. These disciplines include History, Literature, Languages and etc.

There are also the dance groups that you may become a member of. Try to wear bright, sporty looking clothing. Owning a portable CD player may also make you a very popular member of the group as dance practices on campus grounds are very necessary. Having the ability to dance could also be an added benefit. If dance is not your thing, there are singing groups such as the Tinig and the Amianan.

If all fails and you find yourself desperately left out and lost, there is always room at the bottom of the social ladder – the Anime HQ. By being part of the anime group, you can watch anime films and talk about anime till Naruto comes home. In order to fit in you should ideally equip yourself with some Japanese style clothing.

By Grace

The Lighting of the Twig of Education

The Sagada National High School is located amidst the high mountains of Northern Luzon Island with an amazing backdrop of lush greenery that is almost foreign to urban schools. (Ed: It’s located on a mountain that was ‘hacked’ away to make space for the school and it’s extra high location has it overlooking the town of Sagada, very cool concept I dare say) It was established back in 1996, hence it is considered to be the youngest high school among the other 5 schools in Sagada.

As the school mainly caters to the local indigenous people and is located at approximately 400km from Manila, one would expect the school to be in need of amenities and its students lacking the sophistication of their city counterparts. In contrast, an average of 2–3 students from the Sagada National High School gains entrance to local universities.

Their curriculum consists of English, Tagalog studies, Math, Science, Technology and Livelihood education, Social Studies, Physical Education and Values (Ed: part of which Father Jerry Bolinget the local priest tells us to be Respect, Responsibility, Identity and Service. Four very main values that is taught as a curriculum to students!). There is an array of activities to help stimulate the student’s mental and physical abilities such as a sport and science club, and a basketball team in which the members are part of the waste management team.
Students have won numerous trophies from maths and writing contest and sports. This is due to the dedication of the teachers such as Sir Joseph Kaligton and Cherr Umaming who even though restrained in terms of resources, try their best to instill as much knowledge as possible to the children of Sagada.


The main form of transportation for the students is by foot and the longest distance that a student has to walk is 30 minutes. This indeed sounds like a feat to us spoilt city kids! In the advent of a typhoon, students will be warned via radio announcements, text messages and through the yelling of neighbours.

High school here is different from Malaysia. The school buzzer buzzes every hour, unlike ours which is only at intervals of 40 minutes. They have 7 hours of classes each day which is almost the same as us. Most students bring their home cooked food to school during break or go home for lunch if they live nearby while you will see the Malaysian students pushing their way through the queue to purchase their meals from the canteen.

As Sagada is an agricultural province, the students are also involved in farming. Therefore, during harvesting season some students will be absent from classes to help their parents in the farm and a written letter is needed from the parents to affirm that. According to Sir Joseph, there are times when students who stop their schooling to farm would not return to school indefinitely but the number has slowly dropped as students become more aware of the importance of education.


Sexual education has also recently been introduced to the students but this has lead to some minor conflicts with some parents as the Igorots are a conservative people. The Catholic Church has also strongly opposed sexual education by boycotting the arrival of text books meant for the school and the reason given is that sexual education promotes the use of birth control.

The dedication and devotion that the teachers have for their students is admirable and is a far cry from our local teachers. The teachers are sincerely concern with the welfare of their students while ours are just teaching us for the sake of getting paid.

In Sagada National High School, it is where we see the stories about teachers who change the lives of students, coming true. As quoted in their website, the Sagada National High School is committed to:

E: Equip the students with necessary skills to prepare them for competitive life
A: Advocate the development of core values
G: Guide students to discover the relevant talents and skills for maximum productivity
L: Link the community with programs geared towards the preservation and development of indigenous cultures
E: Enhance the individual’s creativity and critical thinking through academic excellence.

The teachers in Sagada National High School truly offer a personal touch in the education of the future generations of Sagada to ensure a bright future for the region and its people.


By Erica & Jojo

Montañosa Research Development Center (MRDC)

MRDC was established in 1978 and it was the first NGO in Mt. Province. The MRDC speaker, Mr. Robert Pangod, explain that the reason behind the establishment of this NGO was the result of a conflict between government and local groups (like CPA), to find a way to create sustainable agriculture, that is culturally acceptable, environmentally friendly, and also as a source for alternative energy.

After 30 years, MRDC was able to encourage most of the Cordillera region into organic farming (something that the government did not do). They started the Microhydro project (the first one in the Philippines) and established the longest-lasting generator. The Microhydro Project is a program to generate canal water into producing electric current and the current is used to distribute the lighting system in small villages and to power agricultural tools.

MRDC is involved in traditional agriculture and at the same time adapting new technology. In order to keep the balance and to decide which techniques should or should not be used. MRDC is slowly changing the perception of people, to get them to maintain a vegetable garden. As seen in Sagada, the current trend is for many people to have vegetable plots, as it allows maximum use of the soil. Back in the 1980’s very few NGO’s promoted farming, but thankfully it wasn’t too late to maintain a safe and fertile soil. Now people plant broccoli, potatoes and other vegetables.

Organic fertilizer can be produced 10-20 times a month in small portions. And MRDC has not only introduced fertilizer but also introduced new breeds of seeds, and new methods of seed selection. They do not find it hard to introduce and convince the indigenous people to use advance technology as compared to the traditional systems as the new methods have proven to increase crops. Indigenous people know that the change in the system is for their benefit. If the indigenous people stick with the traditional system of farming, they would need a minimum of three years to get the same amount of produce. Organic farming yields more in the long run and is a more fruitful option.

MRDC does not just conduct community farming. It also organizes music shows, performance arts, focusing on the agricultural aspect and raising awareness amongst the people. They also support CPA programs. For this reason, government threats do take place. For example, recently the chairman of MRDC, Dr. Claver and his wife were ambushed. And the MRDC office at Sagada, is constantly being watched by guards.

One of the most recent projects by MRDC was to assign the distribution of water. Water is the main source of tribal conflict among rice terraces and water hills. The distribution of water is assigned to one or two people and used as a practical means to reduce conflict with the distribution of water.

Another issue that was recently handled, is the problem of giant earth worms. These giant earth worm could be as small as the size of a thumb, yet also as large as that of a snake. They do not harm the vegetables. However, these giant earth worms would dig a hole right through the water walls or the rice fields draining out all the water in the rice terraces and causing the rice fields to dry up. MRDC has been trying to find a solution to obliterate these giant earth worms.

Another campaign that MRDC tries to encourage is the cause to save the forest. They continue to this day to fight against multinational co-operations. MRDC tries to persuade people to have more concern for the environment and to not only think of financial benefits but to also consider the ethical investments. “Here, we are not trying to welcome big companies who have an interest towards mining. We are more keen to accept companies who respect the culture of the people and want to support agriculture” said Robert Pangod.

By Dyah

Mysterious Stones in Sagada

In the scorching Sagadan mid-morning, our group took a stroll to an agricultural village to see Dap-ay. The Dap-ay is a circular gathering place which can be found across neighbouring towns in Mt. Province. The Dap-ay serves as a rallying point for villagers as they conduct necessary rituals to celebrate harvesting season in order to ensure the productivity of good crops before the first process of a seedling grows into a primary plant. Begnas (the rice ritual) is celebrated twice a year. During large scale celebrations like Begnas, pigs would be slaughtered for bigger rituals whereas chickens are served during smaller rituals. Within a Dap-ay, a Sab-ong which consists of reed and chicken feathers are attached together to mark the end of ritualistic conducts. A distinct social hierarchy is inherent among communities within a tribe based on one's age. The older people have to gather on the upper ground of the Dap-ay. On the other hand, the younger ones are required to congregate on lower ground as a sign of respect to their elders.


During Begnas, females are requested to cook for the elders and dine separately from the men. Other than Begnas, they are welcome to join the others during the feast. The whole community including other nearby villagers and visitors are cordially invited to get together around Dap-ay throughout special occasions like Begnas. Nowadays, tourists are also welcome to experience the various festive occasions.

Back in the day, an Abong, a hut which served as the dorms for males was situated next to the Dap-ay whereby male adolescents slept there. During the olden days, the Dap-ay was a gathering place that symbolized the civil conflict among indigenous tribes in Sagada. This historical artefact was built thousands of years ago. Each stone represented a beheaded head or skull (from an opposing village) being buried underneath, connoting one's tribe victory during a particular civil war. The head was beheaded but not other human body parts simply because a head signified a seed of the spirit. Hence, during funerals, exactly 21 pigs must be slaughtered in order to appease the spirit. Furthermore, since the Dap-ay is deemed a sacred place, girls who have hit puberty are forbidden from entering inside the surrounding area.

There are 19 Barangays in Sagada. Each Barangay can have more than one Dap-ay. Dates of occasional celebration and ritualistic conducts around Dap-ay are based on different decisions made among these Barangays.

It used to be that the council of elders were consulted to impose punishment on the criminals, while the degree of punishment on criminals was based on a case-to-case basis. Now, villagers handle criminal issues in the court. Ah. Such are the modern ways these days

By Jasmine Chew

Female Comfort Rooms

The idea of home is very fluid nowadays. One of the many ways to identify a home is where toilet tissues unroll endlessly and clean water gush out in places where we expect. Thus, the entire washroom experience can be enjoyed no matter while we sit, squat, stand or fidget.

However, in Baguio and Sagada, a 30 seconds relief may end up as a great struggle ranging from one minute to four minutes and 17 seconds. Several days in these two tourist hot spots has allowed me to gain an insight to the total level of enjoyment by the standard of their toilets, known as comfort rooms (CR) in the Philippines.

Departing from Clarke Airport, the public toilet on the way to Baguio is classified as One Star. It is simply a drainage system which allows faeces to pile up as time goes by. Doors are non-existent and during the process of urination, it is better to stare at your own knees or arms.

Two Star Comfort Rooms are slightly better. These are either without doors, without flushes, or crammed units. Our visit to the University of Philippines Baguio couldn’t have been complete without a toilet inspection. Upon entering the cubicle, there was only enough space to make a 180 degrees turn and do it. Very much like most comfort rooms in Baguio and Sagada, water doesn’t come with just one push or nudge. A bucket is used to scoop water manually. Sometimes it requires more than one or two scoops to get the water as clear as when you entered.


One thing is particularly evident for toilets in Sagada. The windows are positioned very close to the toilet seat. At the St Joseph Guesthouse restaurant toilet, the same leveled window is next to the toilet seat. I kept my head low and dare not swing my head too much in case someone caught my unintended attention. However, this is considered Three Star due to the fully covered doors and more often than not, the functioning flushes. At the cottage I stayed in, there was no toilet seat so I resorted to the numbing coldness that took over during every toilet visit.

Nevertheless, the Four Star toilet since I have arrived in the Philippines is undoubtedly at La Brea Inn in Baguio. With one little flush, all our wastes are drained away instantly. Toilet tissue is replenished everyday and it is possible to comfortably warm up the toilet seat while reflecting on the events which occurred earlier in the day or even week. There is no need to do the horse stand, nor fold up long pants.

I have yet to see a Six Star comfort room, but to this date, the comfort rooms at Camp John Hay Manor is rated a Five Star. As you open the door with the little stick man in a skirt, an invigorating breeze welcomes you. The tiles are cautiously arranged and the mirrors bring out sparkles in your hair. It is spacious and clean, equipped with no less than two rolls of toilet tissues. The comfort room is suitable for hanging out with your girlfriends or to exchange some quick news feeds.

I like the feeling of clean water running through my fingers and my toes. I’m aware that even a Six Star comfort room may not refresh me like the Bokong Waterfall in Sagada. Perhaps a visit in the next decade to the comfort rooms of Baguio and Sagada will exceed my expectations so you never know…

You never know what lies behind closed doors.

By Mindy