Day 4: Into Sagada

Today hailed a long and arduous journey (about six hours on a winding and bumpy road by bus) to Sagada and like the champions that my roommates and I are, we slept at 4.30am the night before due to a strange burst of enthusiasm to talk late into the night. Nevertheless, despite breaking the travellers’ taboo of having enough sleep before a tiring day ahead, we were all down on time (Malaysian-wise) and raring to go. One of the most tiresome things traveling forces upon a person is the need to pack. Due to a misguided decision to buy a packet of fried chicharon*, I found myself having to cram it into my backpack without crushing it.

By meeting time at 6.30am, we students of Monash University were looking like a sleep-deprived bunch of backpackers, strapped to the gills with all of our earthly belongings. I personally would not wish a six hour bus ride with bumpy road on my worst enemy but countless sources have informed us repeatedly of the famed beauty of the Mountain Province rice terraces.

As we descended into the valley, close enough to see the twisting blue Chico River, one of us spotted a rainbow over the valley. This resulted in a clamour to get from one end of the bus to another for a better look. I chose to see it as a good omen for our trip to Sagada. When this was closely followed by three other rainbows, we began to wonder if our luck really was going to be that spectacular or nature was just being generous that day.

Perhaps the grueling six to seven hour bus ride from Clark Air Base to Baguio had trained us to withstand long hours in a cramped and rattling space. Whatever it was, we arrived at St Joseph Inn in Sagada on time and lugged our humongous bags up stone stairs that never seemed to end. Admittingly, halfway through the trip, I did wonder (uncharitably) if Sagada was really worth the six hour ride.


When we reached the top of the guesthouse, we took a long hard look around. It had none of the bustle of Baguio city, or its conveniences but it was simply beautiful. Best of all, it was exhaust-pollution free!

If that did not change my mind, seeing the quaint wooden cottage and finding out that I would be sleeping in the kind of sloping loft you only find in Enid Blyton books certainly did. I was ready for what Sagada could throw at me for sure, I thought.

At the end of the day, what struck me most during the days’ trip were the rice terraces. Apart from the sheer beauty of its uniformity, they symbolise the spirit of endurance and strength of the human character. It is a reminder that we are all able to adapt to the harshest conditions as long as we have the will to do so. At the end of the day, we may come away beaten but never truly defeated.

*Deep fried pork belly, a local delicacy

By Maxine

Day 3: Me, the Filipino?

Okay, so it's day 3 already, how time flies! When I look back on what has happened since day 1, being mistaken to be a local was a funny and scary experience at the same time, hehe.

On day 2, the first question that the local guides asked me was, whether I had Filipino roots. ;). Really, I guess it felt like a compliment at first because I could blend in anytime. But yesterday, we had about an hour break so the student guides took us to the biggest park in the city and I noticed a lot of Muslims there. As usual, being the ‘jakun’ tourist, I took pictures of the place. Then out of nowhere a stranger comes up to me and showed me a picture of the back of my head. He said “nice, nice”. I was so scared then and decided that blending in wasn’t such a good idea.

Today being day 3, most of us went to the black market after the talk at Nordis. Feeza and I got separated from the rest of the gang at the market. We had to buy hand phone credit in order to make calls to contact the rest of them. I checked out the nearest shop to buy credit, I asked them in English (of course) if they sold reload cards. Guess what language they replied us in…hahha. I had to repeat myself a couple of times before they finally answered in English.

After that, as usual, Feeza and I went food hunting. Our forced favourite food spot was McDonalds. Both of us stood at the counter ordering our food and we had to wait at the side for a few minutes for the order to get through. It was amusing that the cashier talked to me since Feeza was the one who ordered. The funny part was, the cashier spoke to me in Tagalog which appeared to be quite lengthy to me and I had no idea what she meant. I figured that she told me to wait at the side to get our orders. Haha. So I just nodded my head. Feeza had to go back to the inn immediately due to an emergency so I had to wait till the food was packed.

So I thought to myself only three experiences so far, should be enough to last this entire trip. Little did I know that there was another one coming. No one gave a second look when I walked back to the inn. I told that to Feeza, but she said the opposite. That people gave way and looked as she rushed back to the inn.

As a whole, I think, it’s kinda cool to blend in without the scary parts (of course). It’s the end of day three and I’m looking forward to more unforgettable and enjoyable experiences here.

By Alia

For more photos on Day 2, head over here.

ORNUS

At five in the evening, we visited the ORNUS (Organisasyon dagiti Nakurapay nga Umili ti Syudad), an organization focused on helping the urban poor. We had to embark four flights of dark steep stairs to get to. Beyond those stairs, a small room was situated in one corner. It is in this room that the ORNUS community humbly holds their meetings.

ORNUS consists of sub-groups such as the youth organization, transport organization and women organization. The aim of ORNUS is to provide support to the urban poor for many of these individuals have been marginalised by the government. Within a short hour, ORNUS explained their role in Baguio City and addressed the serious issues concerning the urban poor which left us very stunned.

Many members of the ORNUS contributed to the talk about their struggles in Baguio City. They explained the current situation of urban men, women and children who have been desperately trying to make a basic living in Baguio City.

As we all know, the local people of Baguio City depend heavily on jeepneys as their main mode of transport. In January, jeepney drivers could earn 200 pesos per day. Although this figure may seem insufficient, after the 15 ^th oil price increment this year, they are now earning a staggering daily income of only 80 pesos per day. In addition, if they are caught by any officials to be breaking any road laws, they could be fined a minimum of 150 pesos.

One of the objectives of ORNUS is to solve the root problem by suggesting that the government should nationalize its oil industry. The government should take control over its natural oil resources in order to benefit both the public and the jeepney drivers.

Available jobs for construction workers in Baguio are seasonal. Women construction workers opt to work as side-walk vendors during the low peak seasons in order to contribute to the family income. The side-walk vendors sell an assortment of basic goods such as vegetables, fruits, newspapers, cigarettes and etc.

The government views the side-walk vendors as illegal. Therefore, the government imposes a 1000 pesos fine and confiscation of both goods and equipment of the vendors. This creates a larger hurdle for the urban poor to survive in Baguio City. The children of side-walk vendors are equally exposed to dangers and ill-treatments.

The people who are forced to live in squatters are deprived from water supply and public health services. The Philippines constitution acknowledges the social problems of the poor by giving them the right to shelter and relocation after having their houses demolished. However, in reality that is not the case. Thus, these people are forced to return to their province of origin. Meanwhile the land which they were residing before it was destroyed is sold to interested buyers at a rate of 2500 sq meters; which is unaffordable to them.

After listening to an hour of intense talk, it was difficult to imagine living in these conditions. However we are grateful to be educated about the urban poor, as it was something that many of us may have taken for granted. ORNUS ended the session with a simple and touching song which they composed. Remnants of their song lingered in our hearts as we climbed our way back up the stairs.

By Susan and Mindy

For more photos on Day 2, head over here.

Voices of the People

One of the events today included a talk by Jun Verzola and Kathleen Okubo from the Northern Dispatch Weekly (NORDIS). NORDIS is a weekly newspaper covering the three regions of Northern Luzon Illocos (with Pangasinan), Cordilerra, and Cagayan Valley. It comes out every Sunday. NORDIS has been in operation since 1989 whereby at that time, the layouts and frills were very simple as compared to the present publications.

NORDIS had to closedown for around a year in 1999 due to difficulties in getting funds as well as adjustment problems in light to the emergence of the internet. However, NORDIS re-gathered and resumed their publications in 2001. By that time, they had come to a new vision in response to their initial problems on adjusting to the contemporary digital world. This vision holds the idea of having a much more alternative media but not totally diverging from mainstream media.

This vision was also the start of NORDIS becoming advocates and practitioners of grassroots media. Grassroots media such as NORDIS prioritise the often neglected issues of basic sectors (farmers, fisherfolk, workers, urban poor, youth, women, and indigenous people) especially at the community level. Grassroots media operate at none or minimal profit, and rely on a network of supporters and volunteers rather then salaried staff. Grassroots media is driven by the idea of connecting to the people or communities that have more often than not been sidelined to the peripheries in national publications.

NORDIS takes the initiative of addressing issues in a more local context instead of unifying everything into a general issue. The logic behind this is to give voices to certain communities that have long been overshadowed. These are the issues that do not normally get into national newspapers and the function of NORDIS is to serve as a bridge between these communities and the mainstream media.

According to Jun, NORDIS relies more on volunteers to contribute stories. This means that they would not need to depend solely on sponsors and organisations to fund their newspaper. In a way, this can ensure that the agenda of the newspaper is not determined by the people or organisations that fund it.

He further explained that they will take proper measures to verify the accuracy and legitimacy of the stories. They will only accept contributions of stories from volunteers who are listed in their established network of sources. This network is made up of relatively well known and reliable individuals and groups in their fields of expertise.

The staff in NORDIS will also counter check each story using book based referencing, their own personal knowledge and the internet. Sometimes, they would also contact the sources to obtain verifications.

NORDIS distinguishes itself from the mainstream press and its main objective is to provide a forum for the community to speak out. The highlights of the newspaper are usually topics not covered by the mainstream press. Its concerns lie in the heart of the people, often the marginalised ones and it aims to give space to various points of views. Put simply, NORDIS strives to give voice to those with no voice.

By Zeck & Pooi Yarn

For more photos on Day 2, head over here.

Migrante

Migrante Metro Baguio was established in 2005. It currently has two chapters, anchoring in Itogon, Benguet and Irisan, Baguio respectively.

According to Migrante Metro Baguio City’s Chairperson Flora Belinan, the organization aspires to become Migrante Cordillera. In other words, the organization decided not to limit their assistance to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Benguet and Baguio alone, but to also cater to the needs of the OFWs from other parts of the Cordillera region.

Migrante also has migrant linkages internationally to allow the coordination of the OFWs. Besides that, Migrante Metro Baguio is also a channel for OFWs to voice out their opinions, as well as a place for OFWs to seek assistance should they face any problems when working overseas.

What causes migration?

What causes migration in the Philippines? According to the government, migration is a natural phenomenon, and that OFWs made the decision to leave their country. From the government’s point of view, the OFWs are generally too ambitious and adventurous.

On the other side of the story, from the viewpoints of the OFWs, the story has a completely different twist. Firstly, people migrate to earn a living. If the country’s economy permits them to stay in the Philippines, they would not have to leave their country for better jobs abroad. Currently, ten percent of the Philippines’ population has been sent worldwide for more job opportunities and OFW’s regular remit approximately $8 billion to the Philippines and are hailed as economic heroes to the economically failing country.

The problems faced by OFWs

However the OFWs do face many problems, both within the Phillipines and internationally. There are a few examples. In a particular case study, the Filipino government stated that OFWs did not have to pay placement fees. However, the government later collected P80,000 placement fees from some of the OFWs. The government allowed OFWs to apply for a loan to pay for the placement fee (which in itself is quite preposterous, as the OFWs are working abroad to pay back the government loan they took to work abroad)

In another case study, people were forced to migrate because the government’s economic policies was a burden. The government calculated that a family of five could survive with a monthly household income of P9,672. The problem here is that, many Filipinos are still unemployed. Even if they were employed, they were being underpaid. According to the 2007 Ibon Facts & Figures, 80% of Filipinos are still considered poor for the fact that they can only afford to have two meals a day.

On the relational end. While Filipinos are working overseas, they are not able to fulfill family commitments. In other words, working overseas ruin the relationships of families. Couples seek divorce when they lack the constant communication to make a marriage work. Largely due to the lack of parental guidance, youths have also resorted to drug trafficking as a desperate means to fulfill their monetary needs.

Many Filipinos do not get the chance to shine in their desired field of interest because of unemployment. Instead, they have to work abroad as domestic workers in order to earn a living for their impoverished families back home.

Vision

Migrante Metro Baguio has a few visions. Firstly, it will continue to lobby for the amendment of the policies that might threaten migrant workers. Secondly, there will be more onsite visits, which is a good way for Migrante Metro Baguio to understand how to assist OFWs and their families on the ground level. Last but not least, the organization hopes to build a strong links with organizations in countries which OFWs are working in, to create awareness about mistreated OFWs and to seek ways to help them.


By Max Tan

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