Lang-ay Festival: Musings

on Representation,

Appropriation and

Commodification of

Culture

By: Christine de Vera

Miriam College

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Background:

Bontoc is the capital of Mountain Province, a 3rd class municipality with a population of

about 25,000, located 396 kilometers north of Manila, Philippines. I have conducted

numerous researches in Bontoc, primarily as an ethnomusicologist from the year 2000

to the present. In the course of documenting various musical practices and rituals, I

stumbled upon Lang-ay, an annual festival initiated and sponsored by the local

government of Mountain Province thru the Office of the Governor. It started in 2005, and

was on its 5th year in 2009 – when I first documented it. This festival also coincides with

the Foundation Anniversary of Mountain Province. It is always held in Bontoc on the first

week of April with festivities that last through the entire week. The brainchild of then

Governor, now Congressman Maximo Dalog, he states the following during the 5 th

Lang-ay Festival:

“the Lang-ay Festival manifests how our province has grown and advanced towards our

vision of becoming an eco-tourist destination, and in bringing about a better life in

Mountain Province. This adds another remarkable emblem in the history of our beloved

province. With this year’s theme it requires us to continue our journey in making

Mountain Province a cultural attraction, not only in the Philippines, but for foreign

countries as well.”

The term lang-ay in Bontoc means sharing. It could either be time, talent, resources or

caring for one another. Thus during the entire week of festivities, visitors from out of

town as well as those from neighboring provinces flock to Bontoc to witness the show of

hospitality through the numerous activities lined up for guests. It showcases their

indigenous music, dance, costumes, and other cultural symbols.

Rationale:

The Philippines in recent years has seen a surge in institutionalized festival-making that

primarily lends itself to boosting the tourism sector in various parts of the country. A

quick glance at the Philippine’s Department of Tourism page will yield a voluminous list

of different festivals being commemorated and observed all over the country – some

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better known than others enabling a more global and national participation, while others

are confined to a more local audience. That is to say that whether significant or trivial,

religious or cultural, big or small, festivals in the Philippines are serious business – each

capturing a specific demographic with varying degrees of patronage.

The Lang-ay Festival is a lesser known and relative newcomer in the festival scene on

account of its 5 years of existence in 2009. It showcases the various cultural heritage

practices in its appropriated form, allowing the spectators (guests) to participate and

experience tradition outside of its natural environment. Most activities are nostalgic in a

sense, a recreation of the past, re-interpreted in the present for the present generation

to experience. They are in most instances, a solid representation of their tradition, less

commercial than most festivals elsewhere. In the process however, new forms of art

and tradition are instituted to give way to a younger generation seeking significant

means of embracing their culture according to their own understanding and

appreciation. How then, from both an “emic” and “etic” perspective do we make sense

of this exercise? To what ends does this activity fulfill its purpose?

I posit the following issues in this research proposal:

1. Probe into how hybridized art forms become accepted cultural practice, particularly

from the indigenous people’s gaze, and subsequently through the younger generation.

2. Explore how tourism impacts the consumption of art and its practice, through

appropriation.

3. Make a comparative study on the evolution of this festival based on documentation

done in 2009 vis a vis one in 2013 in terms of the following:

a. Market appreciation and new demographical data

b. Institutional support and participation from the LGU, Department of Education and

local indigenous groups and the media.

c. Appropriations of cultural practices

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4. Provide data and documentation as possible resources for creating similar or new

models of study for students who are engaged in the field of tourism, cultural heritage

preservation, marketing, and government policies.

5. Cast a wider net for both regional and global awareness and attention through the

use of digital tools and media, providing a comprehensive analysis and coverage of the

Lang-ay Festival as it relates to art, history, culture, education, government, business

and tourism and how it could possibly be a window through which other Southeast

Asian peoples could look into and relate with.

Methodology

I have utilized the ethnographic method in the initial phase of the study and shall

continue to employ the same methodology for the entire duration of the project.

Ethnographic method entails participant-observation and fieldwork. I conducted my

initial field research in Bontoc in 2009 and returned in 2013 to produce fresh

documentation and collect new data, as well as conduct more in-depth interviews with

members of the community and participants of the festival. My initial data and research

activities in Bontoc were documented using a Sony Digital 8 Handycam, JVC Everio

20GB hard disk drive camcorder, Creative Zen Vision: M 30GB digital audio recorder,

and Olympus FE – 210 7.1 megapixel digital still camera. For the second phase of

research conducted in April 2013, documentation was done using the following tools:

Canon Power Shot SX500IS 16.0 mega pixel for still photos, Sony Handycam HDR-

CX220 for shooting videos, Creative Zen Vision: M30G digital audio recorder for

interviews.

Outcomes

1. A digital resource on the Lang-ay Festival of Bontoc, Mountain Province, which will

be uploaded to the United Board, AUDRN Mahara, and Miriam College websites.

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2. Sharing of local knowledge from a socio-cultural perspective through the AUDRN

Mahara and other various digital platforms.

3. A reference material for academics, culture workers, and institutions interested in the

preservation of the past and the documentation of the present.

4. A proposed learning module for the Leisure and Tourism Management (LTM)

program of the College of Business, Entrepreneurship and Accountancy (CBEA),

Miriam College.

Output

1. A digital archive of performances from the 2009 and 2013 Lang-ay Festival in text

and video format.

2. A comprehensive research paper reflecting data that addresses the issues as

problematized in the proposal.

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LANG-AY FESTIVAL 2009: “Nurturing Our History and Our Culture”

April 1-7, 2009

Bontoc, Mt. Province

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April 1, 2009

At 12.15am, my cousin Quennie and I left for Baguio via the luxury coach of Victory

Liner at its Cubao station. We arrived in Baguio at 4.40am, took a little something to

eat and hailed a cab to the Rising Sun Bus station. We got there at 5.15am and waited

till the bus left for its 6am trip to Bontoc. The Rising Sun is a decrepit bus but

somehow reliable. They pack the bus till it is bursting to the seams with people and

boxes of cargo piled up along the aisles. The trip to Bontoc took 6 hours with one

quick stop on its 3rd hour where the driver and passengers fueled up with a meal or a

smoke. It was chilly but not so cold. The weather was perfect. The Halsema Road,

which is the main artery that connects Baguio to the rest of Mt. Province is better

paved than the last time I passed in 2006. The view of the mountains are not as green

as it used to, with patches of land carved for terraced cropping now barren, the harvest

season being over and the land left bare till the next planting season. Even the Chico

River is dry, the river bed exposed huge rock boulders and slimy green water which

used to be a deep emerald green. In some parts I saw quarrying activities. We arrived

in Bontoc at 12nn, checked in at Archog’s Hotel, ordered a big lunch and took a nap.

My informant Mrs. Victorina Requino, a DepEd teacher dropped by the hotel to check

on us around 5.30pm and gave us the schedule of events for the entire festival. We

missed the mass and opening ceremonies this morning which I was told was a

decidedly Catholic mass with elements of traditional rituals incorporated in the mass.

We wanted to survey the place by walking around town but the rains made it difficult to

go around. So we just took advantage of the free time to get settled, rest and relax in

preparation for the seemingly hectic days ahead.

April 2, 2009

The first event of the day was a demonstration of the different crafts and

indigenous games of Mt. Province at the ató (Figure 1) fronting the Sangguniang

Panlalawigan Building. These are: Winnower (Ligao or Bigao) Weaving, Rope Making

(abaca), Pounding Rice, Patopat (Suman made of ground rice wrapped in banana

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leaves and cooked in coconut milk), Sanggol (Bunong Braso) for men, and a “pinaka”

contest, showcasing the biggest sized produce. (Figure 2,3,4,5)

Figure 1: Ató

Figure 2: winnower weaving

Figure 3: patopat

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Figure 4: "Pinaka" contest

Figure 5: Abaca rope- making

The ató is a circular rock formation dug shallow in the center, used by town elders to

meet and make important village decisions. This particular ató is not just a replica of the

ones seen in the inner villages but a representation of what the custom stands for.

Conveniently situated beside the government Capitol, it is a venue for important social

events and functions that require the performance of rites and rituals during ceremonies

that usually involve the government officials. (Figure 6)

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Figure 6: restaging the ritual for the opening ceremonies in the ató

From where we were staying at the Archog’s Hotel in Samoki, the poblacion is a

leisurely 10 minute walk but it was drizzling lightly so we took a tricycle to the town

plaza where most events are being held. The plaza houses several government

agencies and buildings including the Provincial Capitol of Mountain Province. It also

houses the Multi-Purpose hall, Library, Tourism Office, a Commercial Bldg., basketball

court, public playground, post office, museum, Department of Education and other

government agencies.

We arrived at the ceremonial site by the ató at the appointed time of 8am but because it

was drizzling we were told that they would wait for the rains to stop before they proceed

with the ceremonies. I walked around the plaza and visited the stalls that were set up for

the trade fair. Various products from the 10 municipalities of Mountain Province were on

display such as woven cloth made into bags, tapis, drapes and clothes. Native wine,

vinegar, vegetable and fruit produce, indigenous instruments, woven baskets, souvenir

shirts, CD’s and DVD’s produced by a local recording company, and other indigenous

wares such as necklaces made of pig tusks, spears and an axe similar to the one used

for head hunting activities were also being sold. (Figure 7, 8, 9)

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Figure 7: CD's

Figure 8: local products from Besao

Figure 9: local products form Natonin

I was a bit worried that the events would overlap by the time they started the 1st event.

At 9am there will be a Cultural Day for the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disability in

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front of the Multi-Purpose Hall grounds but because of the rains it was moved indoors to

the 2nd floor of the building. (Figure 10)

Figure 10: Multi-Purpose Building

At 9am, I went up to the 2nd floor of the Multi-Purpose Hall and found a room full of

Senior Citizens representing all 10 municipalities of Mt. Province. There were a few

disabled persons. Everyone was garbed in traditional clothing. They came in full regalia:

the women in tapis and heirloom beads adorning their hair while the men came in

bahag or loin cloth also with their woven caps and arm bracelets and necklaces. One

can see how hard most of these old men women toiled in their fields. Some have

hunched over backs from bending while planting, most have cracked heels from walking

in parched soil under the sun for hours and the deep brown color of their skin show the

years spent toiling. Those with fairer skin and smooth heels indicate that they were

professionals, i.e. teachers, or government office workers, etc. The venue was a huge

hall, one that is well maintained with clean tiled floors. The stage had a wooden carving

that engraved the words “Gawis ay Mt. Province: a vision of the people of Mt. Province

by the grace of Almighty God”. Gawis which I asked meant “Peace/Good” in Mt.

Province. At the entrance was a long table for registration, where delegates fill up some

kind of an attendance sheet. As I found out, it was going to be a competition of the best

cultural performance from among the representatives of the 10 municipalities. Each

group performed a rite that represented their particular culture such as courtship,

planting, or harvest rituals. (Figures 11-12)

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Figure 11: senior citizens performing a traditional number

Figure12: senior citizens and person with disability

It started a little over 9am and opened with an Oggayam,(Figure 13) a chanted prayer

said by an elder. Afterwards, all the ‘traditional’ trappings of a government sponsored

event took place such as the speeches given by the different representatives of

organizations and government agencies. The Bontoc mayor, Sanggunian Chairman for

SC, Women and Disabled Persons all gave long speeches. But the longest one was

that of the designate speaker, Prof. Federico Balanang who was President of BARP

Foundation, Inc. who spoke for more than an hour. At first, the audience of mostly

senior citizens were polite and quiet, though most were really just asleep or staring

away. But towards the full hour mark, some had begun to stand up and leave their

seats, others clapped lustily every time the speaker mentioned a ‘promised benefit’. I

was seated at the back and realized that they were not at all cheering but jeering,

clapping even louder to signify to the speaker that they want him to end his speech. But

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the speaker did not get it and mistook the loud clapping to mean that they wanted him to

go on, and so he speaks longer. The program was in 2 parts: the first being that portion

where all the speeches were said, and the 2nd, for all the cultural presentations. It was

suppose to end at 10.30am but the 1st part stretched all the way to 11.45am so they

decided to break for lunch instead and resume at 1pm that which was originally

scheduled for 11am.

Figure 13: elders performing a ritual before the start of the program

The 2nd part dubbed ‘Living Traditions Presented Thru Cultural Presentations’ is a

competition. The contest rules drafted by the agency in-charge, DWSD had the

following:

1. presentations up to a maximum of 15 minutes (group and individual)

2. Selection of best presentations (integrating the 4 categories: chanting, singing,

native dancing, and use of indigenous musical instruments)

3. Criteria: (General)

a. ETHNICITY: attire, spontaneity, delivery, originality

b. Relevance: relatedness of the presentation to the theme

The presentations of the 10 municipalities came in this order:

1. Barlig

2. Tadian

3. Bauko

4. Sagada

5. Besao

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6. Sadanga

7. Bontoc

8. Natonin

9. Sabangan

10.Paracelis

The competition started with an introduction of the judges that came from various

sectors of the government such as the National Council for Indigenous Peoples, and

Directors from the Provincial Capitol. Thereafter, guidelines were read and men were

reminded that they should not cheat by wearing underwear underneath their bahag.

There was loud laughter in the room by the women when the men responded by saying

that their wives might get angry if they go home without their briefs on. They proceeded

to the backstage anyways to remove their underwear when one of the judges

threatened to deduct points from them if they didn’t. (Figure 14)

Figure 14: the men in their traditional wear of bahag

It was an event that stretched longer than expected. By 4pm the delegates especially

from the farther municipalities were getting restless because they cannot travel on the

road later that 3pm. That is the cut off time for public transportation plying the routes to

faraway areas. By then the fog would be too thick for them to see the road. Still, they

went on with the program. I took the chance to interview some representatives from the

DSWD and the emcee who was a SC himself from Barlig. It was an emotional interview

as he narrates how far and hard it was to travel to get to the festival and yet he spoke of

how proud they were of their heritage.

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After the contest, snacks of pancit wrapped in plastic were distributed with a bottle of

water while the judges decided on the winners. There were 2 categories, one for

Persons with Disability (PWD) and one for senior citizens (SC). The winner for the best

PWD was the blind man from Natonin (Figure 15) and the best SC group was from

Paracelis who performed a courtship ritual similar to the one they performed 40 years

ago. The election of a new set of officers was postponed because of the late hour. By

the time we got back to our hotel room there was already no electricity. While the

generator was working, we only had lights in our room but not enough power for the

plugging of equipment. The blackout lasted till the next day.

Figure 15: blind man from Natonin

April 3, 2009

The event today is the Chorale and Oratorical Competitions sponsored by the DepEd,

the 11th municipality and the Lang-ay Development Council. It was to start at 8am but

when we arrived at past 8 at the Multi-Purpose Hall, the room was empty except for

DepEd organizers, my informant Mrs. Requino being one of them. The

delegates/contestants were not yet there. I met one of the judges for the choral

competition, Father Danny Cariño (Figure 16) who I found out was a graduate from AILM.

I chatted with him while waiting for the contestants to arrive. They came in trickles, one

group composed of SPED children. (Figure 17) It was 10am when we started the

program, some guests of honor not being able to make it. The Governor’s wife Mrs.

Dalog who was supposed to be the guest speaker chose to attend another event that

coincided with this competition.

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Figure 16: interview with judge and choral arranger, Fr. Danny Cariño

Figure 17: SPED children

The event started with the usual acknowledgements and a reference was made about

one of the sponsors, the 11th municipality. The Mt. Province being composed of only 10

municipalities had the people wondering who the 11th municipality was. As explained by

the host, the 11th municipality is composed of people who hail from Mt. Province but

have now settled in other places or are working abroad. They are from whom some

donations for prize money came from.

The oratorical contest had 6 contestants, each articulating their piece quite well. (Figure

18) The chorale competition (Figure 19) on the other hand, had only 3 groups: Maslang

National High School from Tadian, Guinzadan National High School from Bauko, and

Mt. Province General Comprehensive High School from Bontoc. The Lang-ay Hymn

was chosen as the contest piece. It was composed by Mrs. Sofia Bacwaden and

arranged for choir by Father Danny Cariño. The choirs had a limited time rehearsing

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but all of them sang well. When time came to announce the winners, not all prize money

was awarded. The DepEd representative had to explain that the funds are not yet

available so the prize money will have to be a loan.

Figure 18: contestants of the oratorical contest

Figure 19: contestants of the choral competition

Afterwards, we were invited to lunch at the Governor’s house. When we arrived, it was a

fiesta like atmosphere. The Governor was having lunch with the people already so we

were not immediately introduced. We took a seat in a table set outside the house

among the other teachers and principals of the different schools and were served the

lang-ay wine and food. After lunch we were finally personally introduced to Governor

Maximo Dalog, whom I sought permission to be interviewed. He readily agreed and

gave his time generously. I started the interview at around 1pm and finished around

2pm.

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When we got back to the hotel, we were told that the electricity came back briefly but

will be out again shortly due to the repairs being made at the substation in Sagada.

Talks have been circulating that this had something to do with the encounter that

happened between the military and the NPA. At 5pm we walked towards the plaza

where the Battle of the Bands was to be held. I was curious because it was advertised

as a competition of indigenous bands. (Figure 20)

Figure 20: Battle of the Bands banner

Figure 21: Multi-Purpose Bldg. grounds

When we arrived at the grounds in front of the Multi-Purpose Hall, the stage was just

being set up. (Figure 21) This being an event sponsored by San Miguel Corporation, huge

banners and buntings were displayed by the stage and the audience area. Mostly young

people were beginning to congregate to wait for the bands to perform. The atmosphere

was festive and the stage built on the steps of the MP Hall had all the trimmings of a

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rock band concert. People were busy milling around, checking out the various goods

displayed in the booths while waiting for the bands to start playing.

Unfortunately, at the appointed time of 7pm there was still no electricity. While waiting I

walked around and decided to inquire about what was going on. Nevertheless, people

waited and by 9pm, the program started with electricity being provided by generators.

But with the huge electrical demands from the spot light, fog machines, dancing lights,

speakers and sound system, the generator conked out and gave in after a few numbers

from the band. They had to suspend the concert but were told that power will be

restored by 10pm. But time came and there was still no current so we decided to leave.

In Bontoc, tricycles stop plying by 8pm so we had to walk back to our hotel in the dark

which was so disconcerting given that it was pitch black. We used the light from our

video camera.

April 4, 2009

I got a text and a call from my informant Vicky Requino informing me that there had

been a dead person on a sangachil at Samoki. (Figure 22) (As I had previously been

researching on the topic of funeral and death rituals, people automatically inform me

about such developments when it comes.)

The sangachil is a death chair where wealthy dead people are placed until the day he is

buried. We made plans to see the dead at 9.30am but plans changed when Mrs.

Requino informed me that she had to visit the son of a relative who had died that

morning. We went to the museum instead and spoke to the nun who was in charge of

the library. She was a bit hesitant to talk to me.

We went back to the hotel and waited for Mrs. Requino to come at 3pm. She picked us

up with her group Tokwifi, a group composed mostly of women who sing at wakes.

There were just a few of them. We walked towards a part of Samoki that was identified

with rich people. In Bontoc, people are still classified according to social class, with

possession/ownership of land as a primary indicator. However, in more recent years,

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the lines have blurred as education and diaspora impacted the way wealth is defined or

interpreted.

We arrived at the wake and found the dead man inside the house, placed near the door

being tended by his mother who was seated at the foot of the dead man. On each of his

side were 2 relatives, holding on to the chair as if guarding the man. Behind him sits the

wife. It was a heart wrenching sight as the youngest son approached his dead father

and cried. I did not feel good about taking pictures and recording it on video as they

grieve. Most of the guests and relatives were seated outside. In fact we were sitting on

the alongan, an entire trunk of thick pine wood traditionally carved and used as a coffin.

But having come here for a purpose, I set out what I had to do and turned on my

cameras again. The group of Mrs. Requino started singing from a booklet, one that is

labeled Book 2 which contains songs that are for ‘not so old’ dead people. (Figure 23)

This man in particular was relatively young at 59. As per Bontoc customs, men whose

children are not all married are considered young. He died from epileptic shock while

tending his field.

Figure 22: the dead sitting on the sangachil

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Figure 23: Tokwifi singing during the wake

The area of Samoki, as with most of Bontoc have houses generally constructed from

galvanized roof and walls with a base of cement. They are proximally close to each

other, built on a slope terrain with very narrow paths for traversing other neighbors’

houses. Pig pens and chicken pens are customarily built beside the houses. (Figure 24-

25)

Figure 24: A typical house in Samoki

Figure 25: ato in Samoki

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As I was recording the songs being sung by the Tokwifi, I heard a faint sound from

inside the house. I found the lady holding on to the chair as the one singing/chanting. I

thought at first that she was being ignored because they did not know she was singing,

but my informant knew and was totally aware that they were singing against the lady. I

could not get a good audio of her singing, she being drowned out by the singing of the

group so I went closer. Closer means being behind the dead man near the woman who

was chanting. I found out that this man had been embalmed which is why he did not

smell too much, and made it tolerable for me to come so close to him. The act of

embalming the dead is frowned upon by the elders as this would make the spirits

unhappy. In this case however, it shows that traditional customs are now being

negotiated to give in to more modern ways. Still, there were lots of flies inside the

house. Sometime soon, it started raining hard, so the group that was singing outside

had to squeeze inside the silong where the dead man was and continued singing

against the one person who was also chanting. This went on for 2 hours. The pig that

had been butchered was also scattered on the floor. When the rains stopped, the group

decided to leave. A notebook that is used to list down the names and amount being

donated to the family of the dead man was passed around. I gave all the money in my

pocket which was all of 190 pesos. I left when the group of Mrs. Requino left. I felt

depressed again. By the time we left, the place was crowded and stuffy, a vacant lot at

the back of the house was used for gambling and people were congregated around the

house.

As soon as I got back to the hotel, I took a shower and proceeded to the Plaza for the

Mr. and Ms. Gay Lang-ay. (Figure 26) And because the concert the night before was

postponed, they had to start with that first, bumping up to a later time the Mr. and Ms.

Gay Lang-ay contest. The featured band was Daluyon, a popular band that dishes out

rock music. A band from Manila called Afterlife was also invited to grace the event. The

Battle of Indigenous Bands was divided into 2 categories: one for the 16 and below age

group, and the other for a much older group. I was curious as to how they were going to

perform as an indigenous band when all the preparations done were for that of a rock

concert. Indeed the only indigenous part was the use of indigenous instruments such as

the gansa (flat gong) and the sulibao (drum), but they were incorporated with the

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electric guitar and drum set which when amplified totally drowned out the indigenous

instruments. (Figure 27) I could not help but think that the indigenous instruments were

just used as props. There were more people than last night and we had to stand the

whole time we were documenting. The Mr. and Ms. Gay contest started at 10pm with

the usual parade of costumes and introductory spiels and talent portions. We left at

11pm after I decided that the format was just that of any other beauty contest.

Figure 26: Mr. and Ms. Gay Lang-ay banner

Figure 27: Battle of the Bands contestants using indigenous instruments fused with rock band instruments

April 5, 2009

Today is Sunday and the first mass being said at the Sta. Rita Catholic Church was at

6am. (Figure 28) I went to see how they celebrated it. This being a Palm Sunday, I saw a

few carrying leafy branches. (Figure 29) The church was spacious and fairly new. It had a

loft and a huge altar, with murals painted on the walls. The mass was being heard in

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Kankanaey. The church is full, but I wanted to check the composition of the

congregation and how this plays out in what they say is the conversion of the people to

Christianity. A good number were old women, who came garbed in traditional clothing

but were also practitioners of the catholic tradition. There was nothing different or

unusual apart from the singing of hymns in the vernacular. What caught my attention

was the sound of gongs in its familiar overlapping rhythmic patterns after the mass, but I

was told that they were not gongs but church bells tolling to signify the end of the mass.

Figure 28: Sta. Rita Catholic Church

Figure 29: Palm Sunday

I tagged along with my informants, Mrs. Requino and Ma’m Jo, and joined them for

breakfast at the market. We checked out the goods and produce, which on a Sunday

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are being peddled by lowland viajeros from Nueva Viscaya. The goods ranged from

pirated DVD movies, plastic ware, and an assortment of everything you could possibly

need in the household.

We were going to attend the burial of the dead man we visited yesterday at 10am, but

since it was still early we took our sweet time but still decided to come earlier. We

discovered that the burial rites had started even earlier than the appointed time. I was

not sure if there was a miscommunication or it was intentionally moved earlier. What I

saw was the sangachil (death chair) being carried to the main road and left there as

garbage. (Figure 30) I went back to the house of the dead man to find men shoveling dirt

in his dug up grave which was the same spot used for gambling the night before. (Figure

31) After he was buried, a mangmang, or the ritual of butchering animals was

performed. This being a rich man’s burial, pigs instead of chicken were butchered. The

pig was crying, tied to a pole and held by several men, where he was pierced in the

throat and whacked down by a bolo until blood flowed on the ground. It took a while, a

slow and painful death for the pig which was quivering even after a while. When he was

finally lifeless, they threw him on the fire until his skin was charred and then they scrape

off the top layer of his skin. (Figure 32) They slit him open and take his organs out. In

particular, emphasis was made on the apro (bile) that is embedded in the liver.

According to Bontoc customs, the bile has to be of a certain quality to indicate if it will

bring good or bad luck. Elders inspect the apro and decided that it was a good one.

They bury the apro under the rock and proceeded to butcher the rest of the pig into

pieces to be distributed to the community.

Figure 30: sangachil- death chair

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Figure 31: backyard grave digging

Figure 32: butchered pig

Figure 33: bundles of palay

Bundles of palay in baskets were also brought out by the family, a hundred bundles to

represent affluence and pabaon for the dead. (Figure 33) The grains are round and

golden, with all the women gathering around the baskets because after the ritual

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mangmang they can take home as much palay as they can handle. As I observed,

these are gender assigned roles, the males perform the mangmang and the women

take care of the palay.

After lunch we rested for a while then went back to the MP Hall for the Sinauliyan

Theater play. It was raining and there was no electricity again but thought that they

would push through with the help of generators. When I arrived at 5pm, only the cast

was there. I spoke to one of the cast members, Butch and learned that everyone in the

play were employees of the Provincial Capitol. I spoke to the Director and playwright,

Mr. and found too that this work was originally submitted to an NCCA sponsored

contest, where he met Dr. Ramon Santos who was then an NCCA commissioner in

2001. He was told by the panel to tweak the work to accommodate the usual attention

span of 2 hours for a theater work. He laments that he had intended to submit it as an

epic. Nevertheless, he submitted to the changes and was grateful to Dr. Santos for

helping him with much needed suggestions on how to improve his work. This play was

based on indigenous materials, the concept and story based on stories told by his

mother. At 6pm we left, and they just rehearsed.

April 6, 2009

The day started early with a ritual in the ato for the opening of the Summit meetings

from various sectors and governments agencies. All the top officials of the province

were there as well as invited guests from Manila. After the usual photo ops, they were

led to a parade down to the MP Hall steps where the rest of the ceremonies were

continued. There was dancing and playing of gongs and other traditional instruments by

the children. Alternately the older men took over the playing. (Figures 34-36)

28

Figure 34: government officials at the opening of Summit

Figure 35: children performing dance and musical numbers during the Summit opening

Figure 36: Gov. Dalog sounding the gong to signify the Summit open

After the Summit opening, we had breakfast and went back to the plaza to do some

shopping. At 5pm, the play which was postponed last night will push through today.

(Figures 37-38) However, the waiting took so long again and the show started at 6.30pm.

29

In the meantime while waiting, a lady approached me and invited me to the Governor’s

house. I mistook her for someone from the DepEd but she introduced herself as just a

housewife. It turns out she was Mrs. Dalog, the wife of the Governor. We struck up a

conversation, some casual chit chat about her background and the politics that involves

her husband.

Figure 37: set of the Sinauliyan Theater play

Figure 38: Sinauliyan theater group

The events naturally overlapped, such as the fireworks display at 7pm because by then

the play was just half way through. Those taking videos and pictures were asked by the

director to register for copyright protection. The play ended at 9pm and then we

proceeded to the Governor’s house. We were met there by Mrs. Dalog who in turn

asked her daughter to take care of us. She was the youngest child whom the Governor

takes pride in saying that she graduated from UP Diliman with an MBA, cum laude. She

is now taking her Law degree from San Beda.

30

At the Governor’s house, we were led to the 2nd floor where a feast was laid out. Mostly

family and friends were there so in the process we had some conversation with the rest

of the family. It was there that I met the son of Governor, who will be running in the next

elections and a cousin who turns out to be the lead vocalist of the band Daluyon.

After dinner at the house, we were transported to the Ridgebrook Hotel in the

Governor’s car, where a party was being held for local officials and staff. It lasted until

10pm. There was a little ballroom dancing but we missed the performance of some

children’s indigenous groups who we saw walking on the street after their performance.

April 7, 2009

We set off at 6.30am in preparation for the parade. I walked all the way to Chakchakan,

the road that is right at the entrance of Bontoc. (Figure 39) All groups of children and

adults from the 10 municipalities of Mt. Province were represented. It was going to be a

long and tedious day especially because most of them have travelled early in the

morning or from a day before to get to Bontoc for the festival. They looked tired even at

the beginning of the parade, looking anxious and parched from the early morning heat

of the sun. I spoke to some of them who said that they are indeed tired. They waited for

their turn on the parade and because it was a long line, it took a while for all groups to

strut their stuff. Most of them were bare foot on a hot cement floor, some wearing

uncomfortable costumes such as leaves and bark to cover the women’s bosom. (Figure

40 - 43 )

Figure 39: The entrance to Bontoc

31

Figure 40: street dancing delegates waiting to perform

Figure 41: street dancing delegates waiting to perform

Figure 42: women in their organic costumes

32

Figure 43: men in their organic costumes

The groups performing in the street dancing parade were winners from a competition

held in every municipality during their respective festivals. Each has its own fiesta where

winners get to represent their municipality during the Lang-ay Festival. This is the first

year that children will be included in the parade. There are 5 stations in which these

groups will perform their dance. The last stop is at the Eyeb gymnasium where

participants make a final presentation. (Figures 44-46)

Figure 44: street dancing

33

Figure 45: street dancing

Figure 46: children's category for street dancing

During the parade, the main highway of Bontoc was littered with crowds of onlookers.

(Figure 47) Traffic management and security was provided by the Mountain Province

police force, but reinforced by a group of women elders called “brigada”. (Figure 48) On

any given night, these women go around the village at night to ensure that curfew is

observed and that young men limit their alcohol intake.

34

Figure 47: street dancing and parade onlookers

Figure 48: brigade

From my estimate, guests and spectators were mostly form Bontoc and surrounding

provinces. I don’t think there were very many who came all the way from Manila. The

projected 30,000 visitors did not materialize and if at all, only those who were part of the

official delegation from the 10 municipalities were there to witness the event.

At the last station which was the Eyeb Gym, participants were strewn about in the open

grounds. By now it was around noon and the temperature was getting hotter. This part

of the event must be grueling to the participants. While the rest of the spectators were

inside the roofed gymnasium listening to politicians make their speeches, participants

were left under the sun for hours, waiting for their turn to perform. The contest featured

dances that are tied to ritual practices such as life cycles, planting and harvest seasons,

etc. They were choreographed and executed of course in abbreviated form but I guess

the essence was preserved. The program also featured guest performer Grace Nono

35

who sang a chant supposedly learned from a Kalinga friend but my informant raised her

eyebrows saying that she lived in Kalinga and she’s not had heard of anything like that.

Congressman Domogan spoke particularly long and the program that was suppose to

highlight the competition started after a long while. The schedule went beyond 2pm and

everything else had to be moved down. The lang-ay by the Chico River, the fellowship

over meals and drinks followed the street dancing activity. Tents were set up and

everyone was invited to partake of the feast. (Figure 49)

Figure 49: Lang-ay by the Chico River

I on the other hand skipped the village feast and had lunch with my informants, Mrs.

Requino and Mam Jo at Cable Café. I went back to the hotel and rested then went back

to the plaza around 6pm to do some last minute shopping. I also met up with a fellow

researcher from the UP College of Music, Papo who had just arrived from Tabuk from

travelling all day. We had dinner at a restaurant in the Commercial Center then

accompanied him briefly to the restaging of the play at the MP Hall. We ran into some

government officers who invited us to the testimonial dinner at Ridgebrook Hotel but we

decided not to go since it was most likely going to be like a gathering of politicians, etc.

We retired to our room at 9pm and prepared for the trip home the following morning.

April 8, 2009

There are no tricycles plying the route before 6am so we had to take to 7am bus to

Baguio thru the Rising Sun. The driver was unusually slow so it took us a little over 6

36

hours to get to Baguio. We in fact missed our reservation in the bus who had already

left just a few minutes earlier. Luckily there was another bus leaving in an hour because

of the holidays. But we got caught in traffic and the usual 4 hours took us from 2.30 -

9pm.

37

Lang-ay Festival: “Sustaining the Torch of Cultural Heritage”

April 1 – 8, 2013

Bontoc, Mountain Province

38

Day 1, April 1, 2013: The long and winding road

In the evening of Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013, I went to the Victory Liner Bus station

in Cubao at 11pm to board the 12.15am bus to Baguio. I was on my way to Bontoc,

Mountain Province for the Lang-ay Festival.

The ride to Baguio was uneventful, unmarred by traffic which has plagued the main

thoroughfares just earlier in the day from Holy Week vacationers trekking back into the

city for next day’s work. The Victory Liner deluxe bus was comfortable, with spacious

legroom and wide seats that could recline to a good angle. There was a “stewardess”

on board, garbed in business attire distributing bottled water, a light snack of cupcakes

and chips, and the day’s newspaper. The bus is equipped with Wi-fi, though traveling

past midnight I would imagine that most passengers would rather catch some sleep

than surf the internet. Before I knew it, I was in Baguio before 5am.

The Victory Liner Baguio terminal was busy as usual, with buses and passengers

arriving and departing incessantly. I had planned to stretch my legs and grab some

coffee before embarking on the next leg of trip. Manila to Baguio was a walk in the park.

Baguio to Bontoc was a bit more challenging in terms of travel comfort. Nevertheless,

after about 30 minutes of relaxing at the bus station, it was time to move again. I

boarded a cab which will take me to the Rising Sun Bus station, located near the Baguio

market. It’s been a while since I was in Baguio, a pleasant sight was the proliferation of

taxis that were clean and of recent models. Because there was no need of air-

conditioning, the fares were much lower than in Manila. The meter read P57.00.

The Rising Sun Bus (Figure 1) has been a reliable transport for me in the many years that

I have been going back and forth Bontoc. The bus station, typical of most regional

provincial bus terminals is sparse and meager. The buses are old, but I trust are

periodically maintained. Slightly bigger than a mini-bus, it seats about 30 – 35 people.

The bus could easily be bursting from the seams with cargo of merchandise and goods

which include some livestock. The passengers are mostly locals who travel to Baguio

and back to buy supplies, or visit family who are employed in the city. Seldom are there

tourists in the bus to Bontoc. On this particular trip, there were only I think two of us. I

am travelling with Quennie Moreno, my cousin/assistant. The bus leaves every hour

39

from early morning till noon. I took the 6am bus with travel time approximately 6 hours.

The limited bus schedule is on account of the roads becoming quite treacherous in the

evening because of the low lying clouds. Halsema Highway is the main artery that

connects Baguio to Bontoc.(Figure 2)

Figure 1: Rising Sun Bus

Figure 2: Toll gate exiting to Halsema Highway

Figure 3: Early morning view of the mountain vista

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Immediately after exiting Baguio, one’s senses are assaulted with so many different

colors, smells, textures and sounds. One enters into an unmistakably different zone.

The varying gradations of gray seen in fog covered mountain ranges against a backdrop

of clear blue skies just as the sun was about to shine brightly is exhilarating. (Figure 3)

Vistas of pine tree covered mountains abound and the unadulterated scent of pine trees

while traversing the Halsema Highway wafts in the air. (Figure 4) The sight of lush

vegetation and the feel of cool mountain air gently beating against your face while the

bus plods through the maze of zigzag roads is experienced for hours. Miles upon miles

navigating the zigzag roads can be tough on the body, though impressively enough

roads are now paved with cement throughout. (Figure5)

Figure 4: pine trees

Figure 5: well paved roads

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Figure 6: makeshift houses by the highway

Small communities of people with permanent or makeshift houses dot the landscape,

but mostly farmers who are engaged in terrace- planting. (Figure 6) Every town we pass

by has a poblacion, a place where people converge to go about their daily business.

Market stalls, banks, and other business enterprises are found here, as well as a drop

off and pick up station for people travelling to other parts of the province.

After 2 hours on the road, we make a stop somewhere between Atok and Buguias,

Benguet. The restaurant called Northway Sizzlers is a designated pit stop for

passengers to get a quick bite or make a toilet visit. Men usually grab the opportunity to

smoke and stretch their legs. Women with children in tow, bring their young to the

toilets. Some take their meals, and some just wait inside the bus. After about 20

minutes or so, the bus rolls again for the next 4 hours until we reach our destination.

The scenery changes even more dramatically as we approach Mountain Province. One

side of the road, somewhere along the long stretch of Buguias, Benguet are sights of

‘terraces’. (Figure7)Probably not as scenic as the rice terraces of Ifugao, terrace cropping

is nevertheless also practiced in this region for vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots,

cabbages, broccoli, and the like. The cool weather and good soil makes it an ideal

environment for tending crops so the mountainous terrain was no impediment for

planting cash crops. Farmers just carved the terraces to level the planting grounds.

Mountains upon mountains of carved terraces are a testament to the hard work that

went into this endeavor.

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Figure 7: terraces

Figure 8: granite walls

On the other side of the road, are walls of granite expertly cut and carved to pave way

for roads. (Figure 8) These huge rock boulders are intimidating, yet one observes that

throughout the stretch of the Halsema Highway, very few artificial barriers have been

erected to stop the landslides. These solid rock formations are magnificent! At every

turn of the road, the rocks presented itself in different hues of red, brown, green,

orange, yellow, slate and beige. Even at the dizzying pace by which the bus navigates

through the roads, and by now the increasingly warm air as we approach noon, one

cannot help but marvel at this lovely sight. As we approach Bontoc, we descend down

the mountains and encounter the Chico River. This river traverses all of the Mountain

Province and is calm during the summer months as we saw today. (Figure 9)

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Figure 9: Chico River

We arrive in Bontoc around 12 noon, hot and humid, and hailed a tricycle that will bring

us to our hotel. Bontoc has 16 barangays, one of which is Samoki, where the hotel is

located. Archog’s Hotel has been my home in Bontoc since 2006. Newly built at that

time, it is still to this day the better maintained lodging facility in Bontoc. (Figure10) More

of a hostel than a hotel, all lodging facilities in Bontoc are called hotels. More expensive

than the others, Archog’s is clean, safe, quiet and reliable. The rooms are basic and

small, but equipped with cable TV and a hot shower. The bed frame is made of pine

wood, covered with a layer of cushion. There are no air-conditioned rooms in the

property.

Figure 10: Archog's Hotel

Down by the café, one can already have access to the internet thru Wi-fi which 2 years

ago was not yet available. The staff and hotel owner have become my friends. Quennie

and I immediately settled at the hotel restaurant to take our lunch even before we

44

checked in to our rooms. We were famished by this time, a simple dish of chicken

apritada and pakbet quenched our hunger. (Figure11)

Figure 11: lunch

I chanced upon Grace Archog, the hotel owner and asked about how the opening

ceremonies of the Lang-ay festival went. We had arrived on the opening day of the

festival, but missed the opening ceremonies early morning of that day. She expressed

dismay at how this year’s festival had been seemingly unprepared. By this time, she

said, the festival should have been in full swing- this being the first day. I suddenly

shared the same feeling of disappointment with Grace, as I remembered how

uncommitted the people were into accepting my hotel booking reservation weeks before

my planned trip. I could not even get an answer as to when the exact dates of the

festival was that I had to call the office of the Governor to inquire. As Grace had

confirmed, the casual atmosphere that greeted us upon entering Bontoc was a

giveaway. There was not much excitement in the air. If I had not purposely come to

Bontoc, one would think that there was no festival to begin with. This being election

year, there were more banners that had the faces of candidates plastered on them.

A quick survey of the place tells me that the people crowding the town poblacion were

locals just going about their daily routine and business. Archog’s Hotel was nearly

empty. Except for maybe 3 or 4 rooms that were occupied including ours, there was not

much out of town guests. Exhausted from the 12-hour trip, Quennie and I retired to our

rooms and took a nap. At 5pm, we walked over to the poblacion to see what activities

have been lined up during the festival. As customary of provincial festivals, several

45

socio-civic groups have organized their respective trade fairs to showcase their

products. On the 1st day, the Agro-Industrial Fair was set up in the town plaza. (Figure12)

The plaza was teeming with people with so many booths scattered about offering food,

regional products and the like. At 7pm, there will be a beauty pageant with contestants

representing all 10 municipalities of Mountain Province. (Figure 13) This year’s festival

theme is: “Sustaining the Torch of Cultural Heritage”.

Figure 12: Agro-Industrial Fair

Figure 13: beauty pageant

Day 2, April 2, 2013: Off to a slow start

Browsing through the festival program last night showed that except for the Medical-

Dental Mission there were no activities for tourists today. After breakfast and bath, I

decided to see my friend and informant, Mrs. Victorina Requino at her office in Dep-Ed

46

where she is a regional supervisor. (Figure14) The Department of Education building sits

in a complex that houses all government institutions including the municipal office, post

office, museum, tourism office, provincial library, and the town plaza. (Figure15)

Figure 14: with informant, Mrs. Victorina Requino (R)

Figure 15: Department of Education building

Afterwards, I decided to revisit the Bontoc Museum where a collection of artifacts and

photos from the different municipalities of Mountain Provinces – some donated by the

famous photographer, Masferré can be found. It also has an Ethno Cordillera Library

where one can browse, research and copy articles, books, maps and other literature

about Mountain Province. The souvenir shop sells the usual items of trinkets and bags

made from woven traditional cloth and materials. The outdoor museum recreated a

miniature Bontoc Village featuring their material culture that included traditional houses,

coffins, and other physical structures. Symbols of their sacred culture, as well as

recreations of the Bontoc way of life can also be found here. Entrance fee is 60pesos.

47

Taking photos inside the indoor museum is not allowed, but the outdoor museum can

be photographed. (Figures16,17,18)

Figure 16: Entrance to the Bontoc Museum

Figure 17: A depiction of a Bontoc wake

Figure 18: Ulog, a house where young ladies sleep/accept male visitors

48

After the Bontoc Museum visit, I proceeded to walk towards the market and found a

place to have lunch. There are no fancy restaurants in Bontoc, most eateries are of the

kitchenette types that could be found inside the palengke, in hotels, or lined along the

stretch of the main road. A typical meal commonly served and palatable to most would

be a plate of rice topped with fried egg, fried chicken and a small side of sautéed mixed

vegetables. The more adventurous types could try a Bontoc staple called etag (air-dried

pork), (Figure 19) or the pinikpikan which most locals term ‘killing me softly’ pertaining to

the way in which the dish is prepared, that is, beating a live chicken to death before

cooking it.

Figure 19: Etag, fresh pork meat cured in salt and left to dry in the sun

I hailed a tricycle back to the hotel at mid-afternoon from the market, which under

ordinary circumstances would be a 5-10 minute walk but it was so hot that day that I

was in no condition to pursue it. Around 4.30pm I walked back to the plaza and after a

quick snack at Dunkin’ Donuts, the lone franchised food chain in the whole of Bontoc, I

decided to browse thru the different product offerings at the trade fair. I stopped by each

booth, representing all 10 municipalities of Mountain Province: Besao, Sagada, Bontoc,

Natonin, Paracelis, Bauko, Barlig, Sadanga, Sabangan and Tadian. (Figures 20-26)

49

Figure 20: trade fair booth from Bontoc

Figure 21: trade fair booth from Sagada

Figure 22: trade fair booth from Besao

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Figure 23: trade fair booth from Tadian

Figure 24: trade fair booth from Barlig

Figure 25: trade fair booth from Sadanga

51

Figure 26: trade fair booth from Bauko

The Agro –Industrial fair exhibited farm products from the different municipalities which

range from fresh produce of vegetables, to heirloom rice. The prices however are quite

steep one wonders how people can afford the merchandise. The booths that exhibited

textile range from the usual souvenir shirts to woven indigenous fabric in designs that

represent the different municipalities of Mt. Province. These woven fabrics were

fashioned into different items of tapis, skirts, bags, belts, shoes and other garments and

trinkets. A furniture exhibit displayed items made predominantly out of solid chunks of

wood using traditional craftsmanship of not using nails or ropes to bind the furniture.

Smaller wood products for the home include food trays, hampers, all kinds of basket,

spoons, and other decorative pieces and carvings. (Figure 27-30)

Figure 27: local products being sold at the fair

52

Figure 28: heirloom rice

Figure 29: woven cloth by-products

Figure 30: trinkets

53

Figure 31: the shawarma stand

Walking over to the food fair, most offerings were light snack fare. In the afternoon the

place is busy with so many people enjoying a meal with family and friends over

shawarma, which seems to be in fashion here in Bontoc. (Figure 31)

Tomorrow, I will meet with Mrs. Requino to attend her niece’s graduation from college. I

also got an invitation to judge the choral competition which is part of the festival, on

Sunday. I stayed up till 1am. I couldn’t sleep. Maybe it was all that highland coffee.

Day 3, April 3, 2013: Of family ties and fostering relationships with the

community…

I woke up at 7am quite grudgingly as I was still sleepy from staying up so late the night

before. I decided to stretch the time in bed a bit and finally got up just before 8am. I got

a call from Mrs. Requino instructing me to proceed to the Eyeb gymnasium where the

graduation rites will be held. I jumped into the shower and decided not to eat breakfast.

We left at 8.30am. We hailed a tricycle going to the venue which is about a 2 minute

ride. In reality however, everything in Bontoc is a nice comfortable walk away except

that it was quite warm and toasty that day.

I arrived at the gym with graduates converging at the open grounds with parents, friends

and relatives in tow. The place was packed with a fiesta-like atmosphere with ambulant

vendors scattered about, selling cold drinks and snacks. There were about 500

graduates that day from the different colleges of the Mountain Province State

54

Polytechnic College (MPSPC), most of which were from the IT, Nursing and Education

sector. It was a good study in contrast as some young promising college graduates in

togas were accompanied by their elders in traditional clothing as they assemble by the

open grounds and march together towards the covered court area. I was the guest of

Mrs. Requino who had a niece who just earned her master’s degree in education. The

ceremony ended at past 11am with each graduate being called one by one to the stage.

By this time the temperature inside the gym had gone up to a feverish high. But the

mood was festive, with both graduates and parents beaming with pride, full of hope and

promise that education brings. (Figures 32-35)

Figure 32: at the entrance to the Eyeb Gym

Figure 33: graduates lining up for processional

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Figure 34: graduates with their elders

Figure 35: graduation rites

After the ceremony, Mrs. Requino brought us to Samoki where her niece was hosting

lunch. Samoki is one of the barangays of Bontoc, a self-contained village where houses

are in close proximity to one another, separated only by barriers of animal pens found

next to the owner’s house. Live pigs and chickens are staples of the Bontoc household

as they are important for the observance of various feasting activities and where

butchering animals is required of the Cordillera culture.

During this celebration, the family butchered a pig. Jed, the nephew of Mrs. Requino,

who owns the house and who had just recently gotten married was our host. His house

is new, quaint and clean inside, but the smell of animals waft in the air from being

surrounded by pigs and chicken. We arrived just as they were rounding up the

preparations of the food. Huge vats of food, as well as piles of plates and utensils were

laid out to greet the swarm of guests that were expected to arrive. Quite expectedly, all

56

the dishes were concocted from the pig that was butchered earlier. Pork adobo,

barbecue, apritada, braised pork and igadu were some of the dishes that I recognized

on the table. On the side were lettuce leaves and cucumber with a thousand island dip,

macaroni fruit salad, green mango salad, spaghetti with sweet tomato-meat sauce, and

cake. Cold soda was also served. Flies were swarming all over the table where the food

was spread. The food was quite bland for my taste. I can imagine, it could be the reason

why no one is fat in Bontoc. All that walking, and all that bland food must do the trick. It

was pointed out to me though that most Mt. Province folks are hypertensive from all the

pork in the diet. (Figures 36-38)

Figure 36: preparing the meals

Figure 37: graduation feast

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Figure 38: the boy and his lettuce

During lunch I met some of the guests, including Karl Lapniten (Figure 39) who was a

media person from the Baguio Chronicle. He was covering the Lang-ay and had shared

my observation that everything had been scaled down since Leonard Mayaen assumed

the governorship. As he recounted, during Governor Maximo Dalog’s time everyone

from the media had a personal invitation from the governor’s office inviting them attend

the event. He had described this new governor as a snub. In fact, the incumbent

governor has yet to make himself available for the interview with his paper. I in turn also

lamented the fact that no one really wanted to comment about the governor’s

performance as far as the Lang-ay Festival is concerned. Karl made an excellent point

of saying that everyone in Bontoc is related one way or the other by affinity or

consanguinity which explains why people would not comment about what they dislike

about the governor. Quite accurate actually, as when I arrived, I had asked so many

people about him and they did not conclusively say what they thought was wrong or

bad, or lacking in his governing style. Karl pointed out that this governor has more

issues of impropriety than the previous one. He also shared my views that festival

activities have been drastically reduced and downplayed. Karl told me further that some

people had the impression that Lang-ay was not commercial like the Panagbenga

Flower Festival of Baguio and yet it seems like this is the direction that the festival is

inevitably headed towards.

58

Figure 39: guests of the graduate, including Baguio Chronicle journalist, Karl Lapniten (4th from the left)

Day 4

April 4, 2013: Sagada on a whim

There is still not much going on in the festival as far as tourists are concerned. The

schedule today includes: A Provincial Youth Summit where activities are centered

around lectures about human sexuality, AIDS and gender issues; and a Farmer’s

Techno Demo cum Marketing Exhibition. After subsisting on fried fish with fried egg,

fried chicken with fried egg, and Dunkin’ Donuts spaghetti for most meals, I decided to

hop on a jeep going to Sagada where they say lots of good eats are available. I’ve been

to Bontoc so many times but never had the chance to go its neighboring municipality.

Today was the day I wasn’t going to let up on the opportunity. My companion, Quennie

and I proceeded to the Walter Clapp building where jeepneys plying the Bontoc-Sagada

route are stationed. (Figure 40) We went around 8am but had to wait a while for the jeep

to fill up. We left Bontoc at 8.30am and arrived in Sagada at 9.15am. The trip took all of

45 minutes, on good roads that were mostly uphill. Interestingly, I met a priest who was

with a group of people from Mindoro. The priest turned out to be a student of Dr. Noel

Racho at Christ the King Seminary, and his team comprised a group of Mangyan

weavers. They were in Bontoc to observe weaving practices and was going to Sagada

to learn more about replicating the business practices of the Sagada Weaving in

Mindoro.

59

Figure 40: the jeep plying the Bontoc-Sagada route

Figure 41: the famous Yoghurt House in Sagada

Figure 42: bestseller, pancake with banana and yoghurt filling

We arrived in Sagada and was greeted with pleasantly cooler air than in Bontoc. There

were no tricycles to ride, just buses and jeepneys that converge at the town plaza to

pick up or drop off passengers. Everything in Sagada is a walk I think. Some quite far

60

distances actually, but walkable. We ventured to find the Yoghurt House which has

been getting good reviews on the internet. It seemed like a good idea to start out with

that. After a 15 minute walk, we found it. We had breakfast of pancake with yoghurt and

omelette. Typical western fare, but considering how difficult it was to get a decent meal

in Bontoc, it was quite a treat. (Figures 41-42) After breakfast around 10am, we ventured

around town by foot. We stopped by to take photos by of their famous landmarks such

as: the entrance marker, church, and the weaving center. (Figures 43-48) We didn’t have

time though to visit the caves. After walking around town we hailed a jeep back to

Bontoc just before noon as the last trip going down to Bontoc is around 1pm. After that,

jeepneys stop plying the route. Around this time, the Sagada group who will perform in

the Lang-ay were rehearsing along the main road. Traffic had to stop for a few minutes.

Even the children’s group were practicing in the poblacion in costumes under the heat

of the sun. (Figures 49-51) We arrived in Bontoc just a little after noon.

Figure 43: A Sagada icon. The bell in front of the church

Figure 44: Episcopal Church in Sagada

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Figure 45: church façade

Figure 46: Sagada entrance marker

Figure 47: Sagada local gas station

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Figure 48: Sagada Weaving Shop

Figure 49: Sagada mixed-group rehearsing along the main road

Figure 50: Sagada mixed-group rehearsing along the main road

63

Figure 51: Sagada children's group rehearsing a day before the street dance festival

After having late lunch at Archog’s, I settled at the restaurant where there is wi-fi and

connected with the rest of the world. I also spent the rest of the day transcribing and

writing down my field notes.

Day 5

April 5, 2013: Of pageants, dog shows…and interviews with informants

I woke up early and realized that I had retired early the night before. It is 6.20am when I

decided to get up and go down for breakfast, and access the internet. Around 8.30am

we walk to the provincial library to get some information about Lang-ay’s past programs.

It was a nice library with pinewood furniture. (Figures 52-53) I was entertained by Paula

Tagalen, who was the assistant librarian. She asked another library staff, Alice Afali to

assist me with photocopying the programs in the municipal office but it was closed so

we walked to the commercial area across the street where Xerox is 2pesos a page. I

decided to Xerox only one booklet and photograph the rest. While waiting for the

photocopying job to finish, I interviewed Alice and asked how she sees the Lang-ay

differently from previous years. She said that the first one was really good, most of Mt.

Province came to support the festival but in recent years people came less. It had

become dull and uninteresting, she says. We walk back to the library where I was able

to access the souvenir programs from previous Lang-ay festivals but some years were

missing. The librarian said she couldn’t find them. I took photos of the ones that were

available.

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Figure 52: library staff

Figure 53: library

Figure 54: provincial capitol under renovation

After the trip to the library, I proceeded to the tourism office which is in the same

complex as the Provincial Capitol. It was being renovated at this time. (Figure 54) When I

went up to their office to inquire about the Lang-ay, there was practically no resource

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person around. Everybody was busy running around in preparations for the busiest part

of the festival, which was the street dancing. Eventually, I was able to get hold of a

tourism officer, Annie Graal, who assisted me in finding my resource persons. She

contacted the choreographer of the mixed-group for Bontoc, and subsequently

contacted Mr. Bitot also for the Children’s group.

The choreographer for Bontoc is Ross Cam-ed Jr. (Figure 55) I caught up with him at the

multi-purpose grounds where he watching the rehearsals of the beauty pageant. He had

a half-sister who was participating. He is originally from Sabangan but found work in

Bontoc as a teacher at St. Vincent High School, as a Physics teacher. He is now very

active in cultural activities for Bontoc but his family laments that he should be sharing

his talents instead for Sabangan. Ross Cam-ed Jr. has won many competitions for

Bontoc.

The following is a transcribed excerpt of the interview I had with Ross Cam-ed, Jr:

Interview #1: Rosito Cam-ed Jr.

Christine: Did you change choreography this year?

Ross: No. The choreography is essentially the same since we feel it’s the best. We stick

to traditional dances so that there’s no need to change.

Christine: Do you think that in some ways, contemporary choreography is infused into

the dances?

Ross: I stick to traditional since we feel that it’s slowly fading away. We are conscious of

that. We want to preserve our culture.

Christine: Some say, others (choreographers) are veering away from tradition?

Ross: Maybe others do so, but I try to maintain the traditional steps in my choreography.

Christine: How did you learn to be a choreographer? What is your background? Were

you part of any dance troupe?

Ross: No, I wasn’t a part of any dance troupe. I’m a teacher who was just asked to

choreograph the dance during the 1st Lang-ay. I teach Physics and Chemistry at the St.

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Vincent Elementary School. Actually, what I know is the Benguet tradition, but I also

learned the Bontoc dances from watching and observing. Soon I just tried it out. I am

also originally from Sabangan.

Christine: Is there a difference between Bontoc and Sabangan dances?

Ross: Yes. There are some differences: like in the beating of the gongs, and in the use

of certain instruments. For example: in Sabangan we use the sulibao (drum) but in

Bontoc they don’t have drums. Also in Sabangan, the beats are louder and faster, here

in Bontoc it is soft and slower.

Christine: You won’t say that this festival is commercial?

Ross: It is not commercial. I saw the one in Baguio and it’s not the real thing. Let me tell

you about how they turn this into commercial ventures. They try to manipulate the

presentations to fit what they perceive is acceptable or appealing to the audience. It

happened to us in Baguio during the WOW Philippines 2011, where we represented

Bontoc. We were asked by the organizers in Baguio regional to make the beats faster. I

told them NO, we are representing the rhythmic tradition of Mt. Province which is of a

slower tempo. They were insistent so I pretended to agree. But during the performance,

we performed it in the original tempo.

Christine: This is sensitive, but I will ask anyway… the governor is new. When I last

came, it was Governor Maximo Dalog. I noticed that Governor Leonard Mayaen is not

very active with the Lang-ay. Maybe this is just my impression. What do you think? How

is his support?

Ross: Okay lang. It used to be that there were so many activities. Now there’s an

impression that there are less. Maybe it’s because they replaced some activities with

new ones so they think it has been lessened, but I really don’t think so.

Christine: Since when were you choreographing for Bontoc?

Ross: For Lang-ay, I have been the choreographer since 2010, and every year

thereafter. But for the municipal festival of Bontoc called, Am-among, I’ve been

involved since 2005. I always feature the dances during the agricultural cycle every

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year. We just enhance it. The members come from different barangays of Bontoc, and

mostly high school students. The organizers state that there can only be a maximum of

80 performers, so I maximized it.

Christine: There’s a prize for this right? Does Bontoc win?

Ross: Yes , last year we won. Maybe we have a hometown advantage.

Christine: Can I watch you during rehearsals?

Ross: Yes, we rehearse at the St. Vincent grounds. Yes you can watch the rehearsals

later. The minute you start hearing the gongs, that’s us.

*****End of Interview*******

Figure 55: with Bontoc choreographer, Ross Cam-ed Jr.

After interviewing the choreographer of Bontoc, Ross Cam-ed, I proceeded to see Mrs.

Requino at her office to tell her that I have already met Ross. I asked who the

choreographer for the children’s group was and he said it’s Mr. Ventura Bitot. She sent

me to see him at the municipal capitol but he was not there. I ran into Annie Graal at the

multi-purpose hall and she contacted Mr. Bitot for me, who was then rehearsing at the

Bontoc Elementary School that time. (Figure 56)

I had thought that I was going to find children rehearsing but I found a group of adults

singing and dancing and playing instruments. The children as I found out will no longer

rehearse. This group of is made up of employees from the provincial capitol who used

to be identified as a theater group but recently revamped and restructured to make it a

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cultural troupe that performs traditional music, chants and movements. No longer able

to get funding for theater plays as well as members requesting to take a break from the

grueling theater rehearsals, Mr. Ventura Bitot formed the Dayday-eng in February 2013

to replace what was once called the Sinauliyan Theater group. As director, Mr. Bitot

envisioned the group to be a role model in the community for performing cultural

traditions so that the young children can emulate and remember their customs. They

wanted to preserve culture through the performances of chants and dances. This group

will perform a number during the pageant tonight.

Nearly lunch time, the group broke up to go home and prepare for tonight’s show. I was

asked to see them again at 5pm at the multi-purpose hall when they rehearse with

costumes.

Here’s a transcribed excerpt from my interview with Mr. Ventura Bitot, (Figure 57)

choreographer of the Bontoc group- children’s category and director of the newly

established Dayday-eng:

Interview #2: Mr. Ventura Bitot

Christine: Sir, how long have you been the choreographer of the children’s group from

Bontoc?

Mr. Bitot: I have been the choreographer of the Bontoc group since it started in 2005. In

2005 I was actually the director of another contingent, which is Tadian. I am really from

Tadian. I was then a teacher under the Department of Education. At that time, there was

a directive that if a teacher has other skills and talents that he can share to the

community he must contribute those for the good of the province. So they had to get

me, because they thought I have something to give for Mt. Province. They have since

continued to need my services up to this time. I retired in 2010 but they agreed to

extend my services until this year (2013). I don’t live in Bontoc, I just commute to work. I

stay in Tadian because living here in (Bontoc) is expensive. It’s 35 km commute but it’s

cheaper to live in Tadian.

Christine: Tell me about the kind of involvement you have with the children’s group from

Bontoc.

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Mr. Bitot: Since 2005 I have been preparing the kids in the community for Lang-ay

Festival. I monitor their preparations through the teachers that I’ve trained in numerous

workshops. I serve as consultant of dance for the street dancing event of Lang-ay. The

children come from different schools in the municipality, this year they are from St.

Vincent.

Christine: Do you change the steps every year?

Mr. Bitot: The choreography must have a story. The story guides what steps we will

make in the choreography. However, the choreography should be able to tell the story

that ends in the festival so that the dances will always be the same. We consider these

dances as relics of our history. That is what we are trying to protect. We are not

changing it to become a commercial street dancing endeavor.

Christine: Have you observed the other groups? Are they true to tradition?

Mr. Bitot: There are municipalities with a more cosmopolitan culture such as Sabangan

and Bauko. Sometimes changes are evident to reflect the suggestion of others. They

are modified. It is not really wrong. We are conscious of the need to protect our culture,

however I can be contemporary but still preserve ethnicity.

Christine: Where does the strong effort to preserve tradition come from? Is it from the

community?

Mr. Bitot: There are some elders in the community who gives me feedbacks. At least

somebody is behind me. The dance will still be there, it’s just the choreography that

varies.

Christine: How did you become an expert in dance?

Mr. Bitot: I became an expert because I belong to the tribes. I am from Tadian. That is

actually where the idea and concept of street dancing came from before this Lang-ay. It

has been a tradition that on December 30 we have these dances, during a thanksgiving

festival where they prepare rice wine and food, and dance every year. We don’t call it

street dancing. We call it dancing on the street because it is steady. We don’t parade.

We stay in one place until we are ready to move to a bigger place for the pattong. It

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used to be that each purok has a tradition of dancing in the streets but they’ve stopped.

I am trying to continue it by organizing theater groups, just to retain what we had before.

Christine: I saw your play 4 years ago.

Mr. Bitot: It used to be active but the members wanted to lie low. So this is the 1 st time

that we don’t have a play.

Christine: Does this have to do with the governor’s support?

Mr. Bitot: I don’t think so. It’s the members who wanted to break. They want to do

something new. I do have a group, but we could not present from lack of funds. This

group is now called Dayday-eng. (Figure 58)They sing, chant, rhymes, and dance. We

practice 3x a week. They will be performing an intermission number tonight for the 1st

time during the beauty pageant.

Figure 56: Bontoc Central School

Figure 57: interview with Dayday-eng director and children’s group choreographer, Mr. Ventura Bitot

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Figure 58: the Dayday-eng Cultural Troupe during rehearsals at the Bontoc Central School

After the interview with Mr. Bitot, I went out to lunch as well and waited for Ross Cam-

ed to contact me for his group’s rehearsal. At 3pm I walked over to the Sta. Rita Church

grounds where the group of performers from Bontoc under Ross Cam-ed was

rehearsing. I had a chance to interview the participants. All of them are students of the

St. Vincent School, this year’s winner during the Bontoc feast, Am-among. (Figures 59-62)

Interview #3: with the boys

Christine: How did you learn to play the gongs?

Boys: We learned how to play the gongs from our community, not from the school. The

style of playing using sticks is called pat-tong, while the beating of the gongs using the

palm of the hand is called top-paya.

Christine: How long did you prepare for this festival?

Boys: We practiced 4 days for this street dancing.

Christine: Have you participated in the Lang-ay before? Or is this your fist time?

Boys: Some of us are new, others have been performing for 3 years already. We were

chosen as the best group to represent Bontoc in the Lang-ay during the Am-among

festival. We will gather around 6am for the festival tomorrow.

Christine: Are the gong beats traditional or modern?

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Boys: We use traditional beats on the gong, not modern. But there are groups who use

modern beats. *

*In Bontoc, only males play the gongs. Women dance.

Interview 4: with the girls

Christine: How are you? What is the dance called?

Girls: We are enjoying it. The dance is called pasuk-uy; it is part of the agricultural cycle

which includes harvest, rainy season and planting. The dance is about 5-10 minutes.

Christine: Tell me about your dance:

Girls: Our dances use traditional steps not made up steps. We joined this group as

volunteers. We learned how to dance from our communities. We come from different

barrios and municipalities, but because we study here, we have to represent Bontoc.

After the brief interview with the participants, I left them alone to rest for a while. They

have been practicing barefoot under the heat of the sun for more than an hour, one of

them even collapsed from exhaustion. I was told that before they break up as a group

later, the boys will have to perform the tradition of drawing “tattoos” on the girls in

preparation for tomorrow’s performance. (Figure 63)

Figure 59: Bontoc mixed group during rehearsals at the St. Vincent School grounds

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Figure 60: interview with the young male participants from Bontoc

Figure 61: interview with the young female participants from Bontoc

Figure 62: Bontoc group during rehearsals

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Figure 63: customary tradition of men doing the "tattoo" of women

As night approached, I proceeded back to the Multi-Purpose grounds to witness the Ms.

Mountain Province beauty pageant. The place was swarming with people, all eager to

see the contestants. Little by little, guests started to arrive which included the governor

and the judges from out of town. (Figures 64-65) Some I believe were corporate sponsors.

It took a while for the event to start. There was the usual parade in long gowns and

“indigenous” costumes but what I really came to see was the newly formed group of Mr.

Bitot called Dayday-eng who will perform during the intermission. I left after they

performed. (Figures 66-68)

Figure 64: Governor Leonard Mayaen during the beauty pageant

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Figure 65: waiting for the beauty pageant to start

Figure 66: Dayday-eng cultural troupe performing an intermission number at the beauty pageant

Figure 67: contestants of the beauty pageant

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Figure 68: contestant in costume

Day 6

April 6, 2013: Lang-ay: street dancing, indigenous games, etc.

The main road where the parade took place was filled with people. But the streets were

narrow and short, the onlookers were mostly from Bontoc, I suppose.

The parade took maybe an hour and a half to finish. I was told that one municipality was

not able to join the parade. (Figure 69-74) There were floats made of organic materials

representing produce from their municipalities. This year’s beauty pageant contestants

also joined the parade. The costume of the street dancing participants reflected each

municipalities’ respective cloth design, along with their culture of dance, gong patterns

and chants. They depicted various occasions and events in the life of people from the

Mt. Province such as harvest and agricultural seasons, and other festivities. The

categories were divided into 2: children and mixed group with participants from the

community.

The parade culminated at the Eyeb gym which is a facility huge enough for hosting

events such as this. (Figures 75-78) At the gym officials sat on stage and this being

campaign season they were all visible, but the guest speaker Manny Villar did not show

up. The venue had a good showing for an audience but it was not overflowing as

before. All the participants in the street dancing have to perform their dances once

again, this time on a set stage and with choreography. I positioned myself at the stands,

beside the panel of consultants who were there not to judge but to make sure that there

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is integrity in each of the participant’s performance. This is to ensure that the dances

are not way out of tradition. A report will be made to the cultural council after the

festival.

Huts were set up for each municipality by the Eyeb grounds. I was told that this is

already where the Lang-ay (sharing of food and wine) will be held instead of by the

Chico River in previous years. Guests and participants can go and partake of the food

sponsored by the local government. It was just so hot that day! While dancers were

waiting to present their dances before the audience of government officials and guests,

they were by their own respective huts under the sun.

Just before noon, I had run out of batteries so I decided to go back to the hotel to

charge batteries and meet up with Mrs. Requino for lunch at Ananaya’s. We had set up

an appointment with the research team of Dr. Ramon Santos to go to Samoki, this time

to follow up on the community which I had been documenting for years. It was time to

see what new projects and activities they have planned. As most of my informants are

teachers and culture bearers of the community, I was pleased to know that they have

ventured into writing a Bontoc-English dictionary, a collection of chants to be published

and a songbook to be copyrighted. This group in Samoki where my informants are from

are very active participants in the “preservation” and “propagation” of culture.

At 2pm, we went back to the Eyeb grounds to witness the Indigenous games contest. I

ran into other ethnomusicologist friends from UP and University of Hawaii, Wayland and

Earl. Except for the three of us, together with the people in charge of the event, the

place was empty. No one registered for the event. The person in-charge was there with

a box of live chickens, for a game that included dressing chickens. They were hoping

that someone would come to participate even if no one had registered. We left the place

at 3pm.

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Figure 69: street dance

Figure 70: float parade

Figure 71: children in stilts

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Figure 72: street dance

Figure 73: street dance

Figure 74: street dance

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Figure 75: assembly of local politicians and government officers at the EYEB Gym

Figure 76: last station performance, at the Eyeb Gym

Figure 77: last station performance, at the Eyeb Gym

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Figure 78: street dancing route

Day 7

April 7, 2013: Foundation Day: Of more parades and singing contests…

The civic military parade was one I have not seen before as it comes at the tail end of

each festival. Usually a day after the street dancing event, guests no longer stay for this.

This time, I had purposely stayed to see what it was all about. The civil military parade

is an activity that precedes the commemoration of Mountain Province’s Foundation Day.

Government agencies and NGO’s are represented in the parade through the employees

who march around the main road of Bontoc with their respective banners. (Figures 79-81)

The route commences in front of the Eyeb gym all the way to the provincial capitol

grounds and down to the steps of the Multi-Purpose Building where a program shall be

held. (Figures 82-85) City officials are assembled on stage, government employees are

milling about, preparing for the ceremonies to start. The incumbent Governor Leonard

Mayaen delivered his speech and this being an election year, took advantage of the

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opportunity to win some votes by enumerating all the good things that he has done for

the province. It was also a time to refute all the supposed “wrong” accusations hurled at

him, such as corruption issues and non-support of programs such as the Lang-ay

Festival. In the end, he asked the people to be proud of their province instead of

spreading bad news about it.

Figure 79: Civic Parade

Figure 80: Civic Parade

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Figure 81: Civic Parade

Figure 82: 46th Foundation Day celebration

Figure 83: 46th Foundation Day celebration

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Figure 84: Former Governor now Congressman Maximo Dalog

Figure 85: Civic-military parade route

Afterwards, I went to lunch with my informant, Mrs.Requino and her staff at Chico Inn

just before the Oratorical and Choral Competition, for which I was invited to judge. It

was a good lunch of black rice and vegetables, fish and meat. (Figures 86-87)

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Figure 86: lunch

Figure 87: lunch

At 1pm I proceeded to the multi-purpose hall to judge the choral competition. The place

was full both from contestants of the choral and speech competition. They were in their

costumes. I had read the guidelines set for the competition days ahead and was also

given a copy of the contest piece. To my surprise, it was a Tagalog piece written with

complicated harmonic arrangement. The arrangement was just too western for that kind

of palate. True enough the contestants had a hard time figuring out how to sing or learn

it. There were 2 contestants in the junior category and 4 in the adult category. It was

heartening to see how hard they tried. The Bontoc being the more cosmopolitan group

than the other municipalities interpreted the piece more accurately. (Figures 88-91)

My fellow judge who hails from Bontoc wondered why a Tagalog piece was chosen

when they have a hard time speaking in Tagalog. One of the more fruitful exercises

though was translating the Tagalog text and singing it in their own dialect. Still, several

conductors and observers expressed concern at the choice of piece.

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Figure 88: Oratorical and Choral Competition at the Multi-Purpose Building

Figure 89: contestants register during the Oratorical and Choral Competition

Figure 90: Choral Competition contestants

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Figure 91: Choral Competition contestants

After the competition, I went back to the hotel and rested a bit. A little while,

Mrs.Requino dropped by to give us camote and peanuts from her harvest, to bring

home. We went back to Chico Inn for dinner, had a chat with the cook and walked

home. It was our last night in Bontoc. I settled my bills in Archog’s and chatted with the

staff of the hotel for a while before retiring to my room. We made arrangements for

breakfast to be served earlier as we have a bus to catch at 6am.

Day 8

April 8, 2013: Going home

We left the hotel at 6am without breakfast as the cook was not yet awake. We hailed a

tricycle to bring us to the Rising Sun Bus station. The bus was still half empty when we

arrived, so we were able to get good seats by the bus door. It was suppose to leave at

6.30am but we left at 7am already. Somewhere along Halsema Highway our bus had a

flat tire, but it did not take long for the driver to fix it. (Figure 92) Pretty soon, we were

rolling again. We arrived in Baguio around 1pm, proceeded to the ticket counter of the

Victory Liner to purchase tickets then ordered lunch at the cafeteria. We hopped on a

cab to buy the usual pasalubong at Good Shepherd and attempted to go to the Baguio

market but the traffic was so bad, we decided to go back to the bus station and wait for

our 4pm trip to Manila. The trip just took so long, we arrived at the Cubao station around

11pm.

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Figure 92: tire trouble

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Analysis/Conclusion:

The Lang-ay Festival is a joint effort of all 10 municipalities of Mountain Province. As a

local government sponsored event, it enlists multi-sectoral involvement from both

private and government institutions and entities to ensure active participation and

representation from all sectors of the community.

In 2009, some of the major events were from groups which included: the Senior Citizens

and Persons with Disability group for a Cultural Day; the Department of Education thru

their oratorical and choral singing competitions, and the Department of Agriculture thru

their trade fairs, among others. However, elements of commercialism combined with a

need for novelty and a desire to attract the young and the marginalized produced

activities such as: the search for Mr. and Ms. Gay Lang-ay; a pinaka contest, a contest

to determine who has the biggest sized fruit or vegetable, a cooking demo, and the

battle of the bands for young people.

But the street dancing is the biggest attraction of them all. It is the highlight of the entire

week, and attracts the biggest audience and participation. Preceded by a parade of

floats, the participants are assigned 4 stations to perform in. Bontoc is such a compact

community that the entire stretch of the main road where performers are assigned to

stage their dances are not far in between. All throughout, people are scattered about,

positioning themselves at vantage points whichever view is best for them to watch the

dances. Each of the 10 municipalities of Mountain Province is represented in the parade

and street dance, with a delegation that comprises the children’s group and the mixed

group. It then congregates at the gymnasium where all local politicians and guests are

assembled for a last showcase of these indigenous dances.

The 2013 Lang-ay is not very different from the 2009 festival in terms of program

content. In fact, they never deviated from previous years’ formula. All of the major

components and elements of the festival in 2009 are still present in 2013. The souvenir

programs can attest to this. However, the biggest factor that affected the tone of the

proceedings was the change of hands in the provincial government. In 2009, as with the

previous years since its inception in 2005, the Lang-ay was instituted and nurtured by

then Governor and now Congressman Maximo Dalog. He graced every event during the

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weeklong festivities and was naturally very involved not just with the planning and

implementation, but in ensuring that he had the support of the community and vice

versa. His successor, Governor Leonard Mayaen continued the Lang-ay Festival and its

format but was so far removed from it that his non-involvement was palpable to even a

non-local like me. My interviews with members of the different sectors represented

yielded various reactions and comments or the absence thereof. This in fact is related to

kinship, a value that Bontoc culture puts a high premium on where everyone is related

to one another either by affinity or consanguinity. This web of relationships affect the

way people react to circumstances present in their environment. In rare instances, few

people in the community verbally expressed dismay at this seeming lack of support by

the current governor. Most of the time people choose to say nothing, as this might

offend someone who is related to them. As a collective activity, the people of Mountain

Province embraced this festival to showcase how proud they are of their culture.

Corollary to that is the need to educate the young people about their need to keep

traditions alive and in their consciousness. However, as with any venture that involves

the movement of people and the exchange of goods and services, capital is needed to

churn out the necessary and intended output. This invited a plethora of advertisers who

brought along with them their own agenda, in the process infusing the community with

disjuncted notions of culture and tradition. (Figure 93)

Figure 93: cellular phone companies as corporate sponsors

In its convoluted notions of what it takes to hold on to a past and carry it over to the

present and the future, the people of Mountain Province may have entered a gray zone

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where everything becomes defined according to one’s personal convictions and

persuasions, in the end creating an entirely new dynamic for their consumption of

tradition and culture. As a result, hybrid identities emerge where the old and new

interact with one another, on the surface, looking seamlessly smooth but up close,

bursting with conflict.

Bontoc can be by in itself a study of two contrasting sets of tradition. It seems syncretic,

creating an illusion that everything blends beautifully together to create synergy but this

argument or case can only be made for a specific site, situation and demographic. I

have only ventured into parts of the more cosmopolitan areas of Bontoc like Samoki and

Bontoc Ili, where people are more open to change. Bontoc being the capital of Mountain

Province is a melting pot of so many confluences that it is easy for them to embrace the

external. However, it is not the same for people who are less exposed to the trappings

of the modern world. In the inner villages where transportation is limited and the

exchange of goods are less because of their economic situation, people remain more

attuned to the traditional way of life. These include beliefs, customs, practices and

traditions that were handed down to them by their ancestors.

Nevertheless, the Lang-ay Festival according to the people who institutionalized it (local

government) saw differently and saw it as an opportunity for Mt. Province folks to earn

and be known as a cultural attraction both here and abroad through tourism. This was

clearly stated in Governor Maximo Dalog’s statement during the 5th Lang-ay Festival.

While the supposed benefits of staging this festival include jobs and income, the people

are also very conscious of the need for their culture to be “preserved”. I say this in

quotes as the very idea of staging an event for public consumption removes it from its

natural state and therefore dilutes the purity of the tradition. Appropriation has long

been accepted in theory but in practice it feels different. Culture is a source of pride for

Mt. Province people and some have come to believe that the festival is the proper

platform to showcase such pride. In the end, it became a venue to satisfy their notions

of cultural preservation by including an external audience, which includes the out-of-

town guests who come and patronize this event. They thought of it as an opportunity to

re-create tradition over and over again until it is ingrained in the minds of their young, a

means to continue tradition. However, culture is not meant to be learned in staged

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performances. It takes on the role of a ceremonial function, far removed from their

actual way of life, which their elders are still practicing up to this day. It could be framed

not so much as a preservation tool but a means to engage the younger generation in

more dynamic processes that allow them to embrace their culture according to their own

terms. That is an issue that we cannot debate. We who document such activities have

no right to say what is right or wrong, or what is authentic or not. We can only afford to

attach labels such as hybrid, syncretic and nominal identities but in the end, we are just

looking in from the outside. We have labored to put so many theories and frameworks to

explain what their culture means to them, and yet at the most basic level, they are just

people who do not love their culture less, but are dynamic evolving creatures who have

their own appreciation and understanding of their own culture. We can only observe

from afar the many intricacies and nuances that these changes bring, but really, who

are we to say that what they are doing is wrong? Maybe they are going in the direction

that they want. Some may not agree. Culture is never homogenous, it is in constant flux.

It can grow and go towards different directions each with its own set of followers and

believers but can still be conceived as parts of a whole. This is the fate of all cultures as

we move along the lines of globalization and diaspora, of technology and innovation, of

consumerism and capitalism.

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