Boondock Links

Time for another roundup which we have not been doing for a while.

► Have you ever wondered how the different barangays in Baguio got their names? Bugan of Mountain Breeze has the answers (Part 1 and Part 2). Thankfully, the naming process of these barangays didn’t involve a misunderstanding between a lost foreigner and a local resident. (You know, that stuff about a foreigner asking about the name of the place and the local thinking that the foreigner is asking about what s/he is carrying, yada, yada, yada.)

► So you toiled and toiled and toiled to raise your cabbages and how much are they going to fetch in the market? One peso per kilo! What do you think is the more criminal act — the government’s neglect of struggling farmers who feed the nation or raising opium poppies (whether intentionally or not)?

► Joel Melod, prime suspect of the Diasen murder, confesses to a reporter that he shot and killed the late Kalinga Vice Governor. You can read more information at the Voice of Kalinga.

► Juan Duntugan pleads not guilty to the crime of murdering Julia Campbell. [Inquirer via Asian Journal] Note that Duntugan hired Atty. Pedro Mayam-o to defend him while the U.S. government hired the Agranzamendez law firm to serve as private prosecutors.

► The town of Kabayan, Benguet will screen strangers who go there to work. [Source: Sunstar] Good for the town because it is asserting control over itself. Not so good for those looking for work.

► Way to go Kabayan! It banned the sale of cigarettes to minors, i.e., those below 18, and storekeepers can’t say, “Eh di ko alam ang taon niya eh.” [Source: Sunstar]

► Oops, there’s an election contest in Tuba, Benguet. Mayoralty candidate Ignacio Rivera demands recount claiming irregularities. Contested ballot boxes now in the custody of the Regional Trial Court. [More from the Northern Philippine Times]

► Markus Bangit remembered. As in the case of those killed during the bloody reign of Gloria, justice for him remains elusive. [Nordis via Bulatlat]

► Why do we often complain about how we are negatively portrayed by media? Because such negative portrayals are especially bad for young people (Native Canadian experience here) and that they are a source of entrenched racism (Australian Aborigines experience here).

► Do you remember our love letter to Archbishop Akinola? Well he totally ignored our letter but we are in good company because he also ignored the letter of the Archbishop of Canterbury asking him to not poach on the territory of others. Anyway, it seems like the title-loving Akinola will not graciously give up one of his titles, i.e., head of the Christian Association of Nigeria despite the fact that he lost in an election which he tried to manipulate. [More info at Fr. Jake Stops the World]. Haay, church politics. We long for the days when the Anglican world was represented by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and not by this silly yet dangerous Archbishop. (Apologies to non-Anglicans for this post. Just had to vent hehe.)

► Let’s welcome more blogger kailiyans. We’ve added them to the blogroll but here’s an introduction: My Raconteur Attempts is a blog by Lovelyn, an iTublay who is blogging in Venice, Italy; Life @ 20+ is the blog of Edwin Bumal-o who traces his roots from Bauko, Mt. Province; and Det Onia blogs from Baguio at Thirty Thousand Fishes.

► Can a well meaning organization do bad things despite it’s good intentions? Absolutely! You might want to check out Sir Martin’s blog about Gawad Kalinga and its well-meaning but ultimately harmful project among Aetas in Central Luzon. It’s a sobering story for those who seek to help other people.

6 thoughts on “Boondock Links”

  1. Piso!!! That’s not even half the price Sagada car owners charge gardeners for every kilo of their cargo. It really is a crime- this neglect. A person’s blood can’t help but boil upon hearing the stories of our brother-farmers’ woes. Sure, the gardeners may be a disorganized lot but don’t blame them. Help them! And with the numerous bilateral agreements gma’s government has been entering into, we won’t be feeling any relief in the immediate future. Such agreements usually allow the uncontrolled entry of foreign vegetable products into our country. It’s the highlanders who greatly suffer from this because the trade-off usually involves foreign vegetables for lowland fruits such as bananas, mangoes or pineapples.

    This song by john cougar, which I liked listening to in my teens, amply describes the farmers’ sentiments. (Embedding has been disabled.:-)) Good for the farmers over there. Their concerns have been addressed- the billions of subsidies offered by their governments make tilling the land lucrative.

  2. Hi Anonymous (9:14),
    Yes, that piso is quite a shame. No wonder some farmers would sometimes not harvest their produce.

    I didn’t notice the trade-off that you pointed out (lowland fruits vs. highland vegetables) so thanks for pointing it out. And these fruits are actually being produced by multinational companies. So,in another angle, it’s the farmers being sacrificed for big corporations.

    Thanks for that john cougar link. Haven’t watched it yet but will 🙂

    Hi Anonymous (7:37)
    Greetings to you too! And you’re welcome. We hope you continue to join us in the future 🙂

  3. Definitely will join in, this is my favorite morning coffee! Just returned from visiting Cordilleras. So I’m happy I stumbled across here.

    Interestingly, a few days after reading your archived post that introduced me to Eduardo Masferre, I saw an old news clip about his exhibit at a San Francisco gallery. From maybe a decade or so ago.

  4. Hi a non-737,
    I was wondering how you got your name until I noticed that it was the time of your original post. I thought you were referring to an airplane 🙂

    Masferre is really famous, no? Ang galing kasi photos niya so it’s not surprising if they are exhibited in galleries worldwide.

    We’re also happy that you stumbled to this blog. Thanks.

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