In case you are wondering how those hanging coffins in Sagada went up those really steep rocks, this video shows us how it is done. If iSagadas are really smart (as they claim themselves to be hehe), they should not just be contented with showing off the hanging coffins to tourists but should now be working for its preservation. Methinks Ifugaos are doing a better job in preserving their cultural heritage and in asking for help from agencies/organizations that could help them in this challenge. For one, they made attempts to have their cultural wealth recognized by agencies such as UNESCO, etc.
The iSagadas? We still have to see them do something. Kuntento lang yata sila to just talk about their tourist attractions which, from where we sit, are slowly deteriorating. We hope the incoming officials of the town will do something about this.
Our good friends Pagano and Gandang Igorota wrote very interesting comments to our earlier posts on bird banding and bird catching so I decided to publish their comments here so that those who do not read the comments section will not miss the wit of our commenters and the information they add to this topic.
Aha. We have another letter dealing with the same subject as our previous post. This second letter was written by a Peace Corps volunteer who was once based in Sagada.
The letter goes into details about the iSagada practice of bird catching or “ikik”. Back to the days when I was based in Sagada, I joined people (mga four or five times lang yata) who were going to Mt. Ampakaw to catch these migratory birds. It is exciting at first but it gets tiring because you have to climb this mountain at night and you have to do it during the cold months of the year. If I’m not mistaken this practice is now officially banned by the local government mainly because of the SARS/bird flu scare a few years back and also for environmental purposes. I’m not sure if the ban is effective.
NOT SO FAST iTABUKS, YOU DON’T HAVE A CITY YET. The bill converting Tabuk into a city lapsed into law last March 30 but the whiny, bratty, clubbish, “kami lang ang may karapatang maging siyudad at sa amin lang ang revenue allotment” League of Cities in the Philippines filed a petition before the Supreme Court questioning the legality of the law. Now the iTabuks will have to wait for the SC decision before they hold a plebiscite to approve or reject Tabuk’s cityhood.
