Monthly Archives: March 2007

Art/Entertainment

Asian Treasures: The Bad Part

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In an earlier post, we pointed out the good things about Asian Treasures, the GMA-7 television show which is currently topping the TV ratings for primetime programs. To recap, we said that the show is good because 1) it does seem to be quite entertaining and 2) it co-stars our kailian Marky Cielo thus giving him more exposure and more opportunity to grow as an actor.

Had Asian Treasures not attempted to include a Cordillera story arc, we would only be singing praises to the people behind this production. Unfortunately, they — probably because Marky is part of the show — decided to include a sub-plot that utilizes the Cordilleras and its peoples. Nothing wrong with that actually. What is wrong is that the producers took all the negative stereotypes they can find about Igorots and decided to use them in this show.

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Art/Entertainment

Asian Treasures: The Good Part

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We like to give credit where credit is due. In this post, we give credit to GMA-7 for opening the doors of show business to Marky Cielo through its Starstruck talent search. It worked out for the station because it found a star. It worked out for us because we now have a visible role model for the Igorot youth and a really good ambassador for the Cordilleras. It’s a win-win situation.

The video above is part of an episode in Asian Treasures (courtesy of Pinoy Rickey), a GMA-7 television show which co-stars Marky Cielo. In this clip, you will see Marky and another actor trying to get away from the bad guys.

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Abra, Activism, Government

There’s a Hero

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If you haven’t noticed already, I am a sucker for inspirational stories. In fact, my movie collection is full of the “battling against all odds but succeeding in the end” variety. The pile includes videos such as Rudy, Rocky 1, Hero, My Cousin Vinny, Seabiscuit, October Sky, the Lord of the Rings despite its violence (photo at right: Sam’s unconquerable spirit gave him strength to carry Frodo to the the top of Mt. Doom), and Gandhi despite its very sad ending. Yeah, yeah, yeah all these videos are kinda maudlin. But give me credit for My Cousin Vinny which is really fun.

Anyways, luckily for us, we don’t have to depend too much on movies to find inspiring tales. The stories of those who made it to our List of Achievers would also make very inspiring movies. Aba, think for instance about the story of our kailian Ruben Guinolbay, a decorated war hero now being incarcerated by a usurper. The cinematic possibilities are endless: Guinolbay carrying his soldiers to safety while the Abu Sayyaf are sniping at them. Guinolbay receiving a medal of valor from the usurper (I’m not really sure if he received it from the usurper but we are talking about movies here). Guinolbay being psychologically abused in prison (Maybe true or maybe not but he is getting thinner). Guinolbay in a trial court shouting something like, “Out of order? This court is out of order!” Hey GMA-7, enough of that undocumented Cordillera tribes crap and make a telemovie about Ruben Guinolbay.

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Government, History, Ifugao

Our Town: Asipulo, Ifugao

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Asipulo, the newest town of Ifugao Province, is home to Kalanguyas, Ayangans, and Tuwalis. The town was carved out of Kiangan municipality sometime in the 1990s. In 2006, Asipulo distinguished itself as one of the country’s best performing municipalities in the implementation of the goverment’s Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) program. Because of this good performance, the town was able to secure more funding support from the national government. [Lesson to government executives: GOOD GOVERNANCE PAYS!]

The town’s elevation ranges from 450 to 1,935 meters above sea level. For those interested in guerrilla stories like me, you might find it interesting that one of the mountains in Asipulo, Mt. Situ, used to be the hideout of World War II guerrillas. The mountain is named after one of the guerrilla camps — Camp 2 or C-2.

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