When Mang Donald put up a restaurant and named it “Mang Donald’s”, he got sued by Mac Donald’s for trademark violation.
When a coffee company uses the name of our towns and provinces for its coffee products, shouldn’t we also be suing it for taking advantage of our place names? Surely it is not an accident that they are using our place names isn’t it? They are doing it because the names of our towns and provinces (in the pictures above from left: Ifugao Brew, Kalinga Brew, Sagada Brew, Benguet Brew) sound exotic and, in the coffee business, exotic sells. There is also some goodwill attached to our place names (in the same manner that there is some goodwill attached to the MacDonald’s brand) that the company wants to take advantage of.
“Hugo Prill Sr., BIBAK Hawaii president clarifies that BIBAK Hawaii did not perform in 2006. The photo is of a Hawaii-based dance troupe performing and donning something “BIBAK”.
Ay sino na? Dan aped men tatangad? (Who is this? Why is he looking up?) Click here for the answer to the first question. If you guessed correctly, then you might qualify as a fan. Although we people from the boondocks tend to be a bit snooty towards those who have a “fan mentality”, there’s really nothing wrong with being a fan isn’t it 🙂 It’s certainly better than being a warmonger (war criminal?) like George W, or a cheat like Gloria, or a cheat’s lackey like some politicians we know.
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.
Here’s Part 2 of Gerard Finin’s article on the Igorot rally against then Baguio City Mayor Jun Labo because of his anti-Igorot remarks. You can read Part 1 of this article here.
The 1988 Igorot Demonstration by Gerard A. Finin Among the many protesters marching in groups were highlander commissioners and staff of the Cordillera Regional Consultative Commission, a body that had recently been appointed by Pres. Corazon Aquino to draft provisions under the newly ratified Philippine Constitution for granting the Cordillera a special status (along with parts of Mindanao in the southern Philippines) as an autonomous region—contingent upon approval by Cordillera voters in a plebiscite.
