We have introduced you to CCAGG in the previous post. Now here’s a video documentary on Pura Sumangil, the person who started the organization. The video is quite long at ten minutes but it is definitely worth watching. Thanks to Bangued for making a copy of this video.
Category Archives: Government
There’s a Hero
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.
Our Town: Asipulo, Ifugao
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.
The Week. 25 Feb – 03 March 07
ELECTION FEVER. Gabriela Women’s Party names Igorot activist and former Overseas Filipino Worker as its third nominee to Congress. Flora Baniaga-Belinan (photo above) used to work as a domestic helper in Hongkong but is now doing advocacy work in Baguio. Northern Dispatch: “Flora was at the forefront of various major advocacies for the rights and welfare of migrants in Hongkong. She also promoted indigenous peoples’ rights to land, life, and resources, firmly opposing policies and projects in the homefront that particularly cause the destruction of the environment and exploitation of women indigenous peoples and children.” Read more here. Go Gabriela! Go Flora! [Source: Northern Dispatch]
The Peeing Statue: A Post Script
I promised in the previous post to do some assessment on how our collective work resulted in the removal of that peeing statue at the Barrio Fiesta Restaurant. Well, here it is. Feel free to add your points in the comments section. I’m sure I missed out some important things 🙂
1. This is a victory. It is a small victory in the grand scheme of things but it is a victory nonetheless. It is also an easy victory because we are up against a business entity. Businesses, I think, are the most responsive to community feedback because bad publicity can drive away customers. Keeping that peeing statue for whatever purpose is just not worth the trouble for them.