Kabenguetan Rules!


Benguet is Number One. Well, that’s according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in its ranking of the country’s provinces using the Human Development Index (HDI). Instead of focusing on income alone, HDI also measures other development indicators such as life expectancy, school enrolment, and literacy. In 2005, Benguet emerged as the top-ranked province with a score of 0.738. Other provinces in the top ten are: Batanes, Rizal, Cavite, Nueva Vizcaya, Pampanga, Bataan, Bulacan, and Ilocos Norte.

Meanwhile, Ifugao improved its performance and is recognized among the “top gainers”. It also graduates from the bottom ten provinces — it was ranked 72nd among 77 provinces in the 2000 HDI. More here.

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Yohoo! Amerikanos Eating Kalinga Rice.


Kalinga farmers are preparing a third shipment of Unoy rice to the United States after demand for said rice variety increased. American consumers are said to prefer hand pounded rice because of its nutritional content; research has reportedly shown that hand pounding preserves the iron content of the rice. The bad news is that the growing demand for Unoy rice might encourage people to resort to a slash and burn farming system to expand their planting areas. Full report here.

Maybe we should continue with this “reverse cultural invasion” by sending dog meat to the Americans. It’s supposedly good for the skin, according to Koreans anyway. More here.

GMA’s Minitrue: "My Father Built the Halsema Highway!"

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in this year’s State of the Nation Address: “My father built the Halsema Highway from Baguio to Bontoc, and the Bagabag airport in Nueva Vizcaya to access the Ifugao rice terraces, which by the way, the UNESCO has recently praised for the way we have carried out our heritage preservation policy….” (Emphasis supplied.)

Continue reading GMA’s Minitrue: "My Father Built the Halsema Highway!"