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SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017
Jimbo Gulle, Editor
Roger Garcia, Issue Editor
LGUs
Local Gov’t Units
mslocalgov@gmail.com
BUGKALOT PRAISES SCHOOLS’ PRESENCE By Ben Moses Ebreo
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WHERE IT STARTED. Mariveles Vice Mayor Lito Rubia, National Historical Commission of the Philippines Deputy
Executive Director Carmina R. Arevalo, Mariveles Mayor AJ Concepcion, and Councilor Angel Sunga (from left) lead the unveiling of the ‘Pinagsimulan ng Death March’ Marker in Mariveles, Bataan. The town was one of the two starting points of the infamous Death March. Butch Gunio
CULTURE BUFFS RAISE NOTES ON PH REGIONAL FOLK SONGS By Honor Blanco Cabie
P
INILI, Ilocos Norte—Some Filipino culture buffs, among them musicians of small town bands, are raising notes for more open or covered auditoriums and stages for the country’s slowly fading out regional folk songs.
They believe these songs can well keep up to the beat and melody as well as message of English songs that have made inroads in the industry. They say, on the sidelines of some weekend musical rehearsals, that these Filipino folk songs can have the same lilting tune and mighty message as, for instance, the American singer-song writer Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” or “If I Had a Hammer” written in 1949 by Pete Seeger and Lee Hayes. Guthrie’s chorus has the lines: “The sun comes shining as I was strolling/ The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling/ The fog was lifting a voice come chanting/ This land was made for you and me.” The song “If I Had a Hammer,” a Civil Rights anthem of the American Civil Rights movement, has the words: “It’s a hammer of justice/ It’s a bell of freedom/ It’s a song about love between my brothers and my sisters/ All
over this land.” Some sources say the Philippines, which has several regions with major regional languages and musical brands, is literally a treasure trove for folk songs that give sheen to the country’s overall culture as a Southeast Asian nation. Sources say people in the regions, particularly the younger generations, should be exposed to this wealth of Filipino folk songs “since it is an essential way to pass down tradition that has been the signature of their ancestors.” There are also those who say singing these folk songs and helping the young ones appreciate the message helps preserve and protect these folk songs which cover a variety of musical styles although the song is commonly used to refer to a narrative song that uses traditional melodies to speak on a topic. Folk songs—the music of a nation, a subculture or a community of people—address social and political issues like work, war, and popular opinion and communicates a message and has a strong meaning about them. In the Philippines, these folk songs are abundant—from as far north as Ilocos Norte and Cagayan to the warrior-type Tausugs in Jolo in the far south—but are hardly known and heard, if at all, by young Filipinos. Ilocanos take pride in their folk song Pamulinawen, among others they have in their chests, a song addressed to, a euphemism, a stone-hearted lady. Part of the lyrics: Pamulinawen/ Pusok indengam man/ Toy umas-asug/ Agrayo d’ta sadiam/Panunotem man/ Ti inka pagintu-
tulngan/ ‘toy agayat/ agrayo d’ta sadiam. / The loose translation in English by an Ilocano musician: pamulinawen/ please hearken to my heart/the one appealing/ has been under your spell/ please think of me/ the one you keep ignoring/the one beseeching/ enamored with your charm. // Bicolanos take pride as well, apart from “Katurog na Nonoy” and “Sarung Banggi,” the song “Babaeng Taga Bikol: Maogmahon sa Kabicolan (2x)/ Madia kamo sa Kabicolan/ Dae nindo malilingawan/ Babaeng taga-Bicol. Which means—again loose translation— it’s nice to be in Bicolandia (2x)/ Come on over to the region/ and don’t you ever forget/ a lady from Bicol. // In the Cordilleras, the Bontocs have a funeral song on Inan Talangey. This is about the life of a dead person and is sung by two or three groups of people during the evening wake, a practice common in northern Philippines. The Kalingas also have their folk songs, like Banao, a lullaby song which relates the story of a baby sitter—perhaps a sibling or a close relative—while the child’s parents are out there in the farm. The song says the baby-sitter lulls the baby to sleep by rocking it in a forward-backward movement of the torso and bending the knee a little, while singing: O-wah, o-wah, o-wah-wi-iyi-i/Nasigab man-tagibi-iyi-i/ Maid suyop no labvi/ Anosan ta’n bvobva-ii-i/ Siya’t kopyan dji bvo-bva-i/ O-way adjo’t ligatmi-i-iyi/ Man-i-goygoy no labvi/ O-wah, o-wah, o-wah-wi--iyi-i.// The loose English translation by someone Turn to D2
PHOENIX FUEL MASTERS GIVE BACK TO YOUNG BASKETBALL PLAYERS
Point guard RJ Jazul shares shooting techniques to young players during the Phoenix Fuel Masters Basketball Camp in Davao City on March 31.
DAVAO CITY—As a young boy, JC Intal’s brothers taught him to play basketball. In grade school, he tried out for basketball camp, and many years later—playing with various teams and overcoming injuries—Intal has made a name for himself as a professional basketball player. With a heart to give back, he and his teammates from the Phoenix Fuel Masters team participated in the Phoenix Fuel Masters Basketball Camp at the Davao City Recreation Center on March 31. “Ang basketball clinic makakatulong talaga sa mga kids, lalo ng yung mga mahilig sa sports,” said Intal. “We’re very blessed na merong ganitong opportunity na dumarating sa
kanila kasi hindi lahat ng lugar nagkakaroon ng ganito, so they should take advantage of the camp.” Proper footwork, ball handling, defense, passing, receiving, and shooting were among the techniques taught to the more than 150 basketball players of ages 10 to 14 years old. The players were selected from the adopted schools of Phoenix Petroleum and selected barangays in Davao City. Local coaches led by Camp Master Eddie Salac facilitated the camp. The Phoenix Fuel Masters guided the young players and gave them tips. On one side, Cyrus Baguio, RJ Jazul, and Matthew Wright taught the boys shooting techniques. Doug Kram-
er and John Wilson guided them through footwork drills. Willy Wilson gave instructions on defense. Joseph Eriobu and Michael Miranda demonstrated passing techniques. The Fuel Masters talked to the boys and encouraged them to learn and practice. More than just learning ball-control skills, the camp also aimed to teach the young players the importance of discipline, exercise, rest, attitude, strategy, and hard work. Phoenix Fuel Masters head coach Ariel Vanguardia reminded the young players to listen. “Yung mga magagaling, like engineers, magaling makinig. Listening is very important kung gusto mong maging magaling na basketball player,” he said.
DUPAX DEL NORTE, Nueva Vizcaya —Native songs and dances were offered as members of the Bugkalot tribe in the upland barangays of this town gathered in unity to celebrate the establishment of a national high school 25 years ago. The Bugkalot National High School, one of the 40 national high schools created by Congress at the time, brought education closer to the tribe. “We owe this school and the education it gave to our government through the assistance of then Rep. Carlos Padilla. With this, many of our children have completed their education,” said barangay captain Pagada Gumiad, the first village chief of New Gumiad. Since the establishment of BNHS, many young Bugkalot tribe members earned their elementary and secondary education and are now employed as seaman, teachers, local officials and other vital positions in various government agencies, Gumiad said. Lando Kilop, 40, the BNHS first head teacher, said their school greatly addressed the absence of literacy among the youth in Barangay New Gumiad and nearby villages. “The rugged road and terrain then have discouraged many of our parents to send their children in schools because it was very far and means of transportation was through hiking only,” he said. Kilop said a day’s hike is required to reach the nearest school in the municipality and parents who only depend on upland agriculture cannot afford to pay for the needed boarding house rent. Epie Gumiad, 35, the first graduate of BNHS and now a social welfare worker advised her fellow Bugkalot members, especially the youth to give importance on their education.
BANAHAW STILL CLOSED TO PILGRIMS, TREKKERS STA. CRUZ, Laguna—Large areas of Mount Banahaw will remain closed to trekkers, mountaineers and pilgrimage, as the mountain has yet to fully recover from environmental degradation, but officials are keeping certain areas open to pilgrimages and other religious activities this Holy Week. Mt. Banahaw straddles the municipalities of Lucban, Tayabas, Sariaya, Candelaria and Dolores in Quezon and parts of the towns of Rizal, Nagcarlan, Liliw, Majayjay and San Pablo City in Laguna. Mt. Banahaw, the tallest mountain in the Calabarzon region and considered a holy, mystical site, has shown signs of improvement after a respite of seven years from ecological disturbances such as pollution and incessant hiking. Its significance in religion and folklore makes it not only a physical, but also a cultural landmark. It is home to Rizalistas and other cults, some of whom believe the mountain as the “New Jerusalem.” To a wider populace, it is a sacred mountain, visited every Holy Week by devotees, some of whom made it a pledge to regularly climb Banahaw. Thus, it is not surprising that places in the mountain have religious names, such as “Kweba ng Dios Ama” (Cave of the God the Father) and “Kalbaryo” (Calvary). At its foot village of Kinabuhayan, all sorts of amulets, magical stones, and healing herbs are peddled, together with souvenir shirts. Salud Pangan, Park superintendent ng Mounts Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape, said this Holy Week pilgrimage to the mountain will be allowed, though confined to designated areas. A curfew will be enforced and pilgrims would have to leave the mountain after 10 p.m. Roy Tomandao