Ay... Ay... Salidummay...

The monument is majestically placed at the Igorot Freedom Park which is more known as Igorot Garden. It depicts the five major tribes of the Cordilerans - Kankanaey, Ibaloi, I-Bontok, Kalinga and Apayao - in their traditional customs and in their valiant fight for their land.

At day...


... and at night

(Photo from http://ticzticz.blogspot.com/2009/09/igorot-garden-baguio-city-at-night.html)

the monument is a site to behold.


And now... some of the locals wanted to have their mark in this imposing edifice. Little by little, they are repainting the base of the monument using mixture of:

1. Areca/Betel nut
2. Betel leaf (ikmo or buyo)
3. Lime powder (apog)
4. SALIVA!

You heard it right guys! Here's how the on-going repainting work looks like.

Anyone who enjoys betel nut chewing are free to join in this repainting project. Just bring your own concoction. You may also participate in the chess tournaments in the park while doing this endeavor.
On a more serious note...
May we request the park managers or the city officials to do something about this? How about a signages of "Maiparit ti Agtupra Ditoy" or "Itugot Yo Pagtupraan Yo"?

I don't want to deprive others in enjoying their "nganga" while relaxing in the park. However, our kailians should be responsible where they spit. I saw some using bottle of mineral water to contain their spittle and maybe others should emulate them for a start. It is yukky but much more hygienic than spitting all around the monument.

Ala ngarud! Ken dakayo ay kakailian ay men memmema, no mabalin, adi tako koma aramiden ay pagtubbaan nan monumento ay naisaad ay mangipaila esnan kina-taraki tako. Awet to kanan nan tapin di ipugao ay maid ubpay pangisakit takos nan kina-Igorot tako.

Chances are, when one talks of Philippine coffee, he meant Kapeng Barako (Coffea liberica) also known as Batangas coffee. The popular Batangas coffee though are now cultivated mostly in the neighboring province of Cavite.

Unknown to many, there is another Philippine coffee cultivated in the Cordillera. Benguet coffee is a variety of one of the most widely cultivated coffee in the world, the Coffea arabica. (C. arabica is known to have richer in flavor than the other popular Coffea robusta.) Introduced in the locality more than a century ago, coffee production in the mountains had remained a backyard activity. The introduction of Starbuck and other popular cafes' in the country have changed the scenario though. Nowadays, there are renewed efforts to revive the coffee industry of the Cordillera.
Benguet coffee is now available in Baguio market. I already bought some together with Kapeng Barako so I can start educating my tongue about the different coffee tastes.

Ano sa iyo? Kapeng Barako o Benguet coffee?




Coffee Breaks...
...We have a coffee tree in the front yard of our previous house in Mankayan. I remember the sweet taste of the fresh fruit as we peel them in our mouth (nah! There are mechanical ways to peel coffee beans now). But we were not allowed to drink coffee then, my mom used to say it will make us dull.

...The first time I tasted Benguet coffee was during my father's wake. More than two decades after my last taste of fresh coffee beans! At first, I thought that the free flowing brewed coffee in the house was Kapeng Barako. It's good that I was informed before I had the chance to ask who brought the Batangas coffee.

These are made from trash folks! Take a closer look...


My stepmom made those pouches while taking care of my late dad. The red and green ones are from the wrappers of instant coffee, the silver is from the foil of a popular milk brand while the multi-colored is from assorted plastic wrappers.

It looks like environmental awareness is catching fire in the Cordillera. Students I met in Mankayan (Benguet) shared that they were required to submit school projects out of household trash. And, recently at the Malcolm Square (People's Park) in Baguio City, an exhibit was held showcasing various materials from used plastics, papers and other waste products. (See exhibit photos below. Gosh! I was not able to take a good shot - lots of curious people, got two packs with me and I am rushing to catch a ride back to Manila.)

From the women's group of barangay Upper Irisan ...

The bags were made of used plastic straw commonly used when drinking bottled soda. The woman in the booth informed us that soft drink companies are burning the used straw (what???) accumulated from emptied bottles they collected.


Products of North Sanitary Camp (obvious naman, di ba?)

The beautiful flower decors and gas lamps are from soda plastic bottles. (I don't think the gas lamp is a safe one... unless you are living in a fireproof house.)



From other groups... (My apologies guys. I pictured your groups' banner but your names were unreadable. I mean, my shots were either too far or blurred making your names unreadable.)

Coconut shells made classy!




... And assorted plastics! (Oopss! Excluding the chairs.)