Yearly Archives: 2018

History

Manila Film Center Deaths: When Art Becomes Catastrophe

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The lead up to the completion of the awaited Manila Film Center was both exciting and scandalous in equal measure. As the first of the time in Asia, many believed it would change the face of Asian culture forever.

While the project was applauded by the general population, the bulk of its planning lay in the hands of the first lady, who endured months of pressure, critique, and scrutiny in the months leading up to the Centre’s construction.

Due to this pressure, the project was aggressively pushed by the First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. Imelda had been working on the first Manila International Film Festival, she had promised a spectacle unmatched by any other festival in the industry. She invited hundreds of high profile international guests, so there was now a demand to meet their expectations.

Marcos marking the beginning of the Manila INternational Film Festival.

In fact, many believed the International Film Festival was an expensive idea, and couldn’t be afforded by struggling population of the time. Some suggest, in the face of the horror that later occurred, that the project was cursed from the start.

At the crux of the Manila Film Festival was the palatial Manila Film Center’s construction. The building was initiated and managed by government in just 170 days. While the Marcos’, who ruled the Philippines at the time, prided themselves on the amount of manpower and funds that would be released to unearth this historical building, skeptics arose all over the Philippines. Nothing about the super swift completion of an 8-story building screamed safe; in fact, the practical carnage that followed as the roof collapsed during construction was possibly to be expected.

But what would this be suggesting about the festival? Is the magnificent film center truly built on the bones of builders forgone? Does the true number of deaths vastly surpass the official figures? Can supernatural occurrences be expected to occur as the rich and glamorous celebrate cinematography in the tomb of lost workers?

This article will attempt to answer some of the questions mentioned above. It is, however, important to note that in the matters of catastrophes and sudden tragic deaths, the truth can often be much more complex than imagined. For this reason, all readers must pay keen attention to the use of the word “alleged”, as relevant rumours are mentioned.

The Manila Film Center: A grand project turned tragedy.

The Manila Film Center, a national building designed by acclaimed architect Froilan Hong, was built to accommodate the expected huge turnout for the first Manila Film Festival. The building had its edifice upheld on over 900 piles, reaching deep into the earth, to the bedrock 120 feet below the surface.

When first lady Imelda Marcos called for the construction of the $25 million building August of 1981, the Philippines did not officially have a film archive. With the help of Betty Benitez, Deputy MHS Minister Jose Conrado Benitez’s wife, Imelda Marcos founded a group to oversee the project and raise the necessary funds. The project was conceptualized by Ramon M. Ignacio, a Senior Technology Officer at the Technology Resource Center.

On November 17th, 1981, during construction, the scaffolding collapsed and over 150 workers fell and were buried alive in quick-drying wet cement. To this day, the official figures (7 dead) are disputed by the general population. The workers present on site claim to have removed over a hundred bodies from the rubble.

Controversy

The most mystifying part of the tragedy remains the administration of the time’s desire to prepare an official statement prior to the rescuers being allowed on site. According to official reports, rescuers were allowed inside the accident site 9 hours after the roof collapse.

Many believe the tragedy was a direct result of the administration’s insistence the project be finished in an unrealistic period of time. Experts in the field (architects and engineers) claim it is against “most industrial building state legislation” to demand the completion of a construction of this scale in such a time frame.

The project, which originally relied on a $5 million subsidy intended for the film festival, saw its funding severed in the aftermath of the tragic deaths. Local and international newspapers widely reported the irresponsibility of the government of the time, blaming the scale of the catastrophe on their ineptitude dealing with the accident appropriately.

Stuck midway through a project none wished to be involved in further, Imelda Marcos was forced to create a contingency plan to generate the funds necessary for the festival. Due to her influence in the presidential palace, she was able to negotiate the passing of a Presidential Decree (P.D. 1986), which required the immediate creation of a board of review for “motion pictures and television”. The MTRCB or “Movie and Television Review and Classification Board” alleviated censorship laws around the festival, allowing Soft Porn movies to be on show throughout the festival. This earned the Manila Film Center project the additional funding it required for its completion, which ultimately occurred in 1982.

Rumors & Myths

A couple years after the notorious accident, a group of psychics, with Tony Perez of Ateneo de Manila University attempted to come in contact with “spirits” that had seen their demise during the construction of the center. Perez and his group claimed they could sense the presence of over 100 spirits, however, failed to come into direct contact with them.

Dr. Froilan Hong, however, the architect in charge of the project, publicly unveiled the plans of the site and claimed he believed that over 150 workers had been buried alive in the concrete, but due to the strict time frame of the construction, their bodies were never retrieved. Regarding the official declaration that only 7 lost their lives on that fateful day, Dr. Hong claims “there is no truth to such stories”.

Since the accident over 3 decades ago, many have claimed to have sensed a “Strange presence” upon their visit to the center. In fact, local Folklore suggests the existence of “haunting spirits” on site, who “seek revenge over their unjust, violent demise.”

While the latter remains difficult to prove, it is clear that the bleak history of the Manila Film Center has made for an eternity of controversy surrounding the Manila Film Festival. It is indeed certain that though the alleged 150 deaths were an undeniable tragedy, the glorious batisse of culture and local history sprouting from lost workers’ bones and sweat, will continue to fascinate the masses for decades to come.

Destination

The Grand Mosque of Cotabato

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Cotabato City is a destination with a rich history dating back to the 15th century when Arab missionaries introduced Islam to the native tribal groups. The faith became a cornerstone in the development of the region. Eventually, this lead to the Sultanate of Maguindanao being established, this rulership covered the province in which Cotabato resides.

During the 17th century, the region stepped into its golden age. During this time, Cotabato City began on its path to becoming a significant destination within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. To this day, the region’s population consists of 80% Muslims. The rest of the population is mostly made up of Christians, specifically Roman Catholics.

The Grand Mosque in modern-day Mindanao

As somewhat of a homage to the regions Islamic roots, the second largest mosque in Southeast Asia known as the Grand Mosque was built in Cotabato. This giant mosque, on Tamontaka Bubong Road, is the largest of its kind in the Philippines. This structure occupies an area of 5,000 square meters and is built on a 5-hectare plot of land. The Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Masjid, also known as the Grand Mosque or Golden Mosque also features gold-plated domes with minarets which are over 40 meters high.

The Sultan of Brunei, to whom the Grand Mosque was named after personally funded the construction of the mosque. The Sultan had an interest in developing the emerging Muslim community in the Southern Philippines. Through the efforts of former Congressman Didagen Dilangalen, the Sultans investment of Php300 million in the region took place.

Interestingly the project, which was completed in 2011 was designed by Christian architect, Felino Palafox. The mosque also houses many guards who hold the Christian faith, this reflects the harmonious relationship between the different faiths of the region hold.

Cotabato is a relatively practical destination for tourists to visit, as the countries, major airlines such as Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have daily flights to the city.

 

History

The North Borneo Dispute – A History of Tension

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Sabah, formerly known as North Borneo, occupying the northern half of the island of Borneo has long been at the centre of bilateral relation between Malaysia and the Philippines. Even though the Philippines claim has lasted since the early 1960s, Sabah is still under the sovereignty of Malaysia today.

The claim has recently resurfaced following the Philippines administration proposal of shifting to a federal system government. In drafting the proposal, one of the members of the executive committee included Sabah to be part of Philippines which activated the North Borneo dispute.

The Philippines allegations of being the landlord of North Borneo is based on the past territorial claims by the Sultans of Sulu. In response to the recent claims by the Philippines, an official from the Malaysian government dismissed the allegations and issued a warning that such statements could affect diplomatic relations between the two states. The official further reiterated that Malaysia does not recognize any claims by any party to Sabah. In order to understand the nature of the claims better, it is essential to look into the history of the dispute. So, let’s look at the origin of contention.

History of The Territorial Claims To Sabah

The origin of the dispute dates back to an agreement signed by the Sultan – who was in control of Sabah then – and the British North Borneo Co. The contract allowed the British company to settle in the eastern half of Sabah for the unforeseeable future as long as they continued paying rent to the Sultanate. Originally, there were two main sultanates in the area; Brunei and Sulu. In 1658, the Sultanate of Sulu was given Sabah in appreciation of the help by his troops to Brunei in suppressing an uprising.

In 1761, the Sultanate of Sulu went into a contract allowing the British East India Company to develop a trading center in Balenkong Island. This was later followed by another agreement in 1878 by the Sultans to lease his territories in Northern Borneo for compensation in form of rent from the British North Borneo Co. As the WW2 ended in 1945, Sabah was passed over to the British government and was made a colony. After 1946, the British passed the annual payment of lease to the Malaysian government, and till today, the payment still continues with respect to the agreement. Sabah later gained independence in 1963 through a referendum with many votes in favour of the move to join the Federation of Malaysia.



However, the Philippines have maintained their claim on the basis that the agreement signed in 1878 constituted a lease and not a sale of land as regarded by Malaysia and the British. Upon transfer of Sabah from the North Borneo Chartered Company to the Crown following the 1946 North Borneo Cession Order, Francis Burton Harrison , the ex US Governor General who held the position of a foreign adviser to the newly constituted Philippines Republic termed the transfer as illegal on the grounds that other interested parties where not included in the agreement. In 1963, Diosdado Macapagal, the then Philippines President declined to acknowledge the Federation of Malaysia as a result of the inclusion of Sabah.

The dispute was followed by the Manila Accord, a negotiation that included the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia signed on 31 July 1963 to settle the Philippines claims to Sabah peacefully. However, the Philippines still insist that their claim and other negotiations, in particular, the Manila accord established and preserved its right to pursue the claim regardless of the establishment of the Federation of Malaysia. The Sulu Sultanate as used Manila Accord several times in a bid to push the Filipino government to proclaim ownership of the northern part of Sabah since the Sultanate still greatly influences the Sulu residents. As a matter of fact, even president Duterte himself promised to pursue the claim during his presidential campaign in 2016 that won him massive political support from the residents.

Return of Tension

The issue of Sabah has resurfaced yet again this time marked by violent standoff featuring the Malaysian troops and followers of the sultan of Sulu in Tanduao village in the district of Lahad Datu. Similar encounters where also witnessed in Simunul village in Semporna. The conflict has raised worries that the violence could spread to other regions of Northern Borneo. Speculations have been raised that the standoff was caused by the parties who are against the Malaysian-brokered peace agreement between the Moro Islamic liberation and the Filipino government due to the timing involved in staging the drama. In a bid to boost their nationalist credentials, some candidates vying for senatorial posts in the Philippines government are using the incident to influence Manila to revive its claims on Sabah. But, following Malaysia’s participation in the peace agreement with the MLF, the Aquino government might not pursue the demands with great enthusiasm.

Impacts of the Claims on Diplomatic Relations

The developments of the dispute are likely to strain bilateral relations between the Philippines and Malaysia, just like in the past. For instance, during the 1960s, the two countries cut their diplomatic ties twice due to this disagreement. This makes the issue a potential international crisis in the sense that if the Malaysian government decides to initiate a crackdown and ignite the unrest from Filipino locals in Sabah, then a domestic crisis could be created in Mindanao if it is seen that the Duterte administration is conceding or weakening its position.

In this post-colonial era, the people’s right to self-determination ought to be made a priority in such land disputes affecting a large percentage of the population. In this case, the residents of Sabah for many years have established themselves under the Malaysian government and changing their citizenship overnight is most likely negatively impact their spirit of patriotism.

On the other hand, the Philippine has the right to defend its claim to Sabah in a peaceful manner that could result in the issue being tabled in the International Court of Justice. If this happens, the relations between these two countries is bound to deteriorate further.

It’s in hope that wisdom and diplomacy will prevail with the Philippines and Malaysia both ending in a peaceful negotiation without going through any fights.

Destination

The purple crabs of Palawan – The Insulamon genus

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This stunning species of tiny, colourful crustacean has only been found in the Philippines, exclusively in the Palawan island group. Previously, only one species within the Insulamon genus was known. A study released in 2012 by Hendrik Freitag of the Senckenberg Museum of Zoology in Dresden, Germany has described four new species in the Insulamon Genus.

The four species discovered in 2012 range between about an inch or 2.5 centimetres to 2 inches or 5.3 centimetres wide and feature a striking purple colour on their shell.

Extensive investigations into the freshwater crabs in the area began back in the late 1980’s. At this time one species within the Insulamon genus was found – the Insulamon Unicorn. This means there’s now a total of five known species within the Insulamon genus found in the Palawan island group.

The biggest of the four new species Is the Insulamon Magnum followed by the Insulamon Palawenese and the Insulamon Johannchristiani. Then the smallest of the species is the Insulamon Porculum.

The Insulamon features and habitat

The species feature a distinct purple shell with red tips on its legs and claws. There are many theories as to why the crabs have developed the vibrant purple colour on its shell.

First, there is the possibility that it serves no purpose at all, it may have just evolved by chance. Another theory is that it serves as a visual signal for the crabs to recognise their own species. It is known that crabs can recognise and react to colour. This does add to the credibility of the shell colour having a signal function.

This theory could help explain colour variations between the Insulamon species. The large males within the species generally appear more reddish as opposed to the immature males and females who appear in a more violet tone.



The Insulamon species seems to be endemic to the Palawan island group. They are mostly found in small, lowland-forest ecosystems. The discovery of this species adds to the Philippines standing as one of 17 countries which are home to most of the earths animal life.

The Insulamon are semi-aquatic, they burrow along the banks of streams, as well as usually being found under boulders and roots. The crabs emerge at nights, entering the water to forage. They feed on dead plants, fruit and small animals.

The Insulamon face many threats to their existence. They are prey to reptiles, birds and other mammals, as well as local populations in remote areas of Palawan collecting them for food. The Insulamon also face threats to their habitat. This is due to deforestation relating to farming, mining and the construction of housing. They also face water pollution due to heavy industry operating on the island.

Culture

Cockfighting in the Philippines: The billion dollar industry and national obsession

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The spectacle of fighting animals has long been a part of human history. From bullfighting all the way down to cockfighting, the fighting has existed across many cultures in some form. In many countries, however, animal fighting, particularly cockfighting has been banned due to its violent and cruel nature. Despite this controversial standing, for many, it’s still seen as a competition just like any other

In the Philippines, cockfighting has climbed to a whole new level. Cockfighting in the Philippines is a booming Billion-Dollar Industry that has not only captured the heart of the entire nation, but also the world at large.

Popularly known as Sabong, cockfighting isn’t just legal in the Philippines (yes, that’s right, cockfighting in the Philippines is totally legal), it’s also a national obsession. The popular cockfighting competition takes place in approximately 2500 dedicated stadiums across the country where an estimated 30 million roosters are killed each year. Much to the dismay of animal rights organizations in the country, who continue to oppose the practice.

But this has not dampened the spirits of the fans. Watching the sport is more or else seen in a similar vein as watching football during the weekend. But who can blame them? Watching things/people fight has a certain gravity to it.

Sabong – A 6000 year old tradition

Sabong is more than just entertainment. The sport is considered as a very important culture to the Philippines people. Cockfighting in the country dates back 6000-years ago, which could have a played a big role in its legalization. In fact, the sport is considered to be the country’s national sport, second to basketball.



Cockfighting is a billion-dollar industry in the Philippines

Sounds too hard to believe, right? Well, beyond the cultural and other traditional aspects, cockfighting has become a lucrative sport. As of now, cockfighting in the Philippines is estimated to be worth billions of dollars. It’s an industry that generates astonishingly massive revenue.

There is a lot of money to be made on bets. In other countries like America and Europe, bets are made on football games, horse races, car races, and even soccer games. In the Philippines, the majority of bets are made on cockfights. The only difference is bets are made by word of mouth and through precise hand signals—there are no betting counters or any tickets sold.

Bets usually range from 10 to 100 dollars for the spectators sitting in the cheap seats and from 1000 to 10000 dollars to the VIP bleachers seated next to the ring. Betting is an integral part of the process, many Filipinos regularly bet on fights hoping to attain an extra income.

Besides the betting, selling gamecocks is a multimillion business. Americans travel all the way to the Philippines to sell their fighting roosters. It’s quite a lucrative business since, according to The United Gamefowl Breeders in the US, a good number of its members raise hundreds of gamecocks where they make around 1000 dollars or up to 2500 dollars for a single rooster.

Clearly, it’s a game that has attracted loads and loads of investors, which has, in turn, contributed to a boost in the country’s economy.

The roosters’ eligibility for participation

To participate in the competition, the cocks must be properly trained by their owners. The training usually involves teaching the rooster proper fighting skills. The owner must also feed the roosters with a strong, healthy diet, especially one that contains vitamins, and supplements. Vaccines and antibiotics are incorporated as part of the roosters’ growth life.

After a fight, the owners often slip cayenne pepper up the roosters’ anuses in a bid to revive them. However, most cock owners are resorting to faster and more effective methods of reviving their birds like steroids and other energy enhancing drugs.

The World Slasher Cup Cockfighting Super Bowl

The World Slasher Cup is the cockfighting Super Bowl, which is basically a 5-7 day series of about 648 cockfighting matches that are held in downtown Quezon City, Manila. Famed as the coliseum where Joe Frazier battled it out with Muhammad Ali, the 20,000-seat arena now hosts thousands of cockfighting fanatics.

The stadium features several screens which broadcast the fight. Inside the ring are two referees with the fighting cocks. As the game continues, thousands of spectators become increasingly immersed in the spectacle.

The fighting roosters are extremely aggressive. Each fighter is brought inside the ring and “touches gloves” with the opponent. They are then taken to the corners of the ring. The first whistle blow by the referee signals the start of the first round. As the spectators cheer on, the roosters jump on each other with their sharp claws, this is soon followed by clouds of feathers flying through the air.

Bringing excitement to the cockpit

To make the fights much faster and more aggressive, the roosters are fitted with sharp 3-inch blades that are generally attached to their left legs. The main purpose of the sharp blades is to strike the opponent and then finish the job with their beaks. The trainers often train their birds to attack with their legs and feet first before making the final, killer blow. Besides making the fights faster and aggressive, the blades are attached to make the matches “more interesting and fun for the trainers/owners and gamblers.”

To make the bird even more aggressive before the fight, the trainers often spit on the cock’s head in order to anger it before going into the fight. During the fight, the more powerful and aggressive bird will forcefully rip away some of its opponent’s features. If the blade doesn’t do extensive damage on the opponent, the opponent will live to fight another round.

Right before the second round, the fighters only get a 15 seconds recovery period. The short recovery time is often given to leave no chance for the injured birds to regain their strength. If one bird is severely injured, it will only take a few blows to kill them during the subsequent round, making the fights even faster and more fun.

When the fight comes to an end, bets are exchanged as the spectators cheer on. Most fights take approximately 15 minutes. The fast-paced matches are accompanied by noise from the spectators, which can be deafening.

The wrap-up

While some consider cockfighting as a “disgusting and outdated practice”, it’s a popular sport and past-time fun activity for the people of the Philippines. Considering cockfighting is a billion-dollar industry, most have hailed it as a great source of revenue for the country. Watching the game can be disturbing for some, it still maintains massive support from a large sector of the population.

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History

The mystery of Pre-Colonial Philippines

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When someone talks about the history of the Philippines, the conversation generally begins with the arrival of the Spanish. Few people recognise the nation even existed, let alone had a system of governance and was even quite prosperous before the coming of the Spanish and other colonizers.

The land had a rich culture with a people who had established themselves in rather unbelievable ways. Pre-colonial Philippines has been quoted by some historians and other rather influential people as being one of the most progressive societies to ever exist to this moment.

A brief look at the history books reveals a land where there was a very rich culture of agriculturalists, innovators and empowerment beyond comparison. So, what was the culture like before the Spanish colonized this land? It is vital to note that the name Philippine is attributed to Dominican Priest and Spanish explorer Ruy Lopez de Villalobos who named the Philippine Islands after Phillip II in 1543. The name was automatically adopted henceforth.

This piece is, however, about the rich culture the country had before colonization. Here are a few points to note, therefore, about pre-colonial Philippines.

Their women were very powerful

A look at the pre-colonial Philippines reveals a society where there was a lot of equality when it comes to gender. Women were just as powerful as men in terms of family hierarchy, societal placement, leadership and even professionalism. The women had a lot of say on how the family unit operated from making key decisions such as the number of kids to have and their spacing. They also solely decided the names of their kids.

In certain instances, women were even thoroughly revered by men because of the power and influence they yielded. It was a common sign to see men walking behind women as a show of respect. As well, just like men, women owned and inherited property, had equal opportunity in almost all professions and craftsmanship and also led their respective territories.



They had good foreign relations especially with the Chinese

Pre-colonial Philippines generally had very good relations with foreigners. They traded with the Arabs, Chinese and even Indians. History reveals that the trading expertise of native Filipinos gave them a name halfway across the world. Their trade was, however, not outstanding with the Chinese. People could consider them trade buddies because of the level of trust between the two.

It is said that the honesty of the Philippines greatly surprised the Chinese and improved their trade relations. So much was the trust that at times the Chinese would leave their goods at the ocean shore and come back for their traded items late on whereupon the Filipinos would surrender the returns without question. This made the Chinese the greatest trade partners of the ancient Philippines.

Their tribes were either highlanders or lowlanders.

The indigenous Filipinos include several tribes that existed way before the coming of the modern Filipinos. These tribes have been traced almost 50,000 years back according to archaeological evidence. It is important to notice that there are 2 major subdivisions for the 134 indigenous Filipino tribes. They were either highlanders or lowlanders. After colonization, the lowlanders were majorly influenced in terms of culture erosion by the colonizers. The highlanders, however, maintained the majority of their culture even during and after colonization. This was majorly influenced by the inaccessibility of the highlands that discouraged the colonizers.

The majority of the indigenous people of northern Philippines are referred to as Igorot while those found within the mainland Mindanao are called the Lumad. The tribes co-existed peacefully and engaged in many activities amongst themselves which strengthened their relations as well as that of foreigners. The tribes and sub-tribes also intermarried and visited each other to ensure they correlated well.

Their differences were more of a strength than a weakness which helped them in improving their general operations and life as a whole. While there were 134 ethnic groups in the Philippines, 135 languages still exist till now and one is known by the majority, if not all of the Philippines population. This common language is Tagalog and is currently used as the national language.

Several professions already existed

The ancient Filipinos were a predominantly an agricultural society with large tracts of land having both animal and crops. This made them self-sufficient in terms of food. Do not, however, be fooled that they were only agriculturalists. They had very many other professions that saw them create a well-rounded society. These professions included mining, seafaring, hunting, weapon making, smithing and even textiles.

This made them produce a lot of items that they could use and trade in. This as well made them one of the richest and most-skilled pre-colonial settlements known to man. Many foreigners came to settle within the Filipinos because of their skill-set and their friendly and honest lifestyle.

Islam was the major religion

Islam is said to be the oldest single religion to ever exist in the pre-colonial Philippines. This is attributed to the trade relations between the ancient Filipinos and Muslim traders from The Persian Gulf and other surrounding areas. This happened in the 14th century and quickly spread to the rest of Philippines with a major concentration of Muslims
in the southern region of Mindanao.

The greatest warriors in terms of fighting against the west and general colonization were the Muslims with most of their clerics such as Rajah Sulayman who was the Muslim Rajah (leader) of Maynila, staging fights that have gone down history as some of the longest resistance against colonizers. Islam is currently a religion practised by 6% of the Philippine population in the modern day, with Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism taking a big chunk of the current Philippine population.

It is evident that the average ancient pre-colonial Filipino was a person with a strong and rich culture, well-endowed intellect with a high level of professionalism and skill. With such large tracts of well-endowed land, an honest society with equality, religion, and diversity that was embraced rather than shunned, one could argue that life must have been better during pre-colonial time than now, but that is just an issue up for debate.

Culture

Mambabatok: Tattoo tradition in the Philippines

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Throughout history, women have relied on various techniques to amplify their beauty. Before the age of lipsticks and eyeliners, there were ancient beauty techniques women would adopt in pursuit of boosting their allure.

In the Philippines, there is a tradition that has been practised by women for many years. This is popularly referred to as “batok” meaning the art of tattooing your body with tribal designs using bamboo stick and thorn.

Batok is believed to have been practised for about one thousand years. Usually, Filipino women who have reached the right age are allowed to get tribal designs to enhance their beauty. But this art of beauty is not just left to women. Men that have proved themselves worthy enough to get the mark of beauty are allowed to participate in the mambabatok tradition.

Hence, you should not be surprised to find that the majority of men with these ancient tattoos are Kalinga warriors or headhunters. Kalinga warriors have marks and traditional designs that represent the battles they fought with their tribe’s enemies.

While batok is used to enhance the beauty of women, men that choose to decorate their bodies with these ancient marks are seen as brave and courageous people in the society. Therefore, a Kalinga warrior who is heavily marked with these ancient tattoos commands a lot of respect and could make his enemies tremble in fear.

The people who put these ancient marks on the bodies of men and women are referred to as mambabatoks. The main challenge facing this ancient practice is that the original mambabatoks have died. That leaves the thousand-year-old practice in danger of being lost forever.

The legendary Mambabatok from Kalinga

The good news is that there is one mambabatok who is still alive and despite her old age, she is still practising this ancient art. Meet the legendary mambabatok from Kalinga, Apo Whang-Od.  For more than seventy years, Apo Whang-Od has been tattooing women and headhunters in the region of Kalinga. This elderly woman was born in 1918 and is considered to be the last mambabatok still living.

Whang-Od has tribal tattoos covering her chest and arms and it is her father who taught her this ancient art of tattooing the body with ink and thorns. While she was still young, Whang-Od used to tattoo her friends, including herself, for practice. However, some tattoos on her body were done by her late father.

After the death of her husband following a logging accident, Apo Whang-Od dedicated her life to practice batok. Almost hitting the centurion mark, the remaining mambabatok of Kalinga is still doing what she does best. Her days start with a morning routine of taking coffee before she goes outside to feed her chickens. Later, you will find her seated outside her home tattooing locals, visitors and even foreigners.

Whang-Od’s ancient marks feature Baybayinand tribal patterns. Her tattoos cover the arms, back and chest and most of them symbolize bravery and nature like ferns, stars, steps, rice bundles, centipedes and python scales.

Receiving a tattoo from Whang-Od

Before she tattoos her guests, Whang-Od’s begins by removing her tattooing tools, which includes a bamboo stick, orange thorn needle, a short stick, and a coconut mixing bowl. Afterwards, she gets soot from her fireplace, which she mixes with water to create ink inside the coconut mixing bowl. She then dips a blade of grass into the ink to create a pattern on your skin.

After drawing the pattern, Apo Whang-Od begins her tattooing session. She dips the orange thorn needle into the ink and follows the pattern she drew before with a blade of grass. This is done by using a short bamboo stick with the orange thorn needle.

She keeps following the same pattern until the whole ink is absorbed from the needle. In case the tattoo design is small, it might take her half an hour to complete. However, if the tattoo design is large, it might take between two and three hours to complete.

It is painful to prick your skin using a thorn so that you can get an ancient tattoo. This is because the thorn is not smooth like a needle, which adds to the amount of pain you will experience. However, the overall benefit of beauty outweighs the pain you will experience when you get a tattoo from mambabatok.

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Culture

First exposure to the infamous Metro Manila traffic

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Traffic.

For residents of Manila, this is a topic discussed as frequently as the weather.

This is because Manila has some of the worst levels of traffic on earth. With the growth of the middle class has also come the growth of the number of cars on the road. Unfortunately, planning and development within the city haven’t seen the same growth.

Manila has gotten to a point where It isn’t uncommon to hear of people renting dorms near their work just to avoid the long commute times. While some celebrities have gone as far as taking helicopters to work to avoid being stuck in traffic for long periods of time.

I vividly remember my first time visiting the city. We were going out one evening as we were meeting friends in Makati. At that point, I didn’t know the city well, so I sat back and let everyone else make the plans.

It wasn’t long before we were in a taxi on the way to Makati. We were all excited about going out to see Manilas nightlife for the first time. We were all in the back of the taxi – loudly talking over each other.

Now the taxi had taken us onto a highway, but I hadn’t been paying attention. Later, I felt like we had been moving really slowly for a while. After checking the time, I realised we had been in the back of the taxi for 2 hours!

It turns out we had left at the same time most of Manilas residents return home from school or work. The peak hour traffic was a nightmare, thankfully I had my friends there to keep me company.

After what seemed like a lifetime, we finally made it to our destination. In the end, the commute was almost 3 hours! Which adds up to quite a large bill for the taxi. But the rest of the evening was very memorable, to say the least…

The following days’ Revelations

Understandably, I woke up late into the following day. At this point, I still knew nothing about Manila. We had travelled around a fair bit the previous evening but because it was nighttime nothing really stood out.

Once I had dragged myself out of bed, I went into the kitchen where everyone had gathered. The plan was to begin our day at Makati as my brother needed to visit an embassy there, we would then go and enjoy more recreational activities after.

We all walked together out onto the main street to find ourselves a taxi. At this point, I was ready for another long day stuck in the back of a car. Which I didn’t really mind as I was still new to Manila, so I would just sit in the back staring out the window at everything.

Now, where we were heading was roughly a few minutes walk away from where we were the previous evening. So I had it set in my mind that we were going to be stuck on the road for a long time.

But, no more than 20 minutes after getting into the taxi, we had arrived! That’s when it hit me – the previous evening we had spent 3 hours on a route which would normally take no more than 20 minutes within normal traffic conditions.

I could not believe it, if I had realised how close it was the previous evening I would have been a lot more frustrated than what I was. So it was probably better to come to the realisation later on.

Moral of the story – If you want to travel around Manila, pick your commute times wisely, or maybe just walk.

Destination

BenCab Museum: A haven of inspiration

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Baguio remains one of my favourite holiday destinations in the Philippines. Its unique climate and scenic mountainous terrains are a welcome change from the daily hustle and bustle I experience in Manila and Cebu.

The unique climate isn’t all Baguio has to offer. A short drive from the city centre lies the private Museum of Benedicto Reyes Cabrera, more commonly known as the BenCab Museum. This is a gallery that showcases the rich culture of the region through its art, food, and its integration with the natural surroundings.

It not only showcases the work of the internationally renowned Filipino artist BenCab. It also showcases the work of other prominent Filipino artists such as Leonard Aguinaldo and Arturo Sanchez Jr.

On the morning of my visit, I took a taxi directly from my hotel to the Museum. I was taken on a short drive through the tight, winding more isolated streets of Baguio.

I was almost tempted to pull the taxi over several times on the way there. On the same street as the Museum, you will find one of the centres of the cities woodworking industry. Their workshops are full of beautiful handmade furniture plus many other smaller sculptures, ornaments, and other household goods.

Arriving at the BenCab Museum

After a short drive down the secluded Asin road, you suddenly come across the BenCab Museum. I was first taken aback by how the modern architecture of the four-story Museum integrates with its surroundings almost seamlessly.

The interior of the building was also just as impressive. The modern design compliments the mix of contemporary art and antique wooden carvings found throughout the Museum. The space inside is well-lit thanks to the large panes of glass used throughout the building

The galleries themselves are full of hard-hitting engaging works. With a mix of contemporary almost surreal paintings and collages, mixed with spiritual, ritualistic artefacts from the region’s indigenous ancestors. Filipino art and crafts have been seamlessly mixed with thought-provoking contemporary works to create an engaging experience for visitors.  It’s hard not to get lost in the Museum.

The architecture of the gallery showcases the contemporary theme of the gallery intertwined with the history, and beauty of the region.



BenCab Museum: Eco-ambassadors

After leaving the gallery you can check-in at the cafe which offers quality food made on the premises. The cafe overlooks the breathtaking exterior of the estate.

The Museum, typically buried in a soft mist is set upon terraces that houses a makeshift farm situated next to a beautiful garden and pond. Towards the rear of the property is an Eco-walk surrounded by a river, weaving its way through the property.

The modern features of the property have been perfectly integrated with the natural landscapes surrounding the property. The terraced gardens also pay homage to the terraced farms found throughout the region.

The BenCab Museum is truly a fascinating place. Mr BenCab has achieved his goal of spreading the appreciation of the countries art scene by bringing the arts to the people. His establishment also offers a renewed appreciation of our natural surroundings.

BenCab Museum Details

As mentioned, I had taken a taxi to the Museum. The driver had suggested that he waits for me outside the Museum, but I mistakenly refused. I underestimated how difficult it would be to get a taxi back to my hotel as the Museum is in quite a remote area. I had also gone during a busy time so there was already a long line of people waiting for a taxi.

In the end, I managed to get a ride on the jeepney which follows Asin road. Jeepneys passing by the Museum are fairly irregular so if you are on a tight schedule I recommend you pay special attention to your transport from the premises.

The Museum is open Tuesday – Sunday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (last entry is at 5:30 pm). BenCab Museum is closed on Christmas & New Year’s Day.

The standard entry fee is P100, students and senior citizens pay P80 if a valid I.D. is presented. The Museum is able to offer special rates for group bookings made ahead of time. You can reach the Museum via a jeepney, the Baguio terminal is found near the Baguio market A taxi ride is also a low-cost means to get here due to its close proximity to the city centre. It may be worth arranging a pickup time with the driver, as it may be hard to find another taxi when you leave.

For more information, you may call (+63 74) 442.7165, email bencabartfoundation@gmail.com, or visit bencabmuseum.org.

Food

Coconuts: The Philippines most versatile resource?

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It’s unusual to say this but until a few months ago, I had never eaten a coconut before.

Actually, more specifically, I had never eaten a fresh coconut before.

During my time in Australia, I had enjoyed the old dried out, or “mature” coconuts exported from countries like the Philippines. I quickly found out it is nowhere near the same as a coconut fresh from the tree.

Unsurprisingly coconuts are one of the Philippines biggest exports. You can literally find them everywhere, the first time I had one was from a man selling them on a beach in Palawan. It was hard to turn down an offer of two whole coconuts for just P50.

Once I tried it, I was hooked. It was hard to believe that something that tasty was found on palms all across the country.

It became clear to me that the coconut is deeply ingrained in the Philippines culture. Many go as far as referring to it as the “tree of life”. It has satisfied the daily needs of countless Filipinos. It’s often used as a source of food, oil, dyes as well as being used to construct homes, furniture and other small household items.

Harvesting the versatile coconut

When travelling the country I noticed that a lot of the coconut palms have little wedges cut out all the way up their trunks. This aids in helping those harvesting coconuts once they are ready.

Within what seems like seconds a person can climb to the canopy of a palm with a bolo knife (large traditional knife in the Philippines) They will then cut down the fruit of the palm which is ready for consumption.

Many medium scales farms are found across the country. These are run by some of the poorest members of the Philippine society, who will hire local – usually underpaid – labour to assist in their production efforts.

Farming coconuts is not an easy life. Despite the consistent annual growth, farmers still battle to get by.

In 2013 the country was struck by the devastating typhoon Yolanda. About 44 million palms were wiped out or damaged during the typhoon. This would impact the livelihoods of over 1 millions farmers, some who had a debt owing on their farm which they still needed to find a means to pay.

Out of the devastation came many lessons for farmers. Many have now moved onto tapping into alternative sources of income. Many farmers now grow smaller short-term cash crops like corn and other vegetables to better utilise the land around the coconut palms.



International coconut addiction: The Philippines fight to meet demand

At one point in time, the international coconut market was dominated by South American countries like Brazil. The global dominant source has now shifted to Asia. 90% of the world’s coconuts are now sourced from Asia, with many countries reliant on those exports as a vital source of income.

Vanuatu’s national income is highly reliant on the coconut industry with 50% of it coming from the export of coconuts. Whereas the Philippines export of mostly desiccated coconut products makes up 1.5% of its national income. This is still a significant figure considering the Philippines exports more than $1 billion worth of coconuts to the United States alone.

Another point to consider is demand for coconut products has only been going up. In the last decade, international demand has grown a staggering 500%. This is due to the boom in coconut based products such as soaps, health products and coconut water.

The Philippines has been looking to the international community for help as it is struggling to keep up with the massive demand. They have been searching for methods to both streamline production as well as curtail some of the demand. This demand for efficiency will have a flow-on effect in providing an example for other countries in the region to follow.

Cocofest: Celebrating the Philippines tree of life

The coconut has really earnt its reputation as being a  miracle plant.

The water and oil have a myriad of different benefits for your health. As well as the plant itself being a great source of building supplies. This is why the people of San Pablo City begun celebrating Cocofest each year. This is a show of appreciation for the crop that sustains so many peoples lives within the Philippines.

The Philippines still remains one of the top producers in the world. With many Filipinos remaining determined to help maintain that position. There is still a lot of research being undertaken to help the Philippines reach its full potential in regards to coconut production.

This will ensure the industry continues to flourish, as well as local communities beginning to see some economic relief as a result of their hard work. This research also helps the Philippines to continually export high-quality coconut products to the international market.