ILOCANDIA RUMBLINGS

I'm not an Igorot, but I've worked with and lived in Igorot communities, especially those ravaged by destructive corporate projects and businesses. I’m not an Igorot, but I fell in love with one, who is fierce in struggle as she is gentle to her love ones. I’m not an Igorot, but I appreciate and respect them, their culture, the landscape, and the struggles by which these noble group of people identify themselves. I’m not an Igorot, but I wish someday to wear their colorful attire which I’ve seen them wear in different occasions, events and situations - in weddings, tribal occasions, the Panagbenga, while speaking before the UN and of course, in the parliament of the street. Since the photos of G-string clad protesters from the Cordillera, beating their gongs and marching the streets of the National Capital Region hugged the headlines this month, there have been widespread criticism about the use of the traditional Igorot attire during militant actions. People, including ...

As the year comes to a close, the people of Ilocos take pride that they braved and overcame the odds and challenges thrown by US-Benigno C. Aquino regime, and the fledgling presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. The period is characterized by three significant campaigns – the demand for Aquino’s accountability as his regime ends, the battle against traditional politics during the election, and the consolidation of people’s demands to challenge the new administration under Rodrigo Duterte. The militant mass movement and the people of Ilocos persisted in their struggles for genuine economic and social transformation amidst the intensified implementation of Oplan Bayanihan. They launched wide-spread education and information campaign on burning social issues. They trooped the streets, engaged the public, and questioned the authorities to spread their desire and platform for genuine democracy social justice, progressive culture and industrialization. Makabayan chapters and allies in the regio...