From November 19 to 20, the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) organized a congress for elders in Dalican (or Dallic), Bontoc, Mountain Province in the northern part of the Cordillera region. The congress aimed to establish an elders organization called MAITUD, which stands for Movement for the Advancement of Inter-Tribal Unity and Development.

I was part of the Baguio delegation, together with David, another Belgian who works with human rights group DINTEG; including Sam and Makoy from CPA and other members of Baguio-based organisations. To arrive on time, we took the early bus on the 18th. The road going to Bontoc is a beautiful and spectacular sight for someone born in a country without mountains. While ignoring the often suspicious sounds the bus was making, I gazed at the marvelous landscape, till we arrived in Bontoc, 7 hours later.
Lunch was served in the local office of CPA. The meat was delicious, and even when I discovered afterwards it had been dog meat, I did not change my mind. Anyway, just another culinary experience, and there was more to come that weekend! A tricycle took us to the starting point of our hiking trajectory to Dalican. A two-hour walk, they told us. Piece of cake, I thought, but after 15 minutes, I was already out of breath. At the start of the trek, the hills were extremely steep and you really had to look where to put your feet. One of our local companions climbed the path just like he was walking in the park. When I was catching my breath, he was lighting another cigarette. It was then that I realized I had to start working on my physical stamina.

After almost three hours, we finally reached Dalican, which lay amidst the rice fields. As we entered, the villagers were playing volleyball. We just sat and watched. Many children responded enthusiastically to our arrival. They were especially fascinated by our digital cameras and were dying to get their pictures taken to see themselves on the little LCD screen afterwards. The balloons I brought were popular as well, although few of them survived longer than five minutes.

No activity was planned that evening, so that gave me plenty of time to reflect on how different every day life must be in a village like Dalican, compared to that of an average Belgian like me. For the special occasion of the MAITUD congress, the villagers had butchered a carabao, something that is seldom done, except for important affairs, I was told. This was also something I had never tried before, and I must admit, that it took a while before I got used to the taste of it. The night was very cold, but still very welcome. Wearing socks, a T-shirt, two sweaters and a jacket, I slept like a baby.

Speeches in the rain
The opening congress of MAITUD started in the morning of November 9. The goal of this new organization is to bring together the elders of the different tribes in the region to avoid future tribal conflicts. Here, it was explained to me that a lack of unity among tribes only benefits the schemes of the government and transnational companies, because it causes the tribes to be devoid a united and strong stand in their fight for their rights as indigenous peoples. Through the MAITUD, the CPA works with Cordillera elders to restore the progressive influence of the elders and help lead the tribes to understand and prevent environmental and socio-economical problems that could arise from irresponsible government policies and the exploitation of their ancestral land by foreign large-scale mining corporations.

At the end of the opening ceremony, where a bottle of rice wine was passed around by the elders (David and I also got to taste it – we liked it a lot!), the remains of the day were filled with speeches, song and dance. The village was also honored by the presence of Congressman Satur Ocampo of the Bayan Muna (Nation First) partylist, who gave an overview of the current political situation of the Philippines.

Thanks to the translations by our companions, David and I we were able to understand the general content of the Iloco speeches. In between speeches, we played with the kids, took a lot of pictures, and sought shelter from the rain. For lunch and dinner, there was carabao and rice again. Too bad the weather did not cooperate for the community night that was planned, turning the program area into a puddle of mud.

Singing and dancing
The next morning, we washed ourselves with fresh water coming from the mountains. I have never brushed my teeth in front of such a beautiful view! (back home, I usually look in the mirror…). During the day, the formalities of the establishment of MAITUD continued: the official founding declaration was signed and the elected officers of the brand new executive committee took their oath.

After dinner – pork this time – it was time for the solidarity night. I knew already what to expect: song and dance! There was not even time nor room for embarrassment or hesitation, because before we even realized it, David and I were already playing the gongs and dancing in the middle of the square. Although I lack any sense of rhythm and have quite a dislike for dancing, it turned out to be great fun, especially because the audience responded very well to our performance. After that, the elders invited us to sit down and have a drink with them. The Ginebra San Miguel was strong, but very good.

My very little artistic qualities were really put to the test. Later that evening, we were expected to sing. I sang a Belgian children’s song, while David accompanied me on his pocket trumpet. After that, we performed a song individually and gave solidarity speeches, which were translated into Iloco by the barangay captain, Benjamin Lapaan.

The rest of the evening was filled with dance and gong-playing. The youth of the village nicely used the main themes of the weekend for a short theatrical performance. I was happy the night was not as freezing as the ones before, since my cold was not getting any better.

The sun shone brightly when we left in the morning of November 21. Going down to Bontoc was much faster than going up. David went on his way to Bauko, another town in Bontoc, while Sam, April and I took the bus to Baguio.

On the last hours of the trip, the sunset made the landscape even more breathtaking. I spent the time thinking of the unforgettable moments I had in Dalican. Joris Smeets

Joris Smeets is in the Cordillera, Philippines on a solidarity campaign through the Belgium-based Philippine Solidarity Group (Steunfonds Filippijnen Overpelt). His internship with the CPA statrted on the 4th quarter of 2005 and ends on April 2006, after the 22nd Cordillera Day celebrations.