Suddenly It's Magic... in Baguio!

Members

• Patricia Camille Delos Reyes (section G)
• Ruel Marty Katigbak (section G)
• Ralph Benedict Lao (section T)
• Jemuel Nocum (section G)
• Charie Marie Reyes (section G)

Strategy

      After we went down the bus, the first person we thought of who can answer our questions on directions was a guard in SM Baguio, and we found one in less than a minute! We asked him to suggest the places in the list that we should go first, then we ran to our first stop after. 

Note

        The following tasks were arranged from our first to last spot, ending with the additional entry, the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) experience.

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Our Lady of Atonement Church

As we go up and down the one hundred and four steps to and from the Our Lady of Atonement Church, we have seen people sitting on it, asking for alms and some are even selling simple stuff such as candies and sampaguitas. This is a perfect example of what we have discussed regarding classes of society. It can be said that as the scene goes up, the classes of people on it are richer. The poor people are on the stairs towards the top, the Church, where well-off people who probably have money to afford the cars parked in the lot and decent clothes too.

#class

Oldest Establishment in Baguio!

From ‘Dainty’ to ‘Delights’: One of the Oldest Establishments in Session Road

Key Informant/s or Person/s Interviewed: Staff of Session Delights

Sociological Reflections

    After asking around for the oldest establishment, we finally came across a restaurant/café called, “Session Delights.” At first, we were not convinced that it was the oldest establishment because it really looked new and modern inside. This all changed after we talked to the salesperson of the place because we were finally convinced that if it is not the oldest, we are sure that it is ONE of the oldest. According to Ate, before it’s name came about, this establishment was called “Dainty Restaurant.” She did not really elaborate much on the history of the establishment, but she did mention that probably one of the reasons that the name changed was because of the emergence of SM Baguio. She also mentioned that it was not just SM Baguio, but also all the other popular establishments or restaurants that are being brought to Baguio.

The concept of Social Conflict can be seen here because competition in terms of getting customers and profits existed when SM Baguio and all those other food places, especially fast-food restaurants, were established. The business had to do something in order to appeal and bring in more customers so they changed the name into Session Delights. This is one way for them to keep it running, especially since the old restaurant is really one of the notable establishments that people, the rich and the poor alike, go to back in the days, before the other businesses came about.

TRIVIA: Below is the picture of the old menu of Dainty Restaurant and just see how big of a difference are the prices back then! (2)

Source: (1)http://www.baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph/opposite.asp?mode=archives/2009/october/10-4-2009/opposite.txt

(2)http://jackcarino.multiply.com/photos/photo/71/2?&show_interstitial=1&u=%2Fphotos%2Fphoto

Personal reflections

Pushing and squeezing through the crowd of people, our group did have a little trouble trying to locate the oldest establishment in Session Road. Being the commercial center of Baguio, many establishments can be found so it was hard to find which one is the oldest. The road was crowded, so our group was not sure whom we should ask. We were directed to different establishments, such as the supermarket, (because we asked the wrong people), but a kuya waiter in a restaurant (who is really nice to stop what he’s doing inside btw) finally directed us to Session Delights. Thank God for kuya!

#socialconflict #competition

Local and Foreign Tourists

The Hangouts of Baguio

Key Informant/s or Person/s Interviewed: Taxi Driver, Local Family and First Time Tourist

Sociological reflections

     The locations are recognized as the symbolic representation of Baguio in the form of places frequented by people. These places represent the values, ideas of beauty and favorable norms of the locals and affirmed by the liking of tourists. These sites are the reflection of their purpose through the norms of the locals, such as the park being a place of leisure and recreation, the market for the needs of the people and the art and food places for their enjoyment and pleasure.

During our search for people willing to be interviewed, we didn’t easily find willing participants. It was probably because we acted like a deviance in the norm of the locations, which was each person or family only minding their own business and going about their own desires while we were interrupting their personal time. We were not acting as part of their norm so we were sort of frowned upon if and when we approached them.

Personal reflections

We had difficulty looking for people willing to be interviewed. We were most likely viewed as solicitors and a bothers. It took us time before we found a local family willing to be interviewed. We didn’t find tourists willing to be interviewed either; we had cold reception from Filipino tourists and didn’t see much foreign tourists. Until at the end of the night, where it was the last task unfinished, we were tired and frustrated and then we met a Czech tourist who agreed to be interviewed. He was warm and happy and very friendly. He lifted our mood and enjoyed the moment. 

Blog Questions

         In terms of location, local and tourists have the same perception of places of leisure and relaxation. Made famous by both locals and tourists, the tourist spots are scenic locations, beautiful and wonderful for tourists and recreation and comfort for locals. The mode is the difference. The tourists come to watch and enjoy the view and sights of the new destination while the locals bask in the comfortableness of familiarity and rituals of entertainment.

#norms

Baguio Public Cemetery

Rotten Rose in a Bed of Flowers

    To introduce this section of the blog, we made a modified version of the nursery rhyme, “Jack and Jill.”

Jack and Jill went up the hill

And saw the cemetery

Jack ran down but caught by ghosts

And Jill screamed and cried to death

In this section, the group went to Baguio’s Public Cemetery. We listed down names of the people who were buried or cremated (if possible) in the cemetery. Here are the names and ages (in years) they died:

~1900
1901 - 1920
Mateo Cariño     ~ (Died 1908)
1921 - 1930
Jose B. Cardenas      35 Donato Cariño          ~ Florante Razon         ~			Leung Shih Tan     17 Luz Paraguas        ~
1931 - 1940
Leung Cho Chan Ah Chu Robert Villanueva William A. McCann Baby Teal Bernardo Mendoza		53 63 72 13 5 months 4		Tristan Aruisu Baby Antonio Alcarazas Pedro Florendo Calixto Florendo Luis A. Aloot	1 1 day 63 54 63
1941 - 1950
Maria Lim Sy Juan F. Garcia Francisco B Navarrete Julius F. Guariño Chan Wai Sioco Cariño Nicolas Vergara		45 72 48 ~ 46 ~ 66		Calixto R. Domingo Charles M. Teraoka Victor Teraoka Sixto Teraoka Catalina Teraoka Georgiana M. Remollo	31 41 20 18 9 40
1951 - 1960
Robert L. Nassr Juan Pugal Khristine B. Lapira John Joseph Murphy Francisco B. Jalon		4 days 65 0 73 74		Hrs. Falideh M. Haddao Mary Nacnac Enicio R. Caccan Jesus S. Crisologo Leoncia Rodeo Geringer		19 31 56 29 64
1961 - 1970
Pedro D. Ursais Sr. Alberto P. Rialubin Ambrocio Daxwan Alejandro Cardonez Dominador Flavier		85 59 36 70 62		Emiliana Digay Rosa Bautista Bernabela Luna-Aguirre Jesus. M. Bacuitis Jr. Eduardo M. Delos Santos Jr.		60 69 83 66
1971 - 1980
Atty. Rosalio Bobila Severina Loraro de Rilloraza Rosa Domingo Lozaro Josefina Rilloraza Mercedes Reyes Edna Tiongson		59 80 68 58 73 48		Norberta Reyes Juan Daep Germana Cardenas Ceferino Cardenas Luis Bacuitis	34 74 71 20 53
1981 - 1990
Pedro Domingo Lozano Niño J. Alamo Francisco D. Pugul Julian C. Reyes Feliciano F. Aguirre Edilberto C. Lagomay Rufino A. Gonzalo Cesario L. Alcaraz	87 6 30 85 102 79 51 41			Ursula C. Domingo Virgilio I. Domingo Rhyan Von Saloy Serna Adelaida Salcedo Florencio Abenes Eduardo Delos Santos Clara Delos Santos	77 45 7 67 83 84 81
1991 - 2010
Alfredo R. Lapitan Julita C. Lapitan Paulito G. Navarrete Consolacion P. Tabera Rosendo P. Tavera Sr. Bernardino I. Tuvera Gastron Lorenzo T. Orbita Guillerma C. Ursais Purita G. Navarrete Ambrosio F. Rilloraza Reynaldo L. Sahoy Jimmy Gallardo	75 75 70 87 58 35 1 92 88 16 71 40			Wilfredo Sahoy Jovito Gallardo Norma Abenes Jovito Gallardo Hugito A. Aduca Constantino Ramos Jose Nicolas Ilagan Colasita Ilagan Arthur Delos Santos Aileen Delos Satnos Robert Tiongson Dolores Viloria	54 37 58 0 41 70 55 87 79 60 53 47

From the table, here is the total tomb count of each of the decades we’ve listed:

~1900 0

1901-1920 1

1921-1930 5

1931-1940 11

1941-1950 13

1951-1960 10

1961-1970 10

1971-1980 11

1981-1990 15

1991-2010 24

Total: 100

There were no tombs found of people who died before 1900. It’s because Baguio City was just established when the Americans ruled the country after 1900. Before that, it was just a village of indigenous people and the Spaniards didn’t occupy the area.

Based from our observations and records, the highest mortality we’ve found came from 1991-2010. It’s because of the population growth in the area unlike before, there were only few residents living in Baguio including the foreigners. And now, there are a lot of people living in the city so there are also higher mortalities.

Aside from those years, other decades include 1941-1950 because of the World War II where many people – Filipinos, Americans and Japanese were killed. The Japanese occupied the city and the Americans fought the Japanese there to gain Baguio again. Because of the war, Japanese tombs are present and there’s a place in the cemetery where there are a lot of tombs of Japanese.

There were also a lot of deaths from 1981 to 1990. It’s because of the huge earthquake that devastated Baguio City in 1990. Buildings collapsed and many people were buried from those buildings. Most of Baguio was perished because of the earthquake.

The fortuitous events such as the war and the earthquake led to an increase in the mortality rate in Baguio. And also due to the city’s urbanization, the population growth affected the city and thus led to a growth also in the number of deaths. The burying of people in cemeteries is a norm of Baguio. It is actually a part of the global culture although cremation is becoming popular as well. #statistics #norms #culture

As for the names of the people… in the early 1900’s, the names of the people are Filipino-Spanish and Chinese. This is because people who were living in Baguio before comprise of Filipinos and Chinese. And then in the mid 1900’s, English names become present in the tombs as a result of American occupancy in the city considering it as the “Summer Capital of the Philippines.” In the 1940’s, Japanese surnames were present with some of their first names either Filipino or English. This would be the result of marriages of Filipinos or Americans and the Japanese who will bear children of mixed race.  After that, the tombstones were written with Filipino-Spanish names. But there are other names present such as Islamic/Arabic names. Based from our observation, the different names of the residents in Baguio represent the racial diversity of the city and its mixed heritage. 

#culture #race

Tam-awan Village

Sketching Baguio

Key Informant/s or Person/s Interviewed: Artists, of Igorot and other nearby origin

Sociological reflections

         Baguio art is symbolic of its culture. It is rooted in how their people perceive and live in their own world.  Through their mediums, its natural and home-grown, it reflects the importance they give to their heritage, environment and making beauty with what they have. The subjects of their paintings focus on nature and their people, signifying their love for their own culture. But still they allow themselves to take part of the different concepts, ideas and ways of other cultures, such as graffiti work on walls and mountains, acrylic and oil paintings on canvases, caricatures and depictions of people and places; their culture allows them to be free but is deep rooted in their own that they do not abandon it.

But like with the cultures around the world being swallowed by globalization, the culture has degraded. Some of the locals don’t really remember the intricacies and rituals of the culture especially the Igorots that live in the cities. This made it hard for us to get more vivid details about their beliefs and traditions. It’s a problem faced by more cultures because of the invading western culture and being mainstream. It was sad for us to see these rich cultures deteriorating.

Personal reflections

        We had a wonderful time because of the artists. They were funny, energetic and very welcoming. By the time we got there, several teams had already gone by, so when we started asking the questions, we didn’t get to ask because they already memorized the questions and answered us with rehearsed facts. We had a few laughs and learned about Baguio art and their culture.

Blog Questions

         From our time with the artists, we learned a lot about Baguio art and its significance. Their art in contrast with other arts such European, differ in different aspects. Such as medium, in which local artists use solar drawing, coffee painting and charcoal lining as their mode of capturing art while other kind of art use oil, paint and pencil. Also in the subject, local artists paint when they hit are by inspiration and/or awed by the image or landscape before them. They don’t let themselves be commissioned to paint if they do not feel the idea.

     The local art scene is at a level where it is stable and doing well. Sadly, it is not supported by the government or any other organizations. But it thrives on the support of the local people and the tourists that frequent their galleries.

     Needless to say, this Baguio art is still a Philippine art. There is no need to call it local “Baguio” art but it is part of the culture of the entire country, just as there are many dialects to our language. In the words of the artist we discussed with “basta gawa ng isang Pilipino ay parte ng buo ng Pinas”.

#culture #symbolism

Bulol

Does Anyone Know?

People Interviewed: The artists in the Tam-Awan Village

Sociological Experience 

          “Bulol” are man-like carvings that are worshiped by Ifugaos to protect their rice plantations. It is hailed as the Rice God. It is believed by the Ifugaos that the spirits of the Gods possesses these carvings. They are believed to be the protectors of the rice harvests and draws good fortune for them.

             Only a selected few knew what it meant. And those who knew it were Igorots in their 50’s. Even our Igorot taxi driver who was in his late 20’s doesn’t even know what this term means. We think that because it isn’t being used that often anymore and the influence of other culture changes the culture of the society these things are lost. In this case, there’s a loss of a culture’s language just like oral traditions that are being passed on through generations that are slowly dying. With this we can also say that it is due to cultural change that is affecting Baguio that traditional ways are being replaced with new ones. Take for example this term ‘Bulol’ that traditionally means Rice God, but they are being replaced by the Tagalog counterpart of the same name.

Personal Experience

We had a hard time looking for the meaning of the term ‘Bulol’. Most people that we asked only knew the Tagalog counterpart of the word, which means someone who cannot properly speak straight. We were close to giving up that we even thought that maybe it was a trick question, but when we went to the Tam-Awan Village, knowing that they were Igorots, we tried our luck by asking them what the term means.  They pointed the carvings surrounding the place. They said that it pertains to the Rice God. We were really thankful to them. They even asked what previous answers we got and they just laughed hearing them.  

#religion

 White House

Cool Wind or Ghostly Wind?

Baguio City is known for its cold weather. Winds blow at the trees… everywhere. But have you ever noticed the wind that was blown to you is whispering? It may not be the natural, cold wind but rather ghosts you hear.

There are plenty of ghost stories in Baguio. Probably because of the people who died in major events such as the war and the earthquake. Old hotels are known to have at least one. So you’re lucky if you’ve stayed in a new one.

Some of the places in Baguio are Casa Vallejo and Diplomat Hotel. One of the famous is the Teacher’s Camp. The place was established for camps for teachers during the summer. It comprises of cottages which the visitors can stay during the camp. Ghost stories are present due to the fact that the Teacher’s Camp was established decades ago. [I think it’s over a hundred years already.]

The haunted place we visited is the White House.

It’s obvious that the White House is old because of its design. It was built on wood and it is of American architecture. We asked the taxi driver on the way to the haunted house. According to him, the story is about an elite family, the first owners of the house, who was murdered there. So the unrest souls of the family haunt the place until now. The house is private property but we were lucky to go to Baguio where the house is open to tourists. It is because the Bamboo Art Exhibit is held in the house which runs until around March 2013.

The belief of ghosts and other supernatural beings is part of the Filipino culture. We have observed that ghost stories are present in places where non-residents or tourists stay. Like the Teacher’s Camp where visitors stay in the cottages for academic purposes. Also the hotels, where tourists obviously stay, have ghost stories. The White House might be an exception but the opening of the Bamboo Art Exhibit in the house attracted tourists.

The haunted places are probably for tourism of the city because there are people who are enticed by ghost stories and their curiosity urges them to take a look at these places. Some people are also going to the places for an experience. And this will of course, boost the tourism of Baguio.

 #culture #tourism

Baguio Public Market 

Market Market!

People Interviewed: The Vendors in the market.

Sociological Reflections      
                   

Most of Baguio’s local products can only be produced exclusively in the area. The Strawberries for example can only be grown there as well as the other vegetables because they will not yield good quality produce or worse they will just wither in most places in the country with warmer climate.   Which makes Baguio’s cold climate very suitable for the cultivation of these products. 

         
           And since they can only be grown in the area, it is understood that the prices of these products are way cheaper there than it is in the farther places like Manila. The reason for this difference is that these products are locally grown there so they won’t have to pay more for transportation fees and labor fees, which increases the costs. Unlike those being brought here in Manila, they would have to pay for gasoline, trucks, laborers, toll fees and other expenses that make the price of these products to cost more when people buy them in the markets. There’s Social Conflict in a sense that the prices in cities like Manila are more expensive than in Baguio. There’s inequality among different societies.

Personal Reflections
 

              We had a hard time with the public market because it is one of the last places we visited, so the streets were starting to get dark and there were tons of people walking in every direction. Added to this are the Jeepneys that use the streets as terminals, which make it more crowded in the area. We started asking the vegetable vendors that are situated on the side of the street for the prices of the vegetables listed. And eventually went inside the market because we cannot find the other products such as the Benguet Coffee, Rice Wine and Strawbery Wine. In one instance we heard one of the vendor say as we passed by, “Mga taga-Ateneo yan”. We think that the other groups may have gone there already and interviewed the same vendors. 

#tourism

Pinikpikan

Slap that Chicken!

Key Informant/s or Person/s Interviewed: Staff of Sagada Lunch

Sociological reflections

           The pinikpikan is a dish in Baguio that is usually eaten by residents and tasted by visitors. The preparation of this dish for us is what we would call a folkway because we are not used to this type of cooking. According to the kuya working in Sagada Lunch, what makes this dish different is that the chicken has to be lightly beaten (or pikpik, which is where it got its name) so the blood would not spill when it gets cut up. The whole chicken, along with its feathers, is cooked because he said that these feathers give the chicken its flavor. Then, after it was cooked, the chicken is cleaned and cut up, and then added into the soup. In the end, he said that it is basically equivalent to a popular Filipino dish, Tinolang Manok.

          

Based on our further research, this dish is not just a flavorful chicken dish. According to GoBaguio!, “its preparation is a ritual performed by Cordillera tribes to determine the appropriate courses of action and their fate. It takes hours of careful work to prepare an authentic Pinikpikan.” There is even a ritual itself in the beating and cutting of the chicken parts because these preparations should be done precisely. After everything is done, the headman or the tribal chief is served with what is considered the best part, the whole center portion which includes the rib and the innards.(1)

Personal reflections:

           Honestly, we had a hard time finding a place where they serve Pinikpikan. We weren’t able to do it at the beginning of the race, so we ended up doing it as our last task. We came across this restaurant in Burnham Park called “Ganza Restaurant,” but unfortunately, they did not serve this native dish. We only saw another Ilocano dish called Pinapaitan (so close!). We got out of Burnham Park and we asked around again where we can find this dish, and the kuya guard said that “Sagada Lunch” should be serving the dish. And what do you know, Kuya was right! :D

Sources:

(1) http://www.gobaguio.com/pinikpikan.html#.URsnhOjYMeW

(2) Pinikpikan Picture: http://wandergirlspeaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/pinikpikan-300x225.jpg

#folkway #culture

Ilocano Curse Word

Key Informant/s or Person/s Interviewed: taxi driver, local artist

Sociological and Personal reflections

       When we read the last part of the race, some of our eyes went wide when we realized that we had to ask a curse word in Ilocano. However, we have to say that we were also pretty excited about the idea! The first person we asked is kuya taxi driver and honestly, it was not that hard because our minds were really focused on finishing the race, so we just bluntly asked what curse word he knows. The Ilocano curse word he told us was “Ukin nam” which means p*tang *na (now that’s awkward to write hahaha). We tried to ask him for other words, but he just laughed and said, “Baka mapakinig na niya ako” while pointing upwards. We looked at where he was pointing and there was a picture of Jesus and we immediately said that it was okay. Here, we can see that his religious belief affected his behavior by not continuing to say the language.

       The second person we asked is the local artist from the Tam-Awan village and like the first one, we just asked bluntly regarding what Ilocano curse word they know. We really were truly looking forward on finishing the race that time. After we asked them, they just laughed. Then, they told us a different phrase, and it was the final curse we sent to our teacher, “Osyang Nana” which tells a very insulting phrase about a certain female body part… (now, that’s more awkward!)

#language #belief

Philippine Military Academy

        The lives of the cadets inside the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) are very much based on routine. As one of the interviewed cadets told us, they basically had the same set of activities everyday, and failure to follow these laid upon activities has a corresponding consequences. They even told us that falling asleep on study time is prohibited! This, and all other sets of rules and regulations they have to follow within the PMA, shows that a strict discipline was enforced upon them, which I consider as a good thing since they are to become protectors of our country after they graduate so they need to train themselves to strictly comply with any rules in their area in general. When we were toured around the rooms of the female cadets, I can honestly say that each room looks like a replica of another. Everything looks the same! The fold of the clothes, the arrangement of books, literally everything! We asked them why things were arranged that way, and they told us that inspections were conducted every night to check if things are in that order and if they’re not, it’s going to be a demerit for them. It also surprised me that no matter how much their lifestyle is different from mine, and probably theirs too before they enter the academy, they were still able to adjust and change to how they are now without much noticable forced movements.  

As mentioned earlier, it was stated how cadets tend to strictly follow their schedules inside the academy. Their schedule, as shared by the cadet who lead our group, are as follows: 

Daily Routine:
5am or earlier: wake-up call
*for the upper class, they wake up earlier for cleaning
5:30 : breakfast/morning mess
7:00-11:30 : 1st-3rd period classes
11:30-12:30 : lunch/noon mess
1:00-2:30 : 4th period class
4 pm : athletic period
5:30 or 6 pm : dinner/evening mess
7:00 : study time
9:30-10:30 : slack time (preparing uniform, extra duties)

I could say that a very big difference of the cadets' lives with that of us Ateneans would be the observance of their code and our rules. In PMA, as a total institution whose goal is to hone almost perfect individuals of this country, the cadets are expected to strictly follow the code and to live by it with all honesty. In the Ateneo, however, we are only encouraged to follow these set of rules as stated in the student handbook that may hone us as responsible citizens of this country. Take note that if for the former they are forced to abide by the code, we Ateneans are not. 

In line with this, it can be drawn how limited their freedom has become after they entered the academy. Charon's reading on Are Humans being Free? discussed that freedom of thought and of action are required to truly say that freedom is present. Although the cadets have the freedom to think whatever they want to, whether or not it goes against their code or not, they cannot fully act upon it as long as they are within the academy. They are dictated, not by society, but by the codes the PMA has withheld throughout the years. An act that would go against these would be as simple as saying goodbye to their cadet life.

A total institution, as discussed, deconstructs a person's way of life as he was used to, then limits him to a set of rules and change him into an entirely different person. The cadets were restricted on doing a lot of other things they could have done whenever they wanted to if only they were outside (putting on make-up for the female cadets, for instance). But because they chose to be in the PMA, which is a perfect total institution, they have to forget the things they were so used to doing outside and abide with all these honor codes and rules to shape to the persons the society, specifically the government, wanted them to become.

I kept telling myself throughout the PMA tour that if I were to enter the academy, I would not have lasted even for a single year. Although it was beyond amazing how they kept things inside the way they are, the outside world is still way different and will always be my comfort zone. It is quite impressive of them to leave everything behind to spend the rest of their lives serving the country, and it is nothing but admirable that they have full commitment and dedication to serve us Filipinos at their fullest.

#freedom #totalinstitution