Corruption is the enemy of development, and of good governance. It must be got rid of. Both the government and the people at large must come together to achieve this national objective. ~ Pratibha Patil
Emerging culture of BSU-OU and my hometown's collectivist culture
When I was young, school was not really interesting to me and to make it worse teachers was not pleasing either. I don't care about how they look but how they treat their students. They are scary, that it made me tremble every time I go to school in the morning. One wrong move and the long stick they have beside their table will reach you in a second. One wrong answer and you have to prepare your legs from standing until one classmate can answer the question. They are nightmares at night and alarm clock in the morning. You can’t sleep unless you did your homework and memorize your lessons. You wake-up early in the morning so you won’t be late in school or else you'll end up watering the plants and cleaning outside the classroom. Personal hygiene is also a must, one long dirty nail means stretching your hand on your desk for one slap from the stick. Greeting is important; it’s part of your grade at the end of the year. You should greet them whenever you see them outside, school days or not. During those days, there’s always a gap between the students and teachers. The teachers are the high and mighty lion and students should always be the humble mouse. Maybe that’s the reason I don’t have chat with my teachers in friendly manner, I was trained that teachers are not approachable to students. You can only go near them when you are called. You cannot just get in the classroom unless the teacher told you so. But as the years go by, things in school change as well as teachers. After 15 years, I decided to go back to school again and was really surprised with the culture I saw in the Open University of Benguet State University. You can’t identity who’s the teacher and who’s the student anymore. They talk and laugh like they friends. I found out that students and teachers even exchange numbers and emails, became Facebook friends. And students are welcome to go to the office anytime of the day; any day of the week except Sunday for consultation, you can always have coffee too. I was not use to this and can’t even talk. Probably, because I was out of school for a long time. But what is an Open University? It is a university that accepts students without formal qualification that allows them to study at the convenient of their home, at work or on the move and in their own time. Three practices in BSU-OU I found interesting, the teachers are approachable and friendly – they are most of the time happy to respond to their students queries online or offline and very understanding, the school is dynamic – adapts new trend of communication such as the Social Networking Sites to reach their students anywhere in the world and the third one is open ~ the school emulate its being an Open University which means that everybody’s welcome. The school responds according to the changing need of the students and not the other way around. This does not mean that students can do whatever they want, it means that the school is giving the student a chance to advance their learning and empower themselves.
Having a friendly and lenient teacher relaxes the atmosphere in and outside of the classroom. A teacher-friend combines the guidance of a teacher and an understanding from a friend. Being in a graduate school is not easy for both young and old as well as for those working; we have much homework to do and deadline to meet and to have a lenient teacher is really helpful. Why? That’s because they are easygoing and they take things lightly, they give us ample time for homework. But of course, this does not mean that we can do anything in the class, we regard our teachers with high respect. Learning via Social Networking Sites and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is such a great innovation that is really accommodating to many students especially for those who can’t find time or having a hard time going to school and for those working abroad who wanted to continue their studies. At BSU-OU, learning is just one click away. As long as you have an Adobe Reader in your Smartphone, tablet or iPad, during your free time like for example lunchtime, commuting to work or going back home, just turn on the mobile phone and read the soft copy of your book or what we call now as eBook. How? Just ask any staff at the office for a soft copy of your books then save it to your Smartphone. For any questions or clarification just visit your Facebook page or email then drop your messages to the concerned teacher. And for those who feel tired to commute to school, can’t leave home for some reasons, working and living abroad; they can always join the class discussion through Skype. Finally, the university is open to everybody. Whether you are farmer, driver, housewife, an office worker, a manager, a teacher, a politician; you are welcome. If you can’t visit the office during office hours; they open until 7pm and also on Saturdays. And if you can’t go to the office, you can always reach them online via telephone. So interaction and communication lax and informal, which I guess we truly need after a long week’s work. Does all Open University practice the same culture? That I don’t know but I reckon that each Open University has different unique culture, culture that caters to the needs of their students and probably to their teachers too. But BSU-Open University compared to a regular graduate school, I believe has a lot of differences beside the fact that students have to attend classes every Saturday and has to take 18 to 24 units of undergraduate subjects if the student’s baccalaureate degree isn't in line the discipline he or she wanted to study. Similar culture or not, doesn't matter. What matter is that it doesn't ruin the institution’s reputation and degrade both the students and staffs. If an institution or organization has their own culture, that doesn’t exclude our hometown. Each province has its own distinct culture. Filipinos identify each other’s ethnicity through their hometown.
The Philippines is known to have a diverse culture. It is not surprising to know that each province has different culture, what is acceptable in someone’s province may not be acceptable in another province. Apart from having a diverse culture, Philippines is also considered as collectivist. Anyway what’s the difference between individualist and collectivist? In the individualist culture, the goals of individuals are valued highly. Social behavior is dictated by attitude and preferences of the individual. Individualistic are regarded as good if they are strong, self-reliant, assertive, and independent. They do things for their personal goals, they are competitive. It’s more likely to be I, me and my. It’s like saying that, “This is what I want, I don’t care what others would think. I don’t care if someone is hurt.” Countries such as United States, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, and Australia belong to the individualist culture. Collectivists on the other hand, consider the need of the group more important. Relationship with other member of the group is essential. The person’s identity depends on which group he is from. I think the saying, “Tell me your friends and I’ll tell who you are”, is somewhat related to collectivist. People in the collectivist culture are considered good if they generous, helpful, dependable, and attentive to the needs of others. In this culture, personal pronouns we, our and us are mostly used. Asian countries such as Philippines, Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan are considered collectivist. MT. Province is one of the many places in the Philippines. For adventurers, Mt. Province is regarded as one of the most interesting place to explore. It is in this province you have a clear view of the mountains; smell the fresh scent of the pine trees and be fascinated the awesome rice terraces handmade by the locals since time immemorial. The tranquility relaxes your mind and spirit from the hustle and bustle of the city. Mt. Province has 10 municipalities and 144 barangays.
Agriculture and weaving is most common livelihood but these days locals especially young people who opt to stay in the province are becoming tour guides. That is because of Mt. Province has now becoming popular tourist attraction to many tourists around the country and even around the world. The major language is Kankana-ey but each municipality can be identified through their diction and intonation. My ancestors originated from Mt. Province particularly from the municipality of Sagada and Bauko. Even if I grew up in the city, I consider these two as my hometown. For those who are tired of the city life, Mt. Province especially in Sagada is a good place to unwind but for those aren't use to the outskirts life they would always complain it’s boring. Livelihood is mostly agriculture, planting rice and vegetables, growing coffee and bugnay trees. Bauko is known for producing bugnay wine. Everyday life is just like other municipalities in Mt. Province, people go to work either in the office, stores and rice fields while the young in school.
Over the years, cultures in Mt. Province have greatly changed. I guess that is to adopt in the changing needs of people and environment. These days you rarely see young people around. Most of them are in Bontoc, the capital of Mt. Province or in Baguio City and La Trinidad working or seeking for a better life or career. Most young graduates or professional only travel back home during holidays or when there’s a special occasion like wedding or festival. In a family decision-making isn't easy, both husband and wife has to consult each other before doing something. And sometimes they have to consult it to their parents. When a husband and wife face problems in their relationship, they can’t just say goodbye on each other. They always have to think of their children. Often the elders mostly close relatives gather to their house and talk to them. They give them advises on how to work their relationship out and always remind them to think of their children. They would always tell the husband and wife, “What will the people say?” There’s always the word kababain (embarrassing)’. Among the children, they can’t just do what they wanted or else they end up being punished by their parents or scolded by the elders in the neighborhood. In this community neighbors consider each other as family. So when the children did something wrong we can always scold them. In the community, the spirit of bayanihan is still active. Whenever a relative or neighbor build or renovate his house, the men of the house are there to help so as during the planting and harvest season. In Bauko, during harvest season, there is what we call lumdang or
Thanksgiving Day. On that day each neighbor give their share of one big can of any beans and they cook it in what we call ato or dap-ay then everybody will come with their cooked rice and eat together. This event usually falls every September. In the early time, common foods eaten during special occasion are pinikpikan (roasted chicken of the Cordilleras) and boiled meat from native chicken and pig but these days there are added new recipes on the plate such as the adobo, pansit and dinuguan. Etag (salted smoked meat) or others call mountain ham is always present in pinikpikan and for some add it to vegetables. Festivals have been popular as well such as the Lang-ay Festival of Bontoc, Begnas di Bauko of Bauko, Ubaya Festival of Besao, Etag Festival of Sagada, Sas-alliwa Festival of Natonin, Ayyoweng di Lambak ed Tadian of Tadian, Gagayam Festival of Sabangan, Different festivals yet the same activities and objective. The purpose of these festivals is to improve each town’s economy by promoting tourism, showcase the cultures and traditions and solidify the camaraderie of the people, towns and sister cities. During the events, all the Igorots both young and old from different walks of life in their tapis (woman’s traditional clothing) and g-string (man’s traditional clothing) join the grand parade and perform cultural dances. They also showcase their agricultural products through trade fair. Pigs and chickens are butchered during this event, usually offered for prayers to Kabunian (God). It is also in these festivals where the elders teach and remind the young the value and importance of culture and traditions.
In the days when someone passed away; family, relative and neighbors gather together to give comfort and extend their condolences. Help is given voluntarily through cash or kind. The men volunteer to cook and prepare the resting place of departed. Before the departed is buried the family gathers and tells their parting words. For a person who passed away young, the wake is only for one day while the old takes 3 days. In Bauko, three days after the burial, the family butchers a native chicken. After 7 days, 3 months and 1 year they butcher a pig. Each time close relatives and elder neighbors attend. During those times, the elders gather the people then they do the baya where they tell the good and bad things the departed had done when he was still alive. Then
they give advice especially to the younger ones. In Tadian, elders are only allowed to speak or give advice in any occasion if one of his married children did not binmey. Let me share the wake of a young cousin who passed away recently. Before his remains was brought to his parents-in-laws’ house there was an argument on where the wake should take place. Since he and his wife don’t have any house yet, this cousin’s family said it should be in their house. But because he’s married, his wife’s family insisted it should be in their house. And then his wife pleaded to the family to allow him in her parents’ house for the last time. With a heavy heart, his family conceded. When the elders of both families heard about this, they all agreed that his remains should be brought to his parents-in-law’s because wedding was celebrated there. Since he died young, his wake took only for 1 day and 1 night. He was then brought to his resting place the following day. One day after the burial, there’s what they call in Sagada as senga wherein they will butcher pigs again. Then abuloy ( cash given as help) was counted only by the single ladies and gentlemen while the elders sat around and witnessed the counting. After counting, the money was placed on the lab-ba ~ like a wide basin weaved from a bamboo stick or rattan. It is usually used in drying beans or removing dirt from the rice. Then an elder butchered a native chicken and uttered a
prayer. Second day after burial, the family had to butcher pigs again which is called the sabusab. In the 3rd day, which is called papa all the internal organs, head and legs of the pig and inasinan (salted meat) was cooked and eaten by those who came on that day. Then on their way home, fresh meat was distributed to them. And before his older brother and sister go back home, a daw-es will be performed by butchering native chicken to cleanse bad spirits and bad luck because they were the one who first saw the dead body, identified and retrieve it from the camp. The elders also required married siblings who were binmey to butcher pig or native chicken and offer prayer to the departed brother. It should be done not long after the burial. Then the sibling who did this should not eat the meat of that pig. It is forbidden.
Courtship and wedding has changed too, but still part of the culture that the couple has to introduce each other on their family and announce their plan to their parents. Then both parents meet then talk about the details of the wedding. Wedding ceremony has the influenced of the western culture where it is usually solemnized by a priest or minister in the church or in the residence of the bride or groom. The bride usually wears a wedding gown while the groom wears a suit or barong. But designs on their clothes still have the Cordillera touch.
Relatives, neighbors and friends join the newlywed in their celebration and hand in their supon - money given as gift to the newlywed. As part of the celebration, the men start to play the gongs (gangsa) and women will dance. This celebration is called binmey. But in Sagada, they are only allowed to play gongs if they butchered more than 4 pigs. Less than 4 butchered during the wedding celebration is called kenta, a simple celebration. And they are not allowed to play any gongs. Next day after the wedding is called buka which mean visitors will have to leave and go back to their towns. On the 3rd day which they also call papa, relatives and neighbors gather together on the venue of the wedding was and celebrate again by eating together. Foods usually eaten on this day are cooked internals of the pig and inasinan (salted meat). There is what they call, pedpedwa wherein either the parents of the groom or the bride where the venue of wedding celebration took place will have another celebration 3 days after. The parents who will do it should also binmey. There’s what they call daw-wat ~ another celebration at the groom’s residence in case the wedding was celebrated in the bride’s residence. In this day those who were not able to attend the wedding can join and give their supon. In any case a relative lost someone in the family, they aren't allowed to go or to give supon in the wedding celebration and daw-wat for there’s a belief that they will bring bad luck to the newlyweds. So after getting married the next step is getting pregnant and giving birth in what we call the circle of life. Seven days after the baby is born or in any time the umbilical cord falls down, the grandparents or elder relative come to their house and perform the gubbao – this is a short ritual where they butcher a native chicken and give the baby his/her Igorot name. Name given is usually the names of their grandparents or ancestor. According to the elders, they give Igorot names so that their ancestors name
will never be forgotten and their memories will live down to their descendants. As you notice, almost all activities, ceremonies or celebration performed was not the decision or planned by an individual alone. It was decided and planned by a group such as family or community as one according to what is acceptable in the culture, what is good to many and based on the advises of the elders. To witness these ceremonies and hear stories related to the cultures and traditions of Mt. Province was really fascinating and eye-opening on my part because there are so many cultures I’m not familiar about. I had great time writing about my culture. I learned a lot. ^_^
Meanwhile, let me share one of my favorite traditional dance " The Court Dance" of Bontoc, Mt. Province.
References:
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