By Julius R. Paner
One
year, eleven months, eleven days – that’s how long it has taken me to write
about you and the indigenous peoples in general. During this period I have been
contemplating about a precise comeback to express something about the
Tagabawas, the tribe that has become very special to me as a cultural worker
and ecotourism advocate. Yes, my engagement with Tagabawa community over the
years is decorated with success and challenges. It enriches my appreciation of
your existence. It underscored series of narratives. It was a roller-coaster of emotions.
I still can recall the very first engagement I had with the Tagabawa was when we erected a cultural village project
in Tibolo 19 years ago. It was sort of a baptism of fire for me, having to deal
with tribal elders and the community in a place I knew very little about. At a young age I
immersed myself to convince all of them that the project would be a fitting mechanism
to help them improve their place and boost their cultural well-being. At first
I found it very interesting to work with them, but as denser necessities arose,
I realized it was a tall order.
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The iconic facade of Bagobo Long House after its renovation this year. The tribal leadership of Tibolo decided to convert it into a School of Living Tradition Center and Bagobo-Tagabawa Museum. |
The
first 5 years of the project gave me different experiences, some are
praising while others are traumatic. Tibolo – how can I forget you when in fact
you gave me the very first facial bruises when one stranger harassed us in the
middle of the night while we were sleeping. It definitely takes forever to
forget. But of course, what didn’t kill me made me stronger. With that I
learned to put positive perspective in everything, even in death-defying
moments of my life.
Then
came opportunities from the national government to establish more structures in
the village to complement to the growing demand of culture-based tourism.
Instantly the project captured the attention of regional leaders. We made our
presence felt. When the Department of Tourism XI scouted for perfect locations
to showcase tribal living museum attractions, Tibolo became a hit. Right now,
after 19 long years, a lot has happened. This cultural village project has
established an identity as one of the most successful community-based tourism
sites in the region and even in Mindanao. The effort to integrate heritage
safeguarding into the mainstream of tourism development is exhibited in the
project right now.
The
success, however, would not have been savored without downfalls along the way.
In the middle of all the ups, I witnessed how the community overcame
despairs. Datu Ruben Ayoc, the father of this initiative, passed away in 2015
just few years after his wife Bai Alicia Ubad died. The ever supportive
barangay captain Delfin Lanzo also perished in later years, losing another very
important piece to the equation. But instead of giving up, Datu Ernido, son of
Datu Ruben and now the tribal chieftain of Tibolo whom I considered a very close friend, took care
of business. A young and dynamic leader emerged, paving way for more milestones
during his watch. Under his leadership, he produced more IP scholars who are
now professionals, established an empowered IP women association handling
tourism-related enterprise, created network to access road and water system projects
for the barangay, institutionalized the School of Living Tradition and launched
the Bagobo-Tagabawa Museum. Datu Ernido made sure that Tibolo would become a
benchmark of cultural preservation and prompted other tribal leaders in
Mindanao to emulate the kind of success he employed. I pray other leaders from
the IP community learn how Datu Ernido worked hard for the welfare of his
constituents.
While
putting together all these pieces about the place I considered second home, I
realized that there is no shortcut to success. Tibolo might have given me
professional struggles but to some extent this place also gave me priceless
possession. The way the Tagabawas accorded me utmost respect is extra special.
The moment they consider me part of the significant family gatherings is more
than just monetary remuneration, even precious than mid-year and year-end
bonuses in the workplace. The fact that they welcome me in their ancestral
domain just like member of their clan is huge. And all these I consider
products of the effort I exerted back when I was a young and lowly employee of the
local government.
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| Araw ng Tibolo celebrations are always exciting for me to take part with |
All of my life I
craved for this kind of reception. I am glad Tibolo gave it to me. I am glad
Manama offered to me this little piece of creation. And I am glad I knew you.
If knowing you is the consolation of those facial bruises I succumbed, then
thank you God for that incident.
