Tamed by the Spirits

“Could you please drive me to the ilot? My baby has been crying since last night and I don’t know what to do,” my friend Manang Pia asked me some months back, her eyes drooping, her hair disheveled. Rocking her little boy, she would soothe him whenever he cried.

“Why don’t we go see your pediatrician?” I asked, puzzled that my friend is willing to endure an hour of bumpy drive to Virac, one of Itogon’s barangays, just in the outskirts of Baguio, to see her ilot or massage healer.

“I don’t think this one’s for his doctor. He’s so active maybe he has strained some muscles,” she said with certainty in her voice. I have been to blind reflexologists several times in the past when back pains would keep me wide awake at night. But babies being massaged? Their bodies look so fragile to be kneaded and pressed. Curious and eager to see just how effective ilots are, I agreed to her request.

The four of us, Pia’s two sisters and myself, and our restless little boy, went off to see the ilot, Baket Pitnay. She turned out to be an old woman of about 75, blind and paralyzed, confined to her bed. Manang Pia gave the ilot’s daughter the bread we bought at a bakery along Kias as she ushered us to her mother’s room. The seven-month-old boy’s eyes surveyed Baket Pitnay’s room that smelled of liniment. His eyes grew a little wider as Manang Pia handed him to the old woman, her wrinkled, sagging arms reaching for him.

Manang Pia told Baket Pitnay a few things about her baby: he has been crying the whole night, he was restless, and he would cry for no apparent reason. The old woman said maybe he has indeed twisted an arm or a leg. “That’s the way with small children,” she said softly, nodding her head.

Propped up by pillows behind her, Baket Pitnay sat on her wooden bed and began to massage the little boy’s neck, arms, back, and legs. She worked slowly and gently, her arthritic fingers adroitly pressing the boy’s flesh. She would put down the bottle of liniment beside her, groping for it later when her hands got dry. Her lips would move, forming inaudible words, perhaps praying to some spirit? The little boy would whimper once in a while, but kept silent for the most part of the “session.”

After about 30 minutes, the old woman said the little boy was okay. Manang Pia, now smiling and sharing anecdotes, thanked Baket Pitnay. When we got back to Manang Pia’s house, the boy was quiet but his face looked serene, the creases in his forehead gone, his eyes alert and shining. I was greatly impressed that the massage had proved effective.

I have nothing against ilots (for Tagalogs, hilot), or massage healers. I just can’t remember being brought to an ilot by my parents when I fell ill as a child. What I remember were thermometers, water bags, stethoscope, and BP apparatus inside the cabinet of our parents’ room. My siblings and I were also used to taking generic tablets that were commonly used in our hometown at the time: there’s sulfadiacin for fever, cough or colds, and sulfaguanadin for loose bowel. These were medicines given by the Belgian nuns from the infirmary in Bauko. But my most vivid recollection of illnesses was rather traumatic. Whenever we had lingering cough and colds, Papa would inject us with antibiotic, and we would embrace Mama as the needle hits our buttocks. Sometimes, it would be our mother who injected us as we tightly held on to our father. My parents are not doctors and I have yet to find out how and why they learned to do these things.

As my siblings and I grew older, we learned to be less dependent on medicines or injections. Although my two older sisters are nurses, and another older sister turned up a medical technologist, I ended up being allergic to hospitals and everything associated with illness and medicines. Despite, or perhaps because of their trainings, my sisters advise water therapy, rest, proper diet, and a dose of laughter over medicines whenever any one of us got sick.
Still, science has a rational way of explaining our discomforts and illnesses. Every illness has signs and symptoms; it can be either cured, prevented or managed. A strange experience, however, would teach me a valuable lesson on the mystical and spiritual.

Several months ago, I was awakened by my kidneys at about four in the morning. Just after closing the door of the rest room, I suddenly felt dizzy, my throat turning dry and my mouth tasting bitter at the same time. As I sat down on the couch, I felt like a bucket of ice had been splashed down my spine. An early riser, Aunt Letty came down and saw me looking helpless and weak.

“Are you ill?” she asked, taking my cold, clammy hands, her eyes wide with concern. My hands and feet were beginning to feel numb and I was getting nervous by the minute. Aunt Letty went hurriedly upstairs, in search for something. Unable to find what she was looking for, she went out to the porch, coming back with leeks or kutsay, an herb that smells like garlic when crushed.

“I couldn’t find a dengaw (the root of sweet flag),” she told my cousin who was now massaging my hands and feet. I found out later that dengaw, an aromatic root, is often used in rituals as sumang (antidote) to drive away evil spirits.

Looking grave while holding kutsay leaves, she stood beside me and prayed in Kankana-ey, calling out the spirits of our ancestors, asking them to forgive me if I have offended them in any manner.

“Please spare her from any illness or misfortune. Have pity on her and restore her health,” she murmured, crushing the leeks over my head. She continued to appeal to our ancestors while I silently prayed to God to heal me and spare me from untimely death. For the third time in my life, I could almost feel the hand of death grip me. We were silent for a few minutes and slowly, I began to feel warmer, my breathing steadier.

“Now, you look better. Na-am-amlingan ka samet. I think you have displeased some spirits. Maybe you accidentally stepped on their dwelling or met a bad spirit. Your lips were so white a while ago I got frightened,” Aunt Letty said.

Was it the strong smell of kutsay that brought me back to my senses? Or was it God’s way of letting me experience his power over life and death? Or maybe, just maybe, I have indeed upset spirits around me? I remembered asking some cousins why they have to offer (atang) to the spirits a serving of dishes they cooked during birthdays and other special occasions. Why does an uncle or an aunt suffering from a lingering illness have to butcher a pig and invite the community to partake of the food? Maybe the spirits got tired of my endless “whys.”

In this age of the Internet, palm tops, and other high tech gadgets, massage healers and evil spirits seem a leap back to time. But when one has first hand experience of the mystical and unexplainable, one can’t help but question, even abandon science, at least at that instance when one teeters between life and death. Baket Pitnay, Aunt Letty, mambunongs, mumbakis, alopagans, babaylans, and other traditional healers in different parts of the country bring us closer to our humanity, grounding us to truths about the limits of science and the mysteries of life.

Now, I stand back in quiet reflection when my father, an uncle or male cousin opens a bottle of wine, pours a little of it outside the window, as he offers a short prayer of thanksgiving to the spirits of our ancestors. I silently join them in their prayers, “Come join us in celebrating life.”

Happy Women’s Day!

Congratulations to all the winners of the search for the Ten Outstanding Women of Baguio City who were awarded this morning at the Convention Center.

In celebration of Women’s Month, I’m writing about Igorota Foundation, one of the first organizations in the Cordillera region to advocate for women empowerment. Now on its 20th year, Igorota is silently but passionately working to improve the lives of women in different areas in the region.

Today is extra special for Igorota as one of their staff was chosen as one of Baguio’s Ten Outstanding Women. Corazon Pindog, or Manang Cora, was recognized for her significant contribution in the area of Community Service.

Cora Pindog with Erlin Tagle, Baguio City acting mayor Peter Rey Bautista,
and councilor Galo Weygan.

From left: Ara Santiago (Igorota staff in Atok) , Victoria Makay (one of the nominees for Baguio City's Ten Outstanding Women), Marjorie Balay-as (Igorota Program Manager), Cora Pindog, and Carina Dapliyan (Igorota Finance Officer).

IIgorota staff with Manang Vicky during the parade this morning along Session Road

Here’s more on Igorota.

One of the more recent projects that Igorota spearheaded is the formulation and passage of the Gender Equality and Development (GEAD) Code in Baguio City. Another important project was the delineation and management of ancestral domains in the municipalities of Tinoc and Hungduan in the province of Ifugao.

Igorota’s ongoing project is the formulation of Ancestral Domain Sustainable and Development Protection Plans (ADSDPPs) in Tinoc and Hungduan, Ifugao; Bauko, Mt. Province, and; Atok and Kibungan, Benguet. It is also working closely with the Baguio City Government in implementing the provisions of the recently approved GEAD Code.

Vision: Women’s holistic development for self-sustaining communities.

Mission: To empower women through transformative trainings, education, advocacy, and organizing.

Among its goals are the following:

Provide advocacy and educational tools through Igorota Magazine and other information-education campaign materials.

Contribute to raising awareness and policy formulation on gender and Cordillera issues through the Learning Resource Center.

Develop advocates for gender-responsive communities.

Respond to women and gender issues in the community.

Enable women to assert their reproductive rights.

Enable women to participate in community development through socio-economic activities.

Sustain the sources of women’s life forces.

Enable communities to claim and assert their indigenous rights and responsibilities.

It's four Programs:
Gender and Development: A response to women’s situation and geared towards personal, group and community development through the provision of practical and strategic gender interventions. It aims to enable women to be aware of the socio-cultural and political conditions that affect their roles, choices, images and relationships; and to facilitate responsive actions as a result of their awareness and consciousness.

Ancestral Domain: A response to the issues of unpeace and underdevelopment in the region based on the inability of indigenous peoples to fully exercise their rights over their ancestral domains. This program aims to attain self-sustaining communities through indigenous women’s initiatives for peace and development.

Publication: The Igorota Magazine and other journals serve as a fora for the expression and exchange of ideas and experiences on women and Cordillera issues for the identification of various solutions to problems, and for the development of a collective Cordillera consciousness and identity from the women’s perspective.

Learning Resource Center: Serves as a venue for roundtable discussions on gender, women and Cordillera issues. The LRC also undertakes research and information generation.

Cheers to all Igorota! Cheers to all women!

Fellowships, Anyone?

News University Interactive Learning Fellowship

Here's an interesting fellowship from News University, a site that offers e-learning for journalists. Read more about it here.

This is a yearlong paid fellowship to aid in the creation of interactive learning modules for News University, the e-learning project at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies. The project is funded by the Knight Foundation. News University can be seen at www.newsu.org.

This position starts in late spring or summer 2007. Applications are due by March 15, 2007. A decision will be made shortly thereafter.

Qualifications for this position include

• Either bachelor's degree in Multimedia, Computer-related Design or related four-year degree, with emphasis in journalism and/or education
• Proficiency in Flash, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Photoshop
• Strong scripting skills in ActionScript and HTML; familiarity with JavaScript, XML, PHP and databases desirable
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Willingness to learn and try new things.
• Experience in collecting and editing digital photographs, audio, and video is a plus
• Knowledge of learning theory and principles of online learning is a plus
• Teaching assistant experience is a plus

UST National Writers' Workshop

Here's an announcement I got from Women's Feature Service e-group:

The Center for Creative Writing and Studies of the University of Sto Tomas is accepting manuscripts for the 8th National Writers Workshop to be held on April 29- May 5 in Baguio City. The workshop is open to writers who have not been awarded fellowships to any national writers workshop.

An applicant should submit three printed copies (on short bond paper) and a CD or diskette containing soft copies in MS Word format of his/her manuscript ( at least five poems or two short stories or five nonfiction pieces in English or Filipino). He/she should submit a resume, a 2x2 ID photo, and a certification duly signed by an institution/company senior that the manuscript is authentic.

Fifteen fellowships are available, a percentage of which will be given to the Dominican Network of Schools, Colleges and Universities. Deadline is on March 15. Interested parties may call 4061611 local 8281 (Tuesday to Saturday) or e-mail: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wfsphil/post?postID=soh9WwFqISWMoIApTKVWrvjUxdPg1fnYJ4y4Txso0EIl9wkvlB1tkviiBXUJe5yRnv8bLdcpHbZ-VwHtNg

What Blogging and Networking Can Do

The past several days have been truly exciting for me in terms of getting acquainted with blogging, bloggers, and what new technology can do. In my attempt to know blogs about and by Igorots, I stumbled upon From the Boondocks by Bill Bilig. It’s one great site for researchers on Igorots and Cordillera studies in general. There are topics on Igorot achievers, places to see in the region, contributions of mountaineers in Philippine history, and other interesting themes. He also analyses government reports with depth, providing proper context into these reports.

On February 21, Bill wrote a stirring post about a statue of a Peeing Igorot Man at Barrio Fiesta in Baguio. Wow, was he fuming mad that there’s these statues of an Igorot man urinating against a post with a sign that says “Bawal umihi” and a security guard catching him on the act. Igorots are not savages, he wrote.

And look at what one post can do! Igorot netizens began exchanging emails calling for immediate action on the issue. Last March 1, Splasher emailed me to share the news that the infamous statue is gone. In a matter of EIGTH days, the management of Barrio Fiesta responded to the call for its removal. (Bill wrote a review of events in his blog).

I have always believed that the Net holds numerous opportunities for people to link and collaborate. And for members of minority groups like us who are often inaccurately written about by the mainstream press, cyberspace can be our best avenue for advocacy work. What I just didn’t expect is that I’d witness its immense power in just a matter of days. Simply amazing. Time to Fiesta! (pun intended)

This is how this post should look like - clear of urinating men, whether they be sculptures or living, breathing men.

The scene looks a lot better, right?