How To Write A Cover Letter
The world today is defined by stiff competition. When applying for a job, you can be sure that there are many lining up for the same opportunity to get employment. Before the interview, your first and most important arsenal is your Curriculum Vitae Cover Letter attached to your résumé.
The world today is defined by stiff competition. When applying for a job, you can be sure that there are many lining up for the same opportunity to get employment. Before the interview, your first and most important arsenal is your Curriculum Vitae Cover Letter attached to your résumé.
As you may already know, a Curriculum Vitae or Résumé is a document which details a person’s education, achievement and skills. It is typically submitted with a Curriculum Vitae Cover Letter, which –unlike the bulleted attachment – is written in letter format.
Ultimately, the Curriculum Vitae Cover Letter is a self-promoting letter highlighting important information about you as a candidate for the position. It should answer one basic question: Are you the best person for the job? Make your answer quick and make it count.
Below are some tips on how to write an easy-to-read but very persuasive Curriculum Vitae Cover Letter.
Know enough about the company you are applying for. Knowledge about the company will reflect how eager you are in getting the job. It also shows that you are a hardworking and resourceful person who knows exactly what he is signing up for. The generic “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir” won’t do you any good. Know the company officer tasked to review your application and use his name.
Keep your letter concise. In order to catch attention, many inexperienced writers try to add a lot of fluff to their Curriculum Vitae Cover Letter. They couldn’t be more wrong. The best CVs are easy to read, direct and short. Employers are after all busy people. With just little time to spare, they wouldn’t have the opportunity – and the patience – to peruse through lengthy prose that say very little in so many words.
Highlight your strengths. Each job has different requirements. If you have the necessary skills to do the work then say so directly. A very “matter-of-fact” tone usually works because it is aggressive without being cocky. Remember too that employers are looking for skills honed by years of experience.
Keep everything you write positive. Positivity is exuded in writing. Employers generally like grounded confidence and a working attitude characterized by determination to achieve results despite challenges.
Brush up on grammar and letter-writing format. A Curriculum Vitae Cover Letter is a formal letter. As such, it follows a rigid format from date to body to signature block. Be sure to read samples online and take note of the right punctuation, spacing, and indentions. If grammar isn’t your best suit, have someone check your letter for errors. Giving this much attention to detail will speak very well of you.
Taking the above advice to heart should give you a pretty good chance of landing the job you want. Good luck!
PARAW REGATTA
(Feature Article 2008)
Come the 15th of February this year, Iloilo City will have its annual Paraw Regatta Competition, a colorful race of beautifully painted Paraws – and more.
Since its inception in 1973, the city has added several other features to occupy the spectators who await the results of the main event.
This lively fiesta by the sea has over the years included a Paraw Layag painting contest, a body painting contest, a model search, a fishing tournament, a photo contest, beach sports, and a slalom competition. Last year, the city literally lit up the sea. With its color, artistry and brilliant display of water fireworks, Paraw Regatta burst with unique local flavor.
Now in its 37th year, the organizers have once again vowed to exceed all expectations.
As tradition would have it, the race will commence in Villa Beach moving through the Strait of Iloilo to the island of Guimaras. By the shore, meanwhile, tourists and locals can eat, drink, and be merry rooting for their favorite beach sport team or watching the city’s loveliest sashay the runway. They can take photos of the intricately painted sails of the Pinta Layag competition. They can curiously take a peek at a fishing contest (certainly not an everyday affair). They can even Samba to Brazilian beat with the dancers of Samba de Regatta. They can watch the sea explode in color. All this will run for one week until the 22nd of the month.
Although the Paraw Regatta is anticipated by the city and its visitors every year, no one awaits it more than those who set out to the quiet of the sea on a Paraw, ferried by the wind, determined to emerge winner. While a lot is known about the promotion of the event, its accomplishment in terms of drawing in tourism and commerce, little is heard about the heart of the competition. The Paraw Regatta holds a lot of history – on the whole a lot of meaning – and it is hoped that what it stands for doesn’t get lost in the fun and festivity.
Why Paraws, one might ask. Well history would have it that a Paraw or a sailboat took the first settlers of the island from Borneo. Before their arrival, Panay was peopled by Ati tribe the chief of which sold parts of the land to 10 Bornean Datus whom the wind brought to Panay. They were in search for a safe and peaceful refuge away from the dictatorship of the Sri Vishayan Empire in Borneo. One of these datus, Paiburong, received the portion which we now call our own. At the time, he called it Irong-Irong. Hence, Iloilo, as well as the rest of Panay, became home to these seafarers until the arrival of the Spanish.
The Paraw, on the other hand, that carried them here is far from disappearing from our way of life. Everyday, Ilonggos in coastal communities brave the temper of the wind and sea to fish as their primary means of livelihood. Iloilo has been marked by the Department of Agriculture (DA) as a key production area for rice and fisheries; the level of mechanization is still quite low which means many fishermen still rely on something like a Paraw to make a living.
Manong Rico
Fediricio Tantiado Jr. has been joining sailing races for 20 years now. One might never find his name in Google or newspapers when all the press releases are out because he does not own the boat. The contest paraw, which on the averages costs 35,000 pesos or more to make, is sponsored by Rogelio Galeza. But Manong Rico is the one who builds it from hardwood and sails it come the competition. When fondly he speaks of his paraws (as though they are good children who have made him very proud), it becomes clear though that in many ways, they are his very own.
The paraw he races for the contest is different from the one he uses for fishing in the coastal waters of Tigbauan, Iloilo. The contest paraw is built especially for Paraw Regatta.
For this year’s race, a six-meter wooden paraw, which is – surprisingly – light enough for him to lift with a hand, rests in his front yard almost ready for battle. Both ends are cut as thinly as possible to have the least possible friction against the water. Manong Rico, like many fishermen and paraw enthusiasts who join every year, has had the physics all figured out. Those who build the paraws do the tedious carpentry themselves – cutting them, scraping off the surface with sander, polishing them and finally painting them. Manong Rico says that for him and the other contestants, who over the years have become his close friends, the contest really starts here.
Manong Rico adds it never is about the money because in the first place building the boats is costly. Most of the time, they lose out or just break even.
To build and maneuver the sailboats that are literally designed for victory really is his life’s passion. When asked how he manages to get ahead of the others and win, he bursts into self-conscious laughter and says, “Depende sa hangin kag deskarte.” (Depends on the wind and strategy)
Last year, entries Joseph 2 and Joseph 1 landed on the first and second place of Category A respectively. In Category B, Cherilyn finished third. This is not by all means the first time. Manong Rico points to Joseph 2 and shyly tells us, “Tap-ingon pa ran tulad, pero pinaka nubo na karan second.” (It's a little dirty now but it consistently lands in the top two spots.)
The competition has repaid all the heart that Manong Rico has poured into each sailboat. His son is now enrolled in a Nautical course at John B. Lacson on a full scholarship, thanks to the Iloilo Paraw Regatta Foundation (IPRF). “Kami ra gabakal mga libro eh kag iban nga kelanlan.”(We just buy the books and other school needs.) John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University (JBLFMU) and IPRF have partnered to make this possible for the children of local seafarers.
It may difficult for the rest of us to really fully appreciate what Paraw Regatta means to enthusiasts like Manong Rico. But for these men, whose beloved mistress is the quiet sea, one thing is for sure: It is not just another tourism event.
GBPC Donates Illustrated
Dictionaries for Underprivileged
Dictionaries for Underprivileged
by Charmaine Posa
Written for the Global Business Power Newsletter
December 14, 2009
Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC) has recently become one of the sponsors of an educational project meant to roll out age-appropriate illustrated dictionaries to 25 resource-strapped elementary schools in Capiz starting June 2009.
Officially launched in November 2008, the program dubbed “the Philippine Dictionaries Project” hopes to enhance literacy among underprivileged children.
Through this project, each beneficiary school will be able to borrow 50 vibrantly colored dictionaries for its students.
Two years ago, an advocate of children’s literacy, Nina Patawaran, undertook a book-loan project with Silliman University, which was so successful it spawned this book loan program for kids. Its pilot project in Negros Oriental was able to serve 28 elementary schools from nine municipalities in SY 2008-2009.
Hard-bound, eye-catching and specifically designed for the young, the rolled out dictionaries not only pique the interest of children but also maximize retention of information. In fact, low performing schools in Negros Oriental registered a 10-15% improvement in their Mean Percentage Scores (MPS) after the implementation of the program.
The published books are guaranteed to last at least five years.
Donors and educators found the design so effective that the project was able to secure yet another grant: the publisher of the dictionaries, Scholastic, vowed to donate 50 dictionaries for every 1,000 dictionaries purchased by the project.
Other corporate sponsors of the project include The SGV Group, Jollibee Foundation, Ayala Foundation USA, Ayala Foundation Inc. and PLDT Smart Foundation.
Yet another special feature of the project is the incorporation of systematic checks and balances which assures that each donation is efficiently distributed and does not go to waste.
Guarantors who will be charged for the costs of replacing and repairing damaged books have been assigned. In Capiz, the guarantors are tentatively Governor Victor A. Tanco and Roxas City Mayor, Vicente B. Bermejo.
Each book donation will likewise be inscribed with the donor’s name and a library catalogue number for tracking. This should put donors’ minds at ease because at any given time, they will be able to trace the whereabouts and condition of their donations.
The organizers likewise emphasize that the project is not a dole-out. Borrowing schools will be asked to pay a rental fee of PHP 500 for every 50 books borrowed a year. This is to partially defray the expenses of assigned local centers --colleges or universities— as they are the ones tasked to safeguard and distribute the Philippine Dictionaries.
The World of Mixed Martial Arts
by Charmaine Posa
Written for Iloilo Premiere Magazine
February 7, 2009
If say a kick boxer and a wushu martial artist locked in terrifyingly cold stares decided one day to step outside and settle their differences, who would you bet on? Welcome to the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
Mixed Martial Arts is not an art of combat; It's a sport. This is a distinction that takes a while to register for one reason: its form has changed combat sports the way we know it. In a Mixed Martial Arts competition, a boxer is allowed to go head to head with a Karate black belter. Fighters are not confined to the techniques and rules of one martial art. It allows athletes to use more of their bodily faculties – arms, legs, shoulders, elbows, torso and so on. There is only one rule: there are no rules.
Well, that is not exactly true anymore. Popularized in the United States in the early 1990s, the sport has been enjoying a lot of attention because of the minimal rules set during each match initially giving it a “fight to the death” sort of appeal. However, solid rules have been in later years put in place to guarantee the safety of the fighters. This is likewise part of the efforts to gain Olympic recognition. Nonetheless, grappling, wrestling, rolling over, pinning and others are common making it a riot to watch.
As of the moment, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the most popular source for all this full contact combat action. Here in the Philippines, the ultimate goal of MMA promoters is to scout and train local talents. Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC), the most prominent professional mixed martial arts event in the Philippines, has given local martial artists a venue to participate drawing in students from universities and fighters from various regions.
Some of this fascination has rubbed off on Region 6. In October 2008, Iloilo City held its first Mixed Martial Arts Competition at the Iloilo Sports Complex covered gym. The name, Unleashed, was more than appropriate. The event has successfully rounded up martial arts enthusiasts in the region and created a venue for them to practice and promote yet another riveting sport. Promoter, Lito Azarraga IV, brought together more than 20 local athletes, some of whom came from Tinagan School of Martial Arts of Iloilo City and Team Tumbatsu and Brawls of Bacolod City. Azarraga himself is a fighter, having been a member of Team Tumbatsu and Brawls.
Vincent Tolosa, a twenty-year old Biology student of the University of San Agustin, had his first MMA victory in Unleashed. He came across MMA in high school and has fallen in love with the sport since then. He shares that the sport is so much more than brute force. “My strength is in grappling but I'm working on developing other skills as well.” He explains that in order to be competitive, being well-versed in one art of combat is not enough. A real winner should be able to handle a fight using a combination of techniques. This is the particular complexity of MMA. “Fighters have different fortes. When we spar and train, we teach and help each other a lot. If you don't make an effort to learn something new, overcome what makes you weak as a fighter, you won't stand a chance.”
One of the more popular Martial Arts School in Iloilo, Tinagan School of Martial Arts, often schedule sparring sessions with Combat Philippines Fighters Alliance, of which Tolosa is a member. While the former is a martial arts school, which has been in existence for the past 20 years producing martial artists the likes of Olympic silver medalist, Mary Jane Estimar; Combat Philippines Fighters Alliance is a nine-member team who focus primarily on MMA. All year round, Tinagan school accepts enrollees for martial arts at Robinson's mall. Combat Philippines Fighters Alliance rents a smaller space in Huervana, Lapaz for their members to practice under the supervision of Emello Galotera.
Both hold sweaty furious trainings nearly every single day especially before a competition. They produce two very different types of fighters: one is schooled to perfectly execute the techniques of one combat art; the other is guided mostly by raw instinct and driven by sheer competitive spirit. Since students from Tinagan do join MMA competitions, both find themselves head to head with each other in competitions such as Unleashed.
Dominic Pancrudo of Tinagan School tells Iloilo Premier how Martial Arts has influenced his life. “I started coming here when I was in second grade learning karate. I managed to get a black belt and moved on to different types of Martial Arts. Now, I can teach most of the courses at the gym. If you ask me what the greatest contribution of Martial Arts to my life is, I'd say it would be self-confidence, self-control and discipline. While it is important to have that confidence that one can handle himself in a fight, it must be tempered with humility. Martial Arts teaches kids that balance. Besides, it would be a lot better if kids hung out at the gym after school instead of getting mixed up with drugs or alcohol.” Vincent Tolosa seconds this. “When preparing for a fight, I control my diet. I don't drink a single drop of beer. And I do a lot of physical exercise to make sure I am in top shape. I myself am surprised at how disciplined and focused I can get.”
It would be cliché to say that Martial Arts and combat sports is the passion of these men. Let's just say then that they love it; It takes them to a whole new level of tough.
Panay Bukidnon
by Charmaine Posa
Written for Iloilo Premiere Magazine
January 18, 2009
All the characters are linked by the events narrated up in the highlands of Tapaz, Capiz and Calinog, Iloilo where city folks may never have the chance to wander in their lifetime, their stories were once recited from memory by a binukot, a kept-maiden. Sheltered like delicate fine china, she is not made to work; this woman rests on her duyan (rattan hammock), full of pride: she was the only one with the privilege to chant. The epic had been passed from generation to generation by oral tradition (now not by binukots by their kins – children and grand children) within a community which has managed to salvage some remnants of a glorious past from the waves of colonization and westernization. What makes this particularly significant is that this is our own.
Understanding the characters and their stories requires as much commitment as fully translating them to the nearest understandable language, Filipino and English without sacrificing its authenticity. This is in every way a huge endeavor needing both time, tedious effort and budget. All the ten volumes of it in the original Kinaray-ah can never be fully translated without studying the context, the history of Central Panay and taking them all to heart. There are also several other forms of oral literature like ambahan (welcome joust), dilot (love song), talda (repartee) and ulawhay (long chanted stories).
Much of what we know about the culture of Panay Bukidnon has been a product of the diligent research of anthropologist and professor emeritus of the University of the Philippines, Dr. Alicia Magos, who has dedicated more than 15 years to documenting their culture. Her discoveries after trekking the mountains for days have been invaluable to local history. Many others have now dissected the oral literature of Panay Bukidnon to draw from it insights about pre-Spanish social-political structure, the role of women, their customs, beliefs and history.
But what is often forgotten amidst academic pursuits is that Panay Bukidnon consist of barangays faced with poverty. The communities survives primarily on Kaingin farming; the younger generations have gone to school in the city slowly forgetting what once was. Dr. Magos shares that one of the utmost needs of the residents of the barangays still living in the highlands from Calinog to Tapaz is alternative livelihood -- one that profits the people and allows them to preserve our pre-Spanish tradition.
With this in mind, Dr. Magos spearheaded the School of Living Tradition or “Balay Turun-an” in 2001 with the support of the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), the UP Center for West Visayan Studies and the Municipality of Calinog. Various art forms are taught to the younger generations of the Panay Bukidnon to keep the tradition alive and at the same time to create some livelihood for its talented people. For instance, a contest for the most beautiful Panubok (embroidery) has been organized for adults and children to pique their interest and encourage them to learn the craft.
The music and dances have been studied by Maria Christine Muyco, music professor of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman and Ilongga, who says these crafts represent the world view of the people in Panay Bukidnon. Some of the common designs that are often found in their costumes are matang-punay (pigeon’s eye), sudli-kama (scales of python), and flowers of putik, a shrub, and labog, a plant with leaves used for souring. They are patterned mostly from plants, trees and animals. Dr. Magos adds with a hint of amusement, “The Panay Bukidnon are hesitant to dance without the appropriate costumes. So costumes had to be made.”
Fine arts graduate of UP Diliman and a former faculty of the University of San Agustin, Liby Limoso, has started to design dolls that would reflect the Panay Bukidnon people, costumes and art involving the residents of Barangay Garangan, Calinog themselves. In 2004, Limoso visited a home of a kinabud (a highland community) and met the families – Tuuhan and Mehuran – who bore the Bukidnon legacy. Limoso believes the costume designs have been made not only intricately but meaningfully. “I heard Mehuran uttering ligbok (archaic) terms for each pattern and design, then I found time to know more about the Tubuk.”
He adds, “Many nowadays put together a mixture of patterns and call it 'native' or 'indigenous.' But this does not give justice to the amount of effort and artistry required for our ancestors to make what was truly native.”
From Panay Bukidnon, Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) awardee Federico Caballero of Barangay Garangan, Calinog works hand in hand with these academics in the hopes that the adventures of the brave and mystical heroes of his childhood never fade from the region's memory.
Author's Note
Once a student of Comparative Literature, I had to sit through countless of lectures about the pre- and post-colonization literature of many nations from Asia to Latin America. Double the number of these lectures is what I had to endure for English Literature – stories about King Arthur and the Holy Grail. Before I would doze off to sleep (in class), I would resentfully think: Why I do I even bother? I am quite certain the Art Studies people wonder the same once in a while.
Now it seems clearer that literature and art will tell us so much more about the world than fast facts. Perhaps in studying Panay Bukidnon art and literature we might find a little of ourselves – the part that believes in the powers of the lana, agony of gaba, and tricks of the tamawo. These stories told at bedtime and on special days centuries ago are the foundations of literature. Patterns on ancient types of clothing are the beginnings of art. For our pre-Spanish culture to exhibit such sophistication should instill in us some pride – if only to show that our civilization was never given to us upon colonization. If anything, it was stripped from us. And it is hoped that this glimpse of every thing we have accomplished in the past will spill over to something greater – that we become the kind of people who understand our roots, love what we make and celebrate our own skin.
PPC Children's Drawing Contest
Closing Remarks for an executive
November 28, 2009
WHEN we say Guimaras, we think of the cliff sides overlooking gorgeous beaches and one of the country’s sweetest varieties of mangoes. What we often forget is the island’s rich history of religious tradition.
Separated by a narrow channel from Iloilo City, Guimaras Island is for many people in Iloilo a place to celebrate the Catholic faith. The island is home to the Trappist Monastery, the Catiliran Cave (venue for religious rituals on Good Friday) and the numerous old churches that welcome devotees in need of a quiet place for reflection. And during Holy Week, hundreds visit the island for the Pagtaltal, a testament to the Guimaras community’s strong and lively faith.
Bal-an Bukid Shrine. Visible all the way from Iloilo City is the Bal-an Bukid (Holy Mountain) Shrine. It is a tall lighted cross with a chapel discovered way back in 1956. Pristine and surrounded by greenery, the shrine’s white chapel alone inspires reflection and peace. During the Lenten Season, both local and foreign visitors flock to the cross for a pilgrimage on the 14 stations of Jesus Crucifixion. This is the usually the first stop for most people who come for the Holy Week.
Tara Yap, photojournalist, shares her experience. “People usually come here in the morning before they see the Pagtaltal. If you want to go, wear good shoes.”
It takes 10 minutes from the Jordan Wharf to get to Lagbas which is then a 15-minute-trek away from the cross. Following the Stations of the Cross means going up a rocky uphill climb, stopping at each station, until one reaches the shrine. “Sometimes I feel that the crowd finds this more of an adventure than a prayer.”
The scenery and the crowd do invite a lot of photography and chatter. On the Holy Mountain one might inevitably find travelers who are there out of curiosity or just to have fun. Still there are those who come every year for the pilgrimage, for the prayer—perhaps the same people who endure the difficult tiring hike every single year. In fact, there was said to be an old woman who would every year climb all the way to the top of the cross as part of her pilgrimage.
“If they still have the energy for it, people usually watch the Pagtaltal.
The “Pagtaltal sa Guimaras” is a reenactment of the Passion of Christ. Basically this is Guimaras’ version of the more popular Sinakulo, a Lenten play, narrating a long sequence of episodes about the life, sufferings and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But unlike other reenactments, the Pagtaltal does not feature real crucifixion nor do the actors experience real flagellation. It is simply a theatrical presentation of the sacrifice of Christ. Held every year in Jordan, organized every year by the same families and having actors from the same family, the most striking feature of the Pagtaltal is the strong consistent community effort behind the play.
Aquilino Secusana—more known as “Quiling” to many—thought of the idea thirty years ago and presented it to Fr. Melecio Rubrico. The community then got organized assigning acting roles and other responsibilities such as setting the stage complete with props and costumes.
Every year since then, the drama is held at the Jordan Municipal Gym for almost an hour and a half and moves to a small man-made hill by the Municipal Hall.
Ang Pagtaltal sa Guimaras is highlighted by a one-kilometer procession of devotees in costumes that were made to resemble clothing during biblical times. The procession ends in the Bala-an Bukid Shrine.
Many people visit the island for to see both the Bal-an Bukid Shrine and the Pagtaltal—true examples of the filipinization of the Catholic faith, a fusion between culture and religion that brought forth something uniquely Filipino and sacred. As much as they show who we are as people, it shows more importantly what strengthens our faith: the sacrifice of Christ.
Panay Bukidnon
by Charmaine Posa
Written for Iloilo Premiere Magazine
January 18, 2009
Here is a story, which one might find strangely amusing, about a man named Labaw Donggon, who was fast asleep in a duyan and his wife, Matan-ayon, who was lying on his chest wide awake. She was consumed by a particular thought and that was her husband taking in another wife, an apid. She wished for him to have another one. Unable to move on from this prospect, she nudged her husband awake. It was a matter of such importance. “You must challenge Sinagnayan to a battle and claim his wife as your own.”
Labaw Donggon, who had just woken up, found this proposition foolish if not altogether mad. The woman whom she hoped to be her husband's new wife was her own dear sister, Pinailog sa Pinggan; Sinagnayan was her brother in law. But women's tears sway the resolve of men in ways inexplicable. Matan-ayon missed her sister dearly – the most pressing reason for her proposal. Labaw Donggon then prepared for his journey, commanding his servants to have the boat ready. It had been a long time since the Hulinday was used to find woman of good stature to match her husband. Matan-ayon prepared the lanahan (magical oil) and dabbed it on her husband's forehead praying fervently that her own courage and power be transferred to him. (Summarized from an excerpt of Dr. Alicia P. Magos' The Suguidanon of Central Panay, Danyag published 1996)
Labaw Donggon, who had just woken up, found this proposition foolish if not altogether mad. The woman whom she hoped to be her husband's new wife was her own dear sister, Pinailog sa Pinggan; Sinagnayan was her brother in law. But women's tears sway the resolve of men in ways inexplicable. Matan-ayon missed her sister dearly – the most pressing reason for her proposal. Labaw Donggon then prepared for his journey, commanding his servants to have the boat ready. It had been a long time since the Hulinday was used to find woman of good stature to match her husband. Matan-ayon prepared the lanahan (magical oil) and dabbed it on her husband's forehead praying fervently that her own courage and power be transferred to him. (Summarized from an excerpt of Dr. Alicia P. Magos' The Suguidanon of Central Panay, Danyag published 1996)
What was next to ensue was a journey at sea for several weeks and many battles for a prize: a woman whom his wife wished him to marry. The story twists and turns to reveal who the characters are, how they are related, what compels them to battle and what values they uphold. This is part of the ten Suguidanon (epic).
All the characters are linked by the events narrated up in the highlands of Tapaz, Capiz and Calinog, Iloilo where city folks may never have the chance to wander in their lifetime, their stories were once recited from memory by a binukot, a kept-maiden. Sheltered like delicate fine china, she is not made to work; this woman rests on her duyan (rattan hammock), full of pride: she was the only one with the privilege to chant. The epic had been passed from generation to generation by oral tradition (now not by binukots by their kins – children and grand children) within a community which has managed to salvage some remnants of a glorious past from the waves of colonization and westernization. What makes this particularly significant is that this is our own.
Understanding the characters and their stories requires as much commitment as fully translating them to the nearest understandable language, Filipino and English without sacrificing its authenticity. This is in every way a huge endeavor needing both time, tedious effort and budget. All the ten volumes of it in the original Kinaray-ah can never be fully translated without studying the context, the history of Central Panay and taking them all to heart. There are also several other forms of oral literature like ambahan (welcome joust), dilot (love song), talda (repartee) and ulawhay (long chanted stories).
Much of what we know about the culture of Panay Bukidnon has been a product of the diligent research of anthropologist and professor emeritus of the University of the Philippines, Dr. Alicia Magos, who has dedicated more than 15 years to documenting their culture. Her discoveries after trekking the mountains for days have been invaluable to local history. Many others have now dissected the oral literature of Panay Bukidnon to draw from it insights about pre-Spanish social-political structure, the role of women, their customs, beliefs and history.
But what is often forgotten amidst academic pursuits is that Panay Bukidnon consist of barangays faced with poverty. The communities survives primarily on Kaingin farming; the younger generations have gone to school in the city slowly forgetting what once was. Dr. Magos shares that one of the utmost needs of the residents of the barangays still living in the highlands from Calinog to Tapaz is alternative livelihood -- one that profits the people and allows them to preserve our pre-Spanish tradition.
With this in mind, Dr. Magos spearheaded the School of Living Tradition or “Balay Turun-an” in 2001 with the support of the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), the UP Center for West Visayan Studies and the Municipality of Calinog. Various art forms are taught to the younger generations of the Panay Bukidnon to keep the tradition alive and at the same time to create some livelihood for its talented people. For instance, a contest for the most beautiful Panubok (embroidery) has been organized for adults and children to pique their interest and encourage them to learn the craft.
The music and dances have been studied by Maria Christine Muyco, music professor of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman and Ilongga, who says these crafts represent the world view of the people in Panay Bukidnon. Some of the common designs that are often found in their costumes are matang-punay (pigeon’s eye), sudli-kama (scales of python), and flowers of putik, a shrub, and labog, a plant with leaves used for souring. They are patterned mostly from plants, trees and animals. Dr. Magos adds with a hint of amusement, “The Panay Bukidnon are hesitant to dance without the appropriate costumes. So costumes had to be made.”
Fine arts graduate of UP Diliman and a former faculty of the University of San Agustin, Liby Limoso, has started to design dolls that would reflect the Panay Bukidnon people, costumes and art involving the residents of Barangay Garangan, Calinog themselves. In 2004, Limoso visited a home of a kinabud (a highland community) and met the families – Tuuhan and Mehuran – who bore the Bukidnon legacy. Limoso believes the costume designs have been made not only intricately but meaningfully. “I heard Mehuran uttering ligbok (archaic) terms for each pattern and design, then I found time to know more about the Tubuk.”
He adds, “Many nowadays put together a mixture of patterns and call it 'native' or 'indigenous.' But this does not give justice to the amount of effort and artistry required for our ancestors to make what was truly native.”
From Panay Bukidnon, Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) awardee Federico Caballero of Barangay Garangan, Calinog works hand in hand with these academics in the hopes that the adventures of the brave and mystical heroes of his childhood never fade from the region's memory.
Author's Note
Once a student of Comparative Literature, I had to sit through countless of lectures about the pre- and post-colonization literature of many nations from Asia to Latin America. Double the number of these lectures is what I had to endure for English Literature – stories about King Arthur and the Holy Grail. Before I would doze off to sleep (in class), I would resentfully think: Why I do I even bother? I am quite certain the Art Studies people wonder the same once in a while.
Now it seems clearer that literature and art will tell us so much more about the world than fast facts. Perhaps in studying Panay Bukidnon art and literature we might find a little of ourselves – the part that believes in the powers of the lana, agony of gaba, and tricks of the tamawo. These stories told at bedtime and on special days centuries ago are the foundations of literature. Patterns on ancient types of clothing are the beginnings of art. For our pre-Spanish culture to exhibit such sophistication should instill in us some pride – if only to show that our civilization was never given to us upon colonization. If anything, it was stripped from us. And it is hoped that this glimpse of every thing we have accomplished in the past will spill over to something greater – that we become the kind of people who understand our roots, love what we make and celebrate our own skin.
PPC Children's Drawing Contest
Closing Remarks for an executive
November 28, 2009
Why hold a Children’s Drawing Contest? Some may ask. Of what value is this to our consumers…to our stakeholders…and of what use is this for the company.
Every year for the past four years, Panay Power Corporation has conducted a Children’s Drawing Contest always centered on the power plant’s role in environmental protection.
You will find these pieces of art, hanging on our office walls -- pictures of the Earth…pictures of Man…pictures of a power plant -- drawn from the imagination of those who are too young to fully understand just how complex the issues of power generation are.
But the heart of the child knows the bottom line.
It sees the perils of our changing climate and the thinning of our forests.
It knows the solution requires a concerted effort from government, private enterprises, civic organizations and all individuals.
It knows that in the face of environmental crises, all of us stand to lose.
It knows that no solution is possible if Ilonggos and Filipinos do not take this matter to heart.
So for all the participants of the PPC Children’s Drawing Contest today, I would like to applaud you not only for drawing beautiful pictures but for reminding all of us grown-ups of our duty. This is what makes all of you winners today.
And we, from Panay Power Corporation, Panay Energy Development Corporation and Global Business Power Corp., will continue to show our deepest appreciation of your work by taking to heart the message of your art.
We vow to put environmental protection at the center of our corporate social responsibility programs on health and safety, community education and employees’ development, life skills training and poverty alleviation.
We vow to work towards a perfect balance of our social, environmental and business objectives.
We vow to offer you not only light but a better quality of life. Thank you.
Ang Pagtaltal sa Guimaras
By Charmaine Posa
February 8, 2008
WHEN we say Guimaras, we think of the cliff sides overlooking gorgeous beaches and one of the country’s sweetest varieties of mangoes. What we often forget is the island’s rich history of religious tradition.
Separated by a narrow channel from Iloilo City, Guimaras Island is for many people in Iloilo a place to celebrate the Catholic faith. The island is home to the Trappist Monastery, the Catiliran Cave (venue for religious rituals on Good Friday) and the numerous old churches that welcome devotees in need of a quiet place for reflection. And during Holy Week, hundreds visit the island for the Pagtaltal, a testament to the Guimaras community’s strong and lively faith.
Bal-an Bukid Shrine. Visible all the way from Iloilo City is the Bal-an Bukid (Holy Mountain) Shrine. It is a tall lighted cross with a chapel discovered way back in 1956. Pristine and surrounded by greenery, the shrine’s white chapel alone inspires reflection and peace. During the Lenten Season, both local and foreign visitors flock to the cross for a pilgrimage on the 14 stations of Jesus Crucifixion. This is the usually the first stop for most people who come for the Holy Week.
Tara Yap, photojournalist, shares her experience. “People usually come here in the morning before they see the Pagtaltal. If you want to go, wear good shoes.”
It takes 10 minutes from the Jordan Wharf to get to Lagbas which is then a 15-minute-trek away from the cross. Following the Stations of the Cross means going up a rocky uphill climb, stopping at each station, until one reaches the shrine. “Sometimes I feel that the crowd finds this more of an adventure than a prayer.”
The scenery and the crowd do invite a lot of photography and chatter. On the Holy Mountain one might inevitably find travelers who are there out of curiosity or just to have fun. Still there are those who come every year for the pilgrimage, for the prayer—perhaps the same people who endure the difficult tiring hike every single year. In fact, there was said to be an old woman who would every year climb all the way to the top of the cross as part of her pilgrimage.
“If they still have the energy for it, people usually watch the Pagtaltal.
The “Pagtaltal sa Guimaras” is a reenactment of the Passion of Christ. Basically this is Guimaras’ version of the more popular Sinakulo, a Lenten play, narrating a long sequence of episodes about the life, sufferings and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But unlike other reenactments, the Pagtaltal does not feature real crucifixion nor do the actors experience real flagellation. It is simply a theatrical presentation of the sacrifice of Christ. Held every year in Jordan, organized every year by the same families and having actors from the same family, the most striking feature of the Pagtaltal is the strong consistent community effort behind the play.
Aquilino Secusana—more known as “Quiling” to many—thought of the idea thirty years ago and presented it to Fr. Melecio Rubrico. The community then got organized assigning acting roles and other responsibilities such as setting the stage complete with props and costumes.
Every year since then, the drama is held at the Jordan Municipal Gym for almost an hour and a half and moves to a small man-made hill by the Municipal Hall.
Ang Pagtaltal sa Guimaras is highlighted by a one-kilometer procession of devotees in costumes that were made to resemble clothing during biblical times. The procession ends in the Bala-an Bukid Shrine.
Many people visit the island for to see both the Bal-an Bukid Shrine and the Pagtaltal—true examples of the filipinization of the Catholic faith, a fusion between culture and religion that brought forth something uniquely Filipino and sacred. As much as they show who we are as people, it shows more importantly what strengthens our faith: the sacrifice of Christ.
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