By Pandy Singian

The rice terraces have been in the news lately, probably because of the energetic young governor of the province, Teodoro Baguilat, who has initiated several innovative projects for the upkeep of the terraces and the preservation of Ifugao culture. MVP members will be proud to know that he is a cousin of Jean Getchell, who, before her relocation to Moscow, brought 40 of us to her hometown of Kiangan, the heart of Ifugao culture (as she claims -but that's not an unbiased opinion!).

Unbiased or not, Kiangan is the site of about 100 rice paddies that were chosen as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. They are the target of a project that aims to restore the indigenous Ifugao way of farming. Jean has this to say about them: 

"If you remember, this place they are talking about is the UNESCO heritage site we visited during our Kiangan trip. I was very disappointed to see its state when we went to see it. I later on brought the UNESCO head to see it also and now I am very happy that it is the first site that they are trying to rebuild."
Traditional Farming
"We are trying to come up with a demonstration farm where the indigenous Ifugao way of farming will be practiced," said Angelito Dulinayan, former Kiangan vice mayor and now project coordinator of the Ifugao Rice Terraces and Cultural Heritage Office. Why revive the old ways of farming? Local officials believe that modern farming methods have contributed to the deterioration of the rice terraces. They reason that the same culture that built the terraces would have the most appropriate farming methods to maintain them in good shape.

The indigenous way of farming is closely intertwined with 12 rice rituals, that shape the annual calendar of the Ifugao:

The agriculture year starts with the "lukya," the first working phase; then the "hipngat," performed after a field cleaning when the fields are dotted with vegetable mounds; "panal," when the seeds are laid in the seedbed; "bolnat", conducted during the planting to ask blessings from the deities and ancestral spirits so that the farms and rice will be productive, and healthy; "kulpi," which is performed after the planting season is over; "hagophop," which is the start of the weeding phase of the working season; "bodad," done during slope clearing when rice plants bear abundant grains; "paad," conducted after the rice grains mature; "ngilin," which is performed immediately before the actual harvest in a field; "ani," the harvest-day ritual; "upin," the post-harvest ritual, and "kahiw," which is performed at home to release the people from their promise to the gods.

These 12 annual rituals have not been performed for decades. Since rice planting is so central to Ifugao culture, and these rituals are so entwined with rice production, it is believed that reintroducing them will strengthen the Ifugaos' culture and their ties to their land. The provincial government, therefore, have begun the annual cycle on some test farms. They started in December 2002 and will end in July of this year.
A Rice Ritual
Last January, the fourth rite in the rice planting year was performed with fanfare, ceremony and media attention. The Inquirer reported: "With 'mumbakis' (native high priests) chanting their rituals on top of a mountain overlooking the rice terraces, Ifugao women started planting rice here Tuesday in a bid to revive traditional ways to protect this province's world-famous rice terraces .... The 'mumbakis' performed the 'bolnat,' a rice ritual conducted during the planting of the native rice tinawon.

Gov. Teodoro Baguilat Jr., together with two mum-bakis in g-strings, danced and dug several rice paddies to prepare them for planting." Jean heard all about it from "Teddy" himself and shares his email with us:

"Finally, I was able to plant in the rice terraces, in g-string, pa. That was the foremost of my dreams for 2003. The ultimate goal is to have other Ifugaos return and plant in the terraces and not abandon them. Some terrace owners have migrated abroad and in the lowlands so our tunod in julongan is a symbolic gesture for us to return and take care of our heritage. A simple act of planting, even for a day, is a dramatic statement for these terraces. If it's gonna take me to be half-naked to bring that message across, then I'll do it. He he."
Other Initiatives
Computer mapping
UNESCO is helping to formulate a Geographical Information System (GIS) map for the terraces. This is a computer-generated map which would contain information on political boundaries, vegetation, roads, etc., which can be instantly displayed and used for analysis. Using the data on this map, it would be possible to track the rate of deforestation in the watersheds and how they are affecting the rice terraces, how the terraces are being used or underutilized. It will help in drawing up a master development plan for the area.

Teodoro Baguilat says, "The community should decide what areas to preserve, what terraces to be used for tourism, what watershed to preserve and where kaingin (slash and burn farming) would be allowed. It would be foolhardy for us to preserve all the terraces." But he adds that the community should have the last say.
Ex-rebels get involved
At least 240 former rebels, ex-members of the Cordillera People's Liberation Army who were accepted into the Armed Forces of the Philippines, will be tapped to help restore the rice terraces. The men are some of the almost 2,000 beneficiaries of the government's integration program for former CPLA rebels. Possibly feeling homesick, they converted two hectares of grassland overlooking the camp's training grounds into a replica of the rice terraces. They so impressed the President when she visited the camp, that she suggested developing and using their skills.

Private Agustin Macad, 52, can hardly wait for his newest assignment. "It would be a nice homecoming for many of us, especially for those who are from Ifugao," he says.
The IRTCHO
The Ifugao Rice Terraces and Cultural Heritage Office (IRTCHO) was created by the provincial government last October, when President Macapagal Arroyo abolished the Banaue Rice Terraces Task Force, transferring to them the responsibility of restoring the rice terraces. They were given a 50 million peso grant by the central government and will be receiving another 50 million by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Source: Philippine National Inquirer