Our Theme Song: Boondocks

So I was watching American Idol last night and one of the contestants sang a song about the boondocks. I must say that I fell in love with the song because it goes,

I feel no shame
I'm proud of where I came from
I was born and raised in the boondocks
One thing I know
No matter where I go
I keep my heart and soul in the boondocks

Nice, no? It kind of describes most of us I think. This song is by an American country music group called Little Big Town and is titled Boondocks. In the absence of a more fitting song, I think this will be our theme song for now hehe. My only misgiving is that someone could rightfully say, "Hey Bill Bilig, how colonial-minded are you? Picking an American song, huh."

Well, I ain't no singer. And non-singers can't be too choosy in picking their theme songs hehe. Anyways, if you want to sing along with the Little Big Town folks, you'll find the lyrics after the jump.


Boondocks
By Little Big Town
(Chorus:)
I feel no shame
I'm proud of where I came from
I was born and raised in the boondocks
One thing I know
No matter where I go
I keep my heart and soul in the boondocks

And I can feel
That muddy water running through my veins
And I can hear that lullaby of a midnight train
It sings to me and it sounds familiar

(Chorus)

And I can taste
That honeysuckle and it's still so sweet
When it grows wild
On the banks down at old camp creek
Yeah, and it calls to me like a warm wind blowing

(Chorus)

It's where I learned about living
It's where I learned about love
It's where I learned about working hard
And having a little was just enough

It's where I learned about Jesus
And knowing where I stand
You can take it or leave it, this is me
This is who I am

Give me a tin roof
A front porch and a gravel road
And that's home to me
It feels like home to me

(Chorus)

I keep my heart and soul in the boondocks

You get a line, I'll get a pole
We'll go fishing in the crawfish hole
Five-card poker on a Saturday night
Church on Sunday morning

(2x)
You get a line, I'll get a pole
We'll go fishing in the crawfish hole
(Down in the boondocks)
Five-card poker on a Saturday night
Church on Sunday morning

Say a little prayer for me

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Trapped 700 Feet Underground

A really bad news from the boondocks. Let's hope authorities will be able to rescue these trapped miners. Meanwhile, our condolences to the families of those who, because of Typhoon Nina, died in unrelated separate incidents.

Inquirer:
At least five people were killed as Typhoon “Nina” ripped through Northern Luzon on Sunday and Monday, reports from the Office of Civil Defense in the Cordillera and the Ilocos showed on Tuesday.

In Baguio City, three people were killed in separate incidents when landslides swamped their houses.

Landslides also trapped 13 miners at a 60-year-old underground exit portal of mining firm Benguet Corp.

The miners were trapped by water that filled the tunnels between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Tuesday. The waters are as deep as 300 feet beneath Purok 7 of a subvillage that used to be called Gold Field in Benguet.

Hopes are high that the miners will be rescued.

Reports from the Cordillera Office of Civil Defense said Lolita Baroma, 76, and Juan Baroma were killed when a landslide buried their house in Guisad Surong at past 4 p.m. on Monday. Lielany Fetcha, 38, died when another landslide covered her house at Dominican Extension.

At least 19 others were reported hurt in La Trinidad and Itogon towns in Benguet and in Baguio City due to landslides and floods.


In the Ilocos, OCD reports said Rodolfo Villanueva, 27, of Barangay Bucayab in Bauang, La Union, was electrocuted on Monday at the height of the typhoon.

Censio Culapit, 40, a resident of Quirino, Ilocos Sur, drowned in the Abra River also on Monday.

The three fishermen reported missing in Ilocos Sur and La Union were rescued by their fellow fishermen on Monday.

The OCD said the motorized fishing boat of Sonny Darang, 32, and Jeffrey Graychochea, 28, both of Barangay Bia-o in Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur, ran out of fuel while they were at sea. Fishermen found them in waters off Apatot village in San Esteban town on Monday afternoon.

Fishermen found Carlos Quello, 46, in the waters off Caba, La Union, also on Monday.

The Cordillera OCD report said the following roads were closed to traffic on Tuesday due to road cuts and landslides along its sections: Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun, Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya, Tawang and Alapang roads in Benguet; Balbalan-Pinukpuk and Kalinga-Abra roads in Kalinga; Abra-Cervantes and Abra-Kalinga roads in Abra.

In Cagayan Valley, officials of the island town of Calayan in Cagayan said the typhoon destroyed at least P25-million worth of property in the town.
Calayan Mayor Joseph Llopis said at least 125 hectares of rice and corn farms were destroyed by heavy rains.

Llopis said the typhoon also damaged three bridges and 16 school buildings and toppled 37 electric posts in the town.

Update: Sunstar Baguio reports that there are 14 people trapped in the mine and lists them as follows: Gilbert Nattem of Banaue, Ifugao; Rudy Boling of Bangaan, Ifugao; Garry Ganu, Joel Bulga, Jeyson Himmayod, Rudy Himmayod, Jojo Himmayod, Juan Himmayod, Marvin Himmayod, Vincent Himmayod, all of Quirino Province; Joseph Anayasan, Mario Annayasan of Bauko, Mt. Province; Gerry Monyobda of Ifugao and Robert Buway of Itogon.

These names were based from a logbook that miners' sign when they enter the mine site. More from Sunstar: Rescue teams are having a difficult time extracting the trapped pocket miners because of the strong current where the makeshift mine is located and strong smell of poisonous gas.

The landslide at sitio Tuge and Vida in Barangay Loacan was said to have triggered the collapse of the wall along the diversion tunnel of the mine site, causing the buildup of water.

Teams from the Philex Mines and Benguet Corporation, as well as rescue groups from Baguio City also joined the rescue efforts. The SN Aboitiz Power, which runs the Binga Power Plant, also sent a team and equipment to the site for assistance.

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Hey, That Gong Looks Familiar

When I came across this picture I went, "Hmmm, that gong looks familiar. Who's the one playing it? And what's the occasion?" I thought it was an overseas kailiyan during one of their occasional get -togethers.

But it turns out that the guy is famous Taiwanese Director Ang Lee leading a "big luck" ceremony for his newest film. Nala-ing met gayam nga agpattong ni Ang Lee.

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Congratulations, Criminologists!

Congratulations to Kristen Joy Gonzales Pagud of the University of the Cordilleras (Baguio Colleges Foundation) for making it to the top with a rating of 87.90%.

Likewise, congratulations to the following schools too for making it to the list of "top performing schools".

A. With 100 or more examinees:
Cordillera Career Development College, 63 of 104, 61 percent; University of Baguio, 61 of 100, 61 percent; PLT College Inc., 89 of 149, 60 percent; and University of La Sallete - Santiago, 61 of 108, 56 percent.

B. With 50-99 examinees:
Universidad de Manila (City College of Manila), 83 of 92, 90 percent; University of the Cordilleras (Baguio Colleges Foundation) 63 of 72, 88 percent; and Pangasinan College of Science and Technology, 52 of 69, 75 percent.

C. With 20-49 examinees:
University of Manila, 21 of 24, 88 percent; Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry-Lamut, 36 of 44, 82 percent; and Hercor College, 17 of 26, 65 percent.

Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will start on Wednesday, Sept, 10, but not later than Friday, Oct. 3.

The oathtaking ceremony of the examinees will be held before the Board on Saturday, Oct. 11, 1 p.m., at the Tent City of the historic landmark Manila Hotel.

Registration for membership with The Professional Criminologists Association of the Philippines (PCAP) will start on Wednesday, Sept. 10

Source: Manila Bulletin

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Rigodon in Mt. Province

Here's an interesting idea. I don't know what benefits can be derived from rotating the different Mt. Province mayors -- they will serve as "guest mayors" for two days in the province's ten towns -- but if I am a mayor with aspirations for a higher office, I sure will take this opportunity to build political bridges.

If this will help create a new pool of provincial leaders attuned to the needs of the different parts of the province and who can challenge the old order, then I am all for it.

Mt Province mayors to rotate positions
by Lito Dar/PIA

Baguio City (22 August) -- Starting September, all the ten towns of the Mountain Province will be having a "guest mayor' for two days.

This is an innovation on local governance with all the ten municipal mayors agreeing to rotate positions in order to observe the good practices and programs of each local government units (LGUs) in the province. The planned rotation is set to commence on the first week of September.

Natonin Mayor, Atty Anna Marie Paz Rafael Banaag explained that the mayors will rotate simultaneously, just like in a "rigodon" and each mayor will stay for two days on a municipality where he will be assigned. Banaag said the guest mayor will act as the local chief executive on his host municipality however, he cannot sign any documents in behalf of the host mayor. The guest mayor will also be observing the staff and employees of the host LGU.

Banaag further explained that they will do this rotation once every month, beginning in September staying in a host municipality for two days, until all the mayors have visited all the member municipalities. There will be a "learning-sharing" activity in connection to this, the lady mayor said.

Meanwhile, Banaag also announced that there will be a CINDEWOLL Medical/Dental mission in Natonin on September 8. CINDEWOLL stands for Cordillera Indigenous Elected Women Leaders League headed by USEC Josie Dominguez.

Banaag added that the "Bontoc Brigada" will also visit their municipality on this day, together with the Red Cross which will have a school feeding program.

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For Obama Supporters

Are you a closet Barack Obama supporter who's still hiding your political leanings? After the successful Democratic National Convention in Denver where he wowed pretty much everyone [including the conservative Pat Buchanan], you should now come out of your political closet and get some of these Giant Obama Bumper Stickers.



Pretty cool, eh? You can plaster it in your car to annoy your very annoying Republican neighbor (it's better though if you manage to convince him to be part of the Change We Can Believe In and to vote for Barack instead). Make sure you buy an extra sticker to keep as a memorabilia to remind you that you witnessed the most exciting years in the annals of U.S. presidential elections. Seriously, is there something comparable to this year's election?

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Sarah Efron's Disgusting and Morally Dubious Food

Haha. Igorot/iCordillera food made it to the pages of Canada's National Post courtesy of Sarah Efron who introduced them as "intriguing, disgusting and morally-dubious foods". I'll take disgusting because that's a personal thing and she's got a right to be disgusted with any food under the sun-- heck a good friend is disgusted with tomatoes -- but "morally dubious"? Seriously, Sarah? Morally dubious?

If there's such a thing as morally dubious food, I think the most morally dubious would be hamburger the main ingredient of which is taken from the carcass of slaughtered cows -- an animal very sacred to our brother and sister Hindus -- which were butchered (hacked, beheaded, then "chop-chopped") by professional animal killers.

Anyways, here's Sarah's pictures and descriptions -- the quotes below are hers -- of our food from the boondocks. To be fair to her, except for the "morally dubious" thingie, she didn't really say anything bad. Read her article here.

"Ube jam: Ube is a purple yam that is used in Philippine pastries and candies. The ube jam was sweet, but the consistency was strangely starchy."

"Betel nut: Chew this nut and you're supposed to get a natural buzz. In rural areas of the Philippines, you see people with their teeth permanently stained orange from partaking in the betelnut. I tried chewing it but it was very uncomfortable--like I was getting a dental X-ray--and gave up without feeling any effects."

"Dog meat: In the Cordillera region of the Philippines, you can find the occasional restaurant that serves dog meat. This dog dish is from the Sagada Lunch restaurant in Baguio City. They serve nothing but dog meat, seen in the photo above served with rice and dog soup. The restaurant also features karaoke and cheap bottles of gin. The dog meat was very tasty--like wild meat--but incredibly tender."

"Pinikpikan: Animal rights activists wouldn't enjoy the traditional dish in the Cordillera region, pinikpikan. First, you beat a live chicken to death with a stick. This makes the chicken bruise, changing the texture of the meat. Then you cut the meat up and boil it with salt pork."

Photo credit: Sarah Efron/National Post

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New Domain Name: Igorotblogger.com

Maybe some of you noticed our blog's new domain name, eh? It's courtesy of Tina of My Good Finds. She actually reserved it a year ago and thankfully maintained it as I dilly-dallied whether to use the domain or not. Thanks Tina for the free registration :-). [You actually shamed me to blog here more often hehehe.]

If you have a link to the old domain name, it should be automatically redirected to this new domain. But I would appreciate it if you change the URL address so our new domain will have some incoming links. Thanks.

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Killer Typhoon in the Cordilleras

Our condolences to the families of the victims.

'Karen' leaves 6 dead in Cordillera
Jane Cadalig/Sunstar

SIX persons died and one was injured in various areas of the region at the height of typhoon Karen (Nuri) on Wednesday, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported.

Four persons, including three kids in Benguet and one woman in Baguio, were buried in mudslides caused by the heavy downpour. The casualty in Abra was pinned down by a fallen tree.

Those killed were identified as siblings Mark Anthony, one year old; Lester, three years old; and Alvin Somera, 10 years old, all of 1st Gate Antamok, Ucab, Itogon.

The victims were rushed to Saint Louis Hospital of the Sacred Heart but were pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician.

Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan reported the victims were left inside the house when the landslide occurred. Their father, a miner, was out for work. The mother, who was cooking at the time and her two other children, aged eight and six, were out of the house, sparing them from the tragedy, Fongwan said.

The Provincial Government will shoulder the funeral services for the victims.

Several other landslide-affected families in the same village were relocated to a nearby church. Fongwan said 14 families, with 69 members, were assisted.

In Baguio City and Abra, the OCD identified the casualties as Petra Kadatar, 72 years old and Camille Rasalan, 12, while the one injured was identified as Leslie Carpiso, 21.

An estimated P3.7-million worth of damages to infrastructure was also reported in the region.

Meanwhile, 11 major roads in various provinces were closed to traffic, including Kennon Road, the Baguio-Bontoc Road and the Bontoc Cagayan Road.

However, most of the roads were opened to traffic after clearing operations were conducted.

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All Quiet on the Boondock Front ... But Not on the Olympics Front

My apologies, it's been so quiet here. But I've been busy at our Olympics blog which is where I'm camping out while the Olympic Games is ongoing.

Do join me there if you're into Olympic hotties [got to do it coz people are looking for it hehe], American crybabies, the art of Olympic hugging, and other silly stuff. We do also get serious sometimes and talk about things like how much money Olympians make.



Anyways, here's a video of Jon Stewart talking about some Olympic controversies.

Iyaman, kailiyans.

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