BAGUIO CITY – Under a sunny sky and a cooperative weather, Presidential Assistant for the Cordillera Antonio “Tony Boy” R. Tabora Jr., former Baguio City councilor and vice mayor who was the guest speaker during the 16th Ibaloy Day celebration acknowledged the Ibaloys of Baguio as the “original custodians of the land on which we meet today”.
Asec. Tabora said, recognizing the original Ibaloy people for their custodianship of this land was a way of paying respect to the elders past and present, and “honoring the resilience, history, and invaluable contributions of the Ibaloy people”.
“Culture, history and traditions are not just reflections of our past but essential to our economy and future. They sustain our identity, strengthen our communities, and drive local industries like weaving, crafts, and tourism. Preserving them means securing a future that values heritage and progress hand in hand”, Asec. Tabora further said.
Earlier, Ms. Joanna K. Cariño, a descendant of Mateo Cariño set the morning in motion after the “owik” ritual (butchering of a pig as part of the Ibaloy ceremony) by relating to the crowd how February 23 of every year came to be declared as “Ibaloy Day.”
Ms. Cariño said, she challenged the local government to “have a sense of history and redress the injustice that was done to the native Ibaloy in the creation of the city”, during her presentation of a paper entitled “The Mateo Carino and Bayosa Ortega Story: A case study of the dispossession of the native Ibaloy in Baguio City” in August 2008.
With Kathleen Okubo, another Cariño descendant, they drafted a resolution to declare February 23 as Ibaloy Day, this being the anniversary of the historic US Supreme Court decision on the Doctrine of Native Title, after Councilors Isabelo Cosalan Jr. and Pinky Rondez who were at the land conference asked them to do so.
As the result of the concerted lobby of groups and individuals, particularly Baguio Midland Editor Cecile Afable and the Cariño Foundation, the City Council passed the resolution declaring February 23 as Ibaloy Day, with a section of Burnham Park set aside for the Ibaloy Heritage Garden.
“February 23 is a day of great significance. It commemorates Mateo Cariño’s historic victory on the Native Title, securing land ownership rights for Indigenous Peoples. This victory is a testament to the Ibaloy people’s rightful claim to their land, their rich heritage, and their unwavering fight for Indigenous rights”, Asec Tabora said.
The date for this year’s Ibaloy Day celebration was previously postponed to another date for the lack of a venue due to an on-going construction at the Ibaloy Heritage Garden but the original incorporators and some critical members of the Onjon Ni Ivadoy Association said that was not enough reason for the postponement.
They argued that those responsible could have looked for an alternate venue for the annual occasion, instead of moving the date.
A member of the association who claimed to have attended all the yearly events said, just like Christmas Day and the Independence Day, the February 23 celebration that was established by a SC ruling in 1909, a city council resolution and tradition should not be moved.
In a meeting called by Mayor Benjie Magalong; Ruby Giron, Judith Pavia and Toni Hamada, along with other incorporators decided to push through with the celebration on February 23 at the Baguio Midland Courier grounds.
The first Ibaloy Day was held on February 23, 2010. Last Sunday, the 16th Ibaloy Day was celebrated with a simple program at Apdi, Kisad Road, on the grounds of the Baguio Midland Courier to commemorate the anniversary of the historic US Supreme Court decision on the Doctrine of Native Title.
Prior to the speeches, former La Trinidad mayor Hilarion L. Pawid who also attended the event spoke before the crowd. He said the stomping of the feet of dancers on the ground in a tayao (native dance) signifies their ownership of the land since time immemorial.
Also present were former Benguet Gov. Crescencio Pacalso, Vice mayor Faustino Olowan; councilors Poppo Cosalan, Lulu Tabanda, Fred Bagbagen, former La Trinidad Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative Marcelo Abela, former La Trinidad councilor Arthur Shontogan, and Atty. Modesto Andong, a member of the Committee on Special Task Force on Ancestral Lands (CSTFAL) of the DENR. By March Fianza
