On the banks of the Chico River, which empties its peaceful waters into the Cagayan River, and whose soil first drank the blood of gallant Bontoc warriors of old, ages ago, stood Daily Laborer last Thursday, listening to a smattering of youth and old folks alike happily spewing hugot lines in midst of their conversations.
Many Cordillerans, are like most in other regions in three aspects of their philosophical outlook on life —–optimistic, fatalistic, sentimental or a brew of the three.
It’s a perspective Daily Laborer often spots grinningly, which probably explains why a lot can maintain a lighthearted demeanor, can be expressive that borders on the nostalgic, then suddenly swoon to being sober.
Common it is, to hear groups of friends or merely neighbors engaging in usual conversation and bantering, when out of nowhere, one among them would suddenly veer from a topic being talked of, and voice a sentimental experience or memory.
Many describe this happenstance in Tagalog as “hugot,” (literal meaning, to pull out) of friends or even acquaintances suddenly sharing experiences that can even be considered of personal undertones.
Pure Ilocanos will describe it as “nakalagip,” even adding an adjective to it as, “Ay, nakalagip ti loko,” or “Ay nakalagip ti loka.”
Cordillerans, on the other hand, while possessed with the dexterity of mixing their own dialects with that of Ilocano, Tagalog, English and Taglish haven’t a definite word to explain one suddenly veering from a topic and inserting his/her sentimental experience.
But like other counterparts in other regions, they, too, listen to any inserting his/her hugot and often ribbing the teller of the hugot by saying, “Kurang pay a dayta nga experience mo. Naynayunam kadi!”
Hugot sneaks into daily conversations. It could be funny; it could be serious. Some say hugot affects mostly youth, but in fact, affects all. It seems there lies in every Pinoy/Pinay heart, the dream of their youth and the apologetic longing for manhood/womanhood which not even cares or troubles can stamp out.
Expectation of one-day residing from matters that attribute us, while interposing between growing old, some tranquil interval of reflection, we look calmly or humorously on the past with, or without regret, and on the future with, or without apprehension. That is the hugot of Filipino life for anybody.
Whether hugot is part of tsis-mis, Daily Laborer is not one to judge, but many know it’s a cultural phenomenon. Daily laborer, on the other hand, prefer to call it delicious pictures of life.
Daily laborer thinks life is a voyage in progress, where we perpetually change the scenes; first, we leave childhood behind us, then youth, then years of ripened manhood/womanhood, then the better and more pleasing part of growing old. In between these scenes were delicious pictures in a train of reflections.
When with feelings not so much subdued but softened, with passions not exhausted but mellowed, you look back at what happened to you down the road sometime in the past and you smile. And you might even think someday, “Balang araw, mai-kwento ko sa mga kaibigan ko ang naranasan ko.” Yang ang Pinoy.
Daily Laborer, on his thoughts on being optimistic, fatalistic or sentimental, opines, “Yes, indeed, when a few more years have receded, often shall we turn back and think of those who were with us in our walks, rides, at a fireside circle, at a merry dance – at the feast of a reason and the flow of a soul.”
“Some names, long forgotten, will jump from our optimism, and speak volumes; some names, written on an album page, will convey of those who have escaped the ills that attend earth’s existence and have traveled on to a better world. For Thy Will be done.”
And speaking of “Thy Will be done,” Daily Laborer remembers (this is hugot), when as a child, attended bible school lesson at the Church of the Resurrection, now called Cathedral of the Resurrection, at Magsaysay Road, Baguio City.
Catechising some children on the subject, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” Daily Laborer still remembers the lady bible teacher rattled off these statements: “What is to be done? The will of God. Where is it to be done? On earth. How is it to be done? As it is in heaven. How do you think the angels will do the will of God in heaven, as they are our patterns?”
And the Daily Laborer remembers one child answering, “They do it immediately.” Another, answering, “They do it immediately, while a third, saying, “They do it unitedly.”
No child in the bible study appeared to have the right answer the bible teacher wanted to hear until one girl, known to be shy, stood up and said, “Why, Ma’am, they do it without asking any questions.”
It has been said that hugot culture is often “fatal” to romantic bunch of Filipino women and more particularly about their failed love. But on the other hand, it offers cleansing and humor for the lovelorn. And they love to tell their failed love to others.
Now, it happened that along this sentiment, Daily Laborer heard a preacher preaching to an audience gathered at Buguias, Benguet, last Friday, after he left Bontoc Thursday afternoon. This preacher was known for his eloquence among the Benguet folks – an eloquence which comes home to a woman’s as well as men’s bosoms.
In the course of his impassioned preaching, addressed to the softer part of the audience, the Buguias women, he broke forth into an appeal to God, saying, “O’ Lord, touch the hearts of these I-Buguias women! That Mother! That Sister! That Daughter! Those that have not been touched by love! Thou knowest, O’ Lord, that the hearts of Buguias women are very touchable!”
And the Daily Laborer, hearing the preacher, can only say, “Wow!” or “Impressive,” or as the French say it, “Touché!”
There was also a story told by the Buguias folks about this itinerant preacher (he is not from Buguias) who, one day rambled in his sermon. And when requested by the Buguias folks to stick to one bible topic and not scattered, he answered, “So that, my scattering sermon shot would hit the most birds (the people).”
Now, Daily laborer, who would rather shy away being affected by this debilitating sickness of hugot that borders on sentimentality, easily gets afflicted when hugot zeroes on the optimistic.
For in being “hugotly” optimistic despite troubles a-brewing, time with its magic wand, brushes away those tempestuous clouds and sheds sunshine of hope on the altar of pessimism. Daily Laborer gives a true example which happened many years ago in the courtroom of a judge in Pangasinan.
Now, the defense lawyer, standing for a person accused of rustling and attempting to strengthen points by supposing his case, began by saying, “Suppose,” said he, “your Honor stole a horse and…”
Before the defense lawyer could continue his words, the Honorable Judge boomed and stopped the defense lawyer, saying, “Stop there, it is not a supposable case, Sir!”
“Well, then, you Honor,” continued the defense counsel,” after recovering from momentary confusion, “Suppose I stole a horse and…”
And before the defense lawyer can complete his words, the Judge boomed to him directly saying, “Very likely you supposedly stole a horse, Sir; very likely!!!”
Even fashion isn’t spared of Filipino hugot lines, particularly by non-conformists of fashion. Wilmer Altimes, a software developer from Baguio City, says, “Fashion rules Filipino world, particularly women’s world and a most tyrannical ruler she is – compelling people to submit to most inconvenient things unimaginable, if for the sake of fashion.”
Marion Kawilen, a data entry clerk from Benguet, laughingly intones, “Fashion pinches Filipina women’s feet with tight shoes, or squeeze the breath out of their bodies by tight lacing.”
Flagon Saban, computer programmer and from the Cordillera opines, “Fashion makes people sit up at night when they ought to be in bed; it keeps them in bed in the morning when they ought to be up and doing. Fashion makes people visit when they had rather stay home, eat when they aren’t hungry and drink when they are not thirsty.”
A lawyer-friend of Daily Laborer, who declines being publicly mentioned for the meantime, has reverse hugot lines about fashion: “Fashion is a despot of the highest incline, full of intrigue and cunning. And yet, husbands, wives, sons and daughters voluntarily become her subjects and slaves and vying with one another to see who shall be the haughtiest in their barangay.”
Whether the time will arrive for a lawmaker to finally address the hugot issue and file a bill renaming the Republic of the Philippines to Republic of Hugot will be a delicious picture to anticipate.
