We had lunch with a Mangyan gentleman who taught me to write my name in their script. They lived off the beaten track, he said, it took about four hours of travel for them to hit the mainstream. They served Modern Mangyan Cuisine at the Museum Cafe, which had become the M(angyan) Cafe in January. The food was delicious but unfamiliar to our Mangyan gentleman. All the time these words bustled around my stroke-damaged brain: Wonderful! Beautiful! Fabulous! But in the end. . . what? What is this event supposed to achieve? Will it be enough?
First, my background is marketing. No matter what I do I tend to adapt a marketing point of view. What is the point of this exhibit? To raise interest and knowledge of the Mangyans so people will know them better? Okay, that is marvelously done. There were many events, lectures and stories. If the point was merely to raise awareness of the Mangyans and the beauty of their culture among the relatively rich, that was done well. Maybe they will sell a few of the arts and crafts. Maybe that will be enough funding for them for a while. Maybe they will receive donations. Next time they need money, they will just have to do another event like this one.
I look at their costumes. Their tops in white or navy blue cotton with red and black embroidery are stunning. If I were a tourist vacationing in Mindoro and I saw a top like that, I would buy it to bring home. I asked the Mangyan gentleman who sat with us, "Do you sell those blouses commercially?" He wasn’t sure of the answer, so I changed the question. "Do you sell them in the resort boutiques of Mindoro?" "Oh no," he said, "we come from a different part of the province."
I wanted to suggest that they begin to think about that. Mindoro was closer to them than Manila, the same province, in fact. They would have to make them in larger sizes for the tourists. Their sizes would have to be standard. Their prices could be high but not too high. It would mean additional steady business for them. But I did not know if they were looking for steady business or just for donations so I kept my mouth shut. This is a cultural exhibit, I told myself, why bother with business discussions?
There lies my dilemma. Did you know that once upon a time I was chairman and president of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Inc.? I came from the for-profit side of the business and moved to the non-profit side of it. I remember the first conference I went to. I sat beside the head of the sponsoring organization. People were talking about how to manage their funds. First, budget for operation, then include your additional needs, and then keep some extra money just in case something goes wrong. This is called sustainable development? I thought it was called profit, I murmured to my seatmate. Chuckling, he asked if I wanted to say it aloud. His expression told me I would be controversial. I begged off. I knew how important it was to speak the language of the people around you.
There are around 12 million cultural minorities in the Philippines. They all need to earn more money but they don’t know how. There are certain realities. They have interesting clothes that may be marketed to foreigners but their own proportions are small when compared to international markets. They must size up and minimally re-style their clothes. They must price them right. Then they must find a suitable place to market them. If they can adjust this way, then they can have a viable business enterprise that may support their needs.
I was always befuddled when dealing with minorities. How do you save them? By making them earn their own money through businesses of their own, was always my answer but how do you teach that? This is where you get into a conflict between the traditional and the innovative. Is there a solution? Maybe there is. Maybe a third group who will mediate between the ethnic and the mainstream. Until such time as that middle group successfully exists we will continue the way we are. We will go to their exhibits and fall in love for a while. Our minds will buzz with words like wonderful, beautiful, fabulous! But in the end. . . what? What is this event supposed to achieve? Will it be enough?