A Keeper of Culture

MANILA, Philippines - For the past centuries, the country has been ceaselessly working on regaining our pride and identity. But to this day, it appears that we have only scratched the surface, as our cultural consciousness remains to be at risk. The nation’s future likewise remains to be threatened by the lack of understanding we have for our fundamental identity.

Inspired by her grandfather, Jose P. Bautista, who is considered a pillar of Philippine journalism, Senator Loren Legarda carved out her name as journalist — a path that led her to become the person that she is today.

During her time as a journalist, Sen. Legarda had already shown immense interest in the lives of indigenous peoples as evidenced by a handful of television shows wherein she explored ethnic groups in Zambales, Zamboanga, and the Cordilleras, among others.

In 1998, the opportunity to actually incite positive change and promote causes that she held close to her heart came in the form of a senatorial position.

“I have always envisioned a nation where Filipinos will live in enabling environments; where our natural resources are used in ways that are sustainable and equitable; where social justice, human rights, peace and cultural diversity are priorities; and where opportunities for quality education and decent employment are made available to all hard-working citizens to free them from poverty,” she says.

Rightfully so, she wasted no time and immediately began actualizing her vision for the Philippines. Sen. Legarda has authored and co- authored laws that secure the rights of women and children, pieces of legislation that call for environmental responsibility and preservation, as well as advocacies that urge for the prioritization of disaster preparedness in the country — all of which are also in line with her advocacies that call for the welfare of indigenous groups across the country.

Over the years, Sen. Legarda has taken on the role of a liberator as she fervently fought for the rights of indigenous peoples (IPs) and to protect them from all forms of discrimination. She has filed bills that championed their rights and welfare, including one that safeguards their intellectual property rights over their traditional objects.

Most notably, Sen. Legarda organized the first National Indigenous Peoples Cultural Summit in 2011, a forum that called for the country’s support for IPs in their efforts to have full mastery and confidence in their cultural identities. She also spearheaded assemblies that put into light varying concerns of cultural communities that need to be addressed by the government.

Apart  from    empowering IPs through laws, Sen. Legarda believes that they themselves must continuously nurture their culture. As such, the Senator has supported the development of cultural villages through the Schools of Living Tradition (SLTs), a program that teaches the young generation the traditional arts, crafts, music, and practices of their village.

The Senator has also closely collaborated with state universities in the Cordilleras in documenting indigenous forest conservation systems, such as the muyung in Ifugao, batangan in Mountain Province, imong in Kalinga, chontog in Benguet, lapat in Abra and lapat in Apayao.

During a visit to the province of Ifugao in 2012, Sen. Legarda personally witnessed the need to sustain and preserve the beauty of the world-renowned Ifugao Rice Terraces. Realizing the urgent need to restore the grandeur of the terraces, she decided to adopt an area of the Bangaan terrace cluster, one of the five rice terrace clusters inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, for rehabilitation as a pilot project.

Further, during that same sojourn in the province, the Senator was dismayed with the scenery that welcomed her during her visit to the village of Bangaan. What she saw was no longer reminiscent of the traditional Ifugao village. Sadly, the roofs of many houses in the village had been replaced with galvanized iron sheets, which were originally made from indigenous materials such as cogon grass. As proactive as she is, Sen. Legarda herself then decided to restore one of the villages in Bangaan back to its traditional feel and transform it into a “Living Cultural Landscape.”

During her first term, Sen. Legarda authored the Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law, which aims to promote the country’s natural fabrics by way of using the materials for official uniforms of government employees and officials — all of which are for the purpose of boosting the local fiber industry as well as the agricultural sector.

“Our culture is our identity. It is what makes us unique; it is what makes us distinct from other nations. You have to know where you came from to have a better understanding of what you want in life. In the same way, as a nation, we must know the ways of our ancestors — the way they lived, their practices and customs. And culture will tell us all about these things,” she says.

Driven by her love of Philippine fabrics and fueled by the desire to push forth the growth of the local textile industry, Sen. Legarda mounted Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles — the country’s first permanent textile galleries housed at the National Museum which “invites Filipinos to explore the aesthetics, material culture, and processes of ethnic identity along with skills and information-generation through fabric,” she explains.

In partnership with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, Sen. Legarda also launched the Hibla Pavilion of Textiles and Weaves of the Philippines during the Manila FAME Design and Lifestyle event in October 2012.

Indeed, Sen. Legarda’s advocacies are rooted in her deep sense of nationalism and bright vision for the nation’s future by way of looking at the past, understanding it, and genuinely connecting with it.

Having won her re-election bid for a third term, Sen. Legarda expressed her determination in addressing issues such as universal healthcare, education, livelihood, and disaster resilience. But of course, she still bears in mind and in heart that the fight to preserve and promote our culture is far from being over.

As a matter of fact, Sen. Legarda spearheaded another project that aims to preserve our ancient scripts.

s to preserve our ancient scripts.

“According to the Summer Institute of Linguistics, we have 181 known languages in the Philippines, 177 of which are currently spoken, while four are already extinct. Communication is very important to us and because of the need to speak a language that is understood by more people, many of those who speak local dialects or indigenous language have shifted to the more familiar language, thus resulting to less speakers of local dialects,” she explains.

The Baybayin Gallery showcases ancient and traditional scripts of the Philippines as it intends to feature and promote awareness on the writing systems used by ancient Filipinos.

“In having the Baybayin Gallery, we hope to give a better understanding of the importance of our indigenous languages. We also aspire to spark interest among our citizens to find a dialect they might want to learn. In that way we can prevent our languages from dying,“ she states.

The Baybayin Gallery, housed in a permanent section of the National Museum, features pieces such as the Laguna Copperplate, the Calatagan Pot, the Intramuros Potsherd, and the Monreal Stones.

“We also aim to highlight the continuing tradition of script writing among the few remaining indigenous communities in Mindoro and Palawan, particularly among the Hanunoo, Buhid and Tagbanua peoples,” she adds.

Among Sen. Legarda’s upcoming projects is to support the printing of Gabay sa Ortograpiyang Filipino, in partnership with Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino. In terms of legislation, she has already filed a bill that proposes the creation of folk art museums in every province, which will feature unique products, cultural music, and performing arts. It is also proposed to house shops for local products as well as making skills- training on industrial arts a part of the school curriculum.

“It is quite challenging to make our people embrace our culture since many may have long forgotten about it. But if they refuse to visit our history, we must let history visit them. We have to find ways to bring culture closer to the people, which is why I always come up with projects to promote and preserve it,” she firmly expresses.

A great philosopher once said, “Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future” — a thought that clearly resonates with Sen. Legarda’s mission to instill cultural awareness until it is forever embedded in the hearts of each and every Filipino.

“We have a lot to discover and rediscover in our culture. The land tilled by our forefathers, the centuries-old structures built with their bare hands, the colorful fabrics intricately woven to bring out the beauty of its wearer, the dishes and delicacies that are cooked with joy and love, the songs that narrate the story of our past, the rare stories told by our lolas to lull us to sleep, the dances that express our emotions, the values that keep our families intact, the principles that make our souls stronger — these are some of our ancestors’ inheritance to us. These constitute the soul of the Filipino, which ought to be preserved, promoted and enriched,” she beams.