Posts Tagged ‘Diaspora’
<pDiaspora is a term originally used for the Jews who were driven away or forced to leave their homeland in multitudes and settling in a foreign land. At the present times, it is used to refer to a people group who left the homeland or country of origin and settled in a different country whether forced to leave or left with their own decision. The Philippine Diaspora can be described as the exodus of men to the US navy, women and men as nurses, engineers, teachers and doctors; and later as overseas workers in different countries in the world. It is called a Filipino Diaspora as it may technically unaccept because they are of different tribes and people groups.
The Cordillera has a socio political uniqueness because of its cultural traditions where indigenous systems have been in place and practiced for generations. There are at least eight major tribes that find the Cordillera their origin and their identity as a tribe and as a people. There are set indigenous systems that guide their environment, political systems, peace and justice systems as well as the existence of the dap-ay, ator, ato structures in some tribes. These structures and systems spell out their tribal territories and their rules of war and peace as laid out in bodong, pechen, vochong, pochon, peden or peace pact systems and structures. The observance of these give harmony in the community.
It is a widely acknowledged fact that the Philippine economy is sustained by the overseas dollars remitted by Philippine Diaspora, hitting 25 Billion US dollars in 2013. This affected Philippine families economically yet it is not clear of its effect in culturally and politically. It has been widely discussed among circles that in the most recent election, the dollars were poured in towards the campaign fund of some local elected officials. An interesting study could be made to find out if this overseas fund raising influences the political decisions and directions after the election. Further suppositions include the influence of the Filipinos who left the Philippines during the Spanish time and the Martial Law days.
Unfortunately, these socio cultural and political traditions have been replaced with national laws and systems that placed the region into the mainstream of government systems. Nevertheless, the Cordillera Diaspora found in countries around the world continues their ties to the region. I made a study of the Igorot Diaspora philanthropy and it revealed that the Diaspora’s connection is based on Cultural and socio economic reasons where family and communities in the hometown ask the assistance of the Diaspora especially in times of disaster, educational needs and medical assistance. As I have just visited Vancouver and met bibak members it was a common sharing the they have supported members of the family and relatives socio economically specially in educational needs. But it would be far out for them to politically influence the hometown. But they speak out against the environmental decay in the guise of development. So it must be, but how great their influence I will discuss it in my following articles as I share the findings of my research.
Numerous studies have been made on the socio economic Diaspora in the recent years because of the influence that those in the Diaspora have both in the homeland in the host country. This is not only in the Philippines but for other countries trying to study the influence of the Diaspora effect or influence in the hometown. We read articles, social media postings and letters to editors of our expats on how they perceive our government systems, environmental campaigns, response to disasters and almost any topic of local situation. This adds pressure to the decision makers as well as the influence of those who are returning overseas workers and immigrants who influence the life in the local communities including the Cordillera region. It is doubtful there is any political Diaspora influence in the region but can still is explored further. Though we have experienced a Political Diaspora in the country during the martial law decades as some of those politically involved left the country it is still premature to say that the Diaspora greatly influences our political life.
Political Diaspora can be considered dangerous as mentioned by David Carment of the Canadian Policy Journal “Diasporas can exert pressure on their home government from abroad, free from political threats and fear of retribution. And they can lobby their host country to put pressure on their home government to endorse policies ranging from human rights and governance reform to favorable international trade policies and security guarantees. Diaspora politics is seductive and populist. And governing parties can ride the wave of new immigrant support for generations.”
SANGAL DI KULTURA (March 15,2009)
Baguio and it’s changing patterns
The past week, Baguio City was certainly alive with people from all walks of life coming from all over claiming a space in a city which seems to expand with seepage. For me, it was a busy week after the float parade with teaching in a non-formal school, a consultation in the college, a church diocesan convention, the UP Baguio Centennial Conference, a wedding celebration and finally catch up with the last day of Session Road in bloom. In retrospect I say, never again will I cram various activities in a week, though saying that I know I will do something similar again.
The LORD said “I am the True Vine, abide in me and you will bear much fruit” it is a call to continually be connected. This desire of connectivity in Faith seemingly makes residents to Baguio continue to be connected with the past as we move on to the future. Thus the UP conference theme “Patterns of Change: From Colonial Hill Station to Modern Metropolis” opens with a plenary where June Prill Brett and Patricia Afable provided a historical overview.
June Brett is an Igorot Anthropologist professor and researcher came up with a paper which looked into the ethno historical unfolding of events narrated by Ibalio informants’ memories of their ancestors, cross checked with historical data. Pat Afable is from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC who presented a study in search for the legacy of the historical exploration and settlement in the Baguio-Benguet region. She attempted to characterize seemingly contrapuntal cultural perspectives of the Baguio frontier to understand the region’s environmental history and cultural citizenship.
The conference ended with a plenary where Michael Tan spoke of the “Ghosts of Baguio” and Gerard Finin “Baguio then and now: Perspectives on a century of urban growth.” Dr Finin, is from the East-West Center, Honolulu but spent considerable time in the Philippines. He presented a paper which examined the dynamics and structural features of the city’s growth and it’s implications to the Cordillera as a whole. He speaks bits of Ilocano which sent the audience reacting kindly even as he presented policy proposals to meet the challenges of expansion.
I sat in several panels including panel on the Ibalois, the Land problem, that of the Horses, Cows and Cowboys presented by Fifi Perez and Grace Subido. Prof Subido happens to be the adviser of my niece Sacha Garah who presented a paper “Virtual communities: Identity projects by Igorots in the Diaspora.” It was my first time to listen to her presentation and she likewise does not even know that I am doing a research on the “Management of Diaspora Giving in the Cordillera.” Sacha was in Panel 20 with two other papers “Construction of Identities” and “Baguio through Symbols.”
Sacha studied how cyberspace has become a venue for identity reconstruction for those who were experienced societal rearrangements and social displacement. She cited various sites like BaguioCity.online; Igorotblogger;kabenguetan; Benguetcoffee.com;SagadaIgorot.com and others. She ends with “Cyberspace has indeed become a venue for ethnic identity reconstruction. Through the websites that were analyzed, we’ve seen how recent advances in technology allows the collapse of space and to bring to cyberspace pieces of our identity to reconstruct our dislocated, displaced and distorted ethnic identity. Through the connecting and coming together of the Igorots in cyberspace – through collective effort and participation – ethnic identity is reconstructed. The existence of these websites shows that there is a struggle for the survival and revival of ethnic identity in cyberspace for identity recognition and expression, most especially as more and more people are being geographically displaced from their homes. In the end, the strive to make assertions of their ethnics identities are made clear; and that these assertions have been made in coexistence with the larger, multiethnic/ multicultural society. Our battle has been fought, and in this case, is not lost.”
Baguio will continue to expand there is no other way to go, yet basic concerns must be addressed for a healthy and harmonious co-existence of its varied peoples and cultures.
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