The past several days have been truly exciting for me in terms of getting acquainted with blogging, bloggers, and what new technology can do. In my attempt to know blogs about and by Igorots, I stumbled upon From the Boondocks by Bill Bilig. It’s one great site for researchers on Igorots and Cordillera studies in general. There are topics on Igorot achievers, places to see in the region, contributions of mountaineers in Philippine history, and other interesting themes. He also analyses government reports with depth, providing proper context into these reports.
On February 21, Bill wrote a stirring post about a statue of a Peeing Igorot Man at Barrio Fiesta in Baguio. Wow, was he fuming mad that there’s these statues of an Igorot man urinating against a post with a sign that says “Bawal umihi” and a security guard catching him on the act. Igorots are not savages, he wrote.
And look at what one post can do! Igorot netizens began exchanging emails calling for immediate action on the issue. Last March 1, Splasher emailed me to share the news that the infamous statue is gone. In a matter of EIGTH days, the management of Barrio Fiesta responded to the call for its removal. (Bill wrote a review of events in his blog).
I have always believed that the Net holds numerous opportunities for people to link and collaborate. And for members of minority groups like us who are often inaccurately written about by the mainstream press, cyberspace can be our best avenue for advocacy work. What I just didn’t expect is that I’d witness its immense power in just a matter of days. Simply amazing. Time to Fiesta! (pun intended)
This is how this post should look like - clear of urinating men, whether they be sculptures or living, breathing men.
The scene looks a lot better, right?
