The People of Ifugao

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Ifugao is pronounced as i-pugao which means "inhabitants of the known Earth. The name is supposed to have come from ipugo which means "from the hill."

This describes the people who live there which anthropologists have regarded as possibly the oldest residents of the highlands. Their Ifugao people's origin is attributed to Indonesian migration which dates back as early as 800-500 BC.

The Banaue Rice Terraces, which was also known formerly as the Ifugao Rice Terraces, is what naturally comes in mind when you mention Ifugao.

Just as how majestic the rice terraces are, the people of Ifugao have their own epic stories to tell. If you understand their language, and when they get comfortable with you, they'll be able to tell you amazing stories that are mostly unknown to the Filipinos.

"Ifugao culture value kinship, family ties, religious and cultural beliefs. They're unique among all ethnic groups in the mountain province, not only for their interesting customs and traditions but also for their narrative literature such as the hudhud, an epic dealing with hero ancestors sung in a poetic manner." says Manny Bigornia when he wrote about the Ifugao People.

Banaue Rice Terraces: Visit It as Part of Your Bucket List

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Whenever one mentions Banaue, it is automatically associated with the rice terrace - the iconic image that perpetuates in everyone's mind because of the majestic landscape it offers. The sight is just too wondrous to miss within your lifetime that everyone should put a visit to Banaue Rice Terraces as part of their bucket list.

They say this stunning view, and considered as the "Eighth Wonder of the World," is viewed even better during the months between May and June, when the rice fields are at their greenest. But that would also depend on the very unpredictable weather of the Philippines. Our country is blessed but we still could not properly predict when the storm and flood would wipe out a portion of our country. Sadly, we still couldn't prevent nature from destroying lives and properties, including the rice field terraces of Benguet. Though the terraces are strategically arranged in such a way that water will be distributed the best way possible, too much rain, also causing flood waters, would still drown and cause damage to most plantation.

Banaue is a town on the Cordillera mountain range in the north of the island of Luzon, and is one of the nine towns of the Ifugao Province. It is the gateway to the rice terraces which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. We should be very proud of this recognition and thus every Filipino should visit the site to appreciate this man-made wonder accentuated by the splendor of nature.

It has earned the title of the most photographed and picturesque sight  that you could see at postcards. It is also recognized as a National Cultural Treasure of the Philippines. They are awe inspiring to say the least.

Upgrading of 5 Regional Airports to be Pursued Through GAA or ODA

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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) yesterday announced that the Regional Airport Projects [Airport Development, Operations and Maintenance for the Bacolod-Silay, Davao, Iloilo, Laguindingan and New Bohol (Panglao) Projects] will be pursued through the Official Development Assistance (ODA) or General Appropriations Act (GAA) funding instead of through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) procurement process as originally planned.

“The expansion and upgrading of the airports via the GAA make the projects cheaper as cost of money is lower, thus more beneficial to the public,” says DOTr OIC Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio Tamayo.

Usec. Tamayo further emphasized that the change in the procurement mode will not necessarily delay the implementation of the Projects.

“Through this decision, we expect project completion to be faster and more efficient. Further, this would help avoid legal issues with concessionaires that may cause regrettable delays," Usec. Tamayo added.

The DOTr underscored that this decision was brought about through collegial discussions, including the economic clusters and congressional leaders.

In a Memorandum dated 16 May 2017, DOTr assured that payments for the Invitation Documents shall be refunded to both previously pre-qualified (for the bundled projects) and new (for the unbundled projects) bidders at the soonest possible time.

The Regional Airport PPP Projects were originally approved under a bundled PPP structure by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) and the NEDA Board. The NEDA Board approved the unbundling of the five airport projects in November 2016.