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White & Blue, Diego Silang Bldg. , Saint Louis University, A. Bonifacio Street, Baguio City (2025)

06/06/2025

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳

your breath hitches in the dim
of the fading twilight. they giggle
in front of you, eyes folding in on
crow’s feet. their hair shimmers in
the dying embers of the sun. you
cannot breathe. you hear your
heart, faint, and all the gods you’ve
prayed to have their hands at the
tip of your spine as this beautiful
creature in front of you laughs again.

and this wild, golden thing inside
of you roars back in delight.
it surprises you.

it terrifies you.

you are not supposed to feel like this.

the din of the night secludes you.
time is the greatest prison and you
lock yourself away, stricken and terrified
of the wondrous thing inside you.
you pray you never see them again.
you pray you never see it again.
you pray the tomb is buried and all
its skeletons never come back to light.

but you never threw away the key.

time is the greatest keeper. the
endless twilight ceases, and
suddenly all you can hear is
their laughter and the voice
inside you roaring back. you
are no longer six years old,
hidden in the dark, haunted
and awestruck of the unknown.

you open the door. the gods
at the tip of your spine push you
forward into the light.

you hear their laughter again,
under the golden wisps of high sun.

you are everything you are supposed to be.

Artwork by Jon Vincent de Guzman
Words by Charliz Hermione Bautista

06/06/2025

𝗘𝗶𝗱 𝗠𝘂𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗸!

Today, the Muslim community around the world celebrates Eid Al Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice. This day is filled with prayers and gatherings by our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters.

Existing among each other, beyond religion, this celebration is also a reminder of the importance of interreligious dialogue; dialogues that promote peace and humanity. The ongoing war in Palestine, taking hundreds of thousands of lives, including children’s, is one of the greatest threats to peace and humanity.

May this day also be filled with calls to acknowledge the humanness of people. Ceasefires are not enough, this genocide and ethnic cleansing must be ended once and for all.

Layout by Sam Santiago

04/06/2025

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿

Your hands are ones worth holding in a crowded street that believes otherwise. Their outrage can never outweigh the spark in your eyes that burns for those that can't come out of their closets. The ignorant falter at your words that emerge like a promise welded in garnet. Oh, how its sharpness is enough to cut through whatever's thrown at you. With a smile that triumphs sneers, you raise your fists up high in pride; boldly, proudly and loudly in color.

No stonewall could ever stop you from rioting for our right to feel in hues they don't understand; to breathe in familiar shades that only we would know. Your actions transform us into one moving body, teaching us that no matter the difference in the colors of our flags, we are all in this ongoing revolution to finally be seen and accepted.

These gentle acts of defiance is what makes loving you a protest; one that we find ourselves in the front lines of. You've inspired me and others to have this collective purpose: to fight for a future where loving you is a norm and not a plea.

That one day we can simply exist as we are instead of hiding away in closets. That one day we would find ourselves holding hands in a crowded street with no one there to deny it. That one day we don't have to weld our words in garnet to be heard.

So, beyond the binary and over the norm, we march with hope.

You are not alone;

We are not alone.

I have you and you have me.

And we are undoing;

We are becoming;

All together in color;

Forever bold, loud and proud.

Artwork by Jayvee Manganip
Words by Cale Franclin

02/06/2025

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬

There are heavy footsteps in a heart
in a body more or less rigid that awaits you.
The hands are busy with each other
else they’d soil frantic threads with sweat.
Mind is no better:
too much perfume maybe not enough?
prim and proper no, a modern s**g
too minty fresh? but one gum remains
you’re here—

You’re here?
The heavy footsteps must’ve led you
as your featherweight ones make their way
to me.
I pray the hulking sound of it all
painted only your hearing.

There are paintings on the wall
that hold your attention. You look
with wonder, curiosity. I look
past. A sign: do not touch the art. I hardly swallow
the footsteps that have walked up my throat,
and my eyes wander back to be filled with adoration
once more. But you’re looking at me. You see it.
The footsteps are back (as if they’d gone anyway),
the hands are busy with each other again, squeezing.
You grab one and occupy the sweat, squeezing.
My stupor mind is no better:
i like the way you look in the light

The sky’s too dark to make out the wood
this bench we’re sitting on is made of. Stars
are fluorescent— incandescent. I mean, lights are.
They can turn any tree a lemon one. If you reach
high enough—
And delicate fingers bring me back to the eyes I’ve been
making an art of in my own mental canvas. You wear a look
of wonder, curiosity. I am reminded:
do not touch the art. Yet, I lean in.
There are heavy footsteps, along with a shared kiss.

A tableau, a scene, an excerpt…
a painting, I wondered.
They can hang this moment so it could
be a new movement,
so if it does,
let the boom of footsteps lead them to it.

Artwork by Sophia Lauren Gallardo
Words by Christianne Angel Payang

19/05/2025

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲

Millions of Filipinos endured the scorching heat to cast their vote for the 2025 midterm elections last May 13. This year’s polls could have been the perfect time for us to reflect on the current state of the political landscape in our country and choose something better. However, the results said otherwise.

The recently concluded election is not about the people anymore, but between the Marcoses and Dutertes, who are manipulating political power to defend their own interests and families, and have turned the national government into a battleground. Their antics have made people forget the real issues that our country is currently facing, which are more important than their immature quarrels.

All that is talked about right now in the headlines are those who are allied with the two political superpowers, especially Sara Duterte, whose political survival is at risk in the coming months as an impeachment trial against her looms.

As I scroll through social media, I have never read anything about what these incoming senators can bring to the table against the issues the country is facing right now, such as the educational crisis, inflation, territorial disputes, and food security concerns.

With over 66 candidates vying for the 12 senate seats, harmful political choices were still made by electing 10 allies of both camps into office. This election could have been an opportunity to put the country’s political landscape into a better position to fight for the 2028 elections, but many are still under the influence of the machinery of traditional politics.

For the next three years, we can just wonder what the country’s fate will be, as Sara Duterte hinted to run as the head of the state in the 2028 national polls, while her fate is yet to be decided alongside his father, who is currently detained at The Hague, Netherlands for crimes against humanity.

As the eyes of the nation focused on this blockbuster that these two power-hungry politicians have created, we should strengthen our position to be more vocal about the actual issues that this country is facing. In the end, the people are the real losers of their battle as they consolidate more power in defense of their interests and families.

By Alpha Tauri
Illustration by Jon Vincent de Guzman

18/05/2025

𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗘: “𝗩𝗼𝘅 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶” 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝘆𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀

There is no other sensation that can bypass the bureaucracy of the body towards the soul than music. Before we could speak, we would hum. Before we could write, we would sing.

The SLU Glee Club was proud to perform Vox Mundi, their much-awaited musical showcase at the grand stage at Fr. Joseph van Daelen, CICM-CCA Theatre, on May 14, 2025. Only the second performance of its kind to date, the showcase assembled an intricate score of music from lavish orchestrals and chorales to meticulously arranged folk songs rooted in Filipino culture.

Themed as “Reviving a Musical Tradition”, Vox Mundi echoed across the ceiling with a thousand voices, each channeling the historic eras of music and therefore, the world itself.

𝗔𝗻 𝗘𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁

The showcase begins as the Glee Club members file in silence onto the stage. Then, a humming voice like a seabird hops delicately across the baritone winds. Thus commences their rendition of Matthew Maniano’s “Amihan,” a sweeping song as graceful as the northeastern monsoon it was named after. With invocation-styled lyrics and progressions evocative of the coastal surf, Amihan entreats the namesake deity with a genuine plea for solace that was sure to leave the audience windswept. After that breathtaking opener, a lively meditation on the twin aspects of nature with the sprightly pastoral of Bennet’s “All Creatures Now,” opposing Mendelssohn’s succeeding “Jägerlied” and the urgent exhilaration of its hunt.

The atmosphere turns lurid as the lights flash gaudy red for the next performance, the haunting “Daemon Irrepit Callidus.” Creeping, liturgical in its fervency, the Glee Club brings out in Orbán’s choral piece a sense of mounting dread, mimicking the eerie reprises of a Gregorian chant to surreal effect. A more earthly, but equally powerful, hymn came next with “Elijah!”. Arranged from Moses Hogan’s own spiritual, the rendition builds tension through rising repetitions until it explodes in an emphatic crescendo. Here, the vocal layers are more distinct, perhaps due to the dialogic nature of the blues, and serve to enhance the heart-racing drive of the song that sent the audience erupting into applause.

This pulse-pounding theme continues with another of Maniano’s compositions: “Bakunawa.” The stage became a battleground, voices overlapping like a throng under siege; the singers morphed into oral storytellers, regaling the audience with a ballad reminiscent of mythological chronicles. Overhead lights flicker as if something massive slithered across the moonlight—the Bakunawa is coming. The danger is emphasized by their howling vocals that transitioned into sorrowful humming in the belly of the beast before bursting out in triumph with a sharp hiss-stomp finale. At the end, their own composition “Bagbagto” closed out the section with a distinctive Cordilleran sound, harnessing the weather with a dynamic rush of onomatopoeic staccatos like impending rain.

𝗔 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: 𝗢𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲

The second section opened with an interlude recognizing the outgoing senior members of the SLU Glee Club. The five club graduates were lauded with their own sablay, a traditional sash, and a heartfelt message from SLU Glee Club conductor, Mrs. Normita “Bing” Rio-Pablico.

Afterwards, each member took center stage alone to perform what may very well be their last as a student member in the CCA Theater. In solemn silence, the audience watches the first graduate stir the air with Elaine Hagenberg’s “You Do Not Walk Alone,” a song inspired by traditional Irish blessings of safe travels. Sniffles were heard among the audience during a resonant cover of “The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond,” about as sincere an attempt to say everything we wish we would have said when the farewells have come and gone. The goodbyes were enlivened during the fanfare of “Wade in the Water,” with club members engaging the rhythmic, steady strength of the work song with tasteful choreography in an encouragement for facing eventual hardships down the road. The soulful cover was met in particular with a deluge of cheers.

“Cradle You With Harmonies” was gentler, cooing, as if the singer was deliberately savoring the moment prior to taking his leave. A lullaby to soothe those he would leave behind. This was followed by a rendition of Ēriks Ešenvalds’ “Only In Sleep”, an ode to the transience of youth. The crowd was enraptured by the singer’s warbling harmonies and yearning stare, as if carried away by a voice as clear as a memory’s momentary emergence. The final song, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, a steadfast hymn, astounded the audience with its eventual ascent and was met with overwhelming applause as the outgoing members of SLU Glee Club bowed for their bittersweet adieus.

𝗧𝗔 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗼𝘀

Vox Mundi’s third and final section revolved around the native songs of the Philippines and beyond, arranged and performed with orchestral mastery. To bridge the previous section’s end, it began with a prelude: an interpretative dance depicting two childhood lovers in a genuine, unpretentious representation of youth before the eventual departure into adulthood. But what’s one more dance, for old times’ sake? Thus we come into the present day, revitalized by celebrating cultural heritage in music for the sake of itself.

Fidel Calalang Jr.’s jovial “Waray-Waray” was a personal anthem for the Waray women, espousing their merry yet firm disposition in the face of adversity, succeeded by an arrangement of “Lawiswis Kawayan,” a Leyte idyll and an invitation to enjoy the breeze whistling for repose under the bamboo groves. The ease of rustic life was sweetened with “Dagiti Bitbituen Idiay Langit,” a romantic Ilocano serenade preceding a turn to the horizon towards Indonesia and their traditional song “Hela Rotan.” Matching the choreography to the choir, the performers engaged in playful yet subtle dancing as they vocalized the back-and-forth of Hela Rotan’s tug-o-war motif. Finally, the denouement arrives in ecstatic spirits with Ryan Cayabyab’s “A Better World.” Perhaps the most modern sounding, and as such the most fitting song in the roster, SLU Glee Club rallied the audience towards all-encompassing change, instilling hope and the promise of a better tomorrow, today. And for that day, it was indeed the most resonant chord that struck the heartstrings in the harmony that is humanity.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲: 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀

Vox Mundi is not an annual event. Instead, it is a showcase only undertaken should the current batch of the SLU Glee Club prove their mettle and their total dedication to the craft. When asked why they pushed through today, conductor and composer Mrs. Normita “Bing” Rio-Pablico affirmed her belief in the club after the show. “This batch was powerful, but we were unable to do so in previous years... This felt like the right time.” She adds, “Rendering was very challenging. We had Baroque, contemporary, Romantic pieces... so it would depend on whether or not they had the capacity to do it.”

“The outgoing members really wanted to go through with this,” Mrs. Rio-Pablico admits. “They were my driving force. And they’d do their rehearsals even outside of our schedules; they were religious.”

Sophomore SLU Glee Club member Carl Joseph Madlaing was rife with pride once the curtains closed. “Vox Mundi is not like any other show. It’s very demanding, with highly technical pieces. Because of that, we had stricter training. But personally, it was very fulfilling since Vox Mundi depended on us, and we were able to handle it.”

With the end of the academic year swiftly approaching, Vox Mundi served as the culmination of the SLU Glee Club’s resolve and commitment to honing their art. Their voices were not only individual components of a larger purpose, but the very instruments through which the soul of the world communes with the souls of its people. A soul that speaks through one medium: music.

By Gabrielle Louis Paolo Santiago
Photos by Ethan Luis

14/05/2025

𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐎𝐖: In commemoration of the finding of the True Cross by Queen Helena, Saint Louis University (SLU) gathers for a Santacruzan today, May 14, at the Fr. Paul Van Parijs Events Center.

The event seeks to honor a cherished tradition of the Saint Aloysius Gonzaga Parish by celebrating cultural heritage and fostering unity and faith among the SLU community and its stakeholders.

Following the opening rites, a short procession will take place around the neighboring barangays of the university.

Photo by Penelope Dela Cruz

11/05/2025

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆-𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

It is not the bottomless pit of liquor and sumptuous amount of food that makes a party alive and going; it is the company and being around people who share the same vibe and jive as one does. Party-list coalitions likely follow the same drill.

As the 2025 midterm elections commence, more and more spectacle of electoral fraud and farce continuously unfolds. Though still yet to determine the resolve, our country has already evolved from the norm plot of political dynasty and abuse of power. From UniTeam’s failed maintenance on their forged alliance, Harry Roque’s comically tragic rally on Team Kadiliman vs Team Kasamaan, ascendant number of celebrities and showbiz personalities running for a seat, and the drastic shift of politicians from friends to foes and vice versa, Philippines’ political landscape clouds the fundamental contribution of election to democratic governance with intrigue and drama.

With more than 18,000 seats up for grabs nationwide, 63 of which are allotted to party-list representatives. However, unlike the heavily disputed senatorial and local executive positions, party-list seats have no MAGIC 12 to gather, nor are they limited to uncontested candidates to vote for. It is the only seat on the two-page long ballot where over 150 candidates compete for a voter’s vote on a 1:1 basis—one party-list per voter. The thing is, the 63 seats do not equate to 63 party-lists. The law provided that each party with at least 2% of the national vote would be entitled to one seat each, and an additional seat for every 2% of the vote thereafter until a party has three seats. This means that a party can win a maximum of three seats if it surpasses 6% of the national vote. If the 63 seats are not yet completed by the qualified party-lists who met the minimum threshold of 2%, any vacancy is filled by the party next in line on the list.

But how does this one vote represent itself to fulfill its duties as a member of Congress?

In brief, RA No. 7491 or the Party-List System Act intends to ensure that a portion of the House of Representatives seats are occupied by the marginalised and underrepresented groups. From low-income individuals and families that lack access to opportunities and resources to LGBTQ+ individuals experiencing discrimination and prejudice based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, party-lists’ arms are extended down to the very victims of poor and corrupt public service. But what is designed to benefit the excluded and undervalued instead ends up with the all-time influential and greedy groups.

The past congress and even the ones before it have already testified to the overpowering number of party-lists inclined to political clans and big businesses. They even dominate the seats. Thus, a party like no other—rich in power and authority. This, in turn, pivots the main objective of the system by being a backdoor for the rich and powerful to further their real intentions: expand their administrative dominion and exploit the power they hold. Unfortunately, the toll is not on them but to the citizens who are often marginalized and underrepresented. Citizens who trust and hope that their lives and state will experience relief and that the party-lists they voted for will provide them a voice that will truly champion their advocacies.

Currently, at least 78 out of the 156 party-list organizations certified by the COMELEC belong to political families, according to the research of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. This reality must push us to decide who must receive our votes rightfully, or else, we are left toasted for the years to come. It is already our decision if we will dance to the rhythm of Budots and jingles full of empty promises and allow the same parties who undermine and make the marginalised more marginalised, or beg to differ this time.

However, though victims for too long, we can always change the narrative the way we like and the way we deserve. With over 150 candidates vying for a party-list seat, we must familiarize ourselves with how the system runs. Party-list, despite carrying the same word for a social gathering involving eating, drinking, and entertainment, carries a serious weight on democratic governance, far from a boisterous occasion. This election, we must not choose the candidates based on how beautiful and noble their names are, nor how famous the celebrity endorses them. Let us remember that we are not just holding a pen and a piece of paper, we hold the power to cultivate our futures; thus, voting for the wise and wisely remains as crucial as ever.

By OVER-THE-COUNTER
Illustration by Robert Mariano Molina

11/05/2025

𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗼, 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗺: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗳-𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗺

When I was younger, my father used to go out every night for one reason: to smoke a cigarette or two. He would always do it in a secluded sari-sari store, and then come back home to brush his teeth immediately and wash his hands thoroughly to remove any evidence of to***co. However, the smell would cloud the whole kitchen and living room, leaving itself on whatever he could touch – dining chairs, the sofa, and the remote. Despite his effort, my mother would still smell everything and get a degree of anger, and I felt suffocated. I promised myself that I will never be like him and swore off ci******es – that was until I became arguably a worse smoker than he was once I got access to ni****ne.

I see my relationship with ni****ne and to***co as a reflection of how the liberal opposition approaches their senatorial bets.

In a senatorial forum entitled The Rundown 2025: A Youth-Oriented Senate Elections held last March 15, 2025 at the University of the Philippines Diliman, the senatorial candidates’ stances on various socio political issues were put into the spotlight. When it came to the question of same-sex unions, liberal senatorial bet Heidi Mendoza answered a “qualified no” – a polite rejection wrapped in hesitation. This then led to the disappointment of some of those in support of Mendoza, most especially members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

This birthed the split into the two sides of the argument. One camp: they are disappointed, but nonetheless, Mendoza still remains in their senatorial list because of her good track record. The other: Mendoza must be rightfully called out and they may be withdrawing their support for her, if not already.

One side of the argument, aside from keeping their support for Mendoza, advocates also say that it is not right to criticize Mendoza because of several reasons. One, her credentials from being the former Commissioner of the Commission on Audit (COA) and her advocacy on good governance makes her one of the champions of the opposition; and two, it only attracts negative attention towards Mendoza which might then reduce possible votes for her, which are already few in the first place.

However, this then begs the question: is she truly someone to be considered an ally, especially for all and every minority, if we coddle her opinions that go against the people she supposedly stands for?

If we continue to disregard the stances of the people we want to elect in office under the reason of showing solidarity, then it turns us into the people we criticize: blind followers, fanatics, and worshippers of idols. We then continue to encourage the culture of putting politicians on top of a pedestal, which would then give them fuel to also continue their own culture of standing a certain ground on views that do not serve the people in any way possible, especially towards minority groups.

Mendoza’s stance on the LGBTQIA+ community is not new, as evidenced by statements and social media posts from years ago. With this view of hers, then, comes her admirable effort to create a dialogue with the q***r community for better understanding. Despite this, however, her opinion has remained unchanged, with the “qualified no” being its face. In light of this, q***r influencer Sassa Gurl has publicly withdrawn their support towards the senatorial candidate on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Unfortunately, this has drawn people to give flak towards the influencer, with a collective thought of “you shouldn’t have,” despite Sassa Gurl being one of the people that Mendoza had a direct dialogue with. Policing people who speak out loudly against the words of those in the liberal senatorial list is just as foul as encouraging the opinions of politicians that harm the majority of their supporters. It puts a gun to the head of the witness, and pulls the trigger for silence that feeds power – a practice that is not uncommon in a country that is the Philippines.

However, all the criticism towards Mendoza bore its fruits: in a Facebook post made by Mendoza last April 10, 2025, she says that she “will not stand in the way of same-sex unions becoming law” and lists commitments to action. It reminds me of the end of my relationship with smoking: once my chest kept on tightening, my breathing became more labored, and I kept on spitting phlegm out every so often, I decided that it was time to revisit the promise I had for myself when I was a child. I stopped smoking eventually. But must we wait for the health of the opposition candidates’ worldview to decline before we say something? Must we wait for the complete death of their allyship once fallen into the trap of backward thinking and conservatism before we begin speaking?

By Kalyke

11/05/2025

𝗔𝗻𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗞𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆𝗮𝗻: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗧𝗼 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿

The heart of a Cordilleran belongs to his ili. The acronym FBI has a different meaning in the highlands; several Tamaraw FX don this sticker, which means Full-Blooded Igorot, and this acronym is often accompanied by the boldly written “Igorotak.” This is a testament to how Igorots take deep-rooted pride in their being. This zeal of pride comes with the inclination to protect and preserve cultural heritage. The Igorots have a strong sense of camaraderie with their kailyan, valuing shared identity as a great factor in choosing their leader. In a democracy, a vote will eternally have its intent to aim for the greater good.

The most common debate in CAR during elections revolves around the ethnicity and identity of their candidates. “Haan met nga taga-ditoy dayta,” is a common argument which means that a specific candidate is not from the Cordillera; this is often rebutted with, “ado met naaramid na piman,” which translates to “this person has at least done a lot.” This discussion has now turned into the greatest dilemma faced by Igorot voters.

Even with great amour propre and a close-knit community, the indigenous people of the Cordillera are still, in their very nature, a minority, a group who has its own fights and plights. For years, the Cordilleran mountains became the warfield of exploitation, affecting the sanctity of the Igorot land. Instead of animals slaughtered in a joyous feast, it is the blood of the people and the land that is left in the open for the gods of the mountains to see. The need for ecological balance justifies the intense passion for protection and preservation.

Ethnicity and identity cannot be immaterial for a region fighting for self-determination. For many, it is a concept of simple representation, it takes one to know one; how can you fight for me when you cannot identify with me? With this kind of uncertainty, the land is susceptible to external oppression and exploitation. For an advocacy to be firmly established, the struggles should be known and felt. A true kailyan knows the difficulties of his people and is courageous enough to do something about them.

However, a kailyan also has the tendency to make his own land weep, Mount Sto. Tomas and Luneta Hill are just some of the unfortunate witnesses to this. The clever argument of “should I be a tree to actually fight for the trees?” is a soaring rhetoric. There are also highlanders who campaign for candidates without Igorot origin as they claim to have witnessed and experienced what they call a breath of fresh air and somehow a shift in governance.

With the intense need for survival, ethnicity and identity can become a secondary issue. Realistically, the election should be a fight for the greater good. The quest for self-determination cannot be easily set aside, but the measure for effective representation cannot solely be isolated within blood. Leadership is measured through genuine oneness with the people and the objective standards of track record and credentials. It is also important that a candidate has an agenda and a platform for the people to see their vision for general welfare. An election will always boil down towards choosing a leader for the public.

For government leaders, governance is a matter of “you can’t have it all,” but you have to remember that you need to be one with your kailyans; cover issues that involve your constituents, as everything is of equal importance. In the Cordillera, as we demand the sustenance of life, we will remain true to our fight for self-determination and the autonomy that we have long stood up for. In the end, the heart of a Cordilleran will perpetually belong to his beloved ili.

By Watwat ti Umili
Illustration by Bherniz John Llamelo

White & Blue

06/06/2025

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