FAMCOMLEC output fieldtrip Benguet

1. Decribe the community based on the following characteristics: (yna, majo, rijz)
a. environment
Rice terraces are a common scene in asia but nowhere are they more spectacular as in the mountains of
northern luzon. the cordillera mountains are 250 km north of manila, not so far from the modern world. yet the
ifugaos, the local tribesmen, seems to have locked the mountains and the terraces away from time. they have
carved a livelihood out of bare rock and solid mountains. Over the centuries, generations of Ifugao have laid
stone after stone constructing dikes to hold back what little soil washed off the mountainsides creating vertical
gardens that rise as "stairways to the heavens." considered by the filipinos as the 8th wonder of the world.
believed to have been built around 2000 years ago by the different mountain tribes. The terraces approximately
covers 10,500 square kilometers of land on about 1500 m above sea level. 

the UNESCO declared the The Rice Terraces of the Cordillera Region as world heritage site in 1995. this
ancient man-made structures believed to have been built around 2000- 6000 years ago. they are found in the
provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao.

in 2001 the rice terraces in the cordilleras was declared by the UNESCO as a world heritage site in danger. 

The Ifugao Rice Terraces epitomize the absolute blending of the physical, socio-cultural, economic, religious,
and political environment. Indeed, it is a living cultural landscape of unparalleled beauty.

The Ifugao Rice Terraces are the priceless contribution of Philippine ancestors to humanity. Built 2000 years
ago and passed on from generation to generation, the Ifugao Rice Terraces represent an enduring illustration
of an ancient civilization that surpassed various challenges and setbacks posed by modernization.

Reaching a higher altitude and being built on steeper slopes than many other terraces, the Ifugao complex of
stone or mud walls and the careful carving of the natural contours of hills and mountains to make terraced pond
fields, coupled with the development of intricate irrigation systems, harvesting water from the forests of the
mountain tops, and an elaborate farming system, reflect a mastery of engineering that is appreciated to the
present.
b. population 1449
c. genetic characteristics of the population
Natives (Residents)
Main article:  Igorot

Cordilleran, is an unofficial and relatively recent term for the people of the hill tribes of Luzon, Philippines,
who are residing in the Cordillera region. This term is an attempt at political correctness, since a current
term, Igorot, has caused controversy due to its perceived negative stigma and by the ignorance of
individuals who didn't really explore and study the area, which is incorrectly connected to backwardness
and inferiority.

[edit]Demographics

Based on the May 2000 census, Benguet has a total population of 330,129, which makes it the most
populous province in the region. This figure is up by 16,296 from 313,833 persons recorded in the 1995
census, giving an annual growth rate of 1.09% during the 5-year period—much, much lower than the
 national average of 2.43%. If this growth rate were maintained, Benguet would double its population in
approximately 64 years.

The province registered at 63,123 households, an increase of 4,588 households over the 1990 figure.
This gave an average household size of 5.2 persons, a little higher than the national average of 4.99.

Benguet is the homeland of several tribes, collectively referred to as the Igorot. Two of them, the Ibaloi in
the southeast and theKankana-ey in the northwest, are the dominant tribes of Benguet. In the 2000
census, 43% of the household population were Kankana-ey. About 29.2% were Ibaloi and 13.4%
were Ilocano. Other ethnic groups included Ikalahan (3.7%) and Tagalog (2.4%).

[edit]Languages

Most of the tribes in Benguet have their own languages. The Ibaloi tribe speak Ibaloy, which is similar
to Pangasinan. The Kankana-ey tribe speak have their own language, which is related to the Bontoc
language. Many inhabitants also speak Ilokano, Tagalog, and English for trade and commerce.

The SIL Ethnologue database [1] classifies the languages under the South-Central Cordilleran branch.

Nabaloy (named in the database as Ibaloi) is part of the Southern Cordilleran branch which also includes
Pangasinense. The Kankana-ey language (named in the database as Kankanaey) is under the Central
Cordilleran branch, which also includes Bontoc and Ifugao.

d. systems of health care (prevention,

Maintenance of the living rice terraces reflects a primarily cooperative approach of the whole community which
is based on detailed knowledge of the rich diversity of biological resources existing in the Ifugao agro-
ecosystem, a finely tuned annual system respecting lunar cycles, zoning and planning, extensive soil
conservation, mastery of a most complex pest control regime based on the processing of a variety of herbs,
accompanied by religious rituals.

Criterion (iii): The rice terraces are a dramatic testimony to a community’s sustainable and primarily communal
system of rice production, based on harvesting water from the forest clad mountain tops and creating stone
terraces and ponds, a system that has survived for two millennia.

Criterion (iv): The rice terraces are a memorial to the history and labour of more than a thousand generations of
small-scale farmers who, working together as a community, have created a landscape based on a delicate and
sustainable use of natural resources.

Criterion (v): The rice terraces are an outstanding example of land-use resulting from a harmonious interaction
between people and their environment which has produced a steep terraced landscape of great aesthetic
beauty, now vulnerable to social and economic changes.

promotion,
cure

rehabilitation
 Health care of individual ifugaos depend in their values, dignity and beliefs. Some of them, when they get sick
they directly went to the hospital and consult a doctor. While some still stick to their traditions in
consulting a mumbaki, even having the risks of getting the illness worst. Some of them use natural
resources for curing theirselves, they use herbal medicines.
In Brgy. Tam-an, there are no livelyhood programs because there are no fund from health care and resistance
to diseases.

2. What do you think are the outstanding social problems of the community? Explain why. (nico, dano, dyan)
a. health
In my opinion, Health based problems that are found in the community are seen first with the lack of
infrastructure for the transfer of patients. These infrastructures include cement paved roads and pathways.
Baranggay health centers are also distant from some houses. They also lack hospitals in the vicinity that are
equipped with the proper medical facilities that can readily admit any patient. Another issue on health is
evident in most of the houses whereas the whole family sleeps and lives in one room. A sick member of the
family might infect the rest of the household.

b. housing
Houses are too small to accommodate all the members of the family.

c. recreation
Weavers, blacksmiths and carvers work alongside stalls selling beads and woodcarvings at reasonable prices. Ethnic
dances and ritual music are performed for guests in the grounds outside the hotel. 

d. crime
the social problems involving crime is, the ifugaos may be spiteful people. the tradition before was, If a clan
member is murdered, they seek revenge.
e. social control
f. population

3. Are the eight subsystems present in the community? If not, which is missing or not met by the community?
(kiko, Chill)
a. housing
b. education
c. fire and safety
d. politics and government
e. health
f. communication
g. economics
h. recreation

4. Describe their cultures and traditions in the village. Do they have similarities/ differences in our cultures and
traditions? (laarn)

Ours and the Ifugaos Cultures and Traditions

 Similarities Differences
Some are Christians Some Ifugaos still practice “Baki”, “Bogwa”,
“pattung”

Use of modern clothes “Bahag” (occasionally)

- Some do not bury their dead, instead,
they wrap them in cloth and hang them in
trees. Once the body has been reduced to
skeleton, they wrap it in a death blanket and
Burying of the dead kept under the eaves of the hut.
- Some do rituals, and animal sacrifices to
appease their dead ancestors.
Ifugaos perform “War Dance” when
someone is murdered
Ifugaos perform “Victory Dance” when a
closest relative performs revenge.