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The Baguio Chapter passed a resolution on November 9, 2003
to initiate moves to qualify the Bago for Party List representation in
Congress. The first step taken was to form two teams: the Registration Team
(RT) headed by Atty. Romualdo Dumling and the Information Drive Team (IDT)
headed by Vic Buaquen. RT was tasked to study the technicalities and
requirements for the inclusion of the Bago in the Party List representation in
Congress and to undertake the necessary application and registration procedures
with the Comelec. IDT was tasked to go to Bago communities to disseminate such
intent and to help the visited communities to organize their own local Bago
organizations. Before the end of the month IDT
started its information drive. They went to Bago communities in La Union,
Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Quirino province, Kalinga, Metro
Manila, Mindoro Oriental, Mindoro Occidental, Agusan Del Norte, Misamis
provinces, Bukidnon, Cotabato and Davao Sur. They conducted meetings and helped
organize local chapters where there were none previously. The response of the
visited communities was quite positive and enthusiastic. Among the Bago local organizations
organized during this information drive were: Santa Cruz, Bagabag, Nueva
Vizcaya; Alfonso Lista, Ifugao; Dumabato, Maddela, Quirino; Victoria, Mindoro
Oriental; Tagbongabong, RTR (Remedios Trinidad Romualdez), Agusan Del Norte;
Kidama, Matalam, Cotabato; Bannawag, Kabakan, Cotabato; Osias, Kabakan, Cotabato;
Cuyapon, Kabakan, Cotabato; and Tacul, Magsaysay, Davao Sur. Many of the
visited communities had existing local organization. Those who helped financially and
made possible the information drive were: George Banayos, Martina Eclar,
Placido Pang-ot, Onofre Sunggay, Adriano Limbawan, Leonila Tibaldo, Atty.
Damaso Bangaoet Jr., Martin Sagudin, Erminda Apayyo. Fely Lingbaoan, Elmer
Sayan, Trinidad Cayading, Atty. Romualdo Dumling, Dr. Alberto Gallao, Mercedes
Okyo, Albert Cadiogan, Col. Sinforoso Dumling, Baranggay Captain Cossid (Tacul,
Magsaysay, Davao Sur) and Vic Buaquen. The RT was
expected to file our petitions for accreditation and, eventually, our petition
to participate in the coming election. The main problem faced by the team of
Atty. Dumling is the suspension of processing of all petitions by the Comelec
supposedly for the need for new guidelines. They have suspended the processing
guidelines and are to come up with a new one which is expected to be announced
soon as the next election, if it ever will be held, is just a number of months
away. As of this writing, 9-11-06, we
recently learned that processing by the Comelec of application for groups
intending to join the Party List has resumed. Putting together the needed
supporting paper for our application is being made jointly by Atty Dumling’s
team in Incidentally, Col. Sinforoso Dumling
and myself, were able to obtain from the NCIP office in BNCSPI BOD
has been busy as well. After passing a resolution ratifying the efforts of the
Baguio Chapter, they organized local chapters in Palali, Many of us have, on our own personal
capacities, helped pass around to other Bagos that we are moving for our
inclusion in the Party List. Today, with the nearing election, we are pressed
to move as one body to meet this challenge. Anyone aware of the existence of a
Bago community that has no local chapter yet could help by alerting members of
such community about guidelines in Organizing Bago Local Chapters which is also
published in this newsletter. This newsletter, together with a lot of other
information about the Bago, could also be found in our website:
http://www.bagoculture.bravehost.com/. Those with computer access to the
internet can click on above website address or type said address on the
“address” space at the top of the screen. Those not having computers, could go
to any computer café to access our website. The computer café operator will
gladly help you get to our website. Computer cafes in Tabuk, Kalinga charge an
hourly rate of 20 pesos for use of their computer. In La Trinidad, Benguet the
charge is 13 pesos per hour. To the officers of existing local
chapters we wish to make you understand that aside from the specific listing of
your organizational members we also need a reasonable estimate of the total
number of Bagos in your community to include all members of each household –
women, children and the old folks included. We need such estimate as soon as
possible. Your specific census of all Bagos in your community can be turned in
at a later date. Another matter of crucial importance
that should be understood by local chapter officials, especially the chairman
or president, is the likelihood of the local Comelec Registrar to verify from
them personally on the existence of a Bago local organization and a Bago
community within the town. Such verification will soon be undertaken in
connection with our application with the Comelec for our inclusion in the Party
List representation in Congress. The local chairman should take the initiative
and formally (or even informally) inform the Comelec local registrar on the
presence and existence of a Bago community and their local organization within
the locality. We have furnished a listing of local Bago organizations, their
officers and the contacting addresses and telephone numbers, to the Comelec.
Following is a proposed or a sample letter addressed to a Comelec local
registrar and to be signed by a local chapter president: The Local Comelec Registrar
Should anyone need to get in touch
with someone on matters mentioned herein, please call 0915-780-6026 or
0910-526-1847 (voice or text message) or contact email address smdumling@yahoo.com or angiwao@yahoo.com. GUIDELINES ON ORGANIZING BAGO LOCAL CHAPTERS To attain greater tribal unity and
national solidarity, all Bago communities wherever they are found have to form
their local organization. Such local Bago organization shall be autonomous and
ideally function exactly like our old traditional Bago communities with the
council of elders looking after the welfare of the community and deciding
collective concerns through our inherited democratic processes. In the light of
present realities however, the community has to gather into a general assembly
and elect some 16 members, more or less, from among themselves, to form their
council of elders. This council of elders shall serve alternatively as Board of
Directors. Such elected Board of Directors (BOD) will then choose among
themselves the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasure, Auditor and
Press Relation Officer of the organization, with the rest being designated as
“member, BOD.” It should be emphasized that notwithstanding such designations
we are not naming anyone as chief, datu or king since we never had such in our
culture and in our history. Our Board of Directors must function principally in
the democratic ways of the Bago council of elders. While such local Bago organization
is independent and autonomous, it has now to link with all the other Bago local
organizations under the umbrella of our national organization, the Bago
National Cultural Society of the Aside from the greater unity and
national solidarity, there are two other pressing reasons for the Bago to be
strongly and solidly organized as a tribe. The first one is to enable us to
optimally attain the blessings and benefits defined and provided by the
Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA). Such benefits and entitlement, include:
protection of our identity, culture and heritage; self governance; self
determination in social, economic and cultural matters; and ownership and titling
of all our ancestral domains. Only a strong, unified and functioning tribe can
demand, receive and fully partake of such benefits and entitlement. A look at
the dismal picture and situation of the first awarded ancestral domains with
the unorganized beneficiaries at a standstill and not knowing what to do with
what was awarded to them, should prove this point. The second reason for our soonest
unity is the earlier initiative we took to gain a Party List representation in
Congress. The only way to do this is to awaken the “sintatako” spirit and put
it to the task to accomplish what many of us believe to be possible and
attainable. For “sintatako” to awaken and empower the whole tribe, we must
first have a fully activated, strengthened and functioning organization. Steps for a
Bago community to organize a BNCSPI local chapter:
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