24-year old Grade I pupil dreams of becoming a lawyer

MAITUM, Sarangani (August 26, 2007) – "Kasi mahirap talaga ang pobre."
This statement sums up what motivated Tom Balatac, 24, to enroll in Grade I this year.
"Mahirap talaga ang walang pinag-aralan. Naranasan ko na, " said Balatac, single, the third among seven children of a farmer in the upland village of Kamaas.
Balatac walks an hour from his village to Kipalkuda Elementary School in New La Union (population: 1,232), a predominantly T'boli barangay.
"Lahat ng mga kapatid ko graduate na sa high school. Ako lang ang hindi naka graduate. Kung may tumulong sa akin baka hanggang college ako," Balatac said.
Balatac wishes to become a lawyer someday to help his community.
Despite his T'boli family's owning a 24-hectare farm, their living conditions remain poor and that urged him more to go to school.

Besides, Balatac and several children in Kipalkuda Elementary School have won back interest in schooling due to a school feeding program initiated by an American missionary and his wife.
Daniel Lee Evans and his wife Aurea Desaville set up the Datu Wali Mission Foundation (DWM) two years ago to facilitate education among tribal and poor children.
"Education breaks the cycle of poverty," said Evans, 54, a retired executive of Bank of America in San Francisco.

According to the DWM website (http://www.datuwalimission.org/), the students live in the mountains above the school and walk up to four hours each way daily to attend classes. They cross up to seven streams and rivers and, because of that and the rainforest, they arrive at school wet and cold. They are so poor that many begin the day without breakfast and most cannot bring a lunch to school. Those circumstances make class attendance very challenging and inconsistent. At the appointed school lunch hour, nearly all of the students begin the long walk home since they have no lunch to eat. Not only does this create high absenteeism, but it demoralizes teachers as their classrooms are mostly empty in the afternoons, the DWM said.
Kipalkuda, which means a horse crossing a river in T'boli dialect, was the former name of this barangay. It was renamed "New" by Ilocano settlers from San Fernando, La Union in Luzon.
"We can't help a lot of people, but by coming to our children, I hope that one day, one of our children decides to come back as a professional and help their own people, and that's when we know our success," Evans said.

The Evans couple has used their family farm to plant vegetables for the T'boli pupils' free lunch program. "We looked at the community and we reached out to our friends back in America, and they are very helpful," Evans said. Evans led the feeding program with the parents and the teachers to provide lunch for the children on school days. Parents alternately cook food to keep their children in school. The DWM provides rice, clothing, and transportation.
The municipal and provincial government units have donated school supplies and used clothing too.

The program has encouraged children to go to school, marking a 220% increase in enrolment this school year. There are a number of pupils who are already in their teens. The school today has 349 pupils, compared to 90 in 2004. A DWM truck ferries children to and from school everyday. The kids call it their "school bus." "It's amazing because, while the province has to extend the enrolment of some schools to see their population increasing, our school has more than doubled its enrollees," Evans said. "Our challenge now is providing these children with more chairs and a place (classrooms) to study," Evans said.

Mayor Elsie Perrett said the municipal government was looking for funds "to assist the school in giving quality education to our children." The local government has delivered 16 desks for the pupils. But these were not enough. Some pupils still sit four in a desk instead of two. Two of Kipalkuda's school buildings need repair and were not safe to be used as classrooms.
With only four teachers, Perrett said she has requested the Department of Education to assign more teachers in Kipalkuda. "But first of all we have to encourage pupils to come to school and encourage older people to get interested to study and learn," the mayor said. Teacher-in-charge Aura Mirayo's T'boli roots helped convince children to enroll. "Sabi ko lahat walang mayaman dito sa inyo. Lahat mahirap. Sabi ko ang solusyon dyan is pag-aaral lang," Mirayo told them. "Kailangan mag-aral kayo. Walang bata o matanda sa pag-aaral as long as gusto ninyong matuto." Kipalkuda Elementary School is now one of the top three performers throughout the municipality.

From the US, Josephine Turner said the Galing Foundation Inc. she's involved in in Atlanta has chosen Kipalkuda Elementary School as its Mindanao pilot community for provision of slightly used and new books and school supplies. The foundation sent a box of books last June and will be sending another box in September. (SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE/RGP)

Magles 2 variety

Magles 2 variety grows 5 months.It has robust and yellowish grains. It is also palatable when cooked.

Mlikat Spikit variety

Mlikat spikit variety grows for 5 months. It has robust yellowish grains; palatable, fragrant and very sticky/glutinous when cooked.

Safat variety

Safat variety grows for 3 months. Grains are easily pounded, high yielding, fragrant when cooked, drought resistant, grains with long awns, pale white to yellow colored grains.

Nabol variety

Nabol variety grows for 5 months. It is glutinous when cooked. It has big and robust dark brown colored grains.

Dinorado variety

Dinorado variety grows for 4 months. It germinates fast, drought tolerant, chaff easily separates from grain when pounded. It is not glutinous but palatable and fragrant when cooked.

Mlikat Tabe variety

Mlikat tabe variety grwos for 5 months.It has robust grains, burgundy stripped grains to some black portions. It is fragrant, palatable and glutinous when cooked.

Mlikat Luyong variety

Mlikat luyong variety grows for 5 months. It is glutinous, fragrant, and palatable when cooked. It is also considered as a diminishing variety.

Mlikat knumi variety

Mlikat knumi grows for 4 months.With long awns, yellowish colored grains, robust grains, and glutinous when cooked.

Mlikat Fule variety

Mlikat fule grows for 4 months.It has golden brown and white grains.Palatable when cooked.

Mlabat variety

Mlabat variety grows for 3-4 months. It is fragrant when cooked, pale yellow color and big grains.

La Ereng variety

La ereng variety grows for 4 months. It has slender yellowish grains, palatable when cooked.

Kinsinas variety

Kinsinas variety grows for 3-4 months. It has big and pale yellow grains with long panicles.

Kanadal variety

Kanadal variety grows for 3-4 months.It has long panicle, white grains, and with long awns.

Tindah 2 variety

Tindah grows 4 months before harvest. Variety is charactezied as drought resistant, palatable, with big grains, fragrant, and also high yielding.

Tindah variety

Tindah grows 4 months before harvest. Variety is drought resistant, palatable, big grains, fragrant, and high yielding.

Samfang variety

Samfang grows 4 months before harvest. High yielding, palatable, and easy to pound.

Pilit Tapul variety

Pilit tapul grows 4 months. Variety has long viability of seeds, pale greenish color of the grains, high yielding, palatable.

Muslim variety

Muslim variety grows 5 months. The Grains are heavy, not easily pounded, has fragrant odor, and with golden brown to burgundy colored grains.

Mlikat Samlaka 2 variety

Mlikat samlaka variety grows 5 months. It is glutinous and with fragrant odor, pale white color of grains, easy to pound, palatable.

Mlikat Samlaka variety

Mlikat samlaka variety grows 5 months. Glutinous and fragrant odor when cooked, pale white color of grains, easy to pound, palatable.

Mlikat Kablak variety

Mlikat kablak grows 4 months. Glutinous when cooked, drought tolerant, burgundy stripped grains and robust grains. It is considered as a diminishing variety.

Mlikat fule variety

Mlikat fule variety grows 4 months.It is characterized by golden brown and white grains. It is palatable too.

Mlabat variety

Mlabat variety grows for 3-4 months.Fragrant when cooked, has big grains with pale yellow color.

Manabang 2 variety

Manabang variety grows 3 months before harvest. It has vigorous growth, fragrant when cooked, high yielding, and palatable.

Manabang variety

Manabang variety grows 3 months. Chracterized by vigorous growth, fragrant when cooked, high yielding, and palatable.

Magles variety

Magles variety grows for 5 months.It has robust yellowish grains and is palatable when cooked.

Lumabet variety

Lumabet variety grows for 3 months. It is charactereized as drought tolerant, with small grains.It is also good for making porridge and with fragrant smell.

Larangan 2 variety

Larangan variety grwos for 3 months. It has short growing period, high viability, fragrant and palatable when cooked, with long storage life, easily pounded, and yellowish rice grains.

Larangan variety

Kifan Kili variety

Kifan kili (named after the size and shape of the river eel teeth) grows for about 3-4 months.
Tiny and very slender grains, variety is used for rituals and special celebrations, hard to pound as it will crush the whole rice grain.

Kantuna 2 variety

Kantuna variety grows for 5 months.It is fragrant and palatable when cooked.

Kantuna variety

Kanone variety

Kanone variety grows for 3 months before harvest. It is palatable and fragrant when cooked. Farmers loved it for its short growing period.

Kalubid variety

Kalubid variety grows for 3-4 months. It has big pale yellow colored grains and is fragrant when cooked.

Fungol variety

Fungol variety grows for 4 months. It has vigorous growth, fragrant when cooked, and white grains with brown stripe in the middle.

Fitam Kwat variety

Fitam Kwat variety grows for 4-5 months before harvest.It is drought tolerant, has long storage life with long growing period, grains easily pounded, palatable and fragrant when cooked, big grains with black tips, long awns, and high yielding.

Fantilanen variety

Fantilanen variety grows for 3 months before harvest.It germinates fast, grains are fragrant easily pounded, high viability, drought tolerant, palatable when cooked, and with yellow-brownish grains.

Fanda Bulaw variety

Fanda Bulaw variety grows for 4-5 months.It has vigorous growth, palatable and fragrant when cooked, with pale white grains.

Blawen variety

Blawen variety grows for 3-4 months.Ih has golden grains with black tip.

Tuke fali (Harvest)

Before the grand harvest, the farm owner will perform the ritual of Nlaban fali near the Bot tne. A portion of the standing crop is tied to uway (rattan) with sluan (climbing fern) and weighed with stone to serve as the starting point of the harvest. The women turn their back to the "tied palay" imbued with a spiritual fervor that there will be more for them to harvest.

Tuke fali is an elaborate celebration that begins with the ritual of amngawe, where women exhangce chants to fill the air with meriiment. Before amngawe is the ritual of pandoman (thanksgiving cermony) that takes place in the fol two bundles of palay are placed on the mat. The framer lunges a spear to the rice bundles then the community forms a circle around the mat in deep silence, thanking Dwata for the protection of the elnigo from pestilence and for blessing the eldnigo with bountiful harvest.

After pandoman, the men go hunting for wild pigs or deer or just settle for a native chicken. A portion of the palay harvest is cooked by women duirng the celebration. While some women harvest palay, others are thres the straws with their feet. The grains are then brought to the sung (hollow stamp mill) and pounded. While the activities are going on, women converse jovially and chant their conversations.

Then the men arrive with their catch and join the preparations. Rice cakes and viands are prepared from wild chicken, wild pig, or deer and offered as damsu (offering). After the damsu, everyone goes back to the field and help in harvest. When the harvest is about to finish, rice straws are bundled and brought to the house and arranged for sun drying the following day. After all the palay harvests are accounted for, the farmer and his wife initiate the dance to the beat of falimak 9gong) and sluray (bamboo guitar) and everyone joins in. The merriment lasts until nightfall. The families who took part in the harvest are given a share of the harvests gifts.

Mlikat Lagfisan: A Rice Soldier

Mlikat lagfisan (glutinous rice) is planted around the bot tne to guard the ricefield. Lagfisan is also magical rice that endows strength and intellect to those who feast on its highly nutritious taste.other crops such as abok or bila (edible tubers), kalmati (tomatoes), blatong (beans), squash, etc. are planted along sied of elnigo.

Oftentimes, weeds that grow in the elnigo are edible such as kawat (wild spinach) and saluyot. Rotting logs grow edible fungi such as mouse moss and mushrooms. When elnigo is already cleared of palay, the area is planted with various crops such as kasila (sweet potatoes), bananas, papaya and beans.

Amlah (Planting)

When samkyab and tubong appear in the sky, it heralds the start of the planting season. Samkyab and tubong are stars only the Blaan farmers could identify. The farmer and his wife then build a "bot tne" (platform) at the center of the elnigo. Bot tne has four posts, about a meter high where all the seeds are placed before planting, surrounded by four sugarcane stands, four rows of camote tops, and bagacay or salban (wild bamboo). On the bagacay pole, the farmer and his wife place slices of ginger, layers of ashes, green chili, slices of kisol (turmeric) and charcoal in threes. The ritual of tne symbolizes the farmer's desire to have a good cropping season free from infestation and bad omens.

Before sunrise, seeds are brought to the bot tne along with food. Then amlah begins with the farmer and his wife initiating lamgi where men and women and the young people join a synchronized chorus of chants in increasing tempo as men dig holes with ahak (sharpened pole) and women fill them with bne (palay seeds). The cadence of lamgi ranges from a slow chant (lamgi tana), to moderately upbeat (lamgi Blaan) and to the very fascinating chanting (lamgi mayeng).

Sahul (Bayanihan)

Sahul is a traditional practice among the Blaans to prepare the elnigo within threee months. The men dicuss among themeselves the time table of sahul to accommodate each elnigo.Elnigo is cleared by slashing the vegetation and allowing it to dry for a few days before setting the fire. Salugsong is a flat, short tool used in uprooting weeds. Balo (bolo) is used for cutting trees. After the clearing, the elnigo is fenced with bagacay poles (climbing wild bamboo) and sugarcane to protect it from wandering animals.

Elnigo (Farm)

Within the tana (land) allocated to a Blaan household, a fertile area called elnigo is identified for planting rice. The farmer invokes the help of Dwata or Meleh (supreme being) through a ritual called mabah to determine whether the area is suitable for cropping. Dwata speaks to the farmer through the almugan, a wild fruit dove.When the almugan makes a pleasing sound more than foru times heard through the left area, Dwata blesses the farm. The four calls of the almugan stand for the cornerstones of the fol.

Baen, Lihub and Sacks for storage

Baen, a traditional basket made from bamboo and tree bark called lihub.Sacks are also used in lieu of the basket.

Tidal - a traditional storage

Hollow bamboo,tidal, used to store upland rice seeds mixed with ash. They are hanged on the roof top of houses to prevent infestation of rat and other pests.

Fol - a traditional rice storage

There is usually a stirage house called fol (barn) for air drying the rice harvest. Seeds for the next planting season are mixed with ash to prevent fungal growth prior to storage in hollow bamboos called tidal.

Premium Traditional Rice Germplasm

Three categories of traditional upland rice are identified by the farmers of Kihan - Mlal Fali (early maturing, 3 to 3 1/2 mo), Laweh Fali (late maturing, 4-6 mos.) and Mlikat Fali (glutinous rice) which are usually late maturing. Larangan, a Mlal Fali is the most common variety cultivated 2-3 times a year. Upland rice is produced solely for consumption and for use during rituals and festivities.

About 110 cultivars of traditional rice were documented in Kihan, where only 45 varieties have been collected so far. It is believed that there could be more than 110 cultivars if other farming villages are included future surveys. The cultivars vary greatly in terms of color, seed shape, and other morphological traits so the traditional system of naming the cultivars may be precise. The uncollected cultivars are either lost or kept by few elders of the community.

Kihan in Spotlight

Kihan is a farming community of the Municipality of Malapatn, Sarangani Province, composed of 26 Sitios spread within a total area of 6,620 has. The Barangay is juxtaposed by Alabel and Upper Suyan on the east-west direction abd bordered along the northern part of Malita, Davao Del Sur. Kihan is dotted with rolling hills dominated by grassland vegetation with minor forest cover on very steep slopes. Household count based on 2000 census was 585 households with an approximate population of 3,529 essentially belonging to the Blaan tribal group. Kihan is contiguous with otther Blaan communities in the area.

Kihan is a beneficiary of a pilot research program of Sarangani Indigenous Peoples Development Program and Mindanao State University-General Santos City Department of Biology that specifically targets the documentation-conservation of the remaining traditional rice varieties of Sarangani and the preservation of local customs and the traditions associated with traditional rice. The project took off July 2005 and envisions to establish Kihan as the model for upland rice Research and Development in Sarangani Province.

The research team was composed of Dr. Jaime A. Namocatcat, Prof. Florence L. Zapico, Josephine Carino, Mark de Gracia, Jexrel Bardizo, Bae Betty Katug, Jestoni Badilla and Ms. Maribeth Farnazo.

Unraveling Sarangani's Untold Genetic Treasures

In the upland villages of Kihan in Malapatan lies a untold treasure trove of cultural wealth - over a hundred varieties of rice constituting a premium rice germplasm whose rarity and diversity blend with unique customs and traditions of its people.

Every grain of rice that falls on the ground with each ahak resonates with voices of farmers in mirthful celebration of lamgi, where the men and women chant to cheer the weary souls and set on fire the ambers of a bountiful harvest.

In July each year, the steep slopes of Kihan are all abloom with verdant ricefields, creating a mosaic of beauty and wonder from afar amidst a carpet of lush blades and shrubs. The grains that ripen into golden rown or little rubbies beckon yet another merriment to celebrate teh beauty of culture...and to celebrate life.

Tagakaolo Tribal Anniversary

Tribal elders of Barangay Panamin, Malungon, Sarangani Province during thier anniversary.Use of horse hair as part of the head accessories among female is very distinct among the Tagakaolo tribe.

Ms. Carilyn Salanio, Ms. Rizza Balandan and Ms. Maribeth Farnazo wearing the traditional Tagakaolo attire.They are employees of the Provincial Government of Sarangani.

Cultural visit in Tagakaolo village

Taken last February 8, 2006 at Kitan Daku, Malungon during the visit of Dr. Jose Munoz and his family.The Tagakaolo community prepared a very warm welcome to the guests and shared thier culture thru performing arts presentation, traditionally prepared food, and indigenous crafts.The cultural visit was facilitated by Pastora Narcisa Galgo.

The old lady shown in the middle is the oldest surviving woman from the village estimated to have aged more than 90 years old. Photo taken by Rene Valenzuela,PIO Sarangani.