Councilor wants Davao City to showcase IP attire

PAYING HOMAGE Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio (left) walks with Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa 'Imee' Marcos during the first State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on Monday, July 25, 2022. PHOTO BY J. GERARD SEGUIA

By Ruth Palo, Manila Times

DAVAO CITY: Second District Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre has proposed an ordinance requiring the city government employees to wear an Indigenous Peoples (IP) attire every Monday of the month to celebrate local culture.

Alejandre's move came after various political leaders during the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. took this chance to showcase their respective city or municipality's cultural and ethnic attires.

Alejandre, who chaired the 20th City Council Committee on Tourism, in his privilege speech during its regular session on Tuesday, July 26, said culture and tradition receive less acknowledgement and appreciation.

"It came to my knowledge that although we are a country rich in culture, tradition and history, we have somehow failed to appreciate our diversity and mocked the identity that shaped us," he said.

During Marcos' SONA on Monday, Vice President and Department of Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio chose to wear the traditional attire of the Bagobo Tagabawa tribe, which is one of the eleven tribes in the city.

He said many praised Duterte-Carpio for promoting her city's culture. However, Alejandre said a few people have called out what she wore and called it a "cosplay."

They failed to realize that the Bagobo traditional attire worn by Duterte-Carpio, which she borrowed from Bae Sheirelle Anino, the deputy mayor of the Tagabawa tribe in Davao City, is not a cosplay, but a representation of one of the biggest indigenous tribes in Davao City, said Alejandre.

She wore the Bagobo Tagabawa traditional attire because she wanted to show appreciation for the IPs, he said.

"Those who insulted Duterte have proven their ignorance of our country's culture when they labeled her as a cosplayer without even realizing that they have also insulted the efforts made by the Bagobo Tagabawa tribe in weaving the said attire," Alejandre added.

"The vice president was also bashed on social media for cultural appropriation, when in fact, she had consulted the Tagabawa tribe on the proper way of using this traditional attire. May this incident, therefore, become a learning experience for all of us. We must learn the difference between cosplay and paying homage to our culture and tradition."

He said the comments of some Filipinos on Duterte-Carpio's traditional attire likewise opened his eyes to the harsh reality that there is still more to be done in appreciating our culture.

"May we always promote our culture in any way that we can. Even President Marcos emphasized in his first State of the Nation Address the crucial role of tourism and culture in providing regular employment for the Filipinos. Finally, may we never forget our culture and just call it a mere cosplay," Alejandre added.

Alejandre, who was appointed by then President Rodrigo Duterte as executive director of the National Commission on Culture and Arts, described the Bagobo tribe as one of the largest groups of IPs in Southern Mindanao. The tribe is composed of three sub-groups, namely the Tagabawa, the Clata or Guiangan and the Ubo.

VP Sara to wear traditional Bagobo dress on SONA

These subgroups may belong to one sociolinguistic group called the Bagobo, but they differ in some ways such as dialects, dance steps, costumes and color preferences.

Alejandre believes that it is high time we raise the level of cultural awareness of society, especially among youth, so they will be more sensitive to the words they say or post online.

In 2020, the City Council passed an ordinance requiring all public and private schools in all levels in Davao City to include in their curriculum the teaching of local history.