Since the issue erupted on social media, I have been very vocal in my opinion that there is nothing wrong with the idea of adopting Congressman Yap as an honorary Ibaloi. He is already an adopted son of Benguet, Kankanaey, and Kalanguya and I see no valid reason for him not to be symbolically adopted by the Ibaloy tribe. Besides, he's the current Congressman of the province - for Pete's sake. Elected by no less than the people themselves. Politics, or shall we say those who play it dirty, really have this peculiar way of messing things up to gain the upper hand. As my father aptly said referring to the situation; "making mountains out of mole hills".
The most appalling thing I noticed in all this noise is how sadly we have become a community of racists and fake information pedlers all in the name of politics. While the whole world slowly embraces inclusivity and cultural tolerance, Benguet is descending into the abys of hate and bigotry. I have seen comments unfairly maligning the Congressman just because he is not originally from Benguet. All his advocacy and programs, no matter how good, are being cast aside and ignored just because of his ancestry. Some have even posted hateful and libelous statements against fellow iBenguets whose only fault was airing their opinion.
I must confess, I was a sceptic at first because frankly, I despise the very idea of someone from the outside leading the province. I was caught in the "kailyan for kailyan" toxic mindset. During the last elections, the battlecry was "Benguet is for Benguet" and it obviously did not sit well with the electorate. It was an easy victory for the outsider yet, the brutal pounding by the self-proclaimed righteous breed ensues until now. They simply cannot accept the fact that they are fighting a lost cause and that they were outcharmed by someone from the outside who knew exactly what to do as far as Benguet voters is concerned. Being a Political Science graduate, I became more curious of this Politician from afar and upon learning more of his feats and game plan, I have come to realize that perhaps Benguet leaders need to level up their leadership skills arsenal. For now, maybe he is just what Benguet needs.
Well, allow me to semi-rant for a while just to have something to ponder on. In 2019 when the late Nestor Fongwan ran for Benguet Congressman, we offered an alternative candidate as we had doubts about his health then. Despite a great and clean campaign, we lost but we yielded respectfully to the victor. Less than a year later, the good Congressman succumbed to his illness. We were pushing for a special election and as we were vocal about it, there was silence on the battlefront. Then came the announcement of the designation of a Caretaker Congressman from the ACT-CIS Partylist. No one bothered to object even those loudly proclaiming Benguet for Benguet now. In fact, Congressman Yap was warmly welcomed and embraced by our leaders. No one fought for special elections and to me, that should have been the proper course of action.
Fast forward to now. The people of Benguet, especially in areas virtually unreached by congressional magic touch, experienced a brand of leadership they have never seen before. Social services assistance and necessary infrastructure projects started to flow even to the most "sulsulinek" of Barangays. To them, it didn't matter much whether it is a political strategy or sheer concern for the community. What mattered is that their feeling of neglect has come to pass. And so, in the election of 2022, Yap was given a fresh mandate. No longer a caretaker but the duly elected Congressman of the Province and despite all the insults, allegations of corruption, and unfounded hate, he remained steadfast in his "tulong"-inspired approach. I have yet to hear of an instance where he barked back and made "patol" to his detractors. And, for that, he earned my respect. Sometimes, problems are better assessed and solved through an outside perspective and perhaps being a "kailyan" involves more than just blood and birthplace. (Originally published in the Baguio Chronicle)
