GULING-GULING

(I wrote this last February 22, 2012, Ash Wednesday, but failed to post it here outright because of some problems of my desktop computer and Internet access connectivity).

Yesterday was the celebration of guling-guling festival. The participants, planners and implementers deserve most our appreciation! Rightfully, guling-guling must be celebrated because it is one of the more important intangible cultural heritage of Paoay. (The other cultural heritage is tumba, which was the subject of my earlier piece, Tumba, on October 31, 2011). No other town, at least in the entire Ilocandia, that has this type of cultural practice.  Only in Paoay!

The term  guling means dirt. The main feature of the celebration is  the imprinting of the sign of the cross, using rice flour, on the forehead of all attendees by the village chief (much later on by the town mayor) or a religious leader like a priest. This was the reason, obviously, why it was  called guling-guling. It has a signification  to the belief relative to human creation that we came from the dust and to dust we shall return. In the afternoon merrymakings, the basic menu to be served were basi as drinks, and the dudol, a native rice cake made of rice flour and sugar cane juice -- all products or by-products of "dust". 

The host community would serve dudol and basi, and therefrom, the participants would joyfully dancing towards the town plaza. Thereat, more fun and spontaneous revelries or merrymakings would continue, featuring the local songs and dances,  foods and delicacies and drinks. On their way to the plaza, however,  the crowd briefly pay a visit to the churches to worship and receive blessings from the  priests. Without those main features then it may not be considered as our  genuine guling-guling.

According to the older folks, guling-guling had been passed down to us over several hundreds or even thousand years ago.  It was always celebrated on a Tuesday, because the following day would be Ash Wednesday, start of lenten season.  In short, the guling-guling day was  the finale or culmination of all our “wordly acts” because the following day,  we have to start the observance of the Lenten Season for the Christians.

Cultural authenticity

This year’s celebration of guling-guling was again highlighted by pompous activities which I hoped the celebration objectives were realized, and which I assume there were. I say this because for a number of years already  I have been hearing remarks that the guling-guling festival be celebrated in a grand fashion in order to serve as a tourist attraction. But it should be emphasized that with or without tourists,  guling-guling must be celebrated. It has to be preserved and perpetuated because it is our tradition, an intangible cultural heritage. A celebration of a cultural heritage, however simple the features they may be, can “help reveal our own history.”

As one writer had emphasized: Folk customs (or any intangible cultural asset for that matter), live through the people, and perhaps the performers’ lives and happiness are  the real heart of these customs. The guling-guling is for us. It is part of our identity. We are doing it because we need to do it, we like it, and we love it. We are celebrating it regularly, annually, perennially, because it is our culture. Culture is the sum total of our character. The celebration, therefore,  should  be relevant and significant in order to reflect its cultural integrity and authenticity, and,  more importantly, “help reveal our history.”

In one guling-guling festival celebration for instance, I recall that it featured an activity dubbed as “kawayan festival” showcasing , among others, ulnas parade. A festival within a festival? But were they featured again in those  subsequent celebrations? No.  I noted that Kawayan Festival has been a celebrated yearly in Ilocos Sur town even much earlier than when it was injected into the guling-guling celebrations for that year. 

Further, what had happened to the guling-guling house? 

The moment a cultural heritage celebration is highlighted more with the fancy features that have  no relation to its evolution and development, to the extent of even modifying the original features or altering the established basic components, then those do not “help reveal our history” anymore.

Moreover, spending more on those  new, foreign and fancy features rather than  enriching those basic features, would muddle up its authenticity and concept of a cultural asset. They would eclipse  our conscious efforts relative to cultural heritage preservation and protection. If there is no cultural integrity or authenticity as evidenced by the continuing and ever-changing  features --  moreso if such features were  “copycats” from other events -- then what we have is a "confused culture” or, worse, leads to a “damaged culture.”

Tourists attraction

Admittedly, celebrations are now increasingly becoming tourists attraction materials. Indeed, tourism should be a vehicle towards some economic progress. However,  in our desire to have them as tourists attractions, we  should  not compromise authenticity and aesthetic character of our cultural heritage. 

While artificial activities naturally attract good volume of crowd  during the first time they were presented,  the  do not  necessarily mean  as  qualified as  tourists attractions.  Instead, they must be  rooted with and in some  recognized cultural or historic foundations so as to  be considered as tourists attraction. 

Tourists visit Paoay in order to experience its history, culture, arts and crafts. If the celebration establishes an authentic ambiance that is historically, culturally and is aesthetic, then guling-guling  truly “offers to visitors and tourists an emotional and experiential connection” distinct from those in other places. If that happens, tourists and visitors mark their visit that is worthy to be repeated.

What I am saying is: Deriving lessons from past celebrations, all if not most of the features of the celebration should be consciously and deliberately packaged to reflect the nature of our cultural heritage. In that way,  they “can help reveal our history” on one hand, and to establish “connection emotionally and experientially”  to  our visitors  on the other hand.

I don’t see the significance of those usual commercial booths selling kitchen wares, arrays of clothing apparels,  pirated CDS/DVDs right at the very heart of the town or plaza, as well as those galleries of games around and car racing. The plaza is supposedly the face and heart of a place. If ever those  traditional commercial and fun activities were allowed in the plaza, then maybe during  fiesta celebrations, but not during the  celebration of a unique, important cultural heritage. Those activities were not tourist-attractions.

What I cannot accept even more were those extra activities done the following day or days. Again, the concept of guling-guling is to do all “wordly acts” on that day because the Lenten Season  starts the following day. If those activities are allowed even if the celebration is already over, then seemingly we are not sensitive enough to the sanctity of the season of Lent.  If at all tolerated, then they should not in the vicinity of the church declared as World Heritage Site.

Tourism and cultural council

Some lessons learned from past celebrations were part of the reasons then why the Municipal Cultural and Tourism Council (MCTC) was revitalized.  The MCTC  is a multi-sectoral special body that would look into the celebration and preservation of our historic-cultural assets, like guling-guling.  In brief, the  aspect of having it as a tourism attraction must be balanced with the preservation of their authenticity and integrity aspect  of a given cultural asset. Further,  while it is nice to have those assets as  reasons to celebrate to our delight, it is incumbent upon us to look into their preservation and protection because they are our common inheritance,  our prized possessions.

The establishment of the MCTC was the first ordinance I introduced in 1998, with amendments made later in order to strengthen the council. In fact, the MCTC is mandated to adopt a cultural celebration calendar – a list of celebrations for every  given year. The MCTC determines what are those to be observed and celebrated in January, in February, etc.  until December, then compile them to constitute the annual  celebration calendar. In turn, the content of  calendar are bases of an advanced planning and budgeting.

The MCTC, it being a multi-sectoral council, was expected that its decisions were  results of conscious, collective idea sharing.  In guling-guling for instance, it is not enough to just discuss the features for Day One, in Day Two, etc; it must also analyze the implications and significance of each and every feature vis-a-viz to their nature and concepts.  Does the totality of the celebration  “help reveal our history” and relevant tour our tourism prospects? Of course answers to issue like these can only be clarified  if there are serious and honest efforts to analyze them. Those may be done  by consulting with the more experienced people in the areas of historic-cultural preservation and protection, as well as those from the tourism industry sector.

An specific instance I am driving at is this: If the basic costumes of participants are our local hand-woven materials, then it would have been an opportunity to revive and promote our own abel Paoay. Otherwise stated: If guling-guling is improving, is it translating  into parallel improvement of the lives and situation of our real local weavers?  Ask the true weavers, not only the usual one or two among them; it must be majority or all of them.  One more point: If dudol and basi  were the basic menu during every guling-guling, then it would have been an opportunity to revive our own sugar cane production as an alternative farm crops. In brief, if guling-guling is improving,  is it translating significant improvement of  the livelihoods  of  the sugar can farmers, the  makers of basi, dudol and other native delicacies in some ways?

But of course these queries will never be answered if the dubious agenda of certain cliques prevail. Everybody should have an adequate understanding or appreciation about the concept, idea and significance of the celebration.  In brief, we can feel a sense of ownership of our guling-guling.

Monetary prize

According to the older folks, it used to be that prize money were not the principal considerations to motivate people to celebrate guling-guling. If at all, monetary prizes were only given if only to  at least defray some expenses of the actual participants, as well as a gesture of appreciation for their initiatives.

But, apparently, times have changed. I hope I am wrong: I observed that extensive preparations with hundreds of thousands of money being spent not because we are intrinsically motivated to enrich and preserve our guling-guling, but in order to win the prize money plus other accompanying perks, like the prospects of a  foreign travel. Did the participant-contestants understand and appreciate guling-guling?

Because the motivation was more of the prize money,   some  even contracted the services of choreographers who were not  from Paoay. In effect, the non-resident were the ones teaching the residents how to conceptualize,  interpret and perform properly their own folk customs, dances, songs and other cultural traditions!  So the original and basic features of the guling-guling were already being marginalized, rather than be highlighted. So those choreographed contests of dances, termed as “showdown”,  were  highlighted. I myself have seen those nightly dance rehearsals. Most of those costly costumes and props charged were charged from  barangay funds.

I suppose those must be evaluated. We cannot afford that as if we are forcing and buying ourselves just to preserve and perpetuate our cultural heritage. Monetary prizes are extrinsic motivations.  The guling-guling is Only in Paoay!; thus, I suggest that it must be treated differently in order to preserve and  elevate its  status as  the unique,  age-old and authentic cultural heritage.  But in the course of doing so, allocations for equally important basic services should not be compromised and sacrificed. 

Politics

One more point: What I cannot accept is  that  guling-guling is being used, if not exploited, deliberately or surreptitiously, for some partisan political charades. We remember those celebrations held  proximate to a political exercise, like fiesta, be it a town or  barangay fiesta celebration.   Instead that a  fiesta should be  non-political event because it should be for all residents to enjoy, there were instances that some parts or features were  strategically prepared to suit the political advantage of some politicians. Yet we love to call it as a fiesta in honor of their patron saint.

We are  not that naïve. We too can  sense  that some  celebrations  are  apparently becoming a family affair,  pleasing and entertaining  few people rather than the residents a t large.  In short, a public celebration funded by public money to benefit traditional political gimmicks or for some family expositions. I thus recall of a news regarding a major cultural event in one city. Because of the feud of political leaders thereat, the parade route of the celebration was modified.

Evaluation

I believe every post-celebration evaluation must treat other significant issues and subjects equally. Of course, foremost is the financial components. If a barangay spent tens if not hundred of thousand of pesos, the issue may not be limited to whether or not the supporting disbursement papers are in order. The other issue might be on the propriety, vis-a-viz the other responsibilities of the barangay. For instance, if the barangay suffers a disaster, or given the fact that residents are farmers and suffering farming problems, does the barangay spending that same bulk of public money for these concerns compared to how much being poured into those celebrations?

I find it irresponsible the  remark of one town official who once said that  barangay officials need not bother themselves to spend that much for those celebrations,   after all,  those funds are not their personal money. On the contrary,   with more reasons that public funds should be spent to more pressing matters simply because those are not money of officials. Officials are only stewards of public funds and resources, thus, at all times, they should be more circumspect as to how they use them. 

If guling-guling was also used to attract more tourists and in return supposedly bring about economic benefits to all, then maybe it is worthwhile to pause meanwhile and tell the people our specific gains.  Everybody deserves to know.   Thus far, what were our gains and what are the plans to sustain the gains?   

Again, guling-guling is  part of our culture.  Our culture is cradled in the moral fiber of society.