You Don't Look like an Igorot!!!

by: Felisa Daskeo

This is a pure blooded Igorot's house. She's a CPA-Lawyer.

During the time when Jeyrick Sigmaton, the Carrotman from Mt. Province got the attention of the internet and went viral, I have seen a few awful remarks about Igorots on Facebook. One man was barking like a wild dog and expressing his own wrath over Igorots. I don’t know why. Another woman talked about Igorots being like pigs, to my utter disgust.


The most annoying part is, every time I say, "I am an Igorot"; I hear the words, "But you don't look like an Igorot.

What exactly do they mean by that phrase?

We, Igorots, don't go online injecting obscenities and expletives about Ilocanos, Tagalogs, Warays, etc, because we believe that everyone is entitled to his own way of life no matter what kind of life you have. To shorten it, we are all Filipinos and we are all the same; there is no difference. Physically, Igorots are not far different from other Filipinos. There are several Igorot men and women who are as good looking as some actors and actresses around.

To set it straight, IGOROTS are not short, small, dark and with curly hair people.

Surprised to see a good-looking Igorot? Don't be.

Here are 9 things that you should know about Igorots.

·        1.  Igorots are perhaps the humblest people to be around.

An Igorot will tell you that he is living in a shanty but you will find out soon that he is living in a beautiful house complete with good furniture and appliances. She will tell you that she has no money but look into her wallet and you can find thick wads of bills. You can meet a dirty-looking man or woman that you can easily describe as a farmer or vendor, only to find out that he can either be a lawyer, a doctor or an engineer and she, an accountant, a manager or business owner helping in the fields or garden. They will not ask to be called sir or ma’am even if they have master’s degrees and doctorate degrees. They want respect, but they don’t ask for more.

A cute Igorot boy.

·         Igorots value education so much.

Parents can go without shoes or good clothes in order to send their children to school. You can see a man or a woman that you will easily mistake as a beggar, but mind you, that man may be the father of a lawyer and that woman may be the mother of three big-time businessmen. They can live without good clothes and other accessories, but they cannot live without a good education for the children.

·        2.  Igorots are not fashionistas.

An Igorot is definitely not fond of fashion. But of course, the young generation has different tastes nowadays and could be fashionistas too, but definitely, most Igorots do not go with the flow of fashion trends. Being the rugged type of people in the mountains, they prefer jeans and shirts. She can try wearing a dress for a while but she will always go back to her jeans and shirt because that is what she is used to. Men love to wear all types of jackets, except of course the jackets with so many embellishments. They would prefer the simple leather jacket even if it is expensive. Men also love wearing leather boots.

·       3.  Igorots love Country Music and Cowboy Stories/Action Movies.

Igorots love the songs of Kenny Rogers, Don Williams, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Scotty McCreery,, etc. I guess it has something to do with the weather and the geographical setting too. Igorots aren't the drama-type people when it comes to movies. They love action that is why they love Western movies.

·       4.   Igorots are practical.

This is just a portion of Tadian, Mt. Province. Tadian is now crowded with big, beautiful houses.

Igorots are very practical people. They think first of their necessities before the luxuries and what’s beyond necessary. First thing first, a sturdy house, food on the table and education for the kids. Although some can afford to be sometimes luxurious, they shrug off their shoulders if someone will offer them products that are unnecessary for their daily life. If an Igorot buys something, it must be useful and not something to display or use once in a while.

·         5. Igorots are simple.

Igorots live simple lives. They only avail things that are important even if they have the means to be extravagant. They have inherited the frugal lives of their ancestors up to this stage. If made to choose between a sports car and a truck, he would readily choose a truck.

·        6.  Igorots always think of the future.

      Igorots always set aside something for tomorrow. They are not one day millionaires. An Igorot man will work hard and save because he knows that nothing is permanent in this world. He will always think of the future of his family. Before spending, he will ask himself first, "What if?"

·         7. Igorot men value their family so much.

The number one priority of an Igorot man is a stable family. He works very hard to provide the necessities of the family. He is a responsible man, and he makes sure his family is secured.

·        8.  Igorot men and women are DIY people.

Igorots are “do it yourself” people. They can easily organize things even if they didn’t learn about it by using simple common sense. Like me, I am not a carpenter, but I usually do simple carpentry work at home. It is part of being an Igorot to do things on your own and not hire other people to do it for you.

·        9.  Igorot women are not frigid. 

A few years ago I read an article in a newspaper talking about women in the mountain regions being frigid. The article further said that this is the reason why more and more men are looking for wives in the lowlands. I almost laughed. Igorot women may not be that very sweet and showy, but they are definitely not frigid.

I am a pure-blooded Igorot and I am definitely not short, small, dark and with curly hair. The next time you hear someone say, "Igorotak" and you can't believe it; don't open your mouth to say, "Oh, but you are so beautiful to be an Igorot." Just admire the Igorot beauty that is in front of you' because out there, there are so many beautiful and handsome Igorots circulating around with you that you aren't aware about.

Copyright Felisa Daskeo 2016

Mr. Carrotman is an Igorot

I was awed, shocked and amazed with what I saw yesterday.  

Image Credit: Paul Louie Serrano

Who is this Carrotman?

When I saw his name tagged with Igorot, it made my blood shoot up in excitement and I could feel that aha moment crawling inside me.

Yes, I was at the peak of utmost joy because I learned that the young man they were calling Mr. Carrotman is an Igorot. And everything Igorot turns me on and makes me rushing to my computer keys.

Mt. Province’s Mr. Carrotman has caught the attention of thousands of netizens when his picture was shared on Facebook. Yesterday, I had been following the photos of the handsome Igorot man being shared on Facebook. Today, I was really shocked because it seems that his pictures appeared every minute while I was scrolling the posts on FB.

Perhaps now that Mr. Carrotman has finally wowed the netizens and became the hottest sensation for two days, those who still think that Igorots are dark-skinned with curly hair will make up their mind and change their opinions regarding the Igorots. Will there be still doubts about Igorots being human beings?

Well, it seems to me, being an Igorot does not in any way alter the situation that wherever you go, whether in the mountains, in the lowlands, the desert or the cities, there are good-looking people as well as not so pleasant looking people. Because that is a fact and the truth. It is not impossible to see a handsome Igorot in the middle of the wild or a beautiful Igorot lady tending to an old lady in a rich district in Manhattan.

It is absurd to say that there are no handsome and no beautiful Igorots because there are already a few Igorots who have come out from their shell and showed who the Igorots are. Marky Cielo is one of them. Too bad and sad that he didn’t last long, but we saw him and watched as he performed with gracefulness in his dance moves on stage. Paulo Avelino is also an Igorot. They are both Igorots, and they don’t have tails. They are not dark, small and curly-haired too. There are other Igorots who have made good names in showbiz. Igorots are all over the world working as businessmen, engineers, nurses, teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc. etc. But they don't have name tags, so you can never tell if they are Igorots.

Now, comes the Mr. Carrotman and I’m sure given the chance to prove his worth, he will be like the other Igorots who have made a name and are still making a name in showbiz.

I wish Mr. Carrotman good luck should he be given a place in the showbiz world. Hopefully, he will be good like the others and make another big name for the Igorots. You will be a pride of the Igorots.

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Mr. Carrotman Takes Social Networking Sites by Storm

The Sagawsaw is a Ceremony Performed for Someone who Accidentally Killed a Person

by: Felisa Daskeo

The Sagawsaw

The Sagawsaw is a pagan ceremony that requires only the dog as the sacrificial animal. In

this ceremony, the bile is not considered. It is only the killing of the dog that is important. 

The priest utters some epithets as the dog is killed.



Here are some examples of epithets being uttered by the pagan priest:

• May this man be more courageous, strong, invulnerable and live long.

• May he kill more people to bring glory to his fellowmen and to his community.

This ceremony is performed only in cases when one has accidentally killed a person or a 

man has just come from a penitentiary as a result of a grave case. The person for whom the 

Sagawsaw is performed cannot partake in the dog meat, but he has to be present during the 

ceremony. The ceremony is done in an uninhabited house. The person whom the ceremony

is performed will be allowed to go home early the next morning.

Copyright Felisa Daskeo 2016

The Paypay is an Igorot Ceremony Intended to Call back the Spirit of a Person Gone Astray

by: Felisa Daskeo

Paypay is pronounced as (pai-pai)

The Paypay – this is also a simple pagan celebration just like the Ed-edew but celebrated with a different purpose.

These are the reasons why the Paypay is performed.

1. If a person survives an accident. Say for example a man, woman or youngster was spared from a car accident or any accident encountered.

2. If a person has been hospitalized because of a serious illness.

3. If one came from a war or any situation in which life is at stake. This is performed because the belief is that if there is no ceremony, the person involved will always be in a grip of fear or frightful situation. Performing the said ceremony will spare the person of fear.

At sunrise, a pagan priest will go to the mountain peak nearby with a rooster. He will then shout at the top of his voice entrusting the spirit of the subject person to return safely home.

Igorots believe that in any accident, battles or while a person is in the hospital fighting for his or her life, the person’s spirit is scared and has to leave the body to wander elsewhere. This causes restlessness and insomnia to the person. The ceremony is performed in order to call back the spirit of the person. As soon as the priest returns to the house, the rooster is set free while a hen is offered to the anitos (spirits of the dead ancestors. This ends the Paypay with the belief that theh spirit gone astray has now returned back to the body of the person. And so, the subject person will live a normal life.

You might also like:

Ed-edew

the Otop

The Baskang

The Pakde

Copyright Felisa Daskeo 2016