ON CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

Coming across this very image I felt so furious.

This person, whoever he is, happen to view my Friendster profile, looking at his displayed picture my curiosity was fueled that led me enlarge the image just to totally see the whole thing. The man seems so overjoyed with what he is doing. And to top it all, he commented: "xenxa na- nadala ako weh!(sorry, i was carried away). For verification check on: http://www.friendster.com/photos/30566064/0/412769083

This place is in Baguio City, which happened to be situated near our office. The man is apparently a tourist, a visitor in one of the most culturally rich place in the Philippines. A place where many have considered a hub, especially during summer due to its low temperature and other appealing tourists' spots.

Maybe most tourist have viewed Baguio only as a vacation place. An area of freedom where nobody knows them and they can do everything that they wanted. But not to us who have dwelt here for a relevant period of time and who have learned to respect Cordilleran culture, which is totally unknown to us.

Unfortunately, the statue that the man is trying to disrespect represents a particular group here in the Cordillera region. In Baguio, these statues are symbols that earn respect. They represent people who have labored to defend and live out their culture.

I am writing to call sensitivity for all of us, especially those who visit other places. Yes, we have all the liberty to go anywhere so long as our capabilities allow us. But nobody can ever stand up and say that we have the freedom to rob due respect.

We are all humans, bestowed with minds driven by rationalities. This is never new to all of us, we only need somebody to get so furious and serve as a reminder.