By EV Espiritu
Inquirer

ITBAYAT, Batanes–No more Ivatan warriors exist today to chant the ancient “rawod,” the stories about their seafarers that are passed down to generations.

The “rawod” chants are tales of high adventure woven out of the mythical journey that the Ivatan forefathers undertook to escape a disaster.

An excerpt, translated by the University of Georgia and attributed to Simina Vohang, illustrates how a “giant flood” battered their ancestors’ boats: “We were on a big boat all kinsmen/In a big boat, sailing on the open sea/We almost reached our island/But the ocean prevented us from sailing home…”

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By Desiree Caluza
Northern Luzon Bureau

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines–The Baguio Centennial Commission will put up a museum at one of the heritage sites here to celebrate the city’s 100th charter anniversary in 2009.

The Diplomat Hotel was chosen as the location for the museum that will keep photographs and documents charting the growth of the city, said Michael Pearson, member of the centennial committee.

He said they chose the abandoned hotel at Dominican Hill here because it offers a panoramic view of the city and is surrounded by trees.

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By Fernan Gianan
Inquirer

VIRAC, Catanduanes–The capital town of the storm-tossed island-province of Catanduanes is home to a young inventor who holds the patent for a cost-saving construction material that is now being used by local contractors and home builders.

Boxes of the prefabricated galvanized iron tie wire invented by 22-year-old Dexter Teope are being sold in hardware stores at P85 per kilo, saving construction companies or house owners more than 20 percent in labor costs.

In fact, the Japanese contractor of the multimillion-peso Gogon bridge project has indicated interest in purchasing the prefab tie wires.

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By Vicente Labro
Inquirer

TOLOSA, Leyte–Elpedio Lagutan works in his small farm in Tolosa town in Leyte to support his family. But since early this year, he has been preoccupied with his new role as board chair of an organization that runs a coconut vinegar processing plant.

Lagutan, 59, is actively involved in making natural vinegar — gathering coconut sap, fermenting, pasteurizing, bottling and packaging it — and marketing the product for extra income.

“This project is a big help to us marginalized farmers and our families, because it provides us additional income and we can now buy some important things we need in our homes,” he said.

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