Cordillerans eye civil, criminal raps vs Candy Pangilinan

BAGUIO, Philippines – After being declared “persona non grata" in the mountain resort city of Baguio for unsavory remarks she made during a Mother’s Day program, actress Candy Pangilinan now faces possible criminal and civil cases from irate Cordillerans. Various indigenous peoples’ groups, local officials and members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines on Thursday trooped to the Igorot Garden for an indignation forum, and some said they contemplating suing the actress. Pangilinan, who was performing at a Mother’s Day show in SM-Baguio on May 10, was said to have yelled during the show: “Akala nyo Igorot ako, hindi ako Igorot, tao po ako! (you think I’m an Igorot, I’m not an Igorot, I’m human)." She has since apologized, saying she missed to append the word “statue" to mean “Igorot statue." "I am more dissapointed with myself for being so irresponsible. Even if I didn’t intend to mean it that way, I accept my mistake. No explanation would suffice now," she also wrote in her blog on May 13. Councilor Rocky Thomas Balisong, however, said they are looking at filing both civil and criminal cases despite Pangilinan’s apologiues. He said it is better for Pangilinan to air her apologies in court “to see if she is really sincere about it (as) some people don’t feel she is sincere about her apologies." Provisions in the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act as well as the Gender Equality laws will be reviewed to be able to file charges by June, Balisong said. Juliet Sapling Imperial, who has roots from the Mountain Province and Benguet, said, “at this day and age I am surprised that some people think that way," referring to Pangilinan’s alleged insensitive remark and mockery of the Igorot. Recently, Pangilinan was declared “persona non grata" in a resolution approved by the city council last Friday “to educate Pangilinan and others like here." Ifugao province has likewise condemned Pangilinan for her actions. Pangilinan’s remark has reopened wounds caused by the late statesman and diplomat Carlos P. Romulo when he wrote, "The Igorot is not Filipino." Following the furor sparked by his book, which were marked by protests marches in Baguio and the burning of Romulo’s effigies, he apologized and explained that what he meant was that Igorots were not Filipinos in the original sense of the term. In the 1800s, the term Filipino was said to have referred to those who surrendered their sovereignty to the Spaniards. The mountain tribes of the Cordilleras in the north, along with the Moros (Muslim Filipinos) of the south, never surrendered to the Spanish colonizers. - GMANews.TV