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Baguio Leaders Forum 2025 by HRAB Baguio, Baguio Country Club, April 14, 2025
Sabado, Mayo 10, 2025
Lunes, Disyembre 23, 2024
Rei Ann Pistola Cayetano
PUBLIC SERVICE is a PUBLIC TRUST--a demanding social responsibility in spearheading delivery of government services beneficial to all in the Baguio community. The selfless act of mindfulness exuded by my ancestors is worth emulating hereon and beyond.
I was borne of KANKANA-EY and IBALOI descent (KAN-IBAL to some who do have pun with words)--a union of unique heritage and cultures of which I hold in high-esteem and great reverence. Spending most of my growing years and adult life in the City of Baguio and in the Cordillera region, I have encountered the various difficulties tourists, locals, hosts, guides, tour operators among others.
Experiencing these encumbrances first-hand equipped me with an in-depth understanding of the dilemma and sentiments of the people of Baguio across all sections of society. It is in this light that I am a catalyst and advocate for Baguio City's sustainability.
Nestled among the boondocks of the Cordilleras, Baguio City is more than a tourist destination, cradle of education and gateway to the North; to others, a refuge, a solace or retreat. To those given the rare privilege of being born and raised in this highland city, we call it home--the only one we have.
I am committed to effect positive impacts to peoples' lives through actionable undertakings in attaining sustainable development. Sustainable development anchored on empowering every citizen and resident of Baguio City.
Empowerment is attainable through enhancement of skills and capabilities of every citizen coupled with strong encouragement and mindful interdependence.
Mindful interdependence paves the avenue for a Good Orderly Direction for the City of Baguio, it is our collective goal that everyone be onboard the vehicle to progress. Progress brought about by freedom of movement thrusting freedom of development with nobody being left behind.
Linggo, Disyembre 8, 2024
Introduction
A person can be talented but lead a floating life if he / she can't find his purpose. (perhaps this explains why people who are vengeful are so successful because they have a burning desire to avenge, even though it's a dark purpose).
Finding a purpose in life is quite challenging.
Growing up, I did not lack anything, nor am I a spoiled child either. I only followed the trails and walked around Cordillera, literally. And with each place I feel a deja vu or a sense of familiarity.
I grew up in several houses, and these are not small houses.
Grand mothers place has 14 bedrooms (was self demolished when MOOG Controls built their houses, grandmothers land was 3k square meters but after it was paid, she bought with an equivalent amount to only less than a thousand.
The house we lived in downtown are not small either because my parents can house many friends and relatives working with them in their business in the same house.
My grand aunts' house my parents rented in Loakan also is not small. The bedroom is like a small condo.
And when mother and father build their own house, I made the construction workers skip hearts, I was running on the exposed beams of the 3rd storey which later on the first floor became each election hall where all politicians would come and discourse to the people attending . (This is what my 2nd brother got exposed in politics, he has been gathering all the pamphlets and studying those, but took up computer science in college on a scholarship with DOST but still got into politics instead of accepting a career job Texas Instruments.)
I have worked with my parents formally since 14 as a service person in their building maintenance business company they opened while my father was working as a technical assistant to the city mayor of Baguio in the 1970's. Our clients were almost every business establishments and houses, subdivisions, churches, factories, government offices in the city of Baguio. We are doing the Killing of rats, termites, roaches, including janitorial jobs, garbage collection jobs, water proofing jobs, fire proofing jobs (painting with fire proofing chemicals (pines hotel was not razed to the ground because of this).
I also worked on other jobs such as admin assistant in collections, preparing of Billings, processing our BIR, etc etc etc and other professional licenses of my parents, being the owners of the company.
Sales and marketing side is also a crucial part. My father is a great salesman. Mother is more on administration.
Our house being the barangay hall during Kapitan Ecoms time, I was always observing hearings and all other community activities my parents were into. We the children also become our parents escorts in settling matters in the community.
With that, we knew almost all politicians, all community members, because we had the hall and a telephone. (Our house or bayantel is a call center).
We know almost everyone, which means job opportunities and business opportunities, we are not short of it. My mother could actually even be the city's treasurer then if she wanted to and also the CDA head, but refused all those.
Despite all the opportunities to go abroad and offer to be trained to run several caregiving companies etc, and also have a call to Cebu, even free rides or tours, I didn't take those, because I felt like what is the use? What for? Just for the heck of it?
Instead I tried to venture on this, on that, worked here, worked there. Never leaving the country and the vicinity of our home. Not that I am afraid, I feel like I am searching for something, I just couldn't pin it down.
Hence, I took the initiative and worked with my parents on their business in the extermination / janitorial / building maintenance industry, fed our backyard pigs, take care of our schizophrenic brother, made mistakes in own business, corrected my mistakes after having the courage to do so, up and down the hill, tour guide here, travel agent there, booking agent here, broker there. Newspaper business, outsourcing business, rescue and medical equipment business, insurance sales, and several ventures on several industry lines.
After some time, I also opted to get out of my parents house, hence I lived in almost every corner of Baguio. This and that barangay.
And just recently, a strong urge came to me, no fear as always. Hence I walked into comelec day before to get forms to fill up and returned the next day to submit.
I had this feeling of suffocation, and lack of mobility. I want to express that This city needs more open spaces, the city needs to breathe, the city to be cleaned, the city needs to be tourist worthy, the city needs to be livable for Its own people, the city needs to be returned to its people, symbolically and literally. Baguio City has to become FLUID, just like the waters in the river that flows freely, just like the eagles that fly freely in the sky, a city that has beautiful sunflowers everywhere, and a city that smells so good Baguio City must become fluid, easy to live in.
Baguio has to be de-clogged, literally and symbolically.
We need the scent of Pine trees everywhere, we need the views of sunflowers everywhere, we need our people to be proud of being a Baguio citizen, because we care, not only for ourselves but our people and our visitors.
WHO AM I again?
Where did I come from?
My ancestors for more than hundreds of years, have walked these mountains, and also traded up and down to Manila.
They perhaps came from an Inca tribe (national geographic findings of our mummies) towards Isabela areas in boats. And after some time went all the way up to the mountains of the Cordlleras, scattering the tribe everywhere even down to Pangasinan then back up to the mountains. And then intertwined with other tribes, which led to our smaller stature (our elders were long and tall).
And then at one point because of a pandemic, walked towards these areas, and stayed put. However in our family oras history, they noticed that there seem to be signes of earlier settlers or nomads when the clan arrived in Loakan area, the entry point before going up to Kafagwayan (Baguio area).
My GGGreat grandfather, being the last family to settle down, set their houses in Ka doakan then to Kafagwayan after dropping the others in the other parts, near the northern side of Benguet, viscaya. And part of their stead are in parts of la Union now and Pangasinan (after Marcos declaration of areas).
SO WHAT NOW? I may be a nobody to the eyes of many.
No formal schooling of all sorts. Another even said, a woman at that with a scorn.
Women were never looked down upon by God and our own people. We all had equal opportunities. It was the whites who reduced women's status. It was the yellows who even treated their women as playthings.
The Ibaloys see each other as partners, as co-pilots. Even my fathers side the kankana-ey side don't see there women as lower class.
Being a nobody, I can relate to almost everybody who is from Baguio. I can listen, to the needs and wants, because I can feel a Baguio person, because I am one.
I may seem to have come from a rich and powerful family, but we are workers and can work things out.
We also experienced desperate pressures, not having food to eat, being harassed by giants, being in prison over nothing, members of the family getting sick in their minds.
Being a woman helped me become more resilient compared to my male counterparts who experience the same pressures in life.
There was a time that I was working in a hotel, applying insecticides, I was told, "oh that is better than being a prostitute", not knowing that I am a daughter of the owner of the company. But even then, such remarks show how little we are in our thinking, belittling women or looking at women as weak or should do certain things.
Note:
Being a woman does not make me a lesser human being.
Note:
Being not formally schooled, makes me a lesser person.
Note:
Being a non-politician makes me disqualified to apply for a job to represent the people.
WISH AND HOPE:
I think all my journeys in life will help out in resetting our system in politics, our way of thinking or mindset, our future.
Huwebes, Disyembre 5, 2024
Leave No Trace Principles
"The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace provide an easily understood framework of minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors. The Principles can be applied anywhere — from remote wilderness areas, to local parks and even in your backyard. Each Principle covers a specific topic and provides detailed information to empower you to minimize your impacts.
The 7 Principles are well-established and widely known but not static.
Leave No Trace continually examines, evaluates, and reshapes the Principles and conducts research to ensure that they are up to date with the latest insights from biologists, land managers, and other leaders in outdoor education." from lnt.org website.
The basic principles are further explained in the website explaining in detail what the principles mean.
These principles were actually derived from old cultures which may have been forgotten.
Our lola's actually told us how to behave when it comes to handling water sources and others.
We have forgotten those basic principles, thinking that the "more educated" knows. However we cannot hand over our lives just like that, we are humans, created in the image of an intellectual being. We must think independently.
Let us go back to our principles, as embodied above.
No One Left Behind
This phrase was often used in the military and in the mountaineering activities along with "leave no trace" principles.
However as I was finding inspiration on what to write about this phrase, I saw that even the bible, not only in principle mentioned the phrase but also in literal terms.
And here are the words that embodies the thoughts i am having --- in the exact words.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
So speak encouraging words to one another.
Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind.
I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it.
Martes, Nobyembre 26, 2024
Contact Me
Rei Ann Pistola Cayetano
Mobile Number/ Whats App / Viber / IMO / Telegram 09166599450
Mobile Number/ Whats App / Viber / IMO / Telegram 09166599450
Email: cayetanoreiann@gmail.com
Office Address:
Bbossvoyage Travel and Tours
Post Office Loop fronting the Post Office Park and beside the Landbank ATM
Session Road, Salud Mitra Barangay, Baguio City, Philippines
Residential Address:
11 Suyoc (between the Access Road of the Loakan Airport and Philippine Military Academy)
Loakan Proper
Baguio City, Philippines
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