Alejandre’s move came after various political leaders during the first State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. took this chance to showcase their respective city or municipality’s cultural and ethnic attires.
Alejandre who chaired the 20th City Council Committee on Tourism in his privilege speech during the City Council's regular session Tuesday (July 26) said flourishing culture and tradition receive less acknowledgement and appreciation.
“It came to my knowledge that although we are a country rich in culture, tradition, and history, we have somehow failed to appreciate our diversity and mocked the identity that shaped us,” he said.
Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte during the SONA chose to wear the traditional attire of the Bagobo Tagabawa Tribe which is one of the eleven tribes in the city.
He said many praised Sara for promoting her city’s culture. However, Alejandre said few people have called out what she wore and called it a “cosplay”.
They failed to realize that the Bagobo Traditional attire worn by VP Sara, which she has borrowed from Bae Sheirelle Anino, the deputy mayor of the Tagabawa tribe in Davao City, is not a cosplay, but a representation of one of the biggest Indigenous Tribes in Davao City, according to Alejandre.
She flaunted the Bagobo Tagabawa traditional attire because she wants to show her care and appreciation to our Indigenous People, the lawmaker said.
Those who insulted Duterte have proven their ignorance in our country’s culture when they labeled her as a “cosplayer” without even realizing that they have also insulted the efforts made by the Bagobo Tagabawa Tribe in weaving the said attire, Alejandre further said.
Some likewise critiqued the Vice President for cultural appropriation, when in fact, she had consulted the Tagabawa tribe on the proper way of using this traditional attire, as already mentioned earlier, he said.
“May this incident therefore become a learning experience for all of us. We must learn the difference between cosplay and paying homage to our culture and tradition,” he said.
“May we always promote our culture in any way that we can. Even President Marcos emphasized in his first State of the Nation Address the crucial role of Tourism and Culture in building more regular employment for the Filipinos. Finally, may we never forget our culture and just call it a mere “cosplay”, Alejandre added.
He said the comments of some Filipinos on Sara’s traditional attire likewise opened his eyes to the harsh reality that there is still more to be done in terms of our appreciation of our culture.
Alejandre was appointed by then President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as the Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture and Arts, describing the Bagobo tribe as one of the largest groups of Indigenous Peoples of Southern Mindanao. They are composed of three sub-groups, namely the Tagabawa, the Clata or Guiangan and the Ubo.
These subgroups may belong to one socio-linguistic group called the Bagobo, but they differ in some ways such as the dialects, dance steps, costumes and their color preferences.
Alejandre believes that it is high time to raise the level of awareness of the society in terms of culture, especially among youth, so that they will be more sensitive to the words they say or post online.
In 2020, the City Council passed an ordinance Requiring all Public and Private Schools in all Levels in Davao City, to include in their curriculum the teaching of history in the city.
Alejandre said he finds the ordinance a great significance so that youth should be able to also study or research the city’s rich culture.
Meanwhile, in 2021, then Mayor Sara Duterte likewise created the DAVAO HISTORY BOOK COUNCIL and its Technical Working Group via Executive Order No. 36, Series of 2021.
To quote one of the whereases clause of the EO, “the inclusion of the teaching of the Davao History in the school curriculum is expected to instill the Davaoenos' understanding and appreciation of the City's diverse culture, its traditions and values, the people and leaders who shaped Davao's identity, making the city pride itself on its symbolic slogan, "Life is Here".
These laws , according to Alejandre, should be given effect now and he hopes that these will also be emulated at the national level, by teaching more of local culture, so that proper cultural appreciation and not cultural appropriation will be in place.
Alejandre being an advocate of the local culture and the arts also encourages city government employees to also take a part in this discussion.
“It is high time that we also become advocates of our local culture,” he said.
The said proposed ordinance is now being referred jointly to the Committees on Tourism and Beautification, Indigenous People, Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs, and Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Arts and Culture.
The Orientation of Hiyas sa Kadayawan 2022 candidates with their tribal coordinators was held recently at Star Hotel Davao. Photo from Kadayawan Festival FB Page