POEM

Walls on my Existence

Now a days

my life is so

intertwined with

others on whose

lives I depend on

for my existence. Sometimes,

it’s hard to swallow

the bitterness of being

on the receiving end,

knowing I’m still

too helpless

to afford pride today.

I just hope for the time

I can stand on my own and

live my life without a care

on what others might

think or say.

SHORT STORY

THE MOUNTAIN VIEW

There was a majestic mountain at the edge of the barrio. The slopes were steep and rugged. Not many climbed it. Not even the villagers nearby. Most visited only the foot of the mountain to gather firewood. An old man, was one of the few who climbed to the top. He often described the view. The mountain was in the middle of a plain. He would tell about the view of the rice field and vegetation.

One day, four farmers decided to hike to the very top of the mountain.. They were curious to see the much-vaunted view. So nearly in the morning they began the ascent.

The first farmer happened to wear relatively new shoes. They were tight and comfortable. So throughout the climb, he kept complaining about his feet that hurt. He missed the view.

The second farmer saw the gathering clouds, he kept worrying that rain may come. As the clouds darkened, he alerted others for the coming downpour. He looked around for possible places for shelter against the rain. He missed the view.

The third farmer saw many things and wanted to possess them. He saw a big tree and wanted it for his furniture. “I wish I could cut the tree and bring it home.” he said. A wild deer dashed into the bush. And he wanted it for a pet or a meat for his food.. He missed the view.

The fourth farmer did not complain about his shoes. He was not bothered by any impending downpour. He was not greedy for the material things along the way. He alone saw the view from the mountain.

ESSAY

Why I Write

People ask me why I write. And the most common answer I give them is because I want to.

But the real reason is because I have to. There is something inside me so powerful that it forces me to write. Someone said that stories are ghosts. They come out from nowhere and haunt you. To what purpose, only the ghost can tell. Sometimes it is just there to amuse you, others to help you realize your fate. But always, always they enrich our lives a little at a time. And I believe him, whoever he is, because I feel these ghosts whispering to my ear everyday. They scream for their stories to be told and they haunt me until I have written them, all these places, characters, situations and ideas, down onto paper. It doesn’t matter if it comes out as a story, poem, a song or an essay, as long as their soul is there.

I suppose being a loner and a bit nerdy as a kid helped me develop my imagination. Out of necessity, sprouted tales of love and romance with my Care bears and my dog Honey. I acted out scenes of Jack and the Beanstalk to my beloved dog as if I was rehearsing for a play. I made up dozens of stories from playing pretend when I was alone in my room, often fantasizing about other worlds or my own “Indiana Jones” adventure.

My dreams and nightmares also played an important role in my writing. Fears and aspirations toyed inside my head. The supernatural, the dark forces and the curious leave me shaking in fright but inspired to write stories just like them. Although, some dreams are meant to be forgotten.

Still, that doesn’t mean I’m a great writer. I may have the perfect storyline or a subject for a poem but unless I have the right words to describe what these ideas are, my pieces are no good. What is a singer without a good voice? What is a writer who cannot articulate well? So I read and read. I try to find ways to make my craft better by developing my own writing style. I look for friends who can support me when I need encouragement and search for opportunities to make my writing voice heard.

I guess this is my feeble attempt at immortality. If I could touch just one person with my works, then I could say that my stay in this world is not a waste. God didn’t make a mistake in creating me after all.

So until I realize my dream, you’ll find me here, sitting in front of the computer, punching key after key and writing the soul of my latest ghost.

Cordillera Autonomous Region

Region two or CAR (Cordillera Autonomous Region), have the Five provinces namely; Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mt. Provinces, Ifugao and Benguet. Each provinces have different tribes; the Ibaloy, Isneg, Hudhud, Tingguian, Oggood, Sudsud, Ullalim. These tribes have their own characteristics and also they are popular or known for their very own litetary works, The tribe Ibaloy means the people who live in the houses. The Ibaloy people can be seen in the places of Baguio City and people here are the ethnic group. People here also have their skills in terracing mountain and planting them with rice, their habitat is mountainopus and rocky. The Ibaloy people have their social classes in the society; the baknang who is the wealthy class and abitug the poor. The baknang class has the authority over the abitug. Ibaloy built their houses far from one another. Isneg tribe lived in the place of kalinga apayao. Isneg were described as of slender and graceful structure, with manners that hospitable and generous,possessed with the spilt of self-reliance and courage and clearly artistic in their temperament. Their main staple food is rice, which they have traditionally produced in abundance. Apart from rice, they also have other crops rained; corn, taro, sweet potato, sugar cane for making basi. Women here are traditionally give birth in a kneeling position using a mushroom as a talisman to ensure a successful delivery. The umbilical cord cut with a bamboo sliver is mixed with the rest of the after birth tied up with the ginger and herbs and believed in a coconut shell under the house. Tingguian pagan people inhabiting in the interior hills of Abra. Hudhud, Agriculture is the main source of the people in Ifugao, they harvest rice and a variety of crops and vegetables, they also engaged in poultry raising, pottery, weaving and hunting. Among the Ifugao social classes are based on their possessions. Oggood, Bontoc is derived from two morphemes bun (heap) and tuk (top) together it means mountain. Bontoc term refers to the people of mountain province. The Bontoc people in this area known to have their own laws on welfare, including the making of peace facts. Their main agricultural products is rice, which there are two kinds; the chimacon, which is the superior variety and the pak-ang. Sweet potato and other crops like coffee, millet, beans, banana, persimmon, tangerines, cabbages carrots and cauliflowers are also produced. Bantoc people believe in the anitos or spirits of their ancestors and in spirits dwelling in nature, but they are essentially monotheistic. Sudsud, Kankanay’s are the third largest community in the mountain province. They have three types of practice in agriculture; slash and burn. Terracing for wet rice production and horliculture. Kankanay’s basic social unit is family. Kankanay villages are located near the headwater of a stream or river. Their three main house types are the binangiyan for the prosperous members of the community, the opa or inopa and ollas for the less well- off. Ullalim, the Kalinga’s are some of the major ethnic linguistic groups in habiting in Northern Luzon. Society classes are kapus (the lowest class) baknang (middle class) kadangyan (upper class). The Kalingga stand tall and are of Malayan heritage. In the past, they were feared for their head hunting activities.

Biag Ni Lam-Ang

The story revolves around Lam Ang who is a very extraordinary guy. He started to talk at a very young age and was the one who choose his name. His adventures began when his father Don Juan Panganiban went to a battle but never come back. At the age of barely nine months he went to search for his father. Her mother allowed him to go.
The epic poem presented some humorous points, like when Lam Ang was on his way home he passed by a river and decide to have a dip. The caused of the death of the fishes, crabs, and shrimps in the river is the dirt from his body. She was gladly attended by some of the women who saw him.
Accompanied by his pets- a rooster, and a dog. He journeyed to court the beautiful Ines Kannoyan. Ines Kannoyan’s palace was filled with suitors, so Lam Ang’s rooster flapped it’s wings and the long house topped. This amaze everybody, especially Ines. The Lam Ang’s dog barked and a big house arose, Lam Ang gave Ines two golden ships filled with treasures and then he married her. Finally, he was eaten by a giant shark called a berkakan while searching for a rare native fish called raring, but was revied by his pets when his bones retrieved. IN an instant, Lam Ang happily rejoined his wife.
The story of Biag ni Lam Ang is a pre-Hispanic epic poem of the Ilocano people from the Ilocos region. It is the one of the greatest Ilocano epic of the pre colonial literature of the country and it is originally written in the volcano language, as time goes it has been translated to different languages. The epic poem showed some of the earlier customs, culture, and belief of the Ilocano people in the Philippines. In the story, you will discover that some of the qualities presented was from the people of Ilocos Region-adventurous, hardy and brave as strongly portrayed by Lam-Ang. It also presented the fact that life is full of trials and problems, so , we must be strong and just accept the reality that it is already part of life.

"Who are you?"

I'm Charmane Ann V. Manding,18 years of age. I was born on March 05,1990.My root is from Ilocos Norte and I am currently living at 149 C. dela paz St. Caniogan Pasig City.I am currently studying at Rizal Technological University.My parents are Mr. Carlito Manding a farmer and Mrs. Agripina Manding, plain housewife.We are 5 in the family, I am the eldest with one brother who is 17 of age and one sister who is already married.

In my elementary days, I studied in Ilocos Norte. I transferred here in Manila, when i entered in high school. For me it is hard to be away with my family, but I conquered it by studying hard and do all my best for my study.

High school days is sill the happiest moments of my life, I meet new classmates and friends. In school my classmates and friends call me maine, but in our house they call me c.a. short for charmane ann. When I was in 3rd year high school, I often cut my class and also failed my English subject for not passing my term paper.

Entering college,at first I do not know what to do because it is another adjustment for me to make. I meet new classmates,new friends and proffessors. another years to come, but I am still strong to face all the problems and struggles in my life to prove myself.