Heritage Lost

I was on my way to Makati when I passed by this old Igorot woman begging at the Cubao MRT Station. She's bathed in a beautiful afternoon light that I decided to shoot a photo of her. Her mood changed as soon as she noticed me. She even reached for her cane, with a look in her eye as if saying "Come near me and I'll hit you!"

Igorot mendicants are a usual sight in Metro Manila. Notwithstanding the negative impression they give, begging for a living is frowned upon by all tribal groups in the Cordillera. "Hindi naman talaga sila naghihirap (compared to the Tagalog beggars which you see in Manila) so I don't know why they are doing it. And no, begging is not something that they do in their own villages back home but some are also begging in Baguio. Some are angry at these beggars for creating a bad image for Igorots. Some would just shrug it off. I'm not quite sure if any Igorot would be sympathetic to the beggars. Okay siguro if they really had to beg dahil walang-wala sila pero hindi naman sila walang-wala" said IgorotBlogger.

Related post:
Igorot Beggars: The Skeletons in our Open Closet