Igorot Network in Europe Celebrates 17 years of existence and 10th Conference in Amsterdam

By Cesar Tomilas Taguba
Amsterdam-The Netherlands
August 16, 2019


Hosted by MABIKAs Foundation- The Netherlands, the 10^th Igorot Cordillera BIMAAK Europe (ICBE) Conference held on July 26-29, 2019 at the Nassaukerk in Amsterdam was a huge success. With the overall mission of preserving the Igorot cultural heritage and passing it on to the next generation, the 4-day gathering attracted a total of 125 participants all over Europe, includingIgorots or Cordillerans from Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and  The Netherlands as well as from the Philippines.



“Fantastic! Very nice. Refreshing. Amazing. Perfect! Great. Good. Well done! Satisfied. Happy. So happy. Looking forward. Long live! Grateful. Elated! Postive. Inspired. Encouraged. Magnificent!” were the words uttered by the participants to describe in one word how the 10^th ICBE conference went.  “Mamapteng ja adivay ,” uttered another; it’s an Ibaloi expression that means ‘a truly wonderful gathering.’



The host organization, MABIKAs Foundation headed by Myra Zymelka-Colis, also received words of appreciation from the participants for being able to host this one historic event for ICBE and the Igorots in Europe, given the fact that it’s the first time for the foundation to host such an event.



“A special mention of my gratitude to MABIKAs Foundation-The Netherlands for hosting the 10th ICBE Consultation. With Myra's leadership, three aspects of the events were realized: the consultation or conference itself, the production and launching of the 10^th ICBE Souvenir Book, and the fundraising initiative through a Raffle Draw,” said Yvonne Belen, the Overall Coordinator of the 10^th ICBE Consultation. “The MABIKAs Board and Constituents were there all the way to support.”

The 10^th ICBE commemorated the network’s 17 years of existence with the book launching of the ‘ICBE Through the Years,’ a souvenir book celebrating the ten ICBE gatherings (2002-2019). The book elicited praise and admiration for its content and design, an output that was made possible by the 10^th ICBE Preparatory Committee, especially by Yvonne Belen who gathered all the contents and Myra Zymelka-Colis who did the book layout and design.On a side note, printed copies of the book entitled, “unwanted Adventure with BIG C: A Surprisingly REWARDing Journey of Hope, Strength, and Love” authored by MABIKAs Founding Chairperson Myra Zymelka-Colis, was also released during the 10^th ICBE consultation. Amongst the other highlights of the 10^th ICBE consultation in addition to the book launching were as follows:

-         On Day 1, the introduction of all participants who travelled all the way from different countries in Europe.

-         The Keynote Address on “Celebrating the 17^th years of ICBE existence” delivered by 10^th ICBE Overall Coordinator Yvonne Belen. See full speech.

-         A talk on “Appreciating Abra’s Land, People and Culture” presented by MABIKAs constituent Christina Moncado, and further enhanced by an Abra chant rendered by the speaker and MABIKAs constituent from Abra, Janet Barcena. The presentation on Abra concluded with the communal drinking of rice wine or tapuey .

-         An eye-opening cultural workshop led by Mark Watan of Igorot UK. Output from this workshop were then culminated during the Cultural Night.

-         The fully packed cultural night, featuring the Cordillera dances from five of the six provinces, chants, presentations from the 2^nd and 3^rd generation, raffle draw, and the inspirational messages from His Excellency, Honorable Jaime Victor Ledda, the Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands.

ICBE elders Ric Cuyob, Conchita Pooten and Yvonne Belen (those who stood for ICBE since Day one to present) also delivered their words of encouragement, addressing the younger generations to keep the fire burning. The elders’ message and challenge were accepted with enthusiasm as represented by the concluding remarks delivered by Myra Zymelka-Colis on behalf of the younger generations of Igorot in Europe and beyond.



Significantly, the 10th ICBE witnessed the active participation and leadership role of the 2^nd generation as workshop facilitators, speakers and emcees. The children aged 12 years and below also took part in drawing the ten consolation prize winners of the ICBE-MABIKAs fundraising raffle draw.



Notably, attendees of the 10^th ICBE Cultural Night, including members of the 10^th ICBE Preparatory Committee and MABIKAs Foundation, were all impressed by the presence and support shown by representatives from the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, who came early even before the program began and stayed till the end. It was then Ambassador Ledda who picked the winner of the 1^st grand prize of €500 for the raffle ticket draw, Consul Shirley Banquicio for the 2^nd prize winner of €300, and Cultural Attaché Elea Perez for the 3^rd prize winner of €200. See complete list of winners for the ICBE-MABIKAs raffle draw.

During the Plenary Session, it was announced that the 11^th ICBE will be held in Madrid, 2021 . Special feature will be the commemoration of the exhibition/display of Igorots, Negritos and Moros in the 1887 Madrid Exposition on the Philippines and honoring Igorot Achievers and Change-Makers in Europe. To know more about the ICBE and the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines, visit www.icbe.eu.