Ayang-ang, S. D. (1973). The Kalinga bodong and its implication for education.

(Unpublished masters thesis). Baguio City: Baguio Colleges Foundation.

Physical location: University of the Cordilleras Library, Baguio City

ABSTRACT

This part of the study consists of the summary and conclusions. It answers
the problems proposed at the beginning of this study. It is recalled that this study
entitled The Kalinga Bodong and Its Implication for Education is designed to
determine the educational areas of the system and where reforms may be
instituted. The conclusions defined in this chapter evolved from the investigation
and were arranged by following the sequence of the problems propounded in this
study. For convenience, each problem is restated and a brief statement of the
findings in offered as basis for stating the conclusion.

I. Summary

1. The Kalingas as an ethnic tribe are a headhunting people. Due to fear of

total extinction from headhunter and tribal wars, they themselves designed
a system of peace called bodong; the primary aims of which is the
maintenance of peace and order between regions and brotherly relations
among various tribes.
2. The maintenance of peace and order is enforced by the bodong holder of
each village who is charged with avenging the life of anyone murdered or
wounded by any member of his tribe, from the contracting tribe.
3. Wealth and large kinship groups are used as a means of gaining prestige
and dominating other smaller clans. This is coupled by the presence of a
wealthy person in the clan who is looked upon as pangat. Formerly the
death of this pangat requires the killing of another person through
headhunting as a funeral victim, regardless of the cause of his death.

4. Although headhunting had virtually stopped, some villages still cling to

primitive rituals and other forms of superstitious beliefs. This is seen in the
adherence of the natives to rituals pertaining to child growth, observance
of omens during marriage ceremonies and beliefs in the spirit of the dead.
5. Tribal wars are caused by murder and land disputes in adjacent regions
covered by bodong, and unsatisfactory settlement of minor cases, like
spitting of blood from slight injuries. These ignite tribal wars that never
end. It is revived from generation to generation through successive
avenge. This avenge is also motivated by the desire of both parties to
equalize the score.
6. Revenge is generally conditioned by some tribal rules of retaliation. It is an
accepted rule by the tribe that killing an ordinary person is senseless,
while avenging the life of a Mayor or any person occupying a prestigious
position. It is not simply a matter of life for life, but that the principle is,
victims must be equal.
7. In actual combat, each warrior tries to bring home an enemy head. This is
because of the honor bestowed to it and the belied that doing cures
childlessness. It also brings abundant harvest and protection from famine
by the ancestral spirits.
8. The formal celebration of the bodong is a two village affair where all
people from different walks of life are involved. The celebration lasts from
two to three days of feasting, It is at this point where a bodong holder
exhibits his wealth through his expression of generosity, and his power to
control the people through his speeches. The celebration is climaxed by
the drafting of the pagta, signed by both peace pact holders with three to
five pairs of witnesses from both parties.
9. The peace pact contains various educational implications. The celebration
trains teachers and students on practical public speaking, as arbiters and
as worthwhile members of a social gathering. It also enables one to know
how a peace treaty between two regions is negotiated. The binding effects
of the peace pact train an individual as law-abiding citizen.

10. Public school teachers refuse job assignments from their superior in areas
where his peace pact had been cut. His authority is not also recognized by
the students, hence they become enemies. Undisturbed peace pact
guarantees physical security and prohibits teachers from inflicting corporal
punishment on his pupils; otherwise he himself causes the rupture of the
peace agreement.
11. Ruptured peace pact at the middle of the school year results in mass
drop-outs of students studying in central towns. A decision of parents to
stop their children going to school prevails because of fear from enemies.
12. To the people of Kalinga, the frequent participation of an individual in
peace pact celebrations enables him to gain skills and experiences in
solving regional disputes. He also gets training as a potential leader and
develops pride in belonging to a certain tribe.
13. Tribal wars, though a primitive practice develops a high sense of courage,
bravery and discipline. These traits imply functional unity and cooperation
of the tribe in case of foreign invaders. This discipline is also seen through
their strict observance of the neutrality of person and territory.
14. Politically, the peace pact is advantageous to both native and non-Kalinga
aspirants for an elective position. It both seek the aid of the peace pact
holders in different regions, they are assured of some votes. However, the
Kalingas for a Kalinga is still a prevailing rule, a rule indicating the desire
of the tribe for political distinction. The practice of the natives in giving few
votes to both native and non-Kalinga candidate is also an expression of
hospitality.
15. The peace pact serves as a permit of villagers for commercial intercourse.
It guarantees physical protection of native merchants travelling from
region to region. Businessmen in central towns enjoy favorable progress
in business because of the presence of many customers from other
regions. Deeds of sales between regions involving large sums of money
are also sanctioned by the peace pact.

Conclusions

1. It is recalled that the first problem proposed in this study involves the task
of telling what the bodong really is. As defined in Chapter I, the bodong is
a set of agreements between two tribes of different region wherein are laid
down the terms of peaceful co-existence. It is designed in such a way that
it controls all forms of tribal disputes and animosities. The peaceful coexistence is attained through the bodong holder who is incharged of
protecting the contracting tribe from any harm committed by his own
people. This is the reason why a bodong must be one who is feared by the
people; one who is wealthy and belonging to a big faction. The scope of
the system is broad that it controls practically all aspects of native life, its
existence does not violate any government laws, except when it is
ruptured. The peace pact is also a device of brotherhood, unity and
understanding. This is seen during the celebration where individuals are
regarded as brothers, and during the political season where the natives
rally behind native aspirant. The Kalinga for a Kalinga fittingly
characterizes this unity.
2. The second problem propounded in this study involves the task of pointing
out the educational implications of the system. The bodong as pointed in
Chapter VII is not only a device of a peace and order but contains
valuable implications for education which certainly interest native
educators in their desire to perpetuate the system. Among the foremost
implication area:
a. The desire for revenge or equalizing the score even from slight
injury certainly controls teachers in Kalinga from inflicting corporal
punishment on any native pupils.

b. The involvement of students in peace pact celebration implies

training as active member in schools social functions.

c. The

involvement

of

teachers

and

students

in

the

pagta

deliberations is actually a training in public speaking, debate and

argumentation. To teachers, this is an actual application of theories
which they learned from college.
d. The heated discussion in the pagta among elders shows how a
peace treaty is negotiated between two countries after a war.
e. The desire of each tribe to out do each other in a tribal war implies
a high sense of courage and bravery.
f. The strict observance of neutrality of person, territory and bacdoy
sign by warring tribes implies high sense of discipline. No matter
how fierce a warrior is, these are not to be violated.
g. The practice of the natives in giving few votes to a non-Kalinga
candidate implies a gesture of hospitability.
h. The practice of bodong holders in sharing the proceeds of big
transaction between two regions implies the legality of the deed of
sale. His share implies his professional fee as a notary public.
i.

The enforcement of a native ritual called sapata to determine the

guilty party is theft cases implies extreme honesty and the need to
confess the truth.

j.

Peace and order which are the prime objectives of bodong in

Kalinga are actually demands of the present time. This is as far as
the Philippine is concerned.

3. The third problem proposed in this study involves the task of pointing out
whether the bodong is relevant to present needs and expediencies. At
these times of economic dislocation, deteriorating peace and order
throughout the country, the perpetuation of the system is more than
expediency. It is a peace-seeking institution, the absence of which means
the return of the tribes to the days of headhunting and tribal wars. Its
relevance is proven by the fact that the bodong is not only

found or

practiced in the sub-province of Kalinga, but throughout Mountain

Provinces

The governments desire for maintaining peace and order can be

achieved in Kalinga through the bodong, i.e., setting aside the role of
government peace officials. In the administration of justice, natives prefer
to settle their disputes and animosities through the bodong rather than
submitting the case to a civil court where decisions of the case is
prolonged. Delayed decisions of a case by a civil court invites commission
of

crime

caused

by

retaliation

by

the

offended

party.

The expediency of the bodong is also seen by the fact that without it,
commercial intercourse between villages is difficult, if not impossible. A
country

moving towards

industrial

development

has

to

maintain

commercial intercourse between regions in order to reach the desired

objectives. In Kalinga, the rupture of the bodong paralyzes the flow of
commerce, thus resulting in the stagnation of economic development.
Normal functioning of commerce is revived only upon the restoration of a
ruptured peace pact.
While peace pact has some disadvantages which are not in
conformity with modern standard of justice, the writer would conclude the
bodong system is still needed in Kalinga society, at the present stage of
social development from primitive concept to modern standard of justice.

Disadvantages of the Bodong

1. Ruptured bodong at the middle of the school year results to mass dropouts of students in the region where it has been periled. This is because of
the fear of becoming bait for the enemies. It also hinders the assignment
of teachers in different areas resulting to the stagnation of the educational
progress of the people.

2. The position of the bodong holder is very risky. It is because he shoulders

all the crimes committed by his own tribe against the contracting tribe. He

take immediate revenge should any member of his tribe hurt or murder
any individual from the contracting parties. This results to the strict
adherence of the natives to the principle of life for life, an extant primitive
law.
3. The binding effects of the bodong applies only to the native Kalingas,
though when it ruptures it affects all the residents of the areas concerned,
whether Kalingas or non-Kalingas. This shows the sectionalistic nature of
the system.
4. The celebration of the bodong drains the financial resources of the holder.
It is because of the desires of the bodong holder to maintain his prestige
as a holder and to show to the invited guests that he is capable to the
position.
5. Economically, a ruptured budong paralyzes the flow of commerce
between friendly regions. This certainly deters economic progress. It also
terminates the friendly relations of two tribes who were formerly binded by
the peace pact.

Recommendations

The following proposal are made in order to make the budong more
effective and in conformity with the current changes in our society. These
proposals evolved as a result of the analysis of data from the different teachers
who were interviewed. They are only suggested, however, that they may
stimulate the thinking process of native educators who are directly concerned
with the problem stated. These recommendations are based on educational
implications and concomitant factors such as political, economical and
sociological aspects.
The proposals on the educational areas are:

1. In order that redirection of primitive practices be effective, the teachers in

each community school should be grouped and made to conduct
researches for the purpose of discovering the good customs and the
desired mores and taboos of the natives. These teachers must find out
which phases of the culture must be discarded; those that can be
redirected; and those that can be adopted as part of the teaching
materials. The coordinating center for the various results of the
investigation should be the Division Office which is in charge of publishing
these results for the general information of teachers.
2. The distribution of teachers in the community should be on a 50-50 basis.
This means that one-half of the teachers should be natives while one-half
may come from the Ilocano populace. The problem of redirecting,
integrating the non-Christian culture, and determining the effects of the
bodong would be difficult to achieve without teachers who know the
background of the natives and who are familiar with the practice of the
system.
3. There is an extreme need of native guidance counselor whose function is
to deal with the cultural problems of students and teachers.
4. The native educators should emphasize redirecting the desirable aspects
of native culture as well as subordinate those that are unfamiliar to native
learners. Foreign practices should be modified in order to make them
conform to native practices.
5. Conditions should be made in the provisions of the pagta that when a
bodong is cut in the middle of the school year, teachers and students in
the regions where bodong is ruptured should be excluded. This is to give
them a chance to finish their courses before they are actually affected by
the tribal wars. It is also made to safeguard mass drop-outs of students
from school and to protect the affected native teachers from unnecessary
fear of retaliation from his own students.

Recommendations Based on Political Implications

1. The bodong institution should be given due recognition by the Philippine

government. This can be done by submitting tribal disputes for amicable
settlements to elders and bodong holders before the case is brought to a
civil court. The kalingas strongly adhere to the system and are desirous of
an integration that would allow the peace pact to be legally recognized
and officially taken into the operation of the local government in the
promotion and maintenance of peace and order. This proposal can be
achieved by making the provisions of the pagta as part of a civil law, with
the condition that the law applies only to the people of Kalinga and other
tribes practicing the bodong.
2. The provisions of the pagta should be written permanently like the
constitution of the country, and distributed to the different tribes in the subprovince. This is made for purposes of uniformity in its application.
Specific penalties should be cited under each provision.
3. Since there is the barrio captain in each village as the right hand of the
government and the bodong holder as guardian of native laws, specific
mention should be made as to what are the crimes punishable under the
bodong and which are those punishable under the barrio captain. This is
for the purposes of orienting the people as to who of the two officials
should handle certain cases. It is therefore suggested that the concern of
the barrio captain should be limited only to the confines of barrio
ordinances; the bodong holder to regional troubles. This is designed to
prevent confusion on ordinances enforced by the barrio captain and the
bodong laws by the bodong holder.

Recommendations Based on Sociological Implications

1. Some teachers lack the necessary knowledge of the cultural practices of

the tribes, especially the social background of native students. It is
therefore recommended that seminars be held in schools for purposes of
orienting these teachers on how to deal with the unique practices and
background of the natives they work with. This will contribute to minimizing
the cultural gap between teachers and pupils.
2. Ilocanos and no-Ilocanos who are permanently residing in Kalinga should
be covered by the provisions of the pagta. This is because natives and
Ilocanos could hardly be distinguished; the latter might be mistaken as a
native and be victimized during tribal wars as a result of mistaken identity.
Besides, the inclusion of the Ilokanos has been the clamor of nativeIlokanos whose business ventures are directly affected by the rupture of
the peace pact. This proposal enables Kalingas and Ilocanos to develop a
free feeling of interaction, unity or we feeling among them.
3. The biographies of local and successful men in the region should be
included in addition to those of great Filipino leaders. Doing this will
enable native students to emulate the good practices or examples of these
native great men.

Recommendations Based on Economic Implications

1. Since the rupture of the bodong results in the difficulties of commercial

intercourse between regions, it is recommended that the government
devise ways and means of maintaining trade relations among villages.
This will enable a smooth flow of commodities to village affected by the
shortage of prime necessities. This further contributes to the eventual
development of harmonious relationship among enemy tribes.
The practice of bodong holders in sharing the proceeds of any transaction
between two regions should be made as a basis for the legality of a deed

of sale. This will safeguard buyers from further questioning and fear of the
Philippine Constabulary authorities charged with arresting cattle rustlers.