Igorot youth condemns Imee: We will not dance for you, because a dance for you is a dance for shame”

Senator-elect Imee Marcos photo from google (ctto)

Manila, Philippines – Indigenous youth group, Progressive Igorots for Social Action (PIGSA), condemned Senator-elect Imee Marcos on her statement regarding the Igorots performing a ritual to bless the office of outgoing Senator Antonio Trillanes.

PIGSA reacted vehemently learning the said statement from Senator-elect Marcos, “When Imee Marcos said, ‘…makikisayaw kami sa mga Igorot namin para mabendisyunan nang todo,’ we flinched, with anger and disgust. A murderer and a thief taking our culture for granted, and stealing our identity to the point of even owning it- that person must be held accountable and condemned.”

“And Imee, asking the Igorot to dance for a blessing is a mockery of the sanctity of our rituals and traditions. We will not dance for you, because a dance for a Marcos is a dance for shame,” They added.

The senator-elect said she would first perform an “Igorot” ritual at the office that Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV will vacate when his term ends on June 30. She revealed. will take over Trillanes’ office through draw lots.

"Siguro magpapatawag ako ng mga Igorot namin dahil kailangan basbasan ang office ko dahil kay Senator Trillanes yata ang nabunot," she said.

“May we then remind Imee that there is no such thing as ‘mga Igorot namin.’ You don’t own us, and you never will. We pride ourselves with our refusal to be owned if you care to read about our history of struggle way back to the Spanish colonization,”

“Moreover, may we remind Imee that our dances are a sacred heritage from our beloved ancestors, who, we reiterate, taught us how it is to fight for our own, to refuse to be owned,” Progressive Igorots for Social Action said.

Source: KAMI