Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 26) — An indigenous group has called Senator Imee Marcos’ Cordillera tribal wear during her brother’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) an “insult” to the Igorot tribe and has dared her to speak up about the tribes’ issues with her family.
Siklab Philippine Indigenous Youth Network said the senator had no right to wear the traditional clothing, especially since she is part of the Marcos family.
“Bilang mga katutubo, insulto sa amin ang pagsusuot mo ng kasuotang ito lalo na at mali naman ang paggamit mo sa mga ito. Ginamit mo pa ang aming mga tattoo na sumisimbulo ng katapangan at karangalan, gayong duwag ka naman!” the group said in a statement.
[Translation: As indigenous people, it is an insult to us that you are wearing these clothes, especially since you are not using them properly. You even used our tattoos that symbolize courage and honor, when you are a coward!]
During the SONA, Marcos said the ensemble was inspired by the people of the Cordilleras.
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“Ang binigay sa ‘king tela, pinagkabit-kabit. Ito ang Pilipino bago tayo sakupin ng dayuhan. (The fabrics given to me were woven together. This is the Filipino before we were colonized.) This is the vanishing culture,” the senator told CNN Philippines.
The group also challenged Marcos to tackle issues currently faced by the tribe, including missing indigenous people rights advocates and wrongfully tagging members of the tribe as terrorists.
“Tunay na magpapatuloy at maipagmamalaki ang kultura ng mga katutubo kung makikiisa tayo sa kanilang laban sa tumataas na kaso ng paglabag sa kanilang karapatang pantao,” the group said.
