Story and photos by Faye Pablo | Special to the BusinessMirror
BUSCALAN, Kalinga—Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) delivered the first government-issued identification cards (ID) to the members of the Butbut tribe in Buscalan, Kalinga, on June 9.
As part of the first anniversary of the digitized postal ID, PHLPost brought free postal IDs to members of the Butbut tribe, including Apo Whang-Od, the last mambabatok (tattoo artist) of her generation.
In partnership with WE VolunTour, an independent volunteering tour group, they had an outreach program in Buscalan on May 21 where “free capturing” (information gathering) service and biometrics registration for the postal ID was also held.
Out of only 129 families in Buscalan, 41 individuals registered, including Whang-Od who registered at the last minute before the registration closed. Whang Od turned 100 years old on February 17 and the postal ID is her first-ever government-issued ID.
Whang-Od said she intends to use her ID to receive additional benefits from the government, as per the Centenarian Act of 2016.
The distribution of the postal ID was held at the open area of Buscalan Elementary School, headed by Grace Noble Dizon of PHLPost. To give more life to the first-ever issued ID of the locals of the Butbut tribe, they were asked to wear their traditional costume called wanes.
Tabuk, where government offices are located and where people can get various IDs, is almost three hours away that is why Butbut tribe locals don’t mind having their IDs delivered by PHLPost.
“Nang malaman ng mga taga-rito na darating ang PHLPost, masayang-masaya sila. Nag-unahan pa nga sila sa pag-a-apply ng ID,” said Gaspar Laguinday, local leader of the Butbut tribe.
The ID gives the locals an opportunity to gain more privileges. The ID would give them a faster transaction with the banks or any remittance center, since some of the family members of the locals are working abroad. This has also given them the chance to prove their identity when applying for a job in the city of even transactions with the government.
“Magandang oportunidad ito para lalo pang gumanda ang aking kabuhayan at maitaguyod ko ang aking limang anak,” said Juanita Banal, a single parent.
“It is our joy to bring them the Postal ID as we know that bearing a valid identification card can open doors for them. We know this can help the indigenous people of the Cordilleras, and we believe this will pave the way toward inclusive growth,” said Luis Carlos, assistant postmaster general for Marketing.
Image credits: Faye Pablo