Restoring the Batad rice terraces through volunTOURISM
A friend shared this on Facebook earlier and it definitely caught my attention. It's about a volunteer-oriented initiative called Batad Weekend Warrior (BWW) to support the Bachang , a revival of the Ifugao bayanihan spirit basically meant to restore the Batad rice terraces in Banaue, Ifugao to its former glory. Bachang , or Baddang , according to BWW's Facebook page, means bayanihan (that Filipino value of cooperative undertaking) in the Ifugao dialect, and so that "volunTOURISM" concept is a perfect fit. The activity will primarily entail stonewalling to rehabilitate portions of the terraces damaged by past typhoons. It's set to kick off on February 3 and is expected to run through the rest of the year until December. This definitely is something worthwhile especially considering that rice farming in these terraces are faced with succession problems. Younger generations, of course, choose to forego farming in search of better and less back-breaking oppo...