Coffee with Marian Pastor-Roces

I was fortunate to have coffee with Ms. Marian Pastor-Roces every time we bumped into each other in Davao. Whenever I see her in Manila, she's always rushing and barely has enough time for a hi-and-bye. So, while she was checked in at The Big House, I was able to spend a couple of hours having coffee with her.

During our coffee meeting, I shared details about a project I was working on: a set of books with an indigenous theme. Ms. Marian Pastor-Roces, with her vast knowledge and experience, immediately warned me that this was a minefield. I understood the complexities but also felt that this was a necessary endeavor. We lack sufficient children's books that highlight our indigenous cultures. The Philippines, with its more than 170 ethnolinguistic groups, has roughly 140 in Mindanao alone. Although it is impossible to represent all of them, I am determined to write about as many as I can.

In a previous meeting, Ms. Marian advised me to conduct thorough research. She emphasized that what we see in modern communities are often contemporary versions of their traditional cultures. If I wished to represent the pre-colonial aspects accurately, my research had to delve into sources predating the 1950s. Anything after that, she stated, was "tainted" by modern influences.

Our discussions often revolved around history, the truths behind certain events, and the nature of tribal culture prior to the turn of the century. She stressed the importance of backing everything with solid research and emphasized that my generation needed to know these things. I reassured her that I was aware of the discrepancies in history books and had already conducted extensive research for my teaching materials. Ms. Marian, along with other historians and cultural workers like Ambeth Ocampo, Xiao Chua, Seb de Jesus and others have been instrumental in guiding me to the right resources.

However, Ms. Marian posed a critical question: What is culture? She challenged the notion of tribes, believing that we are all descendants of the Austronesians and that what differs are the customs and traditions specific to each place. In short, there is no such thing as “tribes.” She warned that our idea of culture is often a colonial construct. If I were to proceed with my books, they needed to be free from any agenda of proving something. Instead, they should focus on storytelling.

As a writer, I am a storyteller at heart. Stories come to me, and I use my skills to write, format, and publish them. This is a power not many can boast. My goal in writing books about our communities is not to highlight marginalized groups but to present them in a positive light. I want the children who read these books to see themselves and their traditions in a positive way, inspiring them to love who they are and, when they are grown, to reconnect with their roots.

The stories entrusted to me come with a duty to document and share them with the next generation. It is a responsibility I take seriously, and with the guidance of experts like Ms. Marian Pastor-Roces, I am confident that I can honor this duty.