Banaue, Ifugao
The historical marker of the Ifugao Rice Terraces that was erected in 1940 publicly declares, "The Ifugao Rice Terraces cover an area of nearly 400 square kilometers, and if the walls were placed end to end, they would reach more than half-way around the Earth. Those of Banaue, Hapao and Hungduan are among the oldest in Luzon. Archaeological and historical studies indicate that it took the Ifugaos more than 2,000 years to build them. The stone-walled terraces of Ifugao are among the highest, best built and most extensive in the world."
In his article Eleven Indicators of Civilization, Professor F. Landa Jocano cites the Rice Terraces as the magnificient monument of the Philippines and one of the 11 indicators that we were civilized even before the coming of the foreign invaders, disputing claims that civilization came with colonization. He even added that while monuments of other ancient civilizations were built at the backs of slaves, for rulers, kings or pharaos, and/or used as tombs or symbols of man's inhumanity to man, the Rice Terraces of the Philippines were built to sustain life.
The World Heritage Convention of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) writes, "The Ifugao Rice Terraces epitomize the absolute blending of the physical, socio-cultural, economic, religious, and political environment. Indeed, it is a living cultural landscape of unparalleled beauty. The Ifugao Rice Terraces are the priceless contribution of Philippine ancestors to humanity. Built 2000 years ago and passed on from generation to generation, the Ifugao Rice Terraces represent an enduring illustration of an ancient civilization that surpassed various challenges and setbacks posed by modernization. They are the only monuments in the Philippines that show no evidence of having been influenced by colonial cultures. The terraces are situated at altitudes between 700 m and 1,500 m above sea level. The principal differences between the Philippines terraces and those elsewhere are their higher altitude and the steeper slopes. The UNESCO inscribed world heritage sites are the Rice Terraces of Battad, Bangaan, Mayoyao, Hunduan and Nagacadan in Kiangan.
I've seen the Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia and I was amazed at the structures and how they were built more than 1,000 years ago, it makes one proud as an Asian. But I'm prouder as a Filipino with our Rice Terraces which were built more than 2,000 years ago and still being used as of today to feed people! I'm just frustrated that while Cambodians capture most tourists from around the world to see their Ankor Wat temples by building infrastructure like hotels and roads and making tourism-oriented policies without giving up their culture, we don't even lift a finger to truly make a master plan and built infrastructures to lure tourists to witness the great civilization in this part of the world, more ancient than the Ankor Wat, more advanced than the mummification of Egypt.
Read MoreIn his article Eleven Indicators of Civilization, Professor F. Landa Jocano cites the Rice Terraces as the magnificient monument of the Philippines and one of the 11 indicators that we were civilized even before the coming of the foreign invaders, disputing claims that civilization came with colonization. He even added that while monuments of other ancient civilizations were built at the backs of slaves, for rulers, kings or pharaos, and/or used as tombs or symbols of man's inhumanity to man, the Rice Terraces of the Philippines were built to sustain life.
The World Heritage Convention of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) writes, "The Ifugao Rice Terraces epitomize the absolute blending of the physical, socio-cultural, economic, religious, and political environment. Indeed, it is a living cultural landscape of unparalleled beauty. The Ifugao Rice Terraces are the priceless contribution of Philippine ancestors to humanity. Built 2000 years ago and passed on from generation to generation, the Ifugao Rice Terraces represent an enduring illustration of an ancient civilization that surpassed various challenges and setbacks posed by modernization. They are the only monuments in the Philippines that show no evidence of having been influenced by colonial cultures. The terraces are situated at altitudes between 700 m and 1,500 m above sea level. The principal differences between the Philippines terraces and those elsewhere are their higher altitude and the steeper slopes. The UNESCO inscribed world heritage sites are the Rice Terraces of Battad, Bangaan, Mayoyao, Hunduan and Nagacadan in Kiangan.
I've seen the Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia and I was amazed at the structures and how they were built more than 1,000 years ago, it makes one proud as an Asian. But I'm prouder as a Filipino with our Rice Terraces which were built more than 2,000 years ago and still being used as of today to feed people! I'm just frustrated that while Cambodians capture most tourists from around the world to see their Ankor Wat temples by building infrastructure like hotels and roads and making tourism-oriented policies without giving up their culture, we don't even lift a finger to truly make a master plan and built infrastructures to lure tourists to witness the great civilization in this part of the world, more ancient than the Ankor Wat, more advanced than the mummification of Egypt.
