The Benilde International Student Emissaries (BISE) ended A.Y. 2020-2021 with a rendition of Buwan ng Wika on Aug. 16 to 20 through “LOKAL: Tara, Gala Tayo!” via Facebook and Instagram. It served as a gateway for Benilde’s foreign students to experience Filipino culture and tradition even in a virtual setting.
Spearheaded by co-project heads ID 119 Export Management student Aileen Abigail Chen and ID 118 Multimedia Arts (MMA) student Dominique Therese Tam, LOKAL aimed to support the promotion of Philippine-made products by providing Filipino-owned institutions a platform to showcase their ingenuity. Additionally, LOKAL is the first Filipino event of BISE, as the organization has started accepting Filipino students and the project heads thought of sharing Filipino culture to the Benildean community, particularly international students.
The event comprised of several activities, including a TikTok challenge corresponding to the theme of Filipino culture with a giveaway raffle of items from Kadangyan Heritage一a local brand that sells handwoven products from the North, specifically the Cordilleras (Kalinga)一a Kahoot! quiz game, as well as infographics on Filipino trivia and local culture.
Planned two months before the event, LOKAL is also considered as an outreach program and a promotion of Filipino products to support locals, hence the event’s name.
“The execution went smoothly at first but since finals were coming up, deadlines had to be pushed back to prioritize the members’ academics,” Tam explained in an interview with The Benildean. “Overall, the outputs were accurately and beautifully made—the culminating event went without a hitch.”
Furthermore, Chen shared that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they shifted everything to an online modality to continue their works and events, “I believe the challenges we have faced in this online setting are not being able to interact much with the international students, learning to adapt to the online setting and pushing through with the annual events online. Lastly, the lack of bond with the members.”
However, these challenges were seen as opportunities for the first time as they opened their doors to fellow Filipino Benildeans to join their international family. Through holding online events on platforms like Facebook Live, they effectively improved communication with each other.
Behind the local heritage
LOKAL also partnered with Benilde Center for Social Action (CSA) in supporting the handicrafts from Kadangyan Heritage, in hopes of championing as many handicrafts makers from Luzon-based provinces as possible.
Kadangyan Heritage is a brand that promotes the rich-weaving culture of the North starting back in 2018 with woven Ifugao and Kalinga clothing and accessories. Kadangyan sells Kalinga-inspired handwoven and beaded face masks to better cater to its customers amidst the trying times.
The Northern-rich brand also sells Ilocos-inspired table runners, table napkins, pine needle hotpads, and placemats, Kalinga handwoven ID lanyards, ethnic lei or garland, handwoven kimono, toppers, multi-purpose belts, woven scarves, sapayong or bandana, dinayaw necklaces, and beach towels.
By purchasing Kadangyan Heritage products and simply promoting Filipino culture through different means, one can already support lokal for as long as they are dedicated to living the Filipino way.
Showcasing Filipino culture
According to Chen and Tam, most of BISE’s members are foreigners living in the Philippines. The co-project heads also stated that the event served as their thanks to the country and its citizens for welcoming them and accommodating them during their stay there.
“Another thing is that we wanted to remind Filipinos about their culture, since cultures such as Chinese, Korean, or Thai are somewhat taking over,” Tam stated. “We wanted to help both Filipino and international students to get to know more about Filipino culture and heritage in the comfort of their homes. This event serves somewhat as a learning session to the international students which is part of BISE’s mission.”
To cap off the celebration, LOKAL concluded with a culminating event on Facebook Live, hosted by ID 120 Interior Design students Co Aka Xu, Andrea Luiza and ID 120 MMA student Peter Derick Shyu. Along with a Kahoot! Game and the announcement of the raffle winners, audiences were mesmerized with performances by the Filipino Chinese Theatre Dance Company, ID 120 Dance student Triciaella Sze (Tricia Chae Ri), and musician Leomar Requejo, one of the professors of BISE and a faculty member from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
BISE serves as the volunteer arm of the Student Involvement Unit that aids in implementing its program and projects for international students in Benilde, as well as providing a system to know more about international and cross-cultural experiences.
