A media production focused on lokal sensibility has called on Dr. Jimmuel Naval and the researchers of Kapuso Mo Jessica Sojo over their “insensitive” remarks about the igorot race.
Habi Collective an audio visual production company has took to their Facebook account to write an open letter directed to Dr. Jimmuel Naval and the researchers of Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho.
Habi Collective on their open letter said Dr. Naval’s statement that Carrot Man’s aquiline nose was a result of “Improvement of race” through intermarriages of Caucasian Missionaries with the Cordilleran was very wrong and careless. They even assumed the entire “Cordillera intelligentsia” must be fuming mad with that remark from Naval.
READ: “Carrot Man” from Mountain Province wins the hearts of netizens
On its Sunday, February 28, 2016 episode, Kapuso Mo Jessica Sojo features the current social media darling “Carrot Man”. Carrot Man, a guy from the Bontoc Mountain Province came into fame after his picture carrying basket of carrots went viral on social media.
During the episode, KMJS host Jessica Soho related the Igorot’s good facial features to American and British missionaries who came to Cordillera and married the locals. The statement was then reinforced by their resource person, Dr. Jimmuel Naval from the University of the Philippines who said Igorot’s intermarriage with the Anglican missionaries have resulted to the “improvement of race”.
That “improvement of race” remark was eventually taken as a slight to the Igorot race which according to Habi Collective is in-conclusive. According to them, Cordillerans already have aquiline noses long before the Caucasian missionaries came.
“Given that according to historians of the Cordillera, Spanish missions were never successful in establishing a stronghold in this mountainous region… this means that even before the rest of the Caucasian missions came (American, Belgian, etc.), Cordillerans already had a motley line-up of noses, INCLUDING AQUILINE NOSES. So, no, please do not hastily nor automatically credit sharp noses to American bloodlines, thank you!”
Aside from Dr. Naval, Habi Collective also slams KMJS researchers for failing to get the appropriate resource person for the topic.
“Researchers and creative leaders of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho: you’ve already reached the innards of the Cordilleras; could it have been a stretch for your team to go directly to UP Baguio? Miss Jessica Soho is a UP alumna; we are very sure she has an idea about UP Baguio being the best place for Cordillera studies. Ergo, background information about all things Cordilleran would be best obtained from this institution (and actually, from many other reputable universities in Baguio).”
Towards the end, they said it could have been a great way to introduce to many Filipinos the identity of the Igorots but with the way the segment was constructed leaves bad taste to the mouths of the many people who watched the show. They said they’s not in the position to ask a public apology by they believe something should be done to make amends.
