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Living Traditions of Falel – Kiamba, Sarangani

Sitio Falel is representative of any small off-the-grid community in the Philippines – approached by an unpaved path and a monkey bridge, aquified by a natural water source, lacking electricity, clustered with semi-permanent houses, and inhabited by kind, generous people. The ubiquitous basketball court in the center of the community is shared by teens in a 3-on-3 pickup game and younger children engaged in tumbang preso and hopscotch games. Kids, unaffected by our presence, stopped to get their photo taken, and jumped right back into the game, not one hand held out for alms. What makes Falel different is that it is a T’boli community created thru the vision and will of one man.

Rudy Tagum, the man responsible for Falel’s founding, and a handful of other Falel pioneer families, emigrated to this plot of land in the hills of Kiamba, to bring scattered members of their tribe together, and thereby protect their culture. Thirty-one years later the community has grown to 60 households with approx 400 individuals. Preserving T’boli identity as originally envisioned the founders is successful in Falel, where the community is still ruled by the elders in a council, residents speak in their vernacular, observe tribal rituals, marry among the families and practice heritage skillcraft. We witnessed traditional mat-weaving, fire-starting, music, and shared stories of martial arts, metalwork, over a few glasses of basag, a palm toddy, far removed from a choreographed tourist-y presentation.

The kalud is a simple machine for striating the abaca’s fibrous trunk. Sections are stripped by hand thru a metal comb that bites down to separate the fibers. A tensioned tree trunk provides the comb’s biting force and a makeshift pedal is pressed to ease it off.