An Insight into the Contents of the Bodong Pagta

Abstract

This paper is not interested in the ceremonial aspects of the bodong. It intends rather to investigate the contents of the pagta or constitution made by the elders during the bodong in order to state clearly or make conclusions about the ethical ideas of the member tribes of the bodong. Some people who speak or write about the Tinguian or Kalinga bodong are so taken up in its more glamorous socials and exotic ceremonies that they only mention the pagta in passing, if at alP The content of the pagta is never discussed. Yet, without the pagta there can be nO bodOng. It is the most essential part. What the consecration is in the Christian Holy Mass, so is the pagta to the bodOng. All other parts like dancing, eating, drinking, singing, participation in contests, etc., are secondary and only serve to counterbalance the seriousness of the pagta and the heated discussions, charges, counter-charges, and imposition of fines that come up in the process of making it.