Welcome Remarks by Cristobal Agnaonao
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12th Igorot Cordillera BIMAAK-Europe (ICBE) Conference
Salle Dupréel, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Solbosch Campus
Avenue Jeanne 44, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
May 29-June 1, 2025
WELCOME REMARKS
By Cristobal Kilakil Agnaonao
This evening, I feel it extremely awesome to be standing in front of everyone. With this much awaited conference marking the 12th ICBE gathering, it gives me immense pleasure to warmly welcome you all especially that amongst us are our most esteemed pioneers who are our first generations.
When I say, “I have an awesome feeling”, it is because when my parents started to receive visitors at home, I was already attending maternal grade. So, I can clearly remember who were regularly visiting us. Besides, those people who come to our home, were introduced to me as my uncles and aunties. But what was strange was that, I did not hear anyone introduced to me as lolo or lola, manang or manong. That seems to me intriguing. However, it was also the beginning, the word “Igorot” was introduced to me.
Then came the European gatherings of Igorots that was held in Gent, here in Belgium in 2002. So that was 23 years ago today of which that time I was a just a little kid running around trying to get some attention but this time I get to stand and prove my being a grown-up Igorot.
And for us, second-generations and the third-generations, if there are already
some grown-ups here, we reached the point wherein we are called to be in the frontline. And if that is so, let us then maximize this chance and benefit as much as we can catch-up. But this is it, while we may be far from grasping our indigenous culture, surely the door opens wider for us to get to the essence quicker by working it out together.
So on behalf of the Cordillera Community in Belgium, I warmly welcome you all and let us make the most of our being together during this 12th ICBE gathering here in Brussels.