In the US, they will know that you are Black because… you look Black. But in the Philippines, they will know that you are an Igorot perhaps because you have red lips (or shall I say orange) because you’ve been chewing moma (a sort of a herbal gum) or you are wearing Sagada weaving. So, it’s kinda easy easy to hide your Igorot background- just avoid moma and Sagada weaving. 

For my fellow Igorots, whenever you are told that “You don’t look like an Igorot”, what is your normal response? For some, they say, “Thanks for the compliment.”

What? Wait. I personally hear this often whenever I say that I’m an FBI (funky bloody Igorot). I often get this “You don’t look like an Igorot at all!” These people are expecting me to say, “Thanks for the compliment.” Hell, no! I just told you that I’m an Igorot, so if you tell me that I don’t look like an Igorot because I’m not ugly, you are telling me that Igorots are ugly, and so, you are insulting my ethnic background, so screw you!

Marky Cielo, the most famous Igorot celebrity to date, declared that he’s indeed Igorot without quantifying it. In fact, he was mixed (Igorot-Bisaya). But for some Igorots, the non-celebrities, when asked about their ethnic background, they would say, “I’m mixed. My Mom’s Mom is from Ifugao, so technically, I’m 3/4 Igorot. That means I’m only 75% Igorot, and in decimals, that’s only 0.75. So I’m not a pure Igorot, okay? I’m mixed.”

There’s nothing wrong completing the information about your ethnic background. But what I don’t understand is that, for other Igorots, the less Igorot they appear, the better person they think they become. Well, if you’re not proud enough that you’re an Igorot, then just deny the whole thing. Say, you’re from Mars or somewhere else. We, your fellow Igorots, won’t mind. 

Bottom line is this: “You look like an Igorot” is a compliment, most especially if you really are an Igorot.