Igorot Costumes for Rent at Lourdes Baguio City: A Culture That Provides

Climbing the 252 was the first thing that I wanted to do when we came to live here. Most visitors who come here would challenge themselves to get a feel of the climb. And then I stumbled upon someone. A lady who rented out Igorot costumes.

An Exercise Stint That Led to an Unlikely Meeting

During covid lockdown, only a few people came there to exercise. There were also no tourists that time. The Lourdes Grotto felt like a serene monastery. Most of us who would jog then were living within the vicinity.

I met some of them that way. I started to say good mornings to a few people. I came to know who the regular joggers were, the ones who almost came on a daily basis.

That is how I got to meet her. The old lady who rented out Igorot costumes. I would see her patiently waiting for clients even when there was nobody around. The costumes were laid down on the ground with no customers trying them out on most days. She would be dropped by a taxi or come there by foot. I noticed that she came at around 7AM. My run was usually around 6 or past that time since the gates opened at 6AM. Sometimes, I would see her eating at the carinderia, or eating food at their space at the church.

By the time that I was done at around 8 or 9AM, she would be there alone or with another companion. I came to know that she was also friends with my lady neighbor in front of our apartment.

I asked if they were paid by the church since I noticed that they cleaned the grounds. One of them said that cleaning was something they did for the church. I was guessing it must have been because of their loyalty as patrons of the church. Aunt on the other hand said she belonged to a Born Again Christian church. It must have been a mutually beneficial exchange I thought to myself. Rent in a city like this is pricier compared to other towns.

I would drop by to say hi once in a while. I discovered one time that the other aunt with her would carry the goods in a bag. I tried to help her once and that was how I found out it was like lifting rocks. For someone who worked out, I thought I was pretty strong until I tried to lift the costumes in the bag. There was a hut near the location. They are now allowed to use the hut to store the goods, but not at the time when my family first came here. It was a tourist destination after all.

She mentioned in another conversation during Covid season that she was not able to pay rent where she was living. Not sure if that was real or not. If it was, I guess the landlady or landlord must have just allowed her to stay there. Some apartment owners were kind enough not to collect rent during that time. In fact, that was what our previous landlady did for those who were not able to pay for rent during Covid season in her building apartment.

Now is a totally different season for Aunt and her team. The Lourdes Grotto has undergone developments and the Heritage Hill. There are a lot of patrons and tourists visiting the church and the Nature park. The last time that I saw her, business was better than when I first came here.

A Cultural Expression and Exploration?

Some might see the costumes of a cultural expression for the Igorots. A blogger said in an article ,“Wearing Igorot costumes for even only 30 minutes can make you feel respect, love, and value for their culture. You get to realize how they have made life in Baguio so colorful and enriching.” It was a similar experience at Mines View Park, wearing Igorot costumes.

The Igorot costume is indeed something that you see featured in many parts of the city. In fact, the Igorot dance is often the dance choice in school activities and festivals. While the city is now populated by varied people from different locations with the universities attracting college students from other towns, the Igorot culture is something that is still constantly celebrated by the locals.

It is very common for the tourists to wear the costumes and bring home a photo momento with them.

Igorot Costumes from Covid to 2024

For others, the costumes may represent a culture that is different or somewhat the same from theirs. For some of the locals here in Baguio City, it’s a culture that provides them income just like Aunt. It provides a way for others to pay rent and food.

Some are not really into exploring the culture anymore. Some are just facing life head on and the costumes are a way to get through several seasons.

When seasons like Covid hit people, the earth at halt cannot only impede the health of others. It can also strike others financially. It’s a culture that serves some people and provides a means to survive…

As for me, I do not see the costume as a mere expression of some old culture. I see it as a modern expression of the modern way of living.

Others may not agree with me that the Igorot costume is no longer just a representation of an old era and culture. The new representation of the Igorot costume for me, having known Aunt who rents them out… Having seen how she came day in and day out despite the fact that there were no people renting before… Those costumes for me represent modern human resilience,persistence, insistence, patience,and human survival.

She let me try on one of the costumes one time. I would stop and say hi if I had the time during Covid. She was happily smiling the times I did. Was she lonely? I do not know. If she was, she smiled just the same. She even laughed at my bad jokes.

Is Renting Out Igorot Costumes A Profitable Business?

Is it something that can be considered profitable? With the many tourists these days and the number of people coming to Baguio City, you can tell that it’s something that can potentially give you an income.

You can easily tell from the traffic here if the Igorot costume rental is going to be doing well or not. Was it in December when we needed to walk to the town center because of the traffic congestion? With the Panagbenga season here, I am sure Aunt and her companions are going to be doing better compared to Covid season days.

Panangbenga month will be lean months for her and her companions until the summer. It does get pretty tricky during the rainy season and that is one of the problems of renting out costumes out in the open. It’s not super weatherproof to make money when there are typhoons and strong rains.

Nevertheless, for the months where the weather is good and tourists come to visit the city, Igorot costumes are able to provide and sustain the renters here in Baguio City.