Bontola daw Bigula 2025: Youth and elders gather to remember and imagine

In a mission-wide celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Month, the mountains of Miarayon stirred with the footsteps and laughter of youth arriving from the different tribes reached by the Jesuit Bukidnon Mission District – the Pulangiyēn, Umajamnon, Manobo, Higaonon, Bukidnon, and other communities, to gather, learn, and reflect in a three-day activity called Bontola daw Bigula (to visit is to strengthen).

From 24 to 26 October 2025, 10 APC students and three teachers joined Bontola daw Bigula 2025 that carried the theme Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures. This year’s gathering brought together Indigenous youth, elders, and leaders in deep reflection and dialogue – bridging ancestral wisdom and emerging technologies.

Dusty from the road yet enthused for the upcoming activities, the participants were welcomed at the host school, Saint Therese School of Miarayon in Barangay Miarayon in Talakag, Bukidnon.

During the orientation, they were asked simple but weighty questions to guide them on the three-day event: What challenges do young people face with artificial intelligence (AI) today? How do we stay close to our elders? How do we keep our culture alive? Outside, the mountains seemed to hold their silence in respect.

For the formal opening of the event, Bae Marlyn “Bae Makahayag” led the ritual for lambaga, panlimpas, pangulinan, and pandalawit where chickens from each participating tribe and a pig were offered as symbols of unity. When the elders noticed a sign of tension in the bubbling of the pig’s blood, they repeated the ritual and prayed for understanding and healing, reminding everyone that culture thrives when relationships are nurtured.

The pangmadmad followed, where elders shared stories of rivers, marriage, ancestral lands, and the origins of their people. Their message was clear: culture survives when it is understood, not just remembered.

In the afternoon, discussions were led by speakers from Ateneo de Davao University and Father Leoni Mission Foundation, Inc (FMLFI) who guided the youth in exploring how AI and digital platforms shape their lives. The youth identified the apps they use such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Messenger and compared them with the “technology” of elders: storytelling, rituals, farming, and conversation.

The conversation went deeper as the day progressed.

AI can make communication faster and research easier, but it can also spread false information, weaken critical thinking, and isolate people from their families and culture. Participants reflected on how social media often prioritize “likes” over wisdom, trends over tradition. They learned practical ways to engage responsibly online such as taking a pause before posting, checking facts, and remembering that every action reflects their character.

For the youth, it was a moment of bridging two worlds. The elders’ wisdom and the possibilities of AI were not opposing forces, they could coexist. Technology could support learning and connection, but identity and culture remain the foundation.

Traditional games were held on the Sunday morning with laughter and energy, reminding everyone that play itself is a victory. In the closing Mass, Fr. Kenzlee Ybañez SJ encouraged the youth to see culture as strength and identity as rooted in heritage, not online trends.

For the APC contingent, as the jeepney’s tires rolled down the mountains homeward bound, the truth lingered: visiting strengthens culture, learning from elders strengthens identity, and when technology meets wisdom, the future grows clearer.