00:00In a secluded place in the heart of Banaue Rice Terraces,
00:04this sound can be heard every day.
00:08At the home of Father Himanggo,
00:10the last pandai of Kambulo.
00:13We are now going to Barangay Kambulo here in Banaue.
00:18This is where you can find one of the oldest pandai
00:22in Ifugao Province.
00:24In other words, the centuries-old tradition of pandai
00:30is still alive in this place.
00:34Aside from their many rice fields
00:36that were designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO,
00:41the ancient people of Ifugao are also known
00:43for their courage and bravery in fighting
00:46using their steel weapons.
00:51That is why in ancient times,
00:53the steel pandai was one of the most prominent
00:57and important members of the Cordillera culture.
01:24Are you Father Himanggo?
01:25Yes, I am.
01:26I am Kara.
01:27Kara?
01:28Yes.
01:29Thank you.
01:31How are you?
01:32Good.
01:33Are you strong?
01:34Medium.
01:37Where do you work here?
01:39We work here.
01:40Here?
01:42Oh, here.
01:43Over there.
01:45Where is the fire?
01:46We have a place where we put the fire.
01:49Oh, you put it here.
01:51Like this.
01:52Like this?
01:53Yes.
02:03He is the founder of Usok, or Himanggo, in Ifugao.
02:07This is the country of Pedro Pinayan.
02:10He has been a pandai for more than 50 years.
02:14His hair has turned white and one of his eyes has turned red.
02:18He continues to make itakas, knives, and weapons.
02:49Tradition has been passed down from our ancestors.
02:53Due to the ability of the pandai, or making of steel,
02:57it has become a part of history.
03:01Steel for agriculture, for war, or for hunting.
03:06All of these cannot be used by the ancient Filipinos
03:10if not for the existence of our communities of pandai.
03:14Himanggo was only 14 years old when he learned how to be a pandai.
03:18He was able to reach a time when the community
03:21looked up to his ancestors,
03:23just like him when he was making weapons.
03:27But this quickly changed when one by one,
03:30the youth lost their desire to be a pandai.
03:34And Himanggo was the only one left.
03:37When I was a child,
03:39Yes, but I really loved it.
03:43I wanted to be able to do that.
03:47I was the only pandai here.
03:50I was the only one there.
03:52My son would not be able to be a pandai.
03:56Why?
03:57I don't know.
03:58He couldn't do it.
04:00He couldn't be a pandai.
04:02He couldn't be a pandai.
04:06Why?
04:07I don't know.
04:08He couldn't do it.
04:09He was afraid of fire.
04:14For Himanggo's father,
04:16the quality of the weapons that he made
04:18were of a first-class quality.
04:23But his work was not a joke.
04:25To make a knife like this,
04:27you have to endure the heat of the fire
04:30every day for three weeks or more.
04:35This is the material used by pandai here in Banawe
04:39to make knives.
04:42This is actually scrap metal.
04:45This is what you see underneath jeeps,
04:47or what they call molye.
04:49Who would have thought that this piece of iron
04:53could become an art piece like this?
04:59It's beautiful, right?
05:01This helmet was made by Himanggo's father for three months.
05:07Double-edged blade.
05:10An ancient tradition that has been passed down for a long time.
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