Bomas-ang’s Journey Home from a Successful Voyage
“Bomas-ang” may be a
simple Kankanaey term which means “to cross a mountain or a river”. But to
the world, it is a brand of Igorot success following the Cinderella story
of Besao native Engr. Rufino Bomas-ang.
Despite his retirement from
the government, Bomas-ang remains a well-respected energy specialist in the
country. He holds the record for being the first Undersecretary of the
Department of Energy (DOE), a position he assumed from 1992 to 1995.
Young Bomas-ang: The Firewood Gatherer in Besao
Born on July 7, 1940 to a
Kankanaey parents in Besao, Bomas-ang was among the natives in the Cordillera highlands who were
not registered in the government's Civil Records.
When he was five, the
Japanese-American War began.
“Suddenly, a plane hovering
the barrio skies dropped something that exploded in the air with a big flash,”
recalled the former mining engineer in his book “From Gathering Firewood to Managing Energy
Resources”.
He shared that they hid
inside a cave, and then went out when the terrible bombing ended.
He described his childhood
as “extremely poor but happy”. In the book, he recalled how he spent his younger days gathering firewood in a pine forest 10 kilometers away from their house.
That time, firewood was
used mainly for cooking and partly for lighting homes. He remembered that
he would sell a load of firewood for a peso to families with no one to do the
gathering which considered a “man’s job”.
In 1950, Bomas-ang first
experienced the convenience of electricity in Bontoc, capital of Mountain Province. He had no idea that one day he would be helping greatly in providing energy and opportunities to thousands of homes and families across the country.
Rise to Prominence: How
Bomas-ang Crossed the River
Bomas-ang finished his
elementary education at Besao Elementary School (BES) as the class
valedictorian. He then enrolled at Saint Mary’s School (SMS), an Anglican institution in
Sagada that was founded by American missionaries.
Bomas-ang was one of the
brightest and the smartest. However, he still had to face the reality that his
family cannot give him all the financial demands of studying.
He recalled one time when
students at SMS were going on a trip to Banaue, Ifugao. He was very excited to reach the tourist spot, but had no choice but to stay behind because his family cannot afford to pay his transportation contribution.
However, his Banaue Dream did not end there. He was only
able to reach the Ifugao town years later- now as a respected manager.
Graduating as the class salutatorian in 1958,
Bomas-ang wore a pair of black jeans that was once blue before it got dyed for
the special event.
Young and hopeful, Bomas-ang then
traveled to Manila for his tertiary education.
“Coming from the Cordillera,
life in Manila would be radically new to me and I needed to learn how to
survive the big city,” admitted the highlander in his book.
He narrated how he was able
to cut his expenses and saved money for his studies. He shared that he once worked for the UP
Canteen and spent some time at the Lepanto copper mine as an apprentice mine
mechanic helper.
Eventually, he finished a degree in Mining Engineering at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
He then took the board exam
while working in a manufacturing firm and was extremely overwhelmed to see his
name listed as the board top scorer.
Before Bomas-ang became a
DOE Undersecretary and an Igorot legend, he worked for numerous
companies and learned lessons that he used in managing the country's interest when he was appointed to the top government post.
One of the memorable
moments he mentioned in his book deals with his first plane trip.
“I wore a
coat and tie; and of course, as it turned out, I was the only one aboard in
such attire,” wrote Bomas-ang.
In 1981, he was appointed
as the first chief Philippine representative to the ASEAN Experts Group on Coal
(AEGC). He co-chaired the Indonesia-Philippines Coal Cooperation Committee in
1989. His dedication to the coal mining industry made him a new nickname
“Number One Coal Boy of the Philippines.”
His Reuters Media biography sums up his achievement as an international energy development specialist:
“Formerly a mining engineer, having worked in
recent years as an International Energy and Mining Consultant, focused on the
development of untapped indigenous energy resources in the Philippines. From
1996 to 2004 Mr Bomasang was President and CEO of Philippine National Oil
Company – Exploration Corporation. Mr Bomasang previously worked with the
United States Agency for International Development as an Energy Consultant,
providing technical assistance to the Philippine Department of Energy. His
other directorships include Non-Executive Chairman of Otto Energy Investments
Limited, a subsidiary of Otto Energy Limited.”
The i-Besao, the Hero, and the Samaritan
“Regardless of what
happens, I believe that the time has come for me to pay back the indigenous
community in the Cordillera where I was born and raised and which instilled in
me the important values, which ultimately helped me realize my hopes, dreams,
and aspirations in life,” confessed Bomas-ang in his book.
Currently, his Engr. Rufino
Bomasang Initiative (ERBI) is raising money for the rebuilding of St. James
School. A building of the school was destroyed by fire months ago.
In a write-up produced by Floyd
Lalwet, he described Bomas-ang as “a fund-rasier par excellence for various
schools of the Episcopal Church”. As of mid-March this year, the campaign, which mainly features a raffle draw, is
able to raise about two million pesos, with Bomas-ang paying for the cost of
ticket printing and purchasing tickets worth P20, 000.00.
He spearheaded awareness
campaigns for the pitiful condition of Besao Elementary School. Meros
Foundation and other Episcopalian institutions then sent loads of books and
other learning materials to the school.
Bomas-ang also leads in reviving the glory days of his alma mater SMS. He organized a golf tournament that had former
president Fidel V. Ramos as a celebrity player.
As the chairman of the board, he is able to gather funds from alumni of the school to pay for renovations and facility upgrade. With his efforts and the support of the school's alumni in different parts of the world, the once dying school is able to attract more students.
SMS is again one of the top performing schools in the province. Bomas-ang is now working on a project that will soon make SMS a tertiary education provider in the North.
“God willing, I hope I will
be able to continue taking steps and making contributions towards promoting
quality education in Sagada, Besao, and the nearby communities,” pointed out
Bomas-ang in the book.
In April, Bomas-ang vocally
showed his support to Igorot companies as mining partners.
“Rather than wait for
government action, the people in the Cordillera can go ahead and start setting
their own mining and energy companies [or cooperatives] under Philippine laws,”
Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Bomasang.
“After all, we already have
so many Igorot professionals, many of whom have had foreign training and
experience,” scored the Igorot legend.
At 72, Bomas-ang regularly
visits both Sagada and Besao to be more acquainted with the people he once
dreamed with. Now a champion of renewable energy, an alternative source of
electricity that is safer and more friendly to the environment, he believes
that exploring renewable energy opportunities in the locality is one of his legacies
to the future generations on top of his inspiring story on how he crossed
the highlands to reach the national scene.
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