Life has never been easy for the rugged people of the mountains of the Northern Philippines. Economic opportunities are scarce across the region, political corruption endemic, plundering of resources a constant threat, and slow erosion of the indigenous cultural heritage a worrisome prospect. But wander up the narrow valleys, and you’ll find that what the Spanish never managed to conquer back in the day, is unlikely to be erased now. Unless, that is… Away from the tourist routes, there are some 6000 Maeng people living in settlements scattered over an area about the size of Vienna, Austria. Most of them populate the municipality of Tubo, Abra, on the western slopes of the Cordillera Central of northern Luzon. The Maeng are proud people, but here’s the problem, all too common in similar circumstances: if their centuries-old traditions are not passed on to the young generation in the age of iPhone, Facebook, and overseas remittances, they’ll die. Basically, there are two options: conserve what’s left and risk watching it slowly turn into a tourist theme park, or let your traditions mutually coexist with the new while inspiring and weaving into each other. That’s a gamble, too, but if you get it right, the payoff is tremendous: while some uninformed urban visitors may scratch their heads wondering whether ornaments and costumes made of recycled plastic are still “authentic”, you gain assurance that your ancestral culture will continue to live and breathe. In Tubo, they took option 2 and so far, on the whole, things are looking up.