A tradition that should not be preserved

THERE is a perspective — a very good one, we believe — shared by most people in this country that the customs and traditions of our indigenous people should be respected and preserved. On rare occasion, however, a tradition comes to our attention that is so barbaric, so needlessly cruel as to have no practical or social value whatsoever, that we must speak out against it.

One such rare tradition came to the public’s attention last week, when members of the Dulangan Manobo tribe in Sultan Kudarat province spoke out angrily against protests by animal-rights activists who called on them to stop their practice of horse fighting.