Benguet communities are not exempted from the increasing occurrence of stealing or thieving. Good thing to know, that the local communities have their own way of solving such cases, which lessens the number of cases unsolved. 

As stated in the thesis of Jomil Bariing, a student of St. Alfonso’s Theological and Mission Institutes titled “The Kankanaeys Hope of Reclaiming the Significance of Their Culture and Rituals,” he said that Kankanaeys are strongly dedicated to their belief. They prefer to rely on their traditional beliefs rather than to depend on scientific facts. 

In some communities in the region where police stations are remote or inaccessible, villagers tend to depend more on their indigenous knowledge and practices rather than reporting thieving cases to the police. One of which is puntos, a practice common in Benguet. 

Like the hula of Tagalogs, puntos is one of the practices of Igorot folks still persisting even in this computer age. It is a reliable basis to determine a thief. This practice may defer in terms but it is the same in most of the aspects. Some places in the province call it buyon, sib-ok, or manbisto. 

Tata Agapito, an elder of Kapangan, Benguet, defined puntos as the process of identifying the physical appearance of a person who has committed a crime. The elder who performs puntos is called manpuntos.

The ‘Gift’

Becoming manpuntos is considered by many a special gift. Agapito mentioned that a manpuntos has an extraordinary or supernatural power that enables him/her to describe the appearance, status, gender, and qualities of a criminal. 

He added, “Manpuntos are truly respected people in the society because of their unique talent that is very helpful to other people.” 

Accordingly, only those who are chosen by gods or whose kinhad the same powers, can have the ability to puntos. 

The becoming of an ordinary person to a manpuntos is case-to-case basis.

Nanang Cristy (not her real name), a manpuntos, got her power when she was ill. She went crazy due to a disturbance of spirits. The elders then instructed her family to butcher many pigs and goats for her to be healed, so they did. Then one day, she felt strange spirit within her telling her what to do. She then became manpuntos.

Process of Puntos

The process of how one manpuntos determines the wrongdoer differs from another. Though for some, there are similarities. 

Marilyn Tawang (BSND II) shared her experience with a manpuntos when she consulted one. The collected fines from the students in her care was stolen. Determined to know who the culprit was, she decided to consult the manpuntos. 

“She used coconut oil and lighted candles. While I am narrating what happened, she is dropping the melted candle into the oil,” Tawang narrated.

Tawang further explained that after she narrated what happened, the manpuntos described the thief. 

According to her, the culprit is a boy. The manpuntos predicted that the culprit will return the money, so she advised Tawang to be patient and wait for money to be returned.

Nanang Cristy, on the contrary, does not use oil and candles. Materials needed in her performance are eggs, water, three plates, a cup of liquor or wine, and nine tiny sticks from a soft broom. 

The egg is laid on a plate filled with water. On the other plate, the water is stirred using the tiny sticks from a soft broom and then covered with another plate. Once the victim is finished narrating the story, the names of the suspects are mentioned one-by-one by Nanang Christy. The egg will rise by itself when the name of the culprit is mentioned. 

Foremost, the ritual is always accompanied by a prayer. In the research of Jedilou Alip titled Mga Kaugaliang Igorot filed in the Ethnos: People of the World website, he discovered that the ritual starts with a prayer in order to finish the puntos successfully and ends with a prayer to thank the gods for helping them. 

Merits and Demerits of Puntos

Alip supplemented that people consult the manpuntos instead of reporting it to the authorities because they give importance and loyalty to their beliefs. They respect their forefathers, their place, and themselves. Also, they find them more reliable and effective than the police officers. 

“We consult the manpuntos because we want to know the thief as soon as possible. If we will report it to the police officers then the process takes more time to be solved especially when there is no witness and no sufficient evidence to aid them solve the case,” Marilyn Tawang expressed. 

Aling Elena, a mother, said that it is better to consult the manpuntos because you do not need to be interrogated, answer many questions, and pay in monetary unit. Accordingly, a kilo of sugar is enough to pay for the manpuntos’ service. 

This was backed up by Lakay Amdos, 87, of Tublay who lived with the practice saying that some manpuntos do not accept payment for their service. They fear that their ‘gift’ will be taken back from them and they will not be able to help others anymore. 

On the contrary, Alip opposed that puntos are not a ‘reliable basis of prediction’. It has no scientific explanation and it cannot be proved by the manpuntos if their prediction is accurate. 

In the previously mentioned case wherein the manpuntos convinced Tawang to wait for the money to be returned, the culprit did not return the money. “Her prediction was wrong,” Tawang said. 

Alip added that a manpuntos has many ways to know the background of the victim and the suspect. He assumed that a manpuntos could have heard gossip before the dilemma was consulted. Or, he/she has an ally who already knew what happened and relayed it to him/her. Also, one may have been pretending to have such talent just to earn free supplies. 

In his research, Bariing also talked about the negative effects of the practice in regards to the relationships of people in a community. If the manpuntos described the culprit and he/she was mistaken, the accused will be put to public trial. Events like this sacrifices respect, trust, and understanding among the inhabitants of the community. 

“People are blinded to the reality that not all manpuntos are telling the truth but they are wearing mask for their own sake. They are conquered by their emotions without thinking the possibilities and consequences,” Bariing added. 

The research of Bariing also warns those people who have sharp ears and tongues not to go in the way. They do not even dare to communicate with the victim or suspect because there is a possibility that they will be included in the suspect list. 

In connection, Lakay Amdos said that faith in the manpuntos paves the way for the prediction to happen. “If you believe, then it will happen. If not, then it looks like you are obstructing the spirits to reveal the convict,” he added in local dialect. 

On the other hand, Anita (not her real name), a manpuntos, exposed that they can also describe a person who committed crimes such as rape cases and even killers. In this case, she believes that they can help in identifying criminals. 

It is a bestowed honor to know that our ancestors’ indigenous knowledge has been helping us thrive despite the rapid changes in our society. Let us then prevent our heritage from ending just a dot along the horizon. By living with these traditions, can we remain humane.