What is ICBE

ICBE stands for Igorot Cordillera BIMAAK-Europe.

(1) Igorot refers to the indigenous peoples of the Cordillera, northern Luzon, Philippines;

(2) Cordillera is a political and geographical concept and

(3) BIMAAK is an acronym for the six provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in northern Luzon, Philippines. These provinces are: Benguet, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Abra, Apayao and Kalinga. Another acronym commonly used is BIBAK, which stands for: Benguet, Ifugao, Bontoc, Apayao, Kalinga.

ICBE is an informal network of Igorot/Cordilleran/BIBAK organizations and individuals in Europe. It began as a gathering of Igorot Cordillerans in Gent, Belgium in 2002 and was hosted by Cordillera Community in Belgium.

When some Igorot Cordillerans gathered again in Vienna, Austria in 2003 with host, “Igorot Organization in Austria,” they decided on the name, ICBE. They also decided to have a consultation (or conference) every odd year. The objective is to preserve the Igorot Cordillera cultural heritage and pass it to the next generation. A host committee plans each consultation. Thus, leadership is shared.

Each consultation usually consists of a plenary session and workshops on the theme, cultural night, liturgical celebration and a historical-cum-cultural tour. Planning for the next consultation ensures continuity.

Being in the network means that a member of an Igorot/Cordillera/BIBAK organization in Europe has attended an ICBE consultation or Igorot Cordillera individuals in Europe have attended one.

Such organizations are: BIBAK Barcelona, BIBAK Ireland; BIBAK Marbella; BIBAK Switzerland; BIBAAK Madrid; BIMAAK Sweden, Cordillera Community in Belgium (Cordi-Bel); Cordillera Migrant Workers Association (CMWA) of Como Milan, Italy; Cordillerans in Italy of Bologna and Modena; Cordillerans in Rome (Cordi-Rome); Dap-ayan di I-Montanyosa of northern Italy; Igorot Austria; Igorot Cooperative in Athens Greece; Igorot Frankfurt; Igorot UK, MABIKAs Foundation-The Netherlands; ULNOS di Mountain Province (Rome Italy) and United Igorot Association of Napoli. Individuals, who are in the network, are from Germany.  

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

PREPARATORY COMMITTEE

In consultation with the 10th ICBE Preparatory Committee, the Board and Constituents of MABIKAs Foundation-The Netherlands are mainly involved in the preparation for the 11th ICBE Conference. Together, the ICBE Preparatory Committee and Members of MABIKAs Foundation brainstorms, consults, plans and decide on relevant matters from program content to food preparation, tasking, and implementation, among others. 

Members of 10th ICBE Prep Committee: Ric Cuyob – 1st Assembly of Cordillera People in Europe (Belgium); Rick Kilongan – 3rd ICBE Consultation (Switzerland); Jane Klee-Morgens – 5th ICBE Consultation (Germany); Conchita B. Pooten – 6th ICBE Consultation (United Kingdom). Conchita requested her daughter, Averil “Wendy” Pooten-Watan to assist her; Gil Tiban Catimo – 7th ICBE Consultation (Spain); Marjorie Abeya-Soaygan – 8th ICBE Consultation (Austria); Rosmar G. Smith and Grace Banto – 9th ICBE Consultation (Italy); Myra Colis and Yvonne Belen – (The Netherlands).

CONSULTATIONS (CONFERENCES)

ICBE has had ten consultations: Gent, Belgium (2002); Vienna, Austria (2003); Aeschi, Switzerland (2005); Dublin, Ireland (2007); Vallendar, Germany (2009); London, United Kingdom (2011); Barcelona, Spain (2013); Vienna, Austria (2015), Rome, Italy (2017), and The Netherlands (2019). Except for the first gathering in Belgium in 2002, the conference is held every odd year.