Wheel of Time: The Enduring Spirit of the Komboys of Benguet

by Fara Manuel-Nolasco

Fig. 1. A rural komboy transporting cabbages from the farm to town in his trusty Kimata, a type of hand-made double basket.  

Screengrab from Komboy [Music Video], performed by Wilson Langpawen. Berlyson Production.

Source: https://youtu.be/Sc1LV_LcAM8?si=Ch8aCHs9t4MhUR2E.

In an era where autonomous, self-driving cars are rigorously tested for road fitness, some of the oldest professions still find relevance in our AI-driven world. Among these, the role of the Komboy—a term for manual laborers who transport goods—remains a testament to the enduring nature of human labor. 

Flipping through archives of Baguio from the early 1900s, during its establishment as a highland hill station, one finds records of the earliest komboys, who transported supplies from the lowlands to the city. These carts, filled with produce, navigated the cliffside roads to the newly built city. Atop Baguio, the central stone market thrived as a space that welcomed farmers trading their organic produce. 

Komboys have adapted to the social conditions of their environment. In the folk song “Komboy,” they are depicted as middlemen, bringing produce from farmland to the sellers in the trading posts. The song is an ode to the hard work of the komboys, whose only capital was their bodies. 

(A stanza from the Kankana-ey original, “Komboy,” performed by Wilson Langpawen of Berlyson Production; translated by Racel Kary Pinas.)

Nu en man apit di farmer, alisto kami ay en komboyen

Tupnu mabunag di nateng, enkami mantitinnulong

Nu pirmi ay masalog, mangayeng-geng di pewek

Pati langtay ay naipet … pan-ilusot

Nu adawi pan-ieyan, en iinannaan ta adi mapalaluan awak mi ay puunuan

Kapag mag-aani na ang mga magsasaka, dali-dali kaming magkakarga

Para madala ang mga gulay, kami’y magtutulungan

Nanginginig ang mga tuhod sa mga daang padausdos

Nilulusot ang mga tulay na masisikip

Pero kapag malayo ang pagdadalhan ay nagpapahinga din,

para hindi mabinat ang katawang aming puhunan

When the farmers begin to harvest, we hurry to load,

To carry the vegetables, we help one another

Our knees tremble on the steep, slippery paths,

We squeeze through bridges, narrow and tight

But when the destination is far, we take a break,

so that our bodies, our only capital, don’t give out. 

The Komboys of La Trinidad Market 

It is no surprise that local Benguet photographer Jason Asiong chose the komboys as a subject, for they symbolize mundane persistence and, to a certain extent, serve as an allegory for pure human labor. 

Fig. 2. Tired by Jason Asiong, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.

Stop.

Look out as a pair of feet and two rubber wheels syncopated in movement swoosh past a crowd in a hurried fashion, navigating the tight and corridors of the public market. In the La Trinidad Market trading post, people have grown accustomed to the komboys or human-operated mechanical carts that carry goods. 

Fig. 3. Kung mahal mo, dapat faithful by Jason Asiong, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.

Breathe.

In Jason’s documentary photos, the komboys’ energetic bodies thrust forward, creating active lines that jut toward the upper right edge of the pictorial frame. The rhythmic and seemingly mechanical hurriedness of his subjects in each frame makes the viewer want to pause for a deep breath. 

Fig. 4. 27 by Jason Asiong, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.

Pause.

Donna Haraway famously claimed that we are all cyborgs—a mix of human and machine. This strange synergy is observed as komboys intuitively navigate the network of market stalls while conscientiously transporting goods entrusted by clients. Their improvised carts, made of wooden slats and makeshift wheels, are moving extensions of their bodies, enhancing their strength beyond natural limits. 

Fig. 5. Stripes by Jason Asiong, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.

Repeat.

But will this repetition endure? With the threat of rationalization in public spaces—like the looming transition from community-based markets to corporatized spaces, such as the Baguio and La Trinidad public markets—the relevance of the komboy may be at risk. If that day comes, perhaps it is the komboys’ humanity that we will treasure most. Studio Au of Baguio showcased Jason Asiong’s “Komboy” photo series from April to May 2024. The event, set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing urban landscape, was well-attended and received positive reviews. The exhibition served as a poignant reminder of the komboys’ place in Baguio’s history, caught between continuity and change, the real and the imagined, the photo document, and social history.

August 2024