Baguio-based Islay Erika Bomogao, 24, is the first Filipina Muay Thai world champion and currently the No. 1 holder in the 45-kilogram female elite category in the International Federation of Muay Thai Associations (IFMA) rankings. 

One would wonder how the modest and amiable five-foot-tall teacher who earned a cum laude degree from the University of Baguio managed to survive and succeed in muay thai, one of the most vicious and deadly martial arts in the world.

Is it the consistent intake of vegetables that are plentiful in Benguet that keeps her healthy and robust?

Or is it the high degree of conditioning that comes from using the highlands as a training ground growing up, where the thinner air expands the lungs and builds stamina?

Or is it her nature, which stems from the Cordilleran legacy of tenacity and struggle against colonialization and resource exploitation, refusing to be enslaved or absorbed by the colonizers?

Or is it a culture of community and discipline, of artistic expression, of ancient customs and ceremonies that have nourished her spirit beyond the body?

There is no doubt that she fights like a warrior with the spirit of her people and the highlands each time the bell rings to begin a new battle. She will not be conquered.

#ProjectLarawan. Profiles of the Filipino. One portrait at a time.

Project Larawan is an initiative of Gabriel “Gabby” Malvar, a documentary filmmaker, writer and photographer, whose narratives are nuanced

with unique, inventive perspectives to provoke an inquisitive look at his favorite subject, the Philippines. Become a part of Filipino identity every other Saturday on the DAILY TRIBUNE.