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FIGHTER. Muay thai star Islay Erika Bomogao with her coaching team.
Islay Erika Bomogao's Facebook page
The Igorot word ‘taraki’ ignites a fire among Cordillerans like Islay Erika Bomogao, the world No. 1 muay thai fighter in her division who never backs down
MANILA, Philippines – For centuries, the Cordillerans have been known to be some of the toughest people in the Philippines. From fending off land-hungry Spaniards to helping American soldiers in World War II, the Cordilleran people have proven their long-standing reputation.
No wonder, a Cordilleran has been making waves in the muay thai scene.
Islay Erika Bomogao, a member of the Igorot tribe in Cordillera, earned the honor to be named world No. 1 fighter by the International Federation of Muaythai Associations in the female -45kg elite class in 2024.
This came after Bomogao became the first Filipina world muay thai champion after topping the 2023 IFMA Senior World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.
For the 24-year-old fighter, all these were fueled by an Igorot battlecry: Taraki.
“We Cordillerans, we have this mantra, in which we say taraki,” Islay said in Filipino.
Taraki means “exceptionally good” in the Igorot language. While its meaning could be subjective, the word ignites a fire among Cordillerans like Islay — that they should be a tough nut to crack, especially in battles.
“I think it’s innate for us Cordillerans. If we go back to history, Cordillera was the only land that the Spaniards never conquered,” Islay shared during an episode of Homestretch, a Rappler show featuring sports and tourism stories.
“Since my ancestors fought off the Spaniards. It has become innate to us,” she added.
At a young age, Islay already amassed multiple gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games, before becoming the first homegrown Filipina to compete in the muay thai division of ONE Championship.
So far, Islay has been undefeated in two ONE matches, winning via unanimous decisions over Japan’s Fuu and China’s Ran Longshu to mark her introduction to the promotion.
Before Islay developed her muay thai brilliance, she dabbled in more popular sports such as swimming, volleyball, and basketball. Eventually, she found her stride in martial arts, starting with wushu and other local Cordilleran martial arts before focusing on muay thai.
While it was not common for Igorot women to delve into such sports, Islay, even at an early age, believed she could handle the pain of being a martial artist.
“We’re taraki. We feel the pain, then we shrug it off,” she said.
Such mentality will continue to be Islay’s driving force in carving out what could still be a more fruitful career in martial arts.
Islay also eyes a return to the Southeast Asia Games this year in a bid to add more wares to her collection.
“This is what I want to do,” she said. “No one else could ever stop me.” – Rappler.com
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