IDENTITY AND THE POLITICS OF REPRESENTATION: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF BADJAO URBAN DWELLERS OF ISLA VERDE, DAVAO CITY A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences Social Science Cluster Ateneo de Davao University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Arts Major in Political Science Salvaña, Ian Derf C. Taynan, Cenn Teena L. October 2017 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 1 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 2 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study The concept of representation serves as a guarantee of the recognition of minority social identities in a society that subscribes to mainstream trends. In the politics of representation, social identities themselves use the way they are represented in the mainstream society “against the hegemonic practices of the ruling classes”. However, in reality, given the capacity of minorities to lobby their demand for equal and genuine representation, they are still limited in many aspects and their demand becomes more subservient to the dominating influence of the mainstream society (Rodrigues and Game, 1998). Because of the alarming situation posited by the struggles of representation, demand for recognition then highlights the concern for liberation and selfdetermination from the trends of imposition, which is mainly founded on negative biases of the mainstream society (Parekh, 2000, in Pilapil, 2015). The plight of marginalized social identities is a reaction of a collective imposition of ostracism that negatively affects their personhood. In the Philippines, the struggle for recognition continues to persist and different groups representing different identities still plead for equal representation. Pilapil (2015) asserts that such demand for recognition is taken as an ongoing “struggle for justice, directed specifically at social structures and attitudes that render Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 3 individuals and groups invisible, marginalized, and subordinated because of their ethnicity, skin color, sexual orientation, religious belief, and so on”. Those who relentlessly longed for representation include the indigenous minorities (Pilapil, 2015). In the case of the Badjaos, they still need a voice to assert their identities amid the dominating impositions of the public. Originally, the Badjaos are a sea people who came from the maritime region that composed the Celebes and Sulu Seas, particularly the coastal areas of Sulu and Zamboanga in the Philippines (Abrahamsson, 2011; Macalandag, 2009). Although they are famously branded for their skills in navigating, sailing, fishing, pearl diving, boat building, and mat weaving, among others, and are known to be contented, simple, joyful and respectful people, they still had low social and political status and are marginalized from the positions of power, by the continued existence of prejudice and other forms of social stigma, and on their plight to seek solutions to their fundamental concerns (Panaguiton, 2010, in Bracamonte, Boza, and Poblete, 2011; Blust, 2005). Moreover, they have suffered from the causal effects of large-scale involuntary migration, which was triggered by violent conflicts during the latter half of the twentieth century between the Philippine government and many armed groups, including the Abu Sayyaf, dispersed in the areas of Sulu and Zamboanga. The effects of warfare caused the occurrence of internal migratory phenomena, exacerbating the current situation of their living condition, which is already shaped by such external impositions of identity. Currently, the fundamental concerns of the Badjaos, as discussed in the previous paragraph, have become effects of such domination of identity imposition from the mainstream society. These include hunger and malnutrition, lack of livelihood opportunities, inaccessible education, poor health Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 4 and sanitation, bleak environmental conditions, vulnerability to human trafficking, and child and women abuse, among others (Bracamonte, Boza, and Poblete, 2011; Macalandag, 2009; Maulana, 2015). Among the Badjao groups who are stereotypically seen as different from the mainstream society and who continually suffer from state and societal exclusion, which has given birth to the process of “otherization”, is the Badjao community who have been living in Davao for more than 50 years since they arrived in the city and established their first community in Isla Verde, Brgy. 23-C, Poblacion during the 1960s (Family Care and Community Development Initiatives, n.d.). This study tackles the phenomenon of identity assertion and navigation of representation. The problematic situation centers on the experience of the Badjaos in making themselves known as Badjaos, as who they are, in a multicultural community, where they dwell. Because they live in such type of society, they need to assert themselves, they need to have a voice, and to be able to do just that, they have to navigate themselves with other competing voices. Furthermore, the Badjao community of Isla Verde was chosen as the focus of this study because it is the oldest Badjao community in Davao, and it comprises more than 2,000 of the total 3,000 Badjao residents living in the city, as presented by Abrahamsson (2011). Furthermore, the site is part of Barangay 23-C, Poblacion, which is also shared by other indigenous tribes displaced by conflict, including the Sama-Laminosa, Tausug, Maguindanaon, Maranao, Kagan, Obu Manuvu, Matigsalog, and Iranon, among others (Barangay Profile - 23-C, Davao City, 2014). Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 5 Given the proposition of the researchers, the study aims to document the experiences of some of the members of the community on the issue of identity and representation and how they act upon the actions of the mainstream society in imposing labels upon their identity as Badjaos. The narratives of the Badjao respondents elucidate how their identity is sustained and navigated, especially on how they utilize their voice to lobby their concerns to the government, and those who have the capacity to help them alleviate their poor living conditions. Since the Badjaos are persistently deprived of “advantages and entitlements because of discrimination by ethnicity, gender, class, or other social position” (Macalandag, 2009), and given the diversity of tribes living in Brgy. 23-C, Poblacion, Davao City, the survival challenges faced by the Badjaos in alleviating their poor living conditions become more and more complex. In analyzing the current situation of the Badjaos, the researchers utilize Michel Foucault’s Analytics of Power, which was postulated in his 1982 work entitled, “Subject and Power”. Given the ontological view on society, which can be understood as a complex system composed of interlocking power relationships, different voices compete in the pursuance of asserting their identity and navigating their representation. In pushing such agenda, the modes of objectification then transform human beings to subjects as a consequence of interlocking power domination and resistance. Thus, the power exercised by the state, and those who are capacitated to set a distinction between the identities of minority peoples like the Badjaos and the members of the mainstream society perpetuates subordination, establishing that the Badjaos are different. The reinforcement of this frame of difference then determines that the Badjaos are a social problem and that their Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 6 identity is often labeled with prejudice and other pejorative perceptions (Macalandag, 2009). However, while society is composed of structures, and that dominion of power is substantially used as an advantage of institutions over human beings transformed to subjects, Foucault emphasizes that power relations are rooted in the social nexus, suggesting that relationships of power are external to the institutions and that they are “found deep within the social body, not as a political overlay supra to the social body” (Fletcher, 2008). Given this situation, the study seeks to understand how the power navigations of a minority group such as the Badjaos of Isla Verde work in asserting their identity and in pushing for their representation in a highly urbanized society. With the assumption that the nature of power is exercised through the relationships of power since certain actions modify others, regardless of power domination imposed by structures (Fletcher, 2008), Analytics of Power analyzes the way members of the Badjao community in Isla Verde respond to threats of political, economic and social exclusion, among other problems they face, as a primary facet of relationships of power between them, the mainstream society and the government as well. Statement of the Problem This study seeks to explore the experience of negotiating identity and representation among Badjao urban dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City using the Foucauldian Analytics of Power. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 7 More specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions: 1. How does a Badjao urban dweller manifest his/her identity in a multicultural community? 2. How does a Badjao urban dweller navigate his/her political representation in the context of competing voices in the community? 3. What are the present challenges confronting a Badjao urban dweller in negotiating his/her identity and representation in the community? 4. What are the “arts of the self” employed by a Badjao in his/her experience of thriving in a multicultural urban community? Theoretical Framework The study utilizes the Analytics of Power postulated by Michel Foucault in his work entitled, “The Subject and Power”, which discusses the relationship between power, domination, and resistance in contemporary society (Foucault, 1982). Power, which represents the potential fluidity of social relations, acts on those who are “free subjects” but are struggling with domination and who may engage in resistance (Nash, 2010). Far from Foucault’s initial analysis of power, which discusses that power is omnipresent, not because it embraces everything uniformly, but because it comes from everywhere, and that it is not an institution nor a structure nor a possession (Foucault, 1984b), he assumes that power will only necessarily work on “free Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 8 subjects”, where they are not fully determined, but that they can realize many possibilities (Foucault, 1982). This henceforth assumes that the analyses of power can directly be linked, as cited in Nash (2010), with the antagonistic struggles of social movements, which establishes challenges of subjectification to be one of the most important aspects of contemporary societal struggles. FIGURE 1 Theoretical Framework Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 9 As quoted in Nash (2010), Foucault stresses that “it is in part a result of the way in which social movements resist the power that it is possible to analyze it as such.” This determines that resistance plays a vital role in defining power. Aside from this, resistance is also “methodologically relevant to the study of power” since power relations and the methods by which it is implemented is brought into view. Foucault establishes that the concept of analytics of power analyzes power in the details of social practices and discusses that power produces individuals both as objects and as subjects (Nash, 2010). This can be assessed with the assertion of power navigation, which, according to Foucault (1982), is based on knowledge and makes use of knowledge. Since power reproduces knowledge by shaping it by its anonymous intentions, it (re-) creates its own fields of exercise through knowledge. With the application of the theoretical framework, this study recognizes the role of power navigation of the Badjao community in Isla Verde in the pursuance of continuously asserting their identity and in pushing for their representation in Davao City, which is highly dominated by the mainstream society. After the narratives are collected, the study will utilize the concepts of the Analytics of Power in its analysis. The emerging themes from the stories of the respondents will be the basis used in the analysis of the power navigations of the Badjaos of Isla Verde, Davao City. The responses of the participants enabled the researchers to investigate how the identity and representation of the Badjaos are asserted. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 10 Significance of the Study The findings of the study established that the Badjao urban dwellers of Isla Verde, Brgy. 23-C, Davo City have a sense of political representation despite different forms of subjugation from dominant societal impositions. The Badjaos are thus able to articulate their problems and sentiments but just lack proper channels of power. With the relevance of this study, the following stakeholders can help them articulate themselves better in the society so that they can have a voice to represent themselves and the need to access social programs that best fit their current situation: Social Workers. The findings of the study will induce the social workers assignged in Isla Verde to help individuals, families, and groups of Badjaos to improve their lives in conditions where government services are inadequate. In this regard, the social workers can facilitate and assure that the 4Ps, medical assistance and scholarship program are directly delivered to the Badjaos. Ateneo de Davao University. This study will motivate the Ateneo de Davao community to recognize the challenges faced by the Badjaos and their need of representation and asserting their identity. In this respect, the Ateneo de Davao University can make use of its program on intercultural dialogue and cultural transformation to conduct community services that will benefit the Badjaos of Isla Verde. Political Science Discipline. This study will benefit the Political Science discipline to advance from the traditional concepts and mainstream thought of hard core political science. The analytics of power of Foucault will open up more Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 11 discussions of understanding power in contributing to the enrichment of the subfield of political sociology. Aside from this, the study will also help students of Political Science increase their understanding on the different levels of power relations in the aspect of identity and representation, and further encourage them to conduct more exploratory studies. Scope and Limitations This study aims to understand how the power navigations of the Badjaos of Isla Verde, a minority group, work in asserting their identity and in pushing for their representation in a highly urbanized locale such as Davao City using Foucault’s Analytics of Power. The respondents will be from the Badjao Community of Isla Verde who are self-identified Badjao individuals that resided in the community for at least 5 years, able to write, irrespective of sex, educational attainment, and religious affiliation. Furthermore, only those mentioned above were considered as respondents for the study, which will only be conducted in Barangay 23-C, Poblacion, Davao City. For the limitations, the study will use phenomenological approach to unveil the essence of meaning of the participants’ experiences which is employed through interpretations. Such interpretations from the researchers are subjective and have the tendency to objectify the Badjaos which will contradict to Foucault’s Subject and Power. Since the tendency of objectification is imminent, subjective interpretations form part of the qualitative strategies of theoy-building, and may thus be limited in Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 12 terms of the study’s imperic quality. In addition, the study will only interview selected Badjaos and they do not represent the whole Badjao population of Isla Verde, Davao City. Hence, the findings of the study cannot be used for generalization. Definition of Terms The following terms are defined as used in the study for easier and better understanding: Badjao urban dwellers refer to the Sama-Bajau people who originated from the maritime region that comprised the Celebes and Sulu Seas, particularly the coastal areas of Sulu and Zamboanga in the Philippines, and who now have built and resided in their own community situated in Isla Verde, Brgy. 23-C, Poblacion, Davao City. Experiences refer to the actual lived activities, events, and practices of the respondents concerning their identity as Badjaos. Manifestation of identity refers to the acts of the Badjao towards asserting his/her personhood through discourses and practices which include the observation of festivities, burials and weddings. Representation refers to the ability of the Badjaos to voice out their thoughts and concerns in the formal channels of power in the community. Political representation refers to Badjao’s access to government services as well as their articulation of sentiments and problems to the Barangay. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 13 Power refers to how the Badjao urban dwellers produce influence and impact using their capacity within and among them regarding the assertion of their identity and the navigation of their political representation. In the context of Badjaos who participated in this study, they consider power as the capability to voice out their concerns and sentiments to their barangay leaders. Power relations refers to the different relationship relationship between the Badjaos and among themselves as well as their relationship with other tribes and with the government. Multicultural community refers to an area which is composed of different ethnic groups. Brgy. 23-C, Davao City, the locale of this study, is a multicultural community. Competing voices refers to the different groups in the community that contend in asserting their respective identities and in navigating political representation. Competition here is defined not just of the plurality of interests among ethnic groups but also because there are tensions between them, as this study discussed in its findings. “Arts of the self” refers to the forms of resistance employed by the Badjao urban dwellers through discourses and practices against challenges present in their multicultural setting. These are mechanisms which permit them to influence by their own means or with the help of others a certain number of actions on the aspects that define their personhood, such as their thoughts, conducts, and way of being, among others, so as to defy the impositions of the mainstream society. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 14 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 15 Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This section contains an integrative review and discussion of the concepts related towards the study of the power navigations of the Badjaos of Isla Verde in the pursuance of asserting their identity and in pushing for their representation in a highly urbanized locale such as Davao. Specifically, it contains conceptual, theoretical and methodological reviews. It also includes a discussion of similar studies on the experiences of the Badjaos on living and surviving in new environments using their personal coping mechanisms. The chapter also reviews research works on how the Badjaos manage social stigma and other threats to their identity, on their concerns and sentiments following the current status of their representation in society, and on the theoretical concepts of the Analytics of Power postulated by Michel Foucault. Politics of Identity In society’s current contextual understanding of classes, it has remained to be politically significant alongside its evolution from singular class-based politics. Social classes, particularly, have had their own history of struggle between each other, espousing their own interests in shaping political action in modern polities, as cited by Drake (2010). In his book Political Sociology for a Globalizing World, Drake further discussed how classes paved way for the emergence of social identity as a Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 16 critical outcome of rifts between their interests, manifesting from examples of Skeggs (1997) and Devine, Savage, Scott, and Crompton (2004). This is supported by Wrong (2003) and Langman (1994), in Bernstein (2005), that because of the lack of viable alternatives to capitalism and to stable economic well-being, identity politics redefined itself from class politics. Furthermore, they discussed that this phenomenon is a result of social change stemming from economic dislocation. According to Bernstein (2005), identity politics describes diverse phenomena being studied in the fields of social sciences and humanities, which, aside from economic affairs but that become offshoot problems of it, include issues of movements of women, gays and lesbians, separatist groups, and ethnicities, among others. These mobilizations particularly are connected to politics, culture, and identity. In conceptualizing social identity, Drake (2010) further discussed that it is commonly seen as already part of social experience, which he said is a negligence from knowing that “experience of social reality is always mediated by concepts that are part of our shared understanding”, and that concepts are further subjected to contention and redefinition. The approach to understanding social identity using the Weberian lens stressed that identities are contingently formed so that “groups become identified by incidental markers”, which as described by Drake (2010), “could be as diverse as consumption patterns, skin color, educational qualifications, or anything else by which people could distinguish themselves from others”. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 17 The image created out of these incidental markers becomes the image of a particular social identity, which, according to Spencer (2006), is shared by individuals who relate to its construction. Moreover, such construction is a product of interactions in which identity is formed (Woodward, 20014). On the one hand, this construction is interpreted based on ethnicity, gender, nationality, social class, sexuality, and community. On the other hand, these interpretations are relative and the image of an individual self is so complex that meanings of these interpretations clash with each other. To further this discourse, Spencer (2006) emphasized that since interpretations of the individual social identity is subject to relative meanings, there is “a constant dialectic within the individual’s identity”. He cited a part of his collaborative work with Taylor (2004): “Identity is a work in progress, a negotiated space between ourselves and others; constantly being re-appraised and very much linked to the circulation of cultural meanings in a society. Furthermore identity is intensely political. There are constant efforts to escape, fix or perpetuate images and meanings of others. These transformations are apparent in every domain, and the relationships between these constructions reflect and reinforce power relations.” (Taylor and Spencer, 2004) This highlighted that identity is constantly changing as it is being redefined by many forms of societal interpretations. According to Drake (2010), identification is assumed to be founded based on biases, comprising of subjective connotations. He postulated that social identities tend to intersect with each other, especially in the discussion of representation. In recognizing that different social identities in different Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 18 societies have experienced different oppressive or suppressive conditions due to different backgrounds, there are different drives for different demands of recognition, which in asserting it, gives way to the eventual change in identity formation. “Social identities, unlike the ideological ascription of interest of a class-based political sociology, overlap; they are held in plurality rather than exclusivity, making recognition of internal, divisive differences unavoidable. Awareness of difference therefore tends towards fragmentation rather than the unitary identification required for political representation, producing further frustration with modern political forms of representation and a resort to culture rather than politics as an alternative medium for the expression and playing out of identity issues.” (Drake, 2010) Identity here is thus modeled after imposed labels, which to its radical extent, negatively affects the personhood of people who are part of a community with a social identity that seems to be subservient to prejudices and other forms of social stigma. In Woodward (2004), the arguments presented by Goffman (1959) have also been vital in the discussion of constructions as a principal influencing factor in the people manifest themselves – that is through roles rather than identities. This highlights the concern of a “dramaturgical” reality stemming from the imposed roles which are usually played by marginalized voices to cater an audience – one that is a source of the domination of identity. Aside from this, according to Pilapil (2015), social identity is subject to racial profiling, which oppresses people who are seen to be “different”. Racial profiling, he added is just one of the many current struggles for justice in the landscape of politics today. However, racial judgment is just a part of the bigger discussion Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 19 representation. Identities are modeled on the basis of different groups, such as “national minorities, ethno-cultural nations, indigenous peoples, women, homosexuals, religious communities, and even environmentalists [who or which] have waged their own struggles against discrimination, exploitation, marginalization, and oppression.” To further this discussion, Pilapil (2015) also cited Parekh’s work (2000) which discussed identity politics mainly concerning the demand for recognition. Identity politics here is “regarded by its advocates as a struggle for liberation and self-determination against views and practices that are arbitrary, ideologically biased, and oppressive and that make false claims about universal validity and objectivity”. Such views most of the time are imposed to those who seek recognition. Their plight is mainly to achieve justice through liberating themselves from oppressive biases that, as supported by Drake (2010), is also challenged through efforts of re-imposition of identity. He said that identity can also be claimed, reclaimed, and renegotiated, which established that social identity does not exist if, among others, it is not founded on impositions. Identity should therefore be seen as a political effect. However, since most of the time impositions are founded on negative biases, identity as a political effect becomes a burden carried on from generation to generation by people who subject their personhood to it. Because of this problematic phenomenon, the struggle for recognition continues to persist. Pilapil (2015) supplemented this idea since the demand for recognition is taken as an ongoing “struggle for justice directed specifically at social structures and attitudes that render Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 20 individuals and groups invisible, marginalized, and subordinated because of their ethnicity, skin color, sexual orientation, religious belief, and so on”. According to Mehan (1996), the mainstream society has generated such negative impositions to oppressed social identities because the dominant groups it comprises hold ideologies that promote rationalized and permitted exclusion and persecution. Because of such intolerance, oppressed social identities are politically motivated to demand for representation. Politics of Representation Oppressed social identities tend to face societal subjugation often due to the mainstream society’s negative impositions on them. This happens because they face difficulty in the process of mobilizing their image in an upward direction in the political, economic, and socio-cultural ladders. As supported by Rodrigues and Game in their 1998 paper entitled, “Anthropology and the Politics of Representation”, “All over the underdeveloped world, tribal communities are victims of such oppression, resulting from both the market-driven changes and the state sponsored development”. Because states and markets have larger developmental ambitions, both at the national and international levels, issues of the marginalized minorities become neglected in the process of pursuing progress. This case has resulted to the question of ensuing visibility of indigenous peoples as liberal theorists discuss the issue of wider extension of the notion of their ‘rights’ (Rodrigues and Game, 1998). “The Major issues which get represented in the Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 21 movement of social groups which struggle for representation were clearly struggles for economic and cultural survival against both developmentalism of the state as well as exploitation by the other vested interest groups.” In the process of mobilization, indigenous peoples can actually navigate power, as discussed by Rodrigues and Game (1998), in the way they wanted the mainstream society to view them as who they are, without imposed negative biases. In the politics of representation, people themselves use the way they are represented in the mainstream society “against the hegemonic practices of the ruling classes”. However, given that the capacity of minorities such as the indigenous peoples to lobby their demand for equal and genuine representation, they are still limited in many aspects and their demand becomes more subservient to the dominating influence of the mainstream society. “Despite decades of development, by the state’s own admission, large sections of these social groups are still at the lowest end of the social and economic ladder.” In a workshop by the Poona University’s Department of Sociology, entitled “Ecology, Survival and the First Nations – Issues of Comparison between Canada and India”, problems of unequal representation are tackled to initiate the need for immediate response: “Firstly, the problem of representing indigenous peoples, whether nationally or internationally, and the inherent tensions therein. Secondly, the problem of the survival of indigenous people, especially issues related to their control over natural resources. Thirdly, whether the indigenous peoples could provide for an alternative vision of human society (as in forms of knowledge, values, traditions, etc.) preferably in opposition to the hegemonic model of capitalist development.” (Rodrigues and Game, 1998) Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 22 Here, the scope of ethnicity is seen by the mainstream society as synonymous to what should be a state’s national identity. Indigenous peoples, serving as the minority in a society dominated by sectors which impose prejudices, they still struggle with the process of “Otherization” up until now. Ethnicity encompasses all groups dominant or not, but because the conception of the notion of ethnicity is connected to the identity of the state and the concept of “race”, Hagey and MacKay (1994) claimed that “the ethnic is still the Other making ethnicity of the dominant group so hegemonic it does not represent itself as ethnicity at all”. “We still have a great deal of work to do to decouple ethnicity, as it functions in the dominant discourse, from its equivalence with nationalism, imperialism, racism and the state… Nevertheless, I think such a project is not only possible but necessary. Indeed, this decoupling of ethnicity from the violence of the state is implicit in some of the new forms of cultural practice… (in films like Passion of Remembrance and Handsworth Songs).” (Hall in Hagey and MacKay, 1994) The concepts of race and ethnicity, in undergoing the process of “Otherization”, becomes suppressive to social identities who are minorities in a mainstream society, such as the Indigenous Peoples. In their 1994 paper entitled, “The Politics of Representation in Racism and Gender”, Hagey and Mackay (1994) cited Hall’s article entitled “New Ethnicities” which discussed that the dominant notion of ethnic identity is reflected in the connection of ethnicity, race and nation, but that this should be contested to bring in the picture a “positive conception of the ethnicity of the margins, of the periphery”. Politics of identity, as Hall discussed, is predicated Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 23 on difference and diversity, wherein recognition serves as a counterargument for “marginalizing, dispossessing, displacing and forgetting other ethnicities”. Rodrigues and Game (1998) discussed that the problem of minorities like the indigenous peoples are slowly becoming relevant in the discourse of mainstream social issues. This is because navigating political representation is a pressuring matter in the hands of those who are directly affected by societal prejudice, those who are to blame for the occurrence of such phenomenon, and those who try to use such plight in benefit of their own interests. In politicizing representation of social identities, Krook and O’Brien (2010) discussed that “group recognition [can emerge] via the construction of ‘relevant’ political identities”. They further cited Daniel Posner in the demand to mobilize the salience of ethnicity in society using the influence of elites to gain electoral support. “Work on affirmative action outside electoral politics explains the adoption of such measures in terms of the need to align groups in support of a particular regime, or emphasize a country’s ‘highest ideals’ and ‘most significant identities’. Given these political motivations, the groups that are recognized can be expected to, and do, vary significantly across states. These dynamics are not always evident when scholars analyze events in single countries, but become apparent when developments across several countries are compared.” (Krook and O’Brien, 2010) In his 1986 article entitled, “The Politics of Multiculturalism”, Jupp discussed that concerned state actors contribute in shaping the construction of identities imposed on minorities like the indigenous peoples. These actors are played by state institutions which, under the concern of democratic politics, are subjected on how Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 24 they fashion policies which should be accepted by the governed citizens, regardless if such rules become oppressive to minorities in the long run. In the discussion of the navigation of political representation, Jupp (1986) further asserted that if rules which are originally modelled to augment the plights of marginalized minorities stay true to their purpose, politics will be given a chance to enable “excluded categories, social groups and classes to mobilize to increase their influence”. “Institutionalized political struggle has led to the entry into politics of new classes of individuals… Politics may, then, lead to the entry of new ‘types’ into existing institutions; to the mobilization of new ‘groups’; to the redefinition of issues and programmes; or to institutional change.” (Jupp, 1986) In asserting the representation of marginalized minorities, political mobilization here pushes the concept of multiculturalism as a viable option to amplify support to equalized view and treatment of social identities. The implications brought about by the impact of navigation in the issue of recognition then adds to the growing relevance of change in the landscape of representation, redefining political boundaries that include the process of “otherization” and the collective construal of prejudice and social stigma. According to Jupp (1986), ethnicity under multiculturalism is able to serve as an asset, generating its own advantage, given that multicultural policies tend to assert ethnic consciousness “by encouraging institutions and organizations” in the process of mainstreaming the issue of representation. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 25 Here, the redefinition of ethnic consciousness among the people becomes a platform to navigate current views founded on negativity, including discrimination, lack of identity recognition, and prejudice, among others, since multiculturalism, as Jupp (1986) supported, assumes that “national unity arises from tolerated diversity”. As a further discourse, multiculturalism can be analysed on different levels, particularly on the level of description and public policy. On the level of descriptive analysis, multiculturalism fundamentally means that “segments of the population have inherited different ‘cultures’ (languages, religions, family practices, perhaps food) from differing countries of origin”. In Australia, as an example set by Jupp (1986), “multiculturalism simply means that there are upwards of three million Australians who have at least some remnants of non-British inheritance in their cultural makeup”. On the level of public policy, on the other hand, efforts to dilute “otherization” becomes a pressing matter given that “the adoption of measures [is] designed to ameliorate problems arising from the existence of cultural minorities”. Although policies supporting the ideology of multiculturalism argue that it is a suitable strategy in the process of unification among identities that often clash and impose their ways and belief systems on each other, according to Reijerse, Acker, Vandeselaere, Phalet, and Duriez (2013), multiculturalism can still be seen as “a threat to national identity and social cohesion”. In their paper entitled, “Beyond Ethnic-Civic Dichotomy: Cultural Citizenship as a New Way of Excluding Immigrants”, they postulated that if the imposition of a multicultural ideology is left unexamined, in its extent, “the accommodation of cultural differences would foster a separation between different ethnic and cultural groups in society, undermining a Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 26 sense of national unity, because each group would live according to its own cultural norms and values”. However, according to Krook and O’Brien (2010), there is no correct path in the pursuance of group representation, and that the absolutes of right remedy do not exist as “patterns in guarantees signal another possibility: nation- and region-specific repertoires of group representation”. Repertoires here refer to “a limited set of routines that are learned, shared, and acted out through a relatively deliberate process of choice,” which constitute “the established ways in which pairs of actors make and receive claims bearing on each other’s interests.” Such patterns, in the act of further analysis, establish that repertoires are based on such particular sources as historical practices and transnational influences. Multicultural policies, as favorable solutions to the issue of group representation, then become the basis of pushing forward the basic democratic values of inclusion, which suggest that the participation of highly ostracized and/or neglected social identities in society “should be actively promoted as a means to reverse” trends of “otherization”. Solutions for the demand of representation then becomes highly plausible in a societal arena dominated by mainstream tendencies. To guarantee representation of marginalized social identities through policies involving the advantages of multiculturalism, measures involve the inclusion of representatives of such social identities in state governments through seats or positions. “Seats for minorities tend to have one of two goals: protection or power-sharing. Protection entails allocating seats to groups which constitute a relatively small contingent within the population, including indigenous peoples, members of minority religions and Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 27 nationalities, and class- or caste-based groups. In contrast, powersharing arrangements involve dividing up most or all seats in the legislature between two or more factions, defined by ethnicity, religion, or language.” (Krook and O’Brien, 2010) Protection and power-sharing are used by representatives of social identities and groups to lobby multicultural policies that will fulfil minority guarantees. “In instances of protection, the aim is often to compensate for past oppression. Reserving seats typically overrepresents the minority in question, whether indigenous peoples, racial minorities, or members of nondominant nationalities… In cases of power-sharing, the goal is to ensure democratic stability in a divided society. Reserving seats grants group members a guaranteed voice in the political system as a means for preventing their defection which, it is feared, might provoke collapse of the state” (Krook and O’Brien, 2010). These goals, particularly power-sharing, also become solutions to such conflicts of representation, which involve the guarantee of identity and voice recognition. Although such solutions do not fit perfectly in all cases of deficient representation, they are seen to sustain such guarantee discussed above, one that becomes a gateway to the suppression of state exclusion, the process of “otherization” in mainstream societies and the social injustices that come with it. Marginalized social identities, such as the Badjaos who serve as the unit of analysis of this study, then becomes able to navigate power relationships between them and those that deter the pursuance of their right to genuine representation. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 28 The Badjao People FIGURE 2 The expansion of the broad ethno-linguistics groups of Moken, Orang Laut and Sama-Bajau, as illustrated in Abrahamsson (2011). The Badjaos are a sea people native to the southwestern parts of the Philippines. For centuries they have fished, dived, and traded in the seas of Southeast Asia (Abrahamsson, 2011). Popularly known as the “Sea Gypsies” of the Sulu Sea, the Badjao people are said to have derived their name from the term Orang Laut in the Malay language, which connotes “man of the seas” (Arquiza, ed., 2007). The history of dispersion of the Badjaos is not extensively documented. The number of researches on the movements of sea nomads in the Southeast Asian region is scarce and only few groups, such as that of the Moken and the Orang Laut, Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 29 have been better written than that of the Badjaos. According to Abrahamsson (2011), among these three broad ethno-linguistic groups in Southeast Asia, The Sama-Bajau group (referred to as Badjao in this study for familiarity of usage to relevant actors, e.g. researchers) is the biggest and is spread over a large part of Southeast Asia (Fig. 2). Citing Sather (2007), Stacey (2007), and Blust (2005), Abrahamsson’s work established that the origins of the dispersion of the groups dicussed above varied in different explanations, stressing that “they have different histories and languages and they became nomads or semi-nomads of different reasons.” Moken people now live in the western coast of Burma and Thailand and Orang Laut people now live in southern Thailand, southern Malaysia and western Indonesia. On the other hand, the Badjao people are scaterred all over Southern Philippines, eastern Malaysia, Brunei and central Indonesia, specifically in 15 different groups and speaking in different Sama dialects. Traditionally, the Badjaos live in house boats clustered at moorings near certain strands and beaches, with access to both their fishing grounds and marketplaces. During the last decades, however, they have suffered hard from conflicts, piracy, decreased fish levels, and over population of people which has forced many Badjaos to leave their home seas (Abrahamsson, 2011). Notably, the Badjao community in Davao City has exiled from their homeland in the areas of Sulu and Zamboanga for approximately 50 years after experiencing blatant relocation and expansion diffusion. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 30 FIGURE 3 Communities of Badjaos and popular vending spots in Davao, as illustrated in Abrahamsson (2011). Today, more than 3,000 Badjaos are living on the coasts of Davao City, and as Abrahamsson (2011) cited, this number grows every year due to emigration from Zamboanga and other parts of the Sulu archipelago. To this date, there are four larger Badjao communities situated in the different parts of the Gulf of Davao: • Isla Verde, composed of more than 2,000 Badjaos, is located near the center of the city; Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 31 • Boulevard, which began in the mid-2000s with more than 150 Badjaos, is situated at the mouth of the Davao River; • Matina Aplaya is composed of 300 Badjao inhabitants and is located south of the city; and • Sta. Cruz, approximately comprised of 600 Badjaos, was established more than 50 years ago and is located in between Davao and Digos City in the south. According to Abrahamsson (2011), the Badjao community in Isla Verde, which is the unit of analysis of this study, is the longest existing and one of the largest among the four larger communities in Davao City. However, although their community has already been established since the 1960s, they are still struggling with poverty (FCCDEV, n.d.), and the concurrence of social stigma, as well as its inherent effects, brought about by the dominance of the mainstream society in the city (Macalandag, 2009). Among other tribes living in Isla Verde, which include the Sama-Laminosa, Tausug, Maguindanaon, Maranao, and Boholanon, among others, the Badjaos continue to be excluded from developments in social condition. They are struggling with representation given its position in a densely populated and highly multicultural area such as the Barangay 23-C, which comprises the Badjao community in Isla Verde. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 32 TABLE 1 Number of Household Heads in Brgy. 23-C by Ethnicity, by Purok, as of June 2014 (PRA-Social Census, in Barangay Profile 23-C, Davao City, 2014) Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 33 It is not surprising however that they continually experience state exclusion and societal “otherization” since the framing of such particular groups as the Badjaos established that they are different from the mainstream society and that they are culturally inferior and uncivilized people (Macalandag, 2009). As what Bracamonte, Boza, and Poblete (2011) discussed in a paper entitled “From the Seas to the Streets: The Bajau in Diaspora in the Philippines”, the Badjaos continue to become “wanderers in urban centers mainly subsisting on begging and exposing the women and children to street and health hazards”. However, their highly nomadic life is not the only influencing factor when it comes to the dispersion of many Badjao communities across the Philippines, and even across eastern Malaysia and central Indonesia; the violent clashes between the Philippine government and the rebel groups in the areas where they originally came from, which include Sulu and Zamboanga, have profoundly affected their immigration situation and have forced them to risk living and staying in new environments using their own coping mechanisms. Bracamonte, Boza, and Poblete (2011) also discussed in their paper the postmigration consequences suffered by the Badjaos, which principally encompass heavy exclusion from the mainstream society, and even from the sector where other indigenous peoples belong. The plight of the Badjaos regarding the need for a “people-centered development framework” that would help them alleviate their current living conditions is still pending given the stagnant government intervention to realize the cause. Furthermore, most of their primary concerns, those that include hunger and malnutrition, lack livelihood opportunities, inaccessible education, poor Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 34 health and sanitation, bleak environmental conditions, and social stigma, are still largely neglected by government authorities. In his master’s thesis entitled, “Strategies for Maintaining Culture, Identity and Autonomy in Exiled Badjao, a Fishing Population without Fish”, Abrahamsson (2011) emphasized that the Badjao people are said to be one of the most marginalized individuals in the Philippines, citing anthropologist Clifford Sather’s claim that “the Badjao, as a sea people, have tended to be marginalized, excluded from positions of power, despised, and confined to the lowest rungs of the social ladder” (Sather, 1995). Abrahamsson (2011) further discussed that even the term “Badjao,” which is used to refer to them, is considered by many Sama-Bajau people to be stigmatizing since the term is often being attached to negative perceptions against them. In another study entitled, “Otherizing the Badjao: A Spatial Imagery of State Exclusion and Societal Otherization”, Macalandag (2009) discusses the process of “otherizing” the Badjaos, which constructs and reconstructs them as the “other”, and the how they are being excluded on the basis of judgments about who they are and where they live. This is also influenced by how the state exercises its power to frame their identity, which establishes a derogatory type of difference that downgrades the Badjaos’ identity and representation. Macalandag further discussed how the Badjaos had been neglected as part of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines (2009). She also stressed that the existence of Republic Act 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA) Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 35 as a “development policy for the indigenous peoples” should assert the recognition and promotion of the rights of IPs, which include the rights of the Badjaos. Such issue of neglect here then becomes a domino effect of the disenfranchisement of the Badjaos, and many ethnic minorities who may have suffered similar circumstances and are entangled with the challenges posed by the exclusionary processes in the assertion of identity and navigation of representation may experience such phenomenon. To quote Gera (2015): The diaspora of ethnic and indigenous groups who may have been displaced or who may have voluntarily resettled outside of their traditional domains also contribute to the fragmentation of collective ethnic identity, and thus constitutes another constraint to proportional ethnic representation. The problems faced by the Badjaos continue to be stressing up to this date given the persistence of the social exclusionary process confronting them (Macalandag, 2009). The profound impact of the perceptions of the Badjao people also adds up to the burden of asserting their identity and of pushing for their representation in society today. The narratives of exclusion have limited their mobility in the social space, and the role of the state in reinforcing this idea has significantly contributed to the current position in society. Role of the Government Agencies and other relevant institutions have exerted effort in giving support to the Badjaos in the previous years. Just recently, in an article published by Sun.Star Davao (Sept. 17, 2016), the Badjaos in the city were identified as the first Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 36 batch of sea gypsies to have joined the government as auxiliaries under the "Bantay Laut" program. According to Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, the Badjaos were given fiberglass motorized fishing boats as part of their job under the said program, of which the ethnic group will be a beneficiary of a grant of P3,000 but with the condition that they will let their kids undergo a basic literacy program. Furthermore, in the pursuit to strengthen the people’s participation in the government, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco also said that the President is set to sign an executive order (EO) formalizing the organization of “Kilusang Pagbabago,” which aims to empower ordinary people living in severely neglected barangays in the country. The draft of the EO has been forwarded to the Office of the President. Aside from this project, Badjao families living in Isla Verde also benefits from the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, also called 4Ps, which is a conditional cash transfer program for the country’s poorest of the poor (Estremera, 2011). Although the said program, which was initiated under the administration of Pres. Benigno Aquino III, faced a lot of criticisms due to the lack of consideration of many factors, such as the accessibility of government support facilities, as discussed by a representative from the National Association for Social Work Education Incorporated-Mindanao, a parent-leader coming from the Badjao community of Isla Verde praised it, saying in the Visayan dialect that “since they became beneficiaries, they strive hard to let their children go to school. Unlike before when they didn’t care about education, now they are the ones bringing their children to school. In the undergraduate research paper of Ugmad, Sto. Domingo, Duterte, Masucat, Bacalso, and Imping (2009) entitled, “A Tribe in Deep Waters: Sama Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 37 Dilaut’s Access to Government Services for Health, Education, and Livelihood”, the findings of their study discussed that the Badjaos of Davao City, particularly those from the communities of Isla Verde and Matina Aplaya, know of the services and projects provided by the government. They consider that the government is a mechanism of the state that provides aid to augment their problems. However, they also acknowledge that the government is not efficient in delivering such services and projects since the people assigned to do such tasks often take advantage of the weaknesses of the Badjaos. Additionally, in the graduate study of Fabian (2011) entitled, “Concepts on Health and Service Utilization Among Selected Badjaos in New Canaan, Matina Aplaya, Davao City”, she discussed that despite the accessibility provided by the local health care centers in the city, the Badjaos have not fully availed of their services. The Badjaos prefer to seek help in city hospitals rather than avail such offerings from the health care centers because they get immediate attention in the former and the doctors are always around to attend to their needs. Apart from the government, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have also initiated projects such as fishing assistance, among others (Carillo, 2016), since there are only a few long-term livelihood programs given by the government. According to Lagsa (2015), in an article published by Rappler, there should be government accountability in acknowledging the problems faced by the Badjaos in their daily lives. In the interviews gathered by the report, Lagsa discussed that for the Badjao community to be socially empowered, their rights as indigenous peoples under the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) should be recognized and Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 38 respected. Until then, these problems will continue to become part of a bigger dilemma in asserting their identity and representation. Foucauldian Analytics of Power Power is exercised from innumerable points, in the interplay of nonegalitarian and mobile relations. Power is seen as a multiplicity of force relations immanent in the sphere in which they operate and which constitute their own organization. Here, Foucault is not referring to a group of institutions that ensure the subservience of citizens of a state, a mode of subjugation as a set of rules, or a system of domination in which there are rulers and the ruled (Foucault, 1984b). As initially assumed by Foucault (1984b) in The History of Sexuality, he claimed that power is omnipresent, not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere. However, this has received various criticisms, generally establishing that if power is everywhere, “it becomes a metaphysical principle and loses all normative and explanatory content”, which was backed up by Peter Dews (1984), saying that “only if we can produce a counterfactual, specifying how a situation would change if an operation of power were cancelled… can [this] concept be empirically applied” (Nash, 2010). To meet such objections to some extent, Foucault developed firmer ideas about power, which highlighted the relationship of domination, power, and resistance (Nash, 2010), arguably seen by some as a radical paradigm shift of ideas and by others as a better-equipped framework of analysis. This development contends that Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 39 when there is power, there is always resistance and that resistance is never exterior to power since a plurality of resistances exists in the field of power relations (Foucault, 1984b). Resistance is, therefore, significant because, in contemporary society, power relations perpetuate subjectivity, and thus leads to the creation of antagonistic struggles of social movements (Nash, 2010). Social movements are based on the assertion of existing identities, and so on the acceptance of categorizations of normal/not normal produced in discourses and practices of power. However, they sometimes involve the refusal of existing identities. According to Foucault, power also produces subjectivity, and in this respect, he famously breaks with the humanist idea that the subject is the source of intended meaning, self-reflexive, unified, and rational which has been dominant in modern Western thought (McNay, 1994). Hence, subjects are always subjected, produced in discourses and practices of power which position them as speakers who are in possession of selfconsciousness and most importantly in the 20th century, of an unconscious that determines desire (Foucault, 1984a). The existence of social movements is initiated by the resistance of subjects who are always subjected by power relations, which is constantly influenced by the construction of reality as represented in discourse. Discourse is distinguished as the production of knowledge through language and practices. The language in which we describe “facts” interferes in the process of defining what is “true” or “false” (Foucault, 1984b). Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 40 Discourses can be an effect or instrument of power but may also be used for resistance since it can produce quasi-scientific knowledge. This argues that, although discourse does represent objective reality, it only constructs what can be made real out of the objects of knowledge it represents (Foucault, 1984b). Power, therefore, produces knowledge, and power is implicated in what is considered to be “true” or “false.” This thus asserts that power and knowledge imply one another (Foucault, 1984b). In this study, power is examined as if affects the lives of the Badjao people in the landscape of voice contestations. The response of the Badjaos, particularly their manifestation of individuality and their “arts of the self”, then becomes a means of navigating the status quo of power relations, which in general have perpetuated many problems the Badjaos face concerning identity and representation in their everyday lives up until now. Hermeneutic Phenomenology One of the common approaches in social science is phenomenology research and most of the time, phenomenology and hermeneutic phenomenology are frequently referred to interchangeably. However, phenomenology of Husserl departs from the hermeneutic phenomenology of Heidegger and Gadamer in a number of ways with regard to methodological issues. This peculiarity is essential, implying that their views are not stationary but rather dynamic and evolving, even in a society that is highly mobile. For one, phenomenology is descriptive and Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 41 emphasizes on the structure of experience. On the other hand, hermeneutic phenomenology is interpretive and highlights historical meanings of experience and their development on individual and social levels. In engaging in decision process of a particular experience, phenomenology employs bracketing in order to set aside biases. In hermeneutical approach, on the other hand, the researchers are engaged in the process called self-reflection wherein the biases of the researchers are not set aside but rather are intrinsic and vital to interpretive process. Yet, both phenomenology and hermeneutic phenomenology include the participant’s personal experience on the topic, information collected and interpretations of the individuals outside the context of the research project in data collection. This is imperative to ensure that the respondents are willing to participate and talk about their experiences. Focusing on hermeneutic approach, Gadamer (1960/1998) emphasized that the process of co-construction of the data is essential as both the respondent and the researcher work together to enlighten the experience being explored, with the use of imagination, the hermeneutic circle and language and writing. It is imperative to understand the context under which the text or dialogue was being produced to convey the interpretation of meaning. Both Heidegger and Gadamer have the same opinion on working the forestructure of understanding wherein interpretive hermeneutic understanding offers the researchers the capacity to see the way in which our blind attachment to particular categorizations limit how we comprehend and come to know our world. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 42 “[There] is an innate capacity that exists in all individuals to intuit the meaning of being. What the fore-structure offers is a shadowy grasp of the existential nature of existence. More specifically, what is implied is that every encounter we have is grounded and guided by something that exists in advance - an already decided way of conceiving that which we are interested in. Within the fore-structure of understanding, whenever we know and understand something, the interpretation is founded essentially upon our fore-having, fore-sight and fore-conception. What all of this guides us to understand is that there can never be a presuppositionless stance in any act of interpretation. Awareness of this often taken for granted aspect of our existence - that we possess a fore-structure of understanding - is what helps us to relinquish our attachments to how we currently know and understand the world.” (Heidegger, 1927/1962) Hans-Georg Gadamer (1997) built up his own particular way to deal with the procedure of hermeneutical understanding. He stated “Language is the universal medium in which understanding occurs. Understanding happens in interpreting” (1960/1998). He focused on the significance of dialect in molding both our experience and our interpretations. One way in which the researcher joined the importance of dialect in the exploration study was by focusing on words utilized as a part of the way toward composing the content, inspecting their causes and stages so as to investigate fundamental implications that may light up comprehension. Gadamer conceptualized the hermeneutic experience of understanding as being characterized by four metaphors: the fusion of horizons, the act of dialogue, interview process and the hermeneutic circle. 1. The fusion of horizons Hermeneutics invites the respondents in an ongoing dialogue. However, understanding occurs through a fusion of horizons, which is a Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 43 conversation between the pre-understandings of the research process, the interpretive framework and the sources of information. 2. The act of dialogue Gadamer (1997) further suggests that the fusion of horizons occurs through the act of exchange, in which the researcher engages in an actual conversation based on the Socratic-Platonic art of dialectic. 3. Interview process The singular conversation is directed with every respondent and endured from one-and-a-half hours up to three hours. The interview depends on the amount of information the interviewee desire to share. Ten meetings will be taped, recorded and interpreted by the researchers. 4. Hermeneutic circle FIGURE 4 Hermeneutic circle Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 44 The hermeneutic circle espouses a circular movement that constitutes reading, reflective writing, and interpreting. It’s a tool for identifying the fundamental principle of man’s understanding of his own nature, generating life world stories of the participants and unveiling thematic aspects. The researchers utilized hermeneutic phenomenology, specifically Hans-Georg Gadamer’s framework, in this study. Gadamer’s framework has been used by some researchers such as Ajjawi & Higgs (2007) in their study entitled, “Using Hermeneutic Phenomenology to Investigate How Experienced Practitioners Lear n to Communicate Clinical Reasoning”, which served the basis of this paper’s procedure for the data analysis. However, the researchers will also include the ideas of Heidegger in this study. Both Heidegger (1927/1962) and Gadamer (1977) identified language as vital to hermeneutic understanding. It is in language that our world is disclosed to us. The world that is spoken of here is not the environmental scientific world, but the life world (Palmer, 1969). Common to modernity is a view of the world as a possession or the property of our own subjectivity. Synthesis The issues pertaining to identity and the politics of representation are persistent up until today. Identity as an increasingly political effect is not only constructed based on impositions. It is also redefined, reimagined, and renegotiated based on the changing movements of impositions. Such impositions are a product of Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 45 a construction that is interpreted based on ethnicity, gender, nationality, social class, sexuality, and community. Ethnicity as identity of the Badjaos has become the basis of discrimination against the said group and instead of making it a basis of claiming political representation in their community, because of the exclusionary processes present, they are barred towards the realization of such goal. Aside from this, the state’s role in identity construction is an impactful factor in considering the extent of political representation the Badjaos currently have. The access to proper channels of power remain far from grip and the Badjao’s apparent struggles from such challenges reveal the position of the government in the general issues of identity and representation, among many others. Given that the state’s tendency to make its national identity a generalized synonym of its major ethnic group/s, the struggle of social minorities, particularly the Badjaos, in the discussion of identity drowns in its exclusionary agenda. Because of this, the Badjaos suffer from the process of “otherization”, the continuing dilemma on discrimination and social stigma, and the social injustices that come with it. The exclusionary process confronting them, particularly the labels imposed on their identity, those that are based on negative biases, produced a profound impact on the way they are being recognized in society. Because of this, the Badjaos, being marginalized peoples, then become motivated in demanding for political representation. However, achieving political representation is another challenge that they yet need to overcome. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 46 This study focuses on the phenomenon of the assertion of identity and navigation of representation of the Badjao urban dwellers in Brgy. 23-C, Davao City, a multicultural locale. Specifically, the study employs interpretive-hermeneutic phenomenology as its methodological approach to give emphasis on the interpretations of the lived experiences of the Badjao urban dwellers. Moreover, this study utilizes Michel Foucault’s Analytics of Power as the theoretical framework in looking at the experience of the Badjao urban dwellers in negotiating their identity and representation. Foucault also helps to establish the postmodern reaction to the dogmatist norm on power construction, that the idea that power lives in the realm of bureaucracy (top-down) must be reevaluated. Thus, this study also considers the many dynamics of power in horizontal and vertical political relationships with the Badjaos in their community in Isla Verde, Davao City. Although this is a political science study, the limitations of the discipline as a traditional behavioral field hinder the multidisciplinary cases that could be looked into as general contributions of this study: the construction of power in a postmodern era, the use of anthropological and sociological lenses to understand the assertion of identity towards political representation, the evaluative foundations of philosophy (in this case, hermeneutics and phenomenology) as a strategy in the conduct of a dynamic political research, among others. With the traditions employed in deeping the analysis of the findings of this study, and with the changing strategies in the hybridity of disciplines, this paper celebrates a characterological evolution of the way knowledge is perceived. Nevertheless, this paper still recognizes the central role of the state in understanding Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 47 the traditionalist approach to power and the challenges brought about by conventional political thought towards the establishment of relatively new ideas contrasting against it, like that of Foucault. Furthermore, given that few studies on the Badjaos only focused on the processes of “otherization” and on their living conditions, the findings of this study help in filling in the knowledge gaps concerning the assertion of their identity and the navigation of their political representation in a highly urbanized and multicultural locale such as Davao City. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 48 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 49 Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY This section shows the research design, locale of the study, unit of analysis, sampling procedure, data collection procedure, research instruments, plan for data analysis and ethical considerations will be included during the conduct of the study. Research Design The research design of this study is exploratory qualitative, the paradigm utilized is interpretive, and the approach is hermeneutic phenomenology. The goal of this study is to understand the experience of negotiating identity and political representation among Badjao urban dwellers in Isla Verde, Davao City, and the philosophy, strategies and intentions of interpretivism support the achievement of this goal. According to Ajjawi and Higgs (2007), such paradigm “is based on the epistemology of idealism (in idealism, knowledge is viewed as a social construction) and encompasses a number of research approaches which have a central goal of seeking to interpret the social world” (in Higgs, 2001). The researchers also purposively used interpretive-hermeneutic phenomenology in understanding power navigations of the Badjaos. The study followed the phenomenological tradition discussed by Heidegger and Gadamer, and the steps in hermeneutic phenomenological data analysis by Ajjawi and Higgs (2007). Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 50 As indicated by Heidegger as referred to by Wilson and Hutchinson (1991), hermeneutic phenomenology is about human experience as it is lived. The concentration is toward lighting up points of interest and apparently trifling perspectives inside experience that might be undervalued in our lives, with an objective of making importance and accomplishing a feeling of comprehension. Interpretive hermeneutic understanding presents the inquirer the capacity to start to see the path in which our visually impaired connection to particular groupings and arrangements restrict how we comprehend and come to know our reality. Heidegger, as clarified by Gadamer (1960/1989), talks at incredible length about the revelation of the fore-structure of comprehension in the hermeneutic experience. The fore-structure, as indicated by Heidegger (1927/1962), is an inherent limit that exists in all people to perceive the importance of being. What the fore-structure offers a shadowy grasp of the existential way of presence. Hermeneutics postulates that since meaning is not a thing or substance but an activity, this means that it’s hard to grasp. In the context of the Badjaos, which composed of a highly mobile group, meanings are always changing and produced and reproduced in each social situation they are involved. Hermeneutics engages with linguistic uncertainty and uses linguistic techniques such as analogies and metaphors to draw inference about the meaning of a particular event or text. Therefore, hermeneutics is essential as it emphasizes the influence of meanings or symbolic significances of the Badjao’s experiences, specifically in unveiling the meaning behind their assertion of their identity and representation as well as navigating their power in a highly urbanized Davao City. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 51 The goal of this analysis is to achieve a point of understanding of the experiences through the development of the essences and perceptions of the participant’s experiences. Locale of the Study This study was conducted in Barangay 23-C, Poblacion, Davao City on the basis that the Badjao community in the area existed for more than 50 years, the longest existing and one of the largest regarding population among the four larger Badjao communities in Davao City. FIGURE 5 Map of Barangay 23-C, Poblacion, Davao City (highlighted) Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 52 Unit of Analysis For this study, the respondents focused on self-identified Badjaos of Isla Verde including their Barangay leaders or officers, particularly their Datu or Deputy Mayor. The interviewees are Badjao people who live in the community for at least five years, irrespective of sex and educational attainment. Sampling Procedure The study specifically used referral sampling technique in generating the participants for the in-depth interview, with the aid of the following criteria: a) Willing and available to participate and talk about their experiences; b) Who are self-identified Badjaos regardless of blood relations with other ethnic groups; and c) Who are urban dwellers and have lived in the Badjao community of Isla Verde, Davao City for at least five years. Data Collection Procedure The researchers enabled access to the participant’s experiences through indepth interviews. Particularly, the data will be collected through the following: Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 53 First, the researchers went to Barangay Hall of 23-C, Poblacion, Davao City and ask the assistance of the administration office to get initial information about the community. Second, the researchers gave a formal letter addressed to the Barangay Captain to get an approval regarding the conduct of the research, participant observation, as well as getting the socio-demographic profile of the residents. Third, the researchers conducted a participant observation in the community to gain close and intimate familiarity of the Badjao urban dwellers as well as to write field notes in order to obtain quality of data. Fourth, the Barangay Captain referred and introduced the researchers to the gatekeeper they will provide to locate the Badjao respondents in the area. The gatekeeper also introduced the researchers to the purok leader of the Badjaos in the area. Fifth, with the authorization of the target respondents with the investigator’s invitation, schedules for the interviews were set. Sixth, the researchers secured to work within a location of safety and trust that needs to be done at the outset and maintained throughout the project. Seventh, in the behavior of the in-depth interviews, the researchers asked first the consent of the interviewees in recording their testimonies or stories, and mobile phones were utilized in recording the interview. Eighth, researchers kept a reflective journal that assisted them in the process of reflection and interpretation. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 54 Ninth, thorough interviews were conducted with the respondents. Openended questions were asked that focused mainly on the factors in understanding navigations of power. Tenth, the researchers noted of the tone of voice at times as it necessarily unveils some meaning. Eleventh, the researchers did not only record what is ‘said’, but also what is ‘said between the lines’. Thus, verbatim does not of necessity capture all of what is ‘actually said’ in interviews. Twelfth, the researchers on the process of the in-depth interview gave considerable thought to their personal experiences and explicitly claimed the ways in which the researchers’ position or experience relates to the issues being studied. Thirteenth, the researchers continued to engage in interviews with participants until the researchers reached a point of saturation in data collection where no new ideas were arising. Fourteenth, the researchers secured the confidentiality of the stories and information shared by the respondents. Fifteenth, the researchers made use of strategies to enhance rigor in interpretative research, including congruence between adopted paradigm and chosen methods, prolonged engagement with the participants and the phenomena, multiple methods of data collection, and auditable records. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 55 Sixteenth, the researchers ensured rich description and, where possible, the use of participants’ words to allow them to speak for themselves for the credibility of the research. Research Instrument The researchers used in-depth interview guide as its device in gathering data to answer the statements of the problem in understanding navigations of power. The researchers began the interview with questions regarding their unique characteristics as self-identified Badjaos, their experiences pertaining to the assertion of their identity and navigation of their representation during their stay in the community, and how they coped with social stigma and other forms of subjectification. Data Analysis Hermeneutic data analysis followed Hans-Georg Gadamer’s metaphors (the fusion of horizons, the act of dialogue, interview process and the hermeneutic circle), which characterize the conceptualization of the hermeneutic experience of understanding. Based from this proposition, the researchers utilized the hermeneutic data analysis of Ajjawi and Higgs (2007), which pricipally identified the themes through which narrative accounts (interviews) can be significantly organized, interpreted, and presented. The researchers followed the steps by Ajjawi and Higgs (2007) in interpretive-hermeneutical phenomenology: Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 56 1. Immersion (in the  Organizing the data-set into texts  Iterative reading of texts  Preliminary interpretation of texts to facilitate coding  Identifying first order (participant) constructs  Coding of data using NVivo software  Identifying second order (researcher) construct  Grouping second order construct into-sub-themes  Grouping sub-themes into themes  Further elaboration of themes  Comparing themes across sub-discipline group 5. Illumination and  Linking the literature to the themes identified above Illustration of  Reconstructing interpretations into stories  Critique of the themes by the researchers and data) 2. Understanding 3. Abstraction 4. Synthesis and theme development phenomena 6. Integration and critique externally  Reporting final interpretation of the research findings TABLE 2 Stages of interpretive-hermeneutic Data Analysis by Ajjawi and Higgs (2007) Stage 1: Immersion (in the data) In this stage the researchers organized the text constructed for each respondent from the in-depth interview. The researchers engaged with the meaning of the texts, where the goal was to know the “sense” of the initial interpretation of texts which eventually facilitated the coding. Discourse Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 57 between the researchers served as a vehicle for reflection on emerging ideas to facilitate and develop these ideas. Stage 2: Understanding During this stage the researchers identified the first order constructs. This refers to the respondent’s experiences expressed in their own words. These constructs related to the research questions and texts were coded using the NVivo Software to identify these constructs. The researchers provided feedback and question the relevance of the constructs, identifying overlap and connections between the first orders construct. Stage 3: Abstraction The researchers identified second order constructs and groupings in order to create themes and sub-themes. Second order constructs were generated using the researchers’ theoretical and personal knowledge: these served the abstractions of the first order constructs. A computer file was created for each second order. Thus, all the relevant text was grouped under each essential construct for each sub-group to answer the research questions. Stage 4: Synthesis and theme development In this stage, themes and sub-themes were further developed and their relationship were clarified by reading and re-reading all the data. The researchers continuously went back and forth between the literatures, Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 58 research texts and earlier analysis, moving from parts to whole following a process informed by the hermeneutic circle. Stage 5: Illumination and Illustration of phenomena The researchers examined the literature for links to the themes and sub-themes identified for the entire data set. Researchers looked for links between the main themes to support further theoretical development. Respondents’ timeline of events and particular experience was repeatedly examined to ensure that the constructed stories were faithful to respondent’s experience. Stage 6: Integration and critique In the last stage, the researchers tested and refined the themes. This also involved the critique by the researchers for development and understanding of the phenomenon. In following such steps, the researchers read and reread the collected data to become more familiar on the issues concerning the assertion of identity and navigation of representation of the Badjaos in Isla Verde. Afterwards, the researchers discussed possible interpretations of important points raised in the collected data. Such points were used to code the data in the process of generating themes and sub-themes. The coding process gave way for the dileneation of the important points which served as first order constructs. The researchers at the point of coming up with the first order constructs discussed their implications. Those which have arisen from the contextual Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 59 understanding of the issues faced by the Badjaos served as second order constructs. Here, the important data (first order constructs) are supported by a thorough analysis through the interpretation of the resesearchers (second order constructs). The researchers came up with the Outline of Data Sets for Thematic Analysis (Annex M) throughout the process of conducting the fourth and fifth stages. In synthesis and theme development, the researchers checked and rechecked the content of the related literature section of this study to further strengthen the claims of the second order constructs in supporting the first order constructs. In illumination and illustration of phenomena, the connections of important points raised in the related literature section of this study were elaborated. The analysis contains a critical integration of concepts, theories and arguments claimed by previous studies. The last phase of the data analysis procedure employed in this thesis paper involved a reevaluation of the veracity of claims presented. The researchers in turn debated many times in the reportage of the final interpretations in the last two chapters to ensure the quality of this study. Ethical Considerations The researchers of this study carefully observed the following: Confidentiality. The researchers guaranteed the secrecy of their identities if they wish so and make sure not to share the information gathered without their permission to respect their privacy. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 60 Consent. The researchers secured the approval of the respondents before subjecting them to interviews and make sure to orient them regarding the procedure of the research plan. Cultural sensitivity. The researchers observed cultural sensitivity towards the community, specifically the participants of the study. The researchers made sure to respect the laws and central beliefs of their customs, rituals, and many others. Security and safety. The researchers behaved accordingly and practiced the principle of Primum nonNocere at all times. The researchers made sure to finish the community engagement effectively and left the area with the conduct of peace and safety. \ Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 61 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 62 Chapter 4 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS This chapter presents on the analysis of the collected data from the Badjao urban dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City using Michel Foucault’s Analytics of Power as the theoretical lens and the hermeneutic phenomenological tradition of HansGeorg Gadamer as the methodological approach of the study, specifically Ajjawi and Higgs’ procedure for hermeneutic data analysis. In the overview of research findings, eight themes emerged that expounded the issues confronting the Badjao urban dwellers in asserting their identity and navigating their representation in such a complex multicultural locale as Isla Verde, Davao City. These findings have undergone a systematic method of thematic data analysis which used first order constructs (respondents’ stories or narratives) layered with second order constructs (researchers’ interpretations). Themes are supported with selected quotes from the respondents’ narratives and are anchored through the corroboration of literature discussed and the theory employed in the study. Concept maps are also incorporated for each theme to provide better flow of discussion. This study also utilized the process of triangulation in analyzing the results of the data. The researchers engaged in participant observation before the conduct of in-depth interviews and have produced field notes containing reflections and impressions on the methodological conduct of the research as well as experiences and encountered issues. The layered narrative constructs of Badjao respondents from the in-depth interviews, along with the field notes and the document review form the discussion and analysis of the findings of this study. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 63 Socio-demographic profile Six male and nine female Badjao urban dwellers participated in this study. Most of the respondents have lived in the community for 15 to 30 years. Most of them originated from Zamboanga and other areas in the Sulu archipelago. Some of them have been born in Isla Verde and have lived there since. Movement in the patterns of settlement was scarce, and the fire in 2013 that razed to the ground hundreds of Badjao stilt houses only only produced major effects, where some families moved to join relatives residing in other Badjao communities in Davao. In terms of religion, the dominant one among them is Baptist, which is a Christian sect, but they celebrate some festivities of Islam like Hari Raya. Most of them did not have formal education. They are self-employed and the range of monthly income among the respondents is from P300 to P500. Regarding housing, climate and safety factors, it appeared that the Badjaos are satisfied with what they have. In terms of access to education and health care, most of the respondents are aware of medical assistance as well as scholarship programs coming from various concerned sectors but asserted that they have never benefited from them. None of them has been a beneficiary of any other government services that may have been made available, such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the giving of free fishing boats. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 64 I. MANIFESTATION OF IDENTITY FIGURE 6 Concept map of Statement of the Problem 1 Cultural Retention: The Case of Language and Social Practice Identities are formed through interaction between people (Woodward, 2004). Through taking up different identities, people undergo different processes of transformation, and thus “position themselves, and are positioned, in the social world”. According to Gilroy (1997), identity is significant “both as a concept, theoretically, and as a contested fact of contemporary political life”. This is because the effects of identity transformation also significantly influence the position of people Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 65 in a social space contested by dominating voices, as Foucault (1982, in Nash, 2010) would suggest. Personal identity largely differs from social identity, but the individualistic manifestation of the self relates to people who have similarities, and thus creates a collective recognition. To Woodward (2004), similarity plays an encompassing role in the creation of identity, “that is of the people like us, and by difference, of those who are not”. In relating the individual to the collective, identity is shaped through the active engagement by those whose personal identities connect to bigger social identities. FIGURE 7 Theoretical map of Theme 1 With the link between the personal and the social, identity now becomes a position recognized by the self and by others in the nexus of voice contestations. In acknowledging the effects of identity transformation, identities, according to Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 66 Woodward (2004), are shaped by our participation in constructing them as well as in constructing social structures which also tend to construct our identities. Such structures include culture, tradition, and other social practices. In the case of the Badjaos, the retention of culture serves as a core source of identity manifestation. The narratives of respondents suggest their ethnic culture is still present in terms of language and social practice. The present generation of settlers in the Badjao community of Isla Verde, Davao City are still able to retain their traditions, those discussed earlier, after migrating from the Sulu archipelago and amid the present multicultural landscape they are currently situated in. A key finding common to all of them is that they still practice their traditional wedding, burial and festivals. Their wedding spans from two to three days with lasting enjoyment by dancing and feasting on food. Consequently, all of them confirmed that their burial rituals consist of soaking the dead body in the ocean before burying it to Babak, in Samal Island, which serves as their cemetery. Aside from this, they also have their yearly celebration of Hari Raya around mid-June. “Kami, day, simbako matay karon, walay lungon. Pag ugma alas 6 lumos sa babak. Dili man ma kuwan kay 2, 3 ka adlaw baho man. Wa man mi kwarta kanang pambalsama.” (In our tradition, if we die today, we do not have coffin. At 6am the following day, the body will be soaked in the ocean because it starts to smell in two to three days. We don’t have the budget to embalm the corpse.) - Wansing “Kanang mga gold-gold nila nga daghan, mao raman na, daghan kaayo.” (They wear many gold accessories.) - Jeffrey Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 67 “Sanina kanang puti… Lingaw. sayaw ug dayang-dayang.” (We wear white clothes and we dance Dayang-Dayang during weddings.) - Mahalsiya “Sa hariraya magkuan lang kanang kaon-kaon lang unya maglingalingaw ba.” (We celebrate Hari Raya.) - Nora “Mu abot ug duha hantod tulo ka adlaw ang among kasal.” (Our wedding lasts for about two to three days.) - Pedita In the context of language, on the other hand, the Badjao participants utilize Sinama as their primary language in their day-to-day interactions among their fellow Badjaos. They also understand the Visayan dialect and thus speak using it to converse with Visayan people. However, because of their limited language literacy (Sinama and Visayan), they are not able to fully interact with other members in the multicultural picture of Isla Verde. “Usahay dili, usahay niistorya, depende sa akong ka storya kung Badjao, mag Badjao sa ko pero kung bisaya, mag bisaya sad ko.” (Sometimes, it depends on the person whom I am talking to. If he is a Badjao, then I would speak in Sinama but if he’s a Bisaya, I will also speak in Bisaya.) - Paisal The continued existence of language and social practice has principally contributed to the proliferation of the Badjao culture, which has also honed the social identity of Badjao urban dwellers in Isla Verde. Culture and tradition are essences of the Badjao personhood and thus serve as manifestations of who they are and what they consider themselves to be. Furthermore, language and social practice emerged Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 68 as preconditions of mobilization of the Badjao collective social identity, something that is stressed by Macalandag (2009) in the spatial exclusionary view of Badjaos. She cites Foucault in discussing the relations between space and power and in the important function of discourse and practice in enabling cultural mobilization as a key area of understanding the realm of individual consciousness as constitutive of social meaning (Keith and Pile, 1993, in Macalandag, 2009). Given that space is related to power, in that space is used in and as power (Deflem, 1999), movements of language and social practice create a collective force of establishing the Badjao social identity in multicultural Davao. In manifesting identity then, understanding the cultural dynamics and processes of language and social practice constructs knowledge of the self, which Foucault claims is a major source of power. Through knowledge, power is utilized in the domination of competing voices. Because Badjaos are seen as contented and simple people (Panaguiton, 2010), and that they respond to the blight of their living conditions with a seeming normalization, there is an accentuation of external bias in positioning the identity of the Badjaos in the bigger social space. Other identities competing with the Badjaos engage in power domination as an advantage of differently understanding their identity. According to Goffman (1959), there is subjectivity in understanding the identity of a group and there is a presentation of external positions to that identity. In the case of the Badjaos, cultural mobilization as a manifestation of their identity is challenged with subjectivity in interpretations, if individuals part of the identities being put on discursive trial by other dominating voices are considered objects and Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 69 subjects at the same time. From such proposition, the extent of power through knowledge of the self then becomes an emergent question, measuring the stability of the assertion of the Badjao identity amid the challenges it faces. “Wala nako na gika ulaw kay ana naman ko diha naman ko gi tao alangan naman amerkano ko? Di man ko instik, di man ko koreano. Badjao man ko. Proud ko nga Badjao.” (I am not ashamed to be a Badjao because that’s my identity. I am not American or Chinese; I am a Badjao and am proud to be one.) - Pastor Delmar Otherization of the Badjao In southern Philippines there is a popular folklore which says that Magindanao look down on Tausug, that Tausug look down on Badjao, and that Badjao look down on the fish (Abrahamsson, 2011). The hard-scale internal and external migration of the Badjaos proliferated due to conflicts, overpopulation, racism and declined fish levels (Blust, 2005, in Ambrahamsson, 2011). From the massive diaspora, the Badjaos’ way of living has transformed them from being dwelling sea nomads to an urban minority, with limited knowledge about city life. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 70 FIGURE 8 Theoretical map of Theme 2 The socio-demographic implications of this study support this claim by Ambrahamsson (2011), who pointed that the many differences of the way of living of the Badjaos from what was established as the mainstream trends in society has made them an object of hostile exclusionary perceptions: Majority [of the Badjao population] have never been to school, they can seldom read or write, they have no legal papers, and they have no experience of administration and governmental rule. Their Philippine neighbors view them as uncivilized, lazy and dirty. For example, Badjao face discrimination when entering shopping malls and restaurants, their children are being teased in school and they can hardly find a job. They are darker in the skin than the majority population; they have bleached hair which they get because of the salt water and the sun; and they wear [colorful] clothes, which make them stigmatized (Abrahamsson, 2011). Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 71 Aside from the mainstream impositions of identity, other tribes who consider themselves superior than the Badjaos have also become blatant sources of the latter’s belittlement (Sather, 1995), and this trend is supported by this study, as explained through an emerging theme, The Badjao-Maranao Tension: The Fear of Victimization. Such trends of imposition have somehow rooted from the spatial exclusionary bias of dominant voices in the social nexus. Such phenomenon of exclusion is a result of the labels (e.g. sea gypsies) attached to the Badjaos, connoting a way of life that relates to movement and homelessness (Macalandag, 2009). Provided that the Badjaos experience a difficult situation in manifesting their identity, the fluidity of power relations is very much controlled by the hierarchy of dominant voices. In explicating the theoretical lens utilized in this study, knowledge as power through space is constantly being taken advantage of by those who are well empowered in the determinacy of the superior-inferior divide between voices. Such divide is a clear result of strong subjectivity in the weakness of the Badjao voice contestation. In further understanding the Foucauldian tradition of subject and power, knowledge as power is principally utilized for purposes of dominance since the landscape of voice navigation provides a platform for subjectivity and interpretations. Because power relations is fluid, there is, as Taylor and Spencer (2004) expounded, a constant effort to escape, fix or perpetuate images and meanings of others. In the case of the Badjao discourse, the narratives of the respondents of this study provide support to such hostility of external perceptions: Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 72 “Pagkahibalo nila nga ingon ana ka, murag mulikay man.” (If they knew that you are a Badjao, they will act hostile towards you.) - Jeffrey “Tungod aning mga binuhat sa mga tao na dili namo ka tribo murag dili pud ingon nga dili sila maayo sa amoa pero nakita namo na murag gina daog daog mi.” (I don’t mean to say that these people from other tribes don’t treat us well but I can feel that they belittle us.) - Pastor Delmar The spatial exclusionary process implied by dominant voices in power relations here further subjects the identity of the Badjaos through discourses and practices as sources of knowledge utilized in its offensive and defensive manifestations, which encompass Taylor and Spencer’s (2004) discussion of identity and meanings attached to it. Knowledge as power in cultural mobilization, as discussed in the previous theme, can therefore be used in the advantage of voices that seek domination. However, provided that the case of language and social practice (traditional wedding, burial, and festival) only provides one picture of the Badjao movement in the navigation of voices, this theme also examines the implications of the socio-demographic profile of the respondents in terms of their living conditions, livelihood and education as objects and subjects of exclusionary processes. The narratives provided above have elicited sentiments against the pervasive effects of otherizing the Badjaos. The mainstream trends of negative impositions here become the precondition of a seeming “institutionalization” of the process of exclusion, perpetuating hostility of perceptions of external actors towards them from over generations of living through multicultural interactions. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 73 According to Mehan (1996), the impositions generated by the dominant voices become the fruits of their beliefs, which in the end, further promote rationalized and permitted exclusion and persecution. These beliefs on the other hand are formed through prejudices in differences, particularly in their living conditions, livelihood and education, as supported by Abrahamsson (2011). As further quoted in Macalandag (2009), “A study by Professor Aurora Roxas-Lim of the University of the Philippines’ Asian Center says that the prejudices against the Badjao often stem from the preconception that all nomadic people are by nature shiftless, rootless, irresponsible and unreliable (UN Philippines, 2002)”. As discussed in the field notes gathered from the participant observation conducted in the study, provided that the Badjaos are nomadic people, and that their livelihood is primarily attached to the waters, the impression is that they are expected to settle in the seas as they travel to fish and to vend for pearl, among others. However, because of the glaring challenges the Badjaos have faced over time, including the devastating effects of violent conflicts in Mindanao, their sea dwelling culture has relatively transformed as they slowly became urban minorities in different areas of the southeast part of Southeast Asia where they are currently situated due to massive dispersion. In the case of the Badjao community in Isla Verde, in Davao, they seem to have a hard time connecting with the hegemonic practices of the mainstream society, and that their identity is still very much attached to the waters, as is evident in the Badjao discourse and practices. According to Stacy (2007, in Abrahamsoon 2011), the “Badjaos’ connection to the sea is also more than physical: they have a Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 74 marine cosmology based on belief in, and causal relationship with, the spirits who inhabit the sea”. The observation from the fieldwork of the study harnesses the deep understanding of the Badjao identity as tied to the seas, and which part of cultural mobilization has rather imposed in them limitation in using such knowledge of themselves as primary tools for navigating their voices. Macalandag (2009) further expressed such dynamics of the exclusionary processes of social space in the context of the Badjao sentiment: The fulcrum of the attempt to understand the exclusion of the Badjaos lies on this cloak of spatial difference that has committed their identity to the sea space and consequently to erratic mobility and territorial unboundedness separating them from the rest of the local settled population. The issue surrounding the Badjaos’ question of space and its attendant power relations is very much entangled in their everyday experience of making a living, temporary shelter, survival, and other mundane preoccupations of a group of people that has chosen to settle among sedentary community; yet remaining to attach themselves to the sea and its concomitant fluidity of life-pattern and sense-making as opposed to the wider community rooted in fixed localities. Because of the perpetuation of such differences, the exclusionary processes experienced by the Badjaos have aggravated their current living conditions, and this is because they are limited by barriers imposed on them in the social space. The narratives of the Badjao respondents here provide a stark contrast on the way they accept how they are positioned amid rough living conditions: “Nagbalhin mi kay lisod na didto.” (We moved because the living condition there is difficult.) - Abtiya Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 75 “Okay ra man mi diri.” (We are alright here). - Pedita Even though they seek the improvement of their living conditions from places of their origin, there is no relative difference from the situation of their current one today. However, they are contented with what they have in Isla Verde since the situation there is more peaceful than in the places where they emigrated. Aside from this, such contentment is a seeming acceptance of the limitations discussed above. Because their proximate monthly income only ranges from P300-P500, it is only sufficient to provide for their basic needs, unable to prioritize the education of their children. “…paundang nako ang anak kay murag di nako makaya ba.” (I stopped my kids to school because I can’t finance them anymore.) - Apipa This very premise further contributes to the hindrances the Badjaos face in the hope of alleviating their living conditions. Furthermore, this is also utilized by external dominating actors to subjugate their identity and perpetrate long-term limitations in the navigation of their representation. “Ang badjao daw mao nang daog daogon kay kanang murag baba lang sa ilang pagka tao daw. mag ingon sila na baba dawg pagkatao. ambot ngano mag ana sila kay tungod abi kay badjao murag sa ila murag pinaka baba na na pagka tao. Murag sakit ba, murag maka ingon ka nga "unsa diay ni? kwan nalang gyud diay ni?" murag ana ba. murag baba nalang gyud mi sa ilang panan-aw? abi wala mi grado ana nalang?” (They said that we have a low morale. I don’t know where they got the idea. It hurts because it feels like we are so low, that we have this low morale. Is it because we have no education?) - Lilia Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 76 The narratives further go on to disclose the sentiments of the respondents regarding the issue of discrimination due to voice dominance: “Sakit gyud kaayo. murag lain iyang kuwan. murag insulto sa amoa. wala lang mi, muagi lang mi pasagdaan lang namo alangan na tinood badjao man mi sagdaan nalang namo para wa'y samok.” (It hurts because they insulted us but we just let them and ingnore them so that there would be no conflict.) - Apipa “Walay problema sa amo na pagka badjao ang kanang gi tapakan mi sakit sa among kaugalingon maski dili akong mga tao akong mga kaigsuonan badjao na natapakan sila na gina kwartahan sila maski dili nila sala sila ang pabayaron.” (There’s nothing wrong with us being a Badjao. The hurtful part is when they step our dignity, for instance they took advantage of us by letting us pay for a crime that we did not commit.) - Pastor Delmar The interconnections of the Foucauldian theoretical frame of subject and power and the concepts of social and spatial exclusion go hand in hand in saturating the issue of otherization. Aside from the fact that knowledge as power through space is utilized in the contestations of voice, the impacts of Badjao discourses and practices have clearly harmed than helped them in asserting their identity. Power relations perpetuate the superiority and inferiority of identities and those who are vulnerable in the social nexus are deemed objects and subjects of impositions. According to Foucault, “the individual, with his identity and characteristics, is the product of a relation of power exercised over bodies, multiplicities, desires, forces” (Gordon 1980, in Belton, 2005, in Macalandag, 2009). Because there are voices that suffer continued oppression, the primary resolve usually stems either from a backlash against domination or a subservient Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 77 appropriation of impositions to the identity being held as object and subject of power contestations. This is also similarly elaborated by Rodrigues and Game (1998), who explained the development of relevance of the problems of minorities, given that political representation remains an important discourse. This mobilization tries to challenge domination in the interlocking context of ethnicity, race and nation (Hagey and Mackay, 1994). However, if the force of external competing voices is stronger than that of the Badjaos, the collective social identity of the latter, in the idea that identity is a work in progress thus serves as a negotiated space between voices (Taylor and Spencer, 2004), is renegotiated under the manipulative influence of dominant actors. From this, the Badjaos are therefore influenced, mostly due to forced circumstances (e.g. effects of limitations imposed by exclusionary processes), to take part on the role dominant voices want them to take and slowly become it, forgetting their identity in the social space. According to Goffman (1959, in Woodward, 2004), through exposure in everyday interactions, the self can be seen in the dramaturgical lens – “that is, based on the idea of a performance”. Individuals here perform for an audience, one that may emerge dominant in the assertion of identity, which in the case of this study, contribute to the hindrances concerning the manifestation of the Badjaos’ genuine identities. To quote Woodward (2004) in expounding the ideas of Goffman (1959): What we are not is given (that is, there already), it must be created. We act out in a whole range of different roles which are rather like parts in a play. Actors in a play cannot act out any old part and say what they like. They have to speak the lines written. However, even if the roles are written we can improvise and interpret our roles, although there are constraints. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 78 The implication is that even if identity is constantly changing (Drake, 2010), the redefinition by social constructions, one way through “incidental markers”, is still manipulated by the exclusionary processes of domination, which leave minority identities like that of the Badjaos submissive to the force of seeing them in a different way, often leaving them with no choice but to powerlessly accept a dramaturgical identity differently associated to their genuine identity. The role of power relations in the constant phenomenon of identity redefinition here becomes central in the contestations of voices, primarily catering the question of who remains dominant in the landscape of identity assertion. Knowledge of the self can be used towards this cause or towards the imposition of barriers on other identities, leaving them to helplessly accept societal roles manipulated to perpetuate subjective hegemony in discourses and practices. In the case of the Badjaos, until they can become prepared in contesting such domineering multifold of power relations, the navigation of their representation will continuously remain in turbulence. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 79 II. NAVIGATION OF POLITICAL REPRESENTATION FIGURE 9 Concept map of Statement of the Problem 2 The Question of Voice: Illusion of Representation The manifestation of identity through cultural mobilization can be utilized by the Badjaos to assert their personhood. However, in the Foucauldian tradition, knowledge as power is also emphasized as both a tool of defense for the Badjaos as well as a barrier in challenging such identity assertion by dominant competing voices. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 80 FIGURE 10 Theoretical map of Theme 3 Furthermore, the negative connotations of urban minority differences of Badjaos from the mainstream trends perpetuate leverage in the part of external voices in the power relations of identity assertion and representation navigation. Prejudice here stems from the biased beliefs of actors who try to rationalize and permit discrimination (Mehan, 1996), and specifically, the Badjaos’ living conditions, livelihood and education are seen as factors affecting and affected by subjugation through the processes of exclusion. Power play then becomes the central discussion under this Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 81 theme because of the alarming implications of the sentiments arrived from the collected narratives: “Naa man mi tingog pero ambot dili usahay tuohan ba o dili.” (We have a voice but sometimes they will not listen to us.) - Lilia “Wala. ginagamit lang mi. gihimo lang mig tanim. murag sa marawi ba, gi himo lang mig hostage.”(None. We are being used to their advantage. Like the hostages in Marawi.) - Pastor Delmar The narratives suggest that the Badjaos can articulate their concerns and problems to their purok leaders since they are both Badjaos. However, while they have an access to the Barangay, they lack enough voice since their sentiments usually fall on deaf ears. Power relations among different voices in the context of multiculturalism in Isla Verde, Davao City remain a moving divide between the guarantee and non-guarantee of representation. It is only the extent of mobilization which provides a clear platform in the juxtaposition of the subjugation of voice and the liberation of identity and determination of the self by the self. Likewise, the field notes formulated by the researchers’ revelead that there is a clear manifestation of discrimination because the role of the barangay government in constructing the representation of the Badjaos here roots towards the reasons for the way they treat them. Because of this, their interactions with the staff in the barangay hall became limited. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 82 “Kanang usahay wala mi kabalo unsay mga kalihokan didto sa Barangay. Wala sad mi gina ingnan usahay.” (Sometimes, we do not know the update of our Barangay if there’s an event or activities since they don’t usually tell us.) - Arti The exclusionary processes in the contestations of power here then becomes a collective arguable space when discussing power navigation. According to Rodrigues and Game (1998), existing marginalities which contribute to the discourse of mainstream social issues are becoming relevant, especially now that such problems of minorities like the Badjaos have become the principal concern of genuine recognition. This serves as a precondition towards the creation of possible remedies in “the struggles for economic and cultural survival against both developmentalism of the state as well as exploitation by the other vested interest groups”. To support the implications of such claims, reflective observations in the conduct of the fieldwork in the study described the contentions of the guarantee of voice even in the small locale of Brgy. 23-C, which nonetheless is multifaceted and wherein multicultural barriers concretized collective prejudices against the Badjaos and led to the continuous multifold situation of their disenfranchisement. The Badjao sentiment is still much of the broader continuum of identity politics, which, to Pilapil (2010), is a struggle for liberation from imposition and the assertion of self-determination. With the subjugation of the Badjao voice due to exclusionary contestations of power, the issue of representation becomes an issue at hand but that which does not become graspable on the part of the Badjaos, and this may be attributable to their knowledge of their identity, and further their knowledge of Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 83 using it to counter challenges of domination in the quest for representation. Agreeing to Drake (2010) in understanding this context, justice here as the main objective of the struggle for liberation and self-determination against the processes of social and spatial exclusion remains a question. “Tungod lage aning sa among badjao gina lookdown gyud nila. Na dili man sila musogot na kami maka angat. Dili pud ingon na giwala mi gi daog daog lang gyud mi na wa mi kadaganan ana adto mi barangay maski unsa na panghitabo quits lang adto mi sa police, wa lang murag gi passing man mi ba, wla mi gina tagad.” (The Badjaos are being looked down or belittled. They do not want us to alleviate ourselves. We can’t even go to the Barangay whenever we want. On the other hand, when we go to the police they would just ignore us.) - Pastor Delmar The involvement of the Badjaos in the affairs of the government up to now remains scarce. Although they have accesss to formal channels of power, their representation is eclipsed by inter-group conflict. Fundamentally, the state of power play through navigating representation in the multicultural setting of Brgy. 23-C has become the product of the intra- and inter-group involvement of the Badjaos. Currently, they are attempting to organize Badjao association with the help of nongovernment organizations as a tool for navigating their representation in the community. The effectivity of the association in fully asserting their identity and representing their voice in the government is still a measure that will undergo through rough waters in the future: “Wala man. wala may organisasyon among gi apilan pero naa may bag-ong gitukod na organisasyon na mga badjao lang. Sa kanang gi himo na namo sa kwan lang “tambayan” na sya na mag ano sa amoa. tambayan ba. Ang kanang mag kwan sa amoa karon nag himo mig kwan nga among pangalan kanang binadjao kahuman pagtinukan. kanang sa bisaya pa kanang badjao community kanang mag tapok ba. Maghimo mi pero wala pa na ayos jud. (No, we don’t Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 84 have affiliation with any organization but we have built an organization sphere headed by the Badjaos called the “Tambayan”. The Badjaos called it “Kahuman Pagtinukan” meaning Badjao community. But it’s not yet finalized.) -Lilia Representational Cognizance: Examining the Analytics of Navigation FIGURE 11 Theoretical map of Theme 4 The challenges of multiculturalism in the locale of this study pose the need to examine the realistic scope of ethnic consciousness and genuine political representation in the givensocial space. Although the Badjaos are able to articulate their concerns to the formal channels of power which is the Barangay, they remain to Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 85 problematize their relationship with their Barangay leaders since the Maranaos continues to impose and subjugate the Badjaos. Consequently, using Foucault’s lens, the centrality of power, domination and resistance is utilized in dealing with issues concerning the ability of the Badjaos to navigate themselves throughout the continuum of power play especially amid the lack of their representation in the government. Stemming from the discussions in the previous theme, the narratives of the Badjaos under this theme suggest that they recognize the need for community representation. Such need is seen as a resolve of many issues they face in the landscape of multiculturalism. These resolves involve, for example, the avoidance of discrimination and belittlement as well as the change of hostile and exclusionary perceptions imposed on them by external dominant voices. “Importante nga kung naay kuan, murag wala nay mag daog-daog sa mga Badjao nya maka duol mi sa Barangay.” (It is important in a sense that they will not anymore discriminate or belittle the Badjaos and we will be able to go to the Barangay.) - Suhurin “Importante gyud kaayo og paminawon mi sa gobyerno kay para naa puy kaayuhan pud ba na naa puy kausaban sa mga badjao.” (It’s important for us to have representation so that there would be a change for the Badjaos.) - Lilia These sentiments are also expounded in the field notes from the participant observation conducted in the study. Because they lack enough political representation, their voice remains repressed and are situated in a position overtly manipulated by domination. Furthermore, the Badjaos are not able to immediately Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 86 rise from these challenges because they themselves problematize the steps to take towards navigating their voices. “Hianot unta mao na akong gina handoy na maing-ani ko kay akong mga ka igsoonan Badjao gusto nako na maka barog mi. Ang problema nako karon kay kami badjao pud dili pud sila kabalo mo adjust sa ilang kaugalingon gusto nila kung unsa ilang Makita unsa ilang himoon, himoon nila. Mao nang gusto nako na sa maong barangay na tagaan pud mig boses. Naa naman mi boses namo pero dili mi paminawon.” (That’s the ideal thing that we also want to happen because I want that the Badjaos can stand alone and fight for themselves. But the problem is that the Badjaos can’t adjust to the current situation, they’ll just do what they want. Honestly, we all have voices but they don’t want to hear us.) - Pastor Delmar According to Krook and O’Brien (2010) multiculturalism serves as an approach to reverse trend of otherization. Such trends are further explicated by Jupp (1986) in the role of societal actors, particularly state actors, in the contribution of shaping identity construction. However, provided the hard-lined situation of the Badjaos in alleviating themselves from the trends of negative impositions, the absence of state authorities in provide solution to such plight must undergo thorough scrutiny. In quoting Gera (2015): There are also intersecting politico-ethnic tensions prevailing in the country. Amid its ethnic diversity, there are fundamental disputes over ethnic distinctions where identities of IPs and ethnic minorities remain mired in anthropological, historical and conceptual contentions. Another critical caveat is that institutional arrangements for bureaucratic representation, if not carefully calibrated according to the country’s political context, could arguably heighten the marginalization of certain communities. The unevenness in the redistribution of spaces for representation in governance among fragmented ethnic minority groups and IPs could only create new exclusions and the privileging of predominant groups among ethnic minorities, some of which could trigger new hostilities. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 87 The findings of this study showed that the Bantay Laut program, which provided fishing boats to Badjaos (Sun.Star Davao, September 17, 2016), did not actually reach Isla Verde. Aside from this, the contentions of government aid further becomes a critical concern as the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) remains shady. The claims reported by Estremera (2011) and the CSSDO Office are countered by the following narratives): “Wala koy 4Ps.” (I don’t have 4Ps.) - Apipa “Naa man lage na pero dili tanan. Gamay ra baya naka dawat diri.” (There is but it’s not suffecient. Not everyone benefits.) - Alsan “Wala ra pud kay paglista among pangalan unya gihulat lang namo wala mogawas unya maulaw pud mi magreklamo kay. : Dili nalang mi magreklamo kay mahadlok ba mi sa gobyerno kabalo mo samo dili mi ingana.” (We did not complain. Right after writing our names, we have only waited that our names will appear; we are ashamed to complain. We will not complain because we are afraid of the government, you know us, we are not like that.) - Nora What this study agrees on the other hand is the argument provided by Ugmad, Sto. Domingo, Duterte, Masucat, Bacalso and Imping (2009) which established that the Badjaos recognize the services of the government, since the government for them is a mechanism of the state in providing aid to their prblems. However, they also accept the fact that the government is not that efficient in delivering such services and projects since the people assigned to do such tasks Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 88 often take advantage of the weaknesses of the Badjaos. With this, Lagsa (2015) remains true in acknowledging the reinforcement of the accountability of the government regarding the situation of the Badjaos. Nevertheless, in the case of the Badjaos, they disclose that regardless they receive some projects from the Barangay or not, they are contented with what they have. III. PRESENT CHALLENGES FIGURE 12 Concept map of Statement of the Problem 3 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 89 Resignation of Resistance: Powerlessness and Dominance The formation of identities through interactions has become vital in the discussion of present challenges of asserting identity and navigating representation. The effects of power play in the multicultural relationship of Badjaos have shaped the way they try to involve themselves in intra- and inter-group political affairs in the social nexus. FIGURE 13 Theoretical map of Theme 5 Moreover, since such Badjao involvements are bound by power dominance, their weak resistance, which go hand in hand with their powerlessness to influence the multicultural power relations in their advantage, becomes a critical factor in the resignation of their resistance. This is further bounded by lack of coping mechanisms and other barriers, which have led to the Badjao acceptance of identity marginalization. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 90 The challenges posed by the Badjaos’ loose grip on the horizontal and vertical channels of power remain to harden their already repressed political representation. The Badjaos have two dominant leaders and they clash in ideas of leadership. The Badjaos are divided when it comes to patriotizing these leaders, and when the people try to make their problems known, the limitations of the leaders further bar solutions of such problems in their community. This is because Badjao leaders also have difficulty in accessing support from those with higher positions and with bigger power bestowed upon them in their barangay government. The narratives gathered from the interviews conducted by the study imply why the Badjaos are afraid to resist voice domination and get involved in conflicts: “Mahadlok baya mi. Mahadlok man gani mi sa iro.” (Yes, we’re scared; we’re even scared of dogs.) - Lilia “Mahadok ko magkuan kuan diri kay kanang wala lang may taas taaas diri… di ta makakuan… kanang ani muagi ra diri kung magsakit kundi ako lang. mahadlok ko dong kay wala man lalaki diri… mahadlok ko kay ako nalang man. Dili ta makatapang tapang ba.” (I am afraid because no one can protect me.) - Sabturia “Na dili mi awayon. Na mag binuotan ta.” (We will say that they must treat us nicely.) - Abtiya “Di man mi magreklamo, okay raman na amoa.” (We won't complain, it's okay with us.) - Paisal Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 91 “Wala. Hilom nalang, maulaw man.” (None, I’d rather not talk, because it’s embarrassing.) - Alma “Walay pag bag-o kay mubalik ra gihapon.” (There’s no difference because it will just be repeated.) Suhurin The field notes are also supportive of the stories which emerged out of the dominance of other voices leading to the marginalization of the Badjao identity. Conflict interferes in the flow of Badjao life as it remains unattractive and has instilled fear among them. Furthermore, the acceptance of marginalization in understanding the questions of hope for genuine representation reveal the intractable complexities of power relations in the locale of the study. More than passive resistance, the Badjaos are subjugated, perpetuating their limitations in the social and political space. Power navigation in the social nexus retains inequality in representation due to this conclusive Badjao viewpoint, putting the assertion of their identity in stagnant position as contrasted to the dominant, exclusionary position of other voices, and as an attack to the negligence of the government authority which is supposed to contribute in the construction of ethnic identity and in the liberation of the Badjaos from powerlessness due to impositions. Opposite to the study of Krook and O’Brien (2010), the Badjaos are used by the barangay government, which espouses the continued existence of the process of otherizing the Badjaos, and which perpetuates the exclusions from positions of power, as supported by Macalandag (2009) and Sather (1995). Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 92 Moreover, one of the participants particularly the Badjao’s tribal leader revealed that he is being verbally discriminated by his colleages prior to their council meetings. Likewise, he manifested that he is being otherized by excluding him in the group while the other tribes’ miggle with each other. “O. kanang sa opisina kay akong mga kauban tausug, maguindanao, maranao, iranon. lima sila. naay iranon, tausug, maguindanao, osama, kagan. kwan lang sila sa akoa medyo murag pahado kung unsa ba ilang pag bati sa akoa pero gina bully ko nila pero okay lang sa akoa.”(Yes. For instance in our office, my Tausug, Maguindanao, Maranao, Iranon, Osama, Kagan colleagues verbally bully me but it’s okay with me.) -Pastor Delmar In Foucauldian terms, the subservience of the Badjao voice is a perpetuation of unbalanced power relations, which provide the platform for domination in the cotestation of voices. Power dominance gives way for the imposition of limitations challenging the weak resistance of the Badjaos. Because they lack political representation in the social nexus, and that state actors are neglectful of support to the construction of identities to alleviate the representation of Badjaos in the government, the Badjaos are only left with no choice but to accept the need for the navigation of their voice, and until such dilemma is not augmented, the resignation of resistance becomes a glaring “norm” in the midst of multiculturalism. “Ni sukol pero, Wla jud pinag bag-o.” (I resisted but there’s no difference at all.) - Alsan “Sa akong huna huna kinihinanglan pud musokol ba kung dili namo sala pero ang problema namo dira og di pud mi paminawan ba. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 93 mahadlok mi.” (In my own opinion, I think that we should resist but our problem is that they won’t listen. We’re scared.) - Lilia Horizontal Hostility: The Badjao-Maranao Tension FIGURE 14 Theoretical map of Theme 6 One of the major points that Foucault highlighted is the concept of domination that which is general structure of power. Its consequences and ramification can sometimes be located descending fibers of society. Subsequently, it can certainly happen that the fact of domination may only be the transcription of a mechanism of power resulting from confrontation. It may also be that a relationship of struggle between two adversaries is the result of the power relations with the conflicts and cleavages which develop (Fletcher, 2008). As cited by Rodrigues and Game (1998), tribes can navigate power in asserting identity. In the context of the experiences revealed by the Badjaos, they Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 94 encounter physical violence and Psychological effect of fear as a result of subjugation and domination by other the tribes particularly the Maranaos. Consequently, the dominating influence over the Badjaos hinders the navigation of representation of the Badjaos in the community since they cannot fight back and impose their desires. “Naa lagi. daghan kaayo Usahay ma kulata mi diri sa maga Maranao. O, maglagot pero wala nami himuon sa ilaha, kami lang mutubag… dira rami kami nga kami nga mga grupo.” (There is. Usually we are being beaten here by the Maranaos. Yes, we sometimes get mad but we can’t do anything to them, instead we just talk talk about our feelings on our own or in our group.) - Arti On the other hand, one of the participants highlighted that the dominance of Maranao tribe in the Barangay hall particularly their Barangay captain as a Maranao adds to the inability of the Badjaos to represent themselves and vocal their concerns. He emphasized that the local government unit (LGU) particularly Mayor Sara Duterte is clueless with their morbid condition since it is blocked by their Barangay officials. “Ing-ani sa akong pagka tribal mutabang ang mayor, dili mag pa sagad. Ang mayor wala kabalo unsa ilang gibuhat sa amo dire ilang gitago. “(In my case as a tribal leader, the mayor would help. However, the mayor doesn’t actually know how we are being treated here.) -Pastor Delmar Consequently, as cited by Hagey and Mackay (1994) ethnic is still the other making ethnicity of the dominant group so hegemonic it does not represent itself as ethnicity at all. As the Maranaos hold the dominance over the Badjaos, they are clever enough to manipulate and take some advantage to the Badjaos to further their Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 95 interests. Hence, there is the existence of unequal power play of competing voices. The Maranaos are being prioritized and assisted first while the Badjaos are being neglected and mistreated. “Tong election ra. mao nang iingon nako sa inyo karon naa man mo, gi himo lang mig flower vase ana lang. Kung naa, ana dayon sila pinalangga nako ang badjao, pag hawa sa mga kwan, "asa tong mga badjao? Hakot sa basura.” (We were called only in election period. That’s why I can tell you since you are here that we are treated here as if we’re a flower put into a vase. They would treat us nicely but afterwards they would just shove us and make us throw the garbage.) - Pastor Delmar Ultimately, having this proposition, the Badjaos are being victimized by the Maranaos and are being compelled to the things that are against their will. However, despite their unfortunate situation, they still conform to the Maranaos because of fear and violence. On the other hand, they also recognize that they must be respected even as a human being which was supported by the claim of Taylor and Spencer (2004) which states that there is constant effort to escape, fix or perpetuate images and meanings of others. “O kay kung muduol mi, murag wala raman, kung muduol mi didto pareha anang mga basura-basura diha, manghipos, mga Bajao ray mulihok, sugo-suguon lang nila, ana. Bisan sa ilalum sa ilang balay, Bajao ang suguon.” (Yes because even if we go there they would entertain us. For instance our issue of garbage, they will compel us to pile up those garbage even if it’s not ours anymore.) - Jeffrey “Ang rason nila, ang gusto nila ang mga basura kuhaon nila didto… didto sa barangay.. unya ang mga Badjao maghakot sa basura, ang basura sa ilaha naman ug dili mutugon sa ilaha maong ginakulata mi.” (They want that their garbages will be picked up by us even if it’s Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 96 not anymore our responsibility and if the Badjaos will not follow, the will eventually beat us.) - Arti “Wala mi pasupak dai basta Maranao mahadlok mi. Tabi lang sa inyo maka sulti lang mi ayaw pag ingana kay di man mi hayop, tao man mi. pareha ra ta. Inyong gikaon among gikaon.” (We don’t fight back because we are scared of Maranao. All we can do is to talk to them “don’t be bad like that because we are not animals, we are also humans, we are the same. What you eat is what we also eat.) - Wansing Intra-Group Conflict FIGURE 15 Theoretical map of Theme 7 In the course of revealing the challenges faced by the Badjao urban dwellers, an emerging theme of intra-group conflict among the Badjaos surfaced. Although some authors like Bueza and Malik (n.d) cited that Badjaos are known to have Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 97 positive attitudes toward other tribes, subsequently, questioning the power navigation within the level of Badjao-to-Badjao conflict in leadership does exist. It turns out that the Badjaos had their own division in leadership that hinders to impartial representation in the community. Thus, this division of leadership further dislocates the position of mobility towards strengthening the collective voice of the Badjaos in socio-political activities. As a result, the Badjaos are having difficulty in voicing out their sentiments and navigating their representation since there is no clear focal person or main source of authority that can direct them. “Murag ang punot dulo ani kay kanang naa guy ipang hatag murag naay ipanghatag ba nya dili maadto sa ila, kunware naka lista sila didto kay ila man huna huna kay katong gipanglista naay ihatag mao nang ilang kwan. pananlit naay ihatag nya dili to sila maapil og hatag muingon sila na naay gi pili. nya dili man jud to mao gud usahay ang pag sulat di man ingon na naay panghatag lang. naa may usahay pasugo na mag pa sulat para iipon kung pila ba jud ka balay dire og pila ba jud ka tao. nya lain man ang pag sabot pud sa mga badjao na pag mag sulat daw naa daw ihatag. nya wala baya usahay ihatag kay gusto lang kwaon kung pila ba jud ka tao dire ang mga Badjao.” (I think when someone is asked to get the names of the Badjaos, they would automatically think that there are money or things that will be distributed even though there’s none. And if they would not receive anything, they will think that there’s favoritism in the selection of names. They never thought that sometimes, the names are only used to monitor the number of household in this area.) - Lilia Furthermore, political division leads to political inefficacy of leadership formation in establishing a collective goal in the likes of facilitating programs and projects employed by the local government or the Barangay officials. Thus, it also results to disenfranchisement of core political mechanism to navigate the position of the Badjaos in Isla Verde. The local government as well as some NGOs and other organizations now hesitates to provide or allocate resources to the community Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 98 because the supposed programs are not fully given on the ground as well as the possibility to result into favouritism of selecting individuals to benefit the services. “Dili magkasinabtanay kay kanang leader nga pikas mokuan na kay leader nga pastor, unya kami, kang pastor kay siya man ang leader, siya ang deputy sa mga badjao, unya kami mosunod saiyaha, unya ang pikas dili man.” (They don’t understand each other because the leader on the other side they go against the pastor who is a leader. And then, we tend to follow pastor because we consider him as a leader, he is the deputy of the Badjaos; and we follow to him, and other Badjao’s don’t follow him.) “O, gusto magkaiusa grupo sa mga badjao aron naay mga tabang sa gobyerno makadawat mi kay kadtong naay tamabayan moari dire, moingon ang tamabayan, lisud dili daw mi makadawat ug naa man diha diha kuan si kapitan diha. Lisud daw makadawat dire sa Isla Verde kay ang mga tao dili magkaisa, maglahi-lahi.” (Yes, I want a united group of Badjao so that we can receive an assistance from the government because a charity went here and said that it would be difficult for us to receive aids because the people are not united, we are divided.) - Nora IV. FORMS OF RESISTANCE FIGURE 16 Concept map of Statement of the Problem 4 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 99 The Isolationist Approach in Conflict Intervention FIGURE 17 Theoretical map of Theme 8 The analytics of power as espoused by Foucault emphasized that power is omnipresent, because power comes from everywhere since society is composed of structures, and that dominion of power is substantially used as an advantage of institutions over human beings transformed to subjects. Power is not a thing but a relation, power is not simply suppressive but it is productive, power is not merely a property of the State and power is not something that is utterly localized in government and the State but rather, power is exercised throughout the social body, power operates at the most micro levels of social relations. (Foucault, 1984b). Consequently, he highlighted that when there is power, there is always resistance. This resistance can be termed as their arts of the self which serves as their mechanism to the domination and subjugation imposed on to them. This then Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 100 relates to the situation of the Badjaos when they are challenged to resist amid power domination of different tribes. The Badjaos revealed that they recognize the domination of different tribes, particularly the Maranaos but still accepts it because of powerlessness and avoidance of conflict. Thus, they don’t want to get involve into disagreements even though they are physically and emotionally hurt. “Maski masakitan dili nako magtingog, dili nako mukuyog sa ilaha bata pa sila, kita tigulang na… ipaaway man nasila ako di man ko mangaway, mahadlok ko.” (It hurts but I choose not to talk. I cannot go with them because they were young, and I am old. They fight against each other, but me, I don’t fight anyone.) - Sabturia Furthermore, most of the Badjaos manifested that they are peace-loving people, although they are being subjugated and discriminated because of their selfhood and lack of literacy, they would just disregard it rather than to defend themselves just to avoid conflicts. With this, the idea of passive resistance perpetuates with them. Subsequently, this is supported by the claims of Teo (2001) as cited in Abrahamson (2011) that Badjaos are generally deemed respectful, joyful, simple, humble, hospitable, easily pleased, and go along with others with a high sense of gratitude. Likewise, they are described to be hardworking/thrifty, nonviolent/peaceful, and contented/happy people. “Wala nako gisukol aron walay away.” (I do not fight to avoid conflict.) - Nora Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 101 “Oo, mag likay nalang mi sa gubot. maghulat mi sa ginookay kining sa kalibutan, tao raman ta diri noh, ang ginoo naa man sa langit dili mi musukol kay mao na ang kahadlukan namo” (Yes, so that we can avoid conflicts. Instead, we’ll just pray to God.) - Arti Moreover, the narratives of the Badjaos showed that when there are circumstances that they are involved in a conflict, they tend to choose to resolve it on their own and seldom ask assistance from others. From this, we can infer that there is power struggle in self-reliance towards conflict resolution. Hence, the Badjaos don’t resist because they are not capable of resisting but because they are powerless, need self-help and lack of representation in the community even support from the Barangay officials. “Kami kami lang, minsan sa police station. Minsan ginapasagdan nalang ang mga Badjao. Ingon na sila na bhala nalang ang sila sila lang. Kung Badjao mag away hapon mga alas dos, alas tres, di na mag away. Mag away lang pero dili na magtinuod ba.” (It’s just us, sometimes in a police station. Sometimes they just let the Badjaos fight. They said they are responsible for themselves.) - Sabturia Finally, the self-reliance and passive resistance employed by the Badjaos results to repressed empowerment due to exclusionary mechanisms of domination. The Badjaos generally think that resisting will cause embarrassment on their part, thinking that if they resist it will have no positive effect in defending their part. Thus, there are no existing literatures explaining the mechanisms of the Badjaos in resolving conflicts which then adds to the body of knowledge. “Kaulaw man. Maulaw gani akong anak mangayo tabang. Ulaw mangayo ug tabang. Kami na lang mag angkon sa among Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 102 problema.” (We’re embarrassed to ask some help. Instead, we resolve our problems on our own.) - Abtiya “Pag magaway sila, sila lang magsulbad.” (If they’re going to start a fight, they’re just going to resolve by their own.) - Alma Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 103 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 104 Chapter 5 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS This chapter presents the summary of findings and implications of the study. Summary of Findings A. Manifestation of Identity Based on the narratives of the participants, their identity as a Badjao is manifested through the retention of their culture. This includes their knowledge of self and through social practices. Thus, in their manifestation of their identity, they also experience otherization from the mainstream society and other tribes in the community. The participants claimed that culture and tradition are imperative of the Badjao personhood. Their traditions include the practice of their wedding, burials, and festivals. Although, as cited by one of the respondents, the Badjaos before are traditionally animistic. Hence, their morbid living condition impedes them to do their rituals and celebrations entirely. Moreover, the participants, in general, emphasized that they still use their Sinama dialect although they tend to limit their conversation with the other tribes due to language barriers. Furthermore, the Badjaos experience otherization of their personhood. Although they are tied to their self-consciousness, they highlighted that they are shunned because “they are Badjaos” which explicitly shows the preconceived notions of prejudice to their identity. Likewise, they are being belittled due to illiteracy Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 105 and labeled as “dirty people”. Consequently, these impositions result to limited interactions with other tribes. Hence, it shows how the mainstream society imposes and subjugates the identity of the Badjaos that hinders them from moving beyond fixed boundaries. B. Navigation of Political Representation The participants revealed that they can articulate their concerns and problems to their Barangay leaders, but they lacked clout since it is eclipsed by inter and intra group conflict. This is due to the subjugation and belittlement imposed by the other tribes on their identity. Likewise, their sentiments are not heard or entertained by the Barangay officials since the Maranaos dominate their local politics. This dilemma impedes them in navigating their political representation in the community. However, the Badjaos also recognized that they also need representation in the community. Some said that they need to be educated so that they will be able to obtain a position in the government. Similarly, they highlighted that having representation will change the hostile and exclusionary perceptions of other tribes and end the discrimination and belittlement imposed on to them. C. Present Challenges The participants expressed that they problematize their relationship with their Barangay leaders since there is power dominance by the Maranaos. Likewise, they have a weak resistance which is not enough to defy the impositions of the mainstream society and other tribes. Equally, they experience powerlessness that Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 106 results to acceptance of identity marginalization. Aside from this, the Badjaos accentuate that they are used in politics and are being victimized by other tribes. However, despite this hostile situation, they are afraid to engage in conflicts because they are scared and helpless. Henceforth, the Badjaos are subjugated, perpetuating their limitations in the social and political space. Subsequently, the Badjaos have inter-group tension, particularly with the Maranao tribe. In this respect, the participants inferred that they are physically violated by the Maranaos since they are powerless. The Maranaos also politically control the barangay for a long time now. Thus, there is an unequal space for competing voices. On the other hand, based on the narratives of the participants, there is an intra-group conflict among the Badjaos. Consequently, there is a division of leadership which is also a hindrance to their equal representation and leads to fragmentation of the Badjao unity. D. Forms of Resistance The participants revealed that they practice passive resistance, avoid fighting and or engaging in conflicts. They resolve their conflicts and seldom ask for help from others since they are afraid and embarrassed to ask for help. Thus, they passively resist because of the perpetuation of their repressed empowerment. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 107 Implications This study revealed that each participant expressed their understanding and experiences of manifesting their identity and navigating their political representation in a multicultural community. Consequently, the clustered themes that have emerged are also reflected in the narratives expressed by the participants. Every participant has shared about their own experiences as to how they manifest their identity and navigate their political representation amid competing voices in a multicultural community. Establishing from their narratives that can be connected to the application of the theoretical framework, there is an affirmation from each theme through the first and second order constructs. The manifestation of the Badjao identity involves the retention of their cultural traditions, particularly in the cases of language and social practices. However, since the Badjaos gradually became an urban minority with no knowledge of urban living, the distinct character of their living conditions, livelihood and education appear to be utilized by the mainstream society to fuel their hostile perceptions against the former, paving the way for otherization. Consequently, in the navigation of political representation of Badjaos, they face problems asserting themselves and no one listens to them when they articulate their concerns. They believe that they are not well-represented and thus, they recognize the need for representation. Such representation, as they see, signifies the start toward the “change” they want to have in their community. Accordingly, the implications of this study espoused that as showed in the findings, there is an existing document of the government’s CSSDO providing aid to the Badjao community. However, as the study revealed, the Badjaos received Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 108 inadequate support from the government. Thus, there is a need of a stronger support and intervention from the government to actualize and properly allocate their programs and projects to improve the living conditions of the Badjao people. The Badjaos believe the government should stop being neglectful of the woes they have suffered. Thus, the following challenges are claimed by the Badjaos to be existing in their community: First, the seeming acceptance of marginality of identity, which was emphasized in the context of a weak Badjao representation and the limited channels of power that they are able to access in their community. Likewise, the inter-group tension between the Maranaos and the Badjaos, which establishes the dominance of the former over the latter. Additionally, the intra-group tension between Badjao leaders themselves, which explains the disunity of Badjaos when it comes to leadership issues, and which aggravates the condition of power struggle of the Badjao community in the multicultural fold of Isla Verde, Davao City. Provided the prevalence of such struggles and barriers confronting the Badjaos, the “arts of the self” or the forms of resistance centrally resonate in one interventionist idea: isolation. Whether the Badjao self-help ends with selfdestruction, their reliance on their selves (alone and without the help of external actors) highlights the recognition that help doesn’t come easily. In their case, solving problems of their own is an act of conflict avoidance and or resignation from the hope that actors with access to proper channels of power would provide aid in their community. Regarding the theoretical, Foucault’s analytics of power is a significant way to understand the navigation of voices of the Badjaos entirely and studies like this imply intricate analysis of power. Through Foucault’s theory in connection with the Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 109 study’s methodology, the researchers were able to gather data and derive essence of meaning from these data. Likewise, the utilization of hermeneutic phenomenology allowed the discovery of participants’ experiences with additional constructs and interpretation by the researchers based on the researchers’ theoretical and personal knowledge. Thus, the researchers were able to reveal the “arts of the self” of the Badjaos amid the struggle against subjugation and domination. Furthermore, in terms of the utilization of the hermeneutic phenomenological research, it is imperative to develop a rich or dense description of the phenomenon being investigated in a particular context. This means that when conducting a phenomenological study pertaining to Badjao urban dwellers as experienced by the researchers, it entails the need to understand finer texts of community relations to fully understand the conditions and experiences of the participants. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 110 Abrahamsson, E. (2011). 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HALL, 23-C, DAVAO CITY) Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 118 ANNEX B – LETTER TO GATHER INFORMATION (CSSDO, DAVAO CITY) Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 119 ANNEX C – LETTER TO GATHER INFORMATION (IGSR, DMSF, DAVAO CITY) Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 120 ANNEX D – SDCS CHART Research Questions How does a Badjao urban dweller manifest his identity in a multicultural community? Source(s) Data of Data Collection Strategy In-depth Selfinterview identified Badjao Research Instruments In-depth interview Plan for Data Analysis 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. How does a Badjao urban dweller navigate his political representation in the context of competing voices in the community? What are the present challenges confronting a Badjao urban dweller in negotiating his identity and representation in the community? What are the “arts of the self” and mechanisms Selfidentified Badjao In-depth interview In-depth interview 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Selfidentified Badjao In-depth interview In-depth interview 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Selfidentified Badjao In-depth interview In-depth interview 1. 2. 3. 4. Immersion (in data) Understanding Abstraction Synthesis and theme development Illumination and illustration of phenomena Integration and critique Immersion (in data) Understanding Abstraction Synthesis and theme development Illumination and illustration of phenomena Integration and critique Immersion (in data) Understanding Abstraction Synthesis and theme development Illumination and illustration of phenomena Integration and critique Immersion (in data) Understanding Abstraction Synthesis and Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 121 employed by a Badjao in his/her experience of thriving a multicultural urban community? theme development 5. Illumination and illustration of phenomena 6. Integration and critique Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 122 ANNEX E – IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW GUIDE Statement of the Problem What is the sociodemographic profile of the Badjao community in Isla Verde, Davao City? Parameter Qualifier 1. Sociodemographic profile 1. 2. 3. 4. Gender Religion Age Length of residency 5. Education 6. Living condition Question 1. What is your gender orientation? 2. What is your religious affiliation? 3. How many years have you stayed in the community? 4. What is your highest educational attainment? 5. What is your source of income? (selfemployed or not; kind of work) 6. In your estimate, how much is your monthly income? 7. How do you describe your current living condition in terms of housing? 8. Do you know any community support from the government and other nongovernment organizations? If yes, what are these? In no, why? 9. Do you have access to: (a) health care facilities (dental, medical, etc.) and (b) other government services such as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 123 the distribution of fishing boats? How does a Badjao urban dweller manifest his/her identity in a multicultural community? 1. Manifestation of identity 2. Badjao as an urban dweller 3. multicultural community How does a Badjao urban dweller navigate his/her political representation in the context of plurality of voices in the community? 1. Navigation of political representatio n 2. Plurality of voices in the community 1. What specific traditions do you still practice? E.g. weddings, burials, festivals 2. Do you still speak your dialect (Sinama) in a multilingual community? If no, why? If yes, please describe your experience when you used it in communicating with others who don’t share the same dialect? 3. Please describe your “pakikitungo” with other members in a multicultural community, e.g. interactions during buying and selling of goods, casual conversations. 1. Badjaos 1. Are you aware of any holding involvement of government Badjaos in the positions government or any 2. Badjaos’ organization? If no, affiliation in why? And if yes, how organizations did you know? Are you involved in any activity? What are these activities? 2. Have you experienced not being represented in the affairs of the 1. tradition and other social practices 2. language 3. social interaction 4. relationship with other ethnic groups Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 124 community? How did it feel like? What are the present challenges confronting a Badjao urban dweller in negotiating his/her identity and representation in the community? 1. Present challenges confronting a Badjao urban dweller 2. Forms and modes of Negotiation What are the “arts of the self” employed by a Badjao urban dweller in his/her experience of thriving in a multicultural urban community? 1. “Arts of the self” (Forms of resistance) 1. Has there been an 1. Forms of occasion when you discriminatio felt discriminated as n and other Badjao in the forms of community? For social stigma example; 2. Experiences inappropriate jokes, of unequal insults, name-calling? representatio If yes, what are their n action? How did you 3. Experiences cope with it? Have of conflict you experienced not settlements being represented in the affairs of the community? How did it feel like? 2. Have you encountered disagreements with other ethnic groups in the community? If yes, with whom and where? What triggered the conflict and how was it settled? 1. Forms of 1. Have you thought of dissents resisting the things you feel are unjust to you? If no, why not? If yes, what are your experiences in resisting? How did you do it? 2. How do you assess yourself after resisting? Did it make any difference? What do you think are the Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 125 implications of your resistance in terms of manifesting your identity in a multicultural community and navigating your political representation? Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 126 ANNEX F – IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE “IDENTITY AND THE POLITICS OF REPRESENTATION: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF BADJAO URBAN DWELLERS OF ISLA VERDE, DAVAO CITY” Researchers: Salvaña, Ian Derf C.; Taynan, CennTeena L. Mentor: Mr. Dennis Coronel, MA Selection Criteria The respondents must be: a) Willing and available to participate and talk about their experiences; b) Who are self-identified Badjaos regardless of blood relations with other ethnic groups; and c) Who are urban dwellers and have lived in the Badjao community of Isla Verde, Davao City for at least five years. Introduction Good Morning/Afternoon, Ma’am/Sir, I am a student of Ateneo de Davao University and we are conducting our study: Identity and the Politics of Representation: A phenomenological study of Badjao urban dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City. Binisaya: Maayong Buntag/ Hapon, Ma’am/Sir, studyante ko sa Ateneo de Davao University ug kami adunay ginabuhat na pagpanuki-duki na gihinganlan ug: Identity Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 127 and the Politics of Representation: A phenomenological study of Badjao urban dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City. The purpose of this interview is for us to know your experiences as an urban dweller on how you manifest your identity in a multicultural community, on how you navigate your political representation in the context of competing voices in the community, as well to know your present struggles and barriers as a Badjao urban dweller in negotiating your identity and representation in the community. Finally, we also want to know what are your “arts of the self” in your experience of thriving in a multicultural urban community. Can we request that we record your answers with our recorders? Because it will be difficult for us to write down your answers as we go along with the interview. Your responses will be recorded and encoded into a transcript which will undertake qualitative data analysis. We guarantee you that all the recordings and your identities will be kept confidential and will not be presented to the public without your permission. There are no right or wrong answers. Your responses will be highly valued and respected. Remember, as the respondent, you have the right to refuse to answer questions and you may end the interview at any time. Binisaya: Ang tumong niining atong buhaton nga interview kay ang pagtugot nga kami masayod sa inyong mga naagi-an ug nasinati isip mga “urban dweller” sa inyong pag-ila sa inyong komunidad, sa inyong pagpadungog sa inyong tingog dungan sa nagkalahi-lahi na mga grupo para sa representasyon ninyo pag-abot sa Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 128 politika, ug pati na pud sa inyong mga kalisod ug mga bara/bangil isip usa ka Badjao nga urban dweller sa paghisgot sa inyong pagkatawo ug representasyon sa inyong komunidad. Musugot ba ka na i-record namo ang imong mga tubag sa among mga recorder? Kay lisod kung isuwat ra namo ang atong mga mahisgutan. Imong mga tubag kay irecord dayon ibutang sa transcript na ipaagi nato ug proseso nga qualitative data analysis. Ayaw kabalaka kay ginasiguro namo na ang imong pagkatawo ug imong mga tubag kay dili mapahibalo sa katawhan kung wala imong permiso. Walay tama ug mali na mga tubag. Mutahod ug murespeto kami sa imong mga tubag. Isip usa ka respondent, naa kay katungod na mubalibad sa pagtubag sa ubang mga pangutana sa bisan unsang higayona. This interview is not compulsory, if you permit, we humbly ask for you to affix your signature in this consent form allowing us to proceed with the interview. If you have questions about the things just explained, or throughout the interview process, you can raise them anytime. The duration of our interview will be one hour and thirty minutes. Also, we would like to inform you that snacks are available if you prefer to eat while the interview is going on. Upon completion of our interview, we offer you a token of our gratitude for sharing with us your time. We will give you a kilo of rice. Binisaya: Wala ka namo ginapugos na muapil niining atong panag-istorya. Pero kung musugot ka, muhangyo mi na imong pirmahan ning consent. Kini magpamatuod na ikaw nisugot na muapil sa pagpakighisgot ug pwede na ta Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 129 magsugod. Kung naa kay pangutana, ayaw kaulaw ug saysay kanamo unsa imong mga pangutana. Ang atong panaghisgot mudagan ug usa’g tunga oras. Ug aduna sab kita mga pagkaon aron pwede ka magtimo samtang magpadayon atong pagpanaghisgot. Sa katapusan sa atong pagpanaghisgot, isip pagpasalamat sa imong oras ug pagtubag, hatagan ka namo ug isa ka kilong bugas. Upon signing the consent form, we humbly ask you to answer the sociodemographic profile questions before proceeding to the main questions of this research. We would like to get your; 1. Gender: 2. Religious affiliation: 3. Years of residency in the community: 4. Highest educational attainment: 5. Description of your current living condition in terms of: 1. Average monthly household income 2. Employment (self-employed or not; kind of work) 3. Housing 4. Access to: 1. Healthcare facilities and services;  Dental  Medical 2. Education 3. Other government services; Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 130  Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program  Distribution of fishing boats Binisaya: Sa imong pagpirma, muhangyo mi na tubagon nimo ang mga musunod na mga pangutana mahitungod nimo bago ta magsugod sa mga pangutana niining among pagpanuki-duki 1. Hiyas sa pagkatawo 2. Relihiyon 3. Mga tuig sa pagpuyo uban ang komunidad 4. Nahuman sa pag-eskwela 5. Kahimtang sa imong panimalay sama sa:  Pag-amping sa panlawas;  Dental (Sa baba)  Medical (Sa tibuok panlawas)  Edukasyon/Pag-eskwela  Mga serbisyo sa gobyerno  Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program  Pagpanghatag ug mga Bangka sa pagpangisda Questions I. Manifestation of identity of a Badjao as an urban dweller in a multicultural community 2.1 What specific traditions do you still practice? E.g.: Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 131  Weddings  Burial  Festivals 2.2. Do you still speak your dialect (Sinama) in a multilingual community? If no, why? If yes, please describe your experience when you used it in communicating with others who don’t share the same dialect? 2.3 Please describe your “pakikitungo” with other members in a multicultural community? E.g.:  Interactions during buying and selling of goods  Casual conversations Binisaya: I. Manifestation of identity of a Badjao as an urban dweller in a multicultural community 2.1 Unsa na mga tradition ang inyong ginabuhat pa? Apil ba diha ang:  Kasal  Lubong  Pista 2.2 Naga-Sinama ba gihapon mo sa inyong komunidad na nagkalahi-lahi ang mga inisturyahan nga ginagamit? Kung wala na, ngano? Kung nagagamit pa, pwede ba nimo isaysay sa amo imong mga naagian sa mga higayon nga nag-Sinama ka sa mga di nagagamit ug Sinama? 2.3 Palihog ihulagway ang imong pagtratar sa ubang miyembro sa komunidad nga nagkalahi-lahi ang kultura sama sa: Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 132  Pakighalubilo sa uban inig mupalit ug mamaligya ug mga butang  Mga regular na mga panaghinabi II. Navigation of political representation amid competing voices in the community 3.1 Are you aware of any involvement of Badjaos in the government or any organization? If no, why? And if yes, how did you know? Are you involved in any activity? What are these activities? 3.2 Have you experienced not being represented in the affairs of the community? How did it feel like? Binisaya: II. Navigation of political representation amid competing voices in the community 3.1 Nasayod ba ka sa bisan unsang pag-apil sa mga Badjao sa gobyerno o sa bisan unsang grupo o organisasyon? Kung wala, ngano? Kung nasayod ka, giunsa nimo pagkabalo? Apil ba ka sa bisan unsang aktibidad? Unsa sab kini? 3.2 Nakasuway na ba ka na wala kay representatnte sa komunidad? Unsa imong nabati? Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 133 III. Present struggles, barriers and other conflicts confronting a Badjao urban dweller in identity and representation negotiation 4.1 Has therebeen an occasion when you felt discriminated as Badjao in the community? For example; inappropriate jokes, insults, name-calling? If yes, what are their action? How did you cope with it? 4.2 Have you encountered disagreements with other ethnic groups in the community? If yes, with whom and where? What triggered the conflict and how was it settled? Binisaya: III. Present struggles, barriers and other conflicts confronting a Badjao urban dweller in identity and representation negotiation 4.1 Aduna ba higayon na kung asa nabati nimo na adunay papihig-pihig isip Badjao sa komunidad sama sa ngil-ad na yaga-yaga, pagpanginsulto, pagpanaway? Kung naa, unsa ilang gibuhat? Unsa imong gibuhat mahitungod niini? 4.2 Aduna ba mga higayon na kung asa naay nahitabong lalis o bangi inyong grupo kontra sa uban pang grupo o tribo? Kung aduna man, kontra kang kinsa ug asa? Unsa ang hinungdan sa inyohang gilalisan ug giunsa ninyo kini pagsulbad? IV. Forms of resistance (Arts of the self) 5.1 Have you thought of resisting the things you feel are unjust to you? If no, why not? If yes, what are your experiences in resisting? How did you do it? Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 134 5.2 How do you assess yourself after resisting? Did it make any difference? What do you think are the implications of your resistance in terms of manifesting your identity in a multicultural community and navigating your political representation? Binisaya: IV. Forms of resistance (Arts of the self) 5.1 Nakahuna-huna ka ba ug sukol sa mga butang na para nimo kay dili na makatarungan? Kung wala, ngano wala man sab? Kung oo, unsa ang mga naagian nimo sa imong pagsukol? Giunsa nimo pagsukol? 5.2 Unsa imong maingon mahitungod sa imong kaugalingon pagkahuman nimo ug sukol? Aduna ba kalahian? Unsa sa imong panan-aw ang mga posibleng epekto sa imong pagsukol kung ang hisgutan kay ang pagpamatuod sa imong pagkatawo sa komunidad sa klase-klaseng kultura ug ang pagpangita sa dalan nganha sa pagrepresenta kanimo nganha sa politika. Closing Statement Thank you for sharing us your time and knowledge, Ma’am/Sir! This will be a big help in our study. Our interview with you today will greatly help us in this research. Thank you once again. God bless and more power! Binisaya: Salamat sa imong paghatag sa imong oras ug kaalam, Ma’am/Sir! Dako kini nga hinabang sa among pagpanuki-duki. Salamat sa maka-usa. Ang Ginoo magapanalangin kanimo! Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 135 ANNEX G CONSENT FORM You are invited to take part in our research study entitled “Identity and the Politics of Representation: A Phenomenological Study of the Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City”. This study aims to understand how the power navigations of a minority group such as the Badjao of Isla Verde, Davao City work in asserting their identity and in pushing for their representation in a highly urbanized locale such as Davao using Michel Foucault’s Analytics of Power. This study further aims to document the experiences of some of the members of the community with respect to the issue of identity and representation. There are no anticipated risks if you participate in this study. Maayong adlaw! gina awhag kamo mo salmot sa usa ka pagpanuki-duki na ginahanlan ug “Identity and the Politics of Representation: A Phenomenological Study of the Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City”. Ang tumong niining atong buhaton nga interview kay ang pagtugot nga kami masayod sa inyong mga naagi-an ug nasinati isip mga “urban dweller” sa inyong pag-ila sa inyong komunidad, sa inyong pagpadungog sa inyong tingog dungan sa nagkalahi-lahi na mga grupo para sa representasyon ninyo pag-abot sa politika, ug pati na pud sa inyong mga kalisod ug mga bara/bangil isip usa ka Badjao nga urban dweller sa paghisgot sa inyong pagkatawo ug representasyon sa inyong komunidad. This interview is not compulsory, if you permit, we humbly ask for you to affix your signature in this consent form allowing us to proceed with the interview. If you Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 136 have questions about the things just explained, or throughout the interview process, you can raise them anytime. The duration of our interview will be one hour and thirty minutes. Wala ka namo ginapugos na muapil niining atong panag-istorya. Pero kung musugot ka, muhangyo mi na imong pirmahan ning consent. Kini magpamatuod na ikaw nisugot na muapil sa pagpakighisgot ug pwede na ta magsugod. Kung naa kay pangutana, ayaw kaulaw ug saysay kanamo unsa imong mga pangutana. Ang atong panaghisgot mudagan ug usa’g tunga oras. Statement of Consent: I have read and fully understood the above information, and have received answers to any of my questions. I affirm that I am 18 years of age or older. I consent to take part in the research study entitled “Politics of Identity and Representation: A Phenomenological Study on the Power Navigations of the Badjao of Isla Verde, Davao City Using Michel Foucault’s Analytics of Power Relations”. Nabasa na nako, nasabtan ang mga impormasyon ug na tubag na ang akong mga pangutana. Naga pamatuod ko nga ako 18 anyos o mas tigulang pa. Ako mo tugot nga musalmot sa maong pagpanuki-duki na ginahanlan ug: “Identity and the Politics of Representation: A Phenomenological Study of the Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City”. ___________________________________ Participant’s Name and Signature ____________________ Date (Petsa) (Pangalan ug Perma sa partisipante) Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 137 ANNEX H – CONSENT FORM SIGNED BY PARTICIPANTS Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 138 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 139 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 140 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 141 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 142 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 143 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 144 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 145 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 146 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 147 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 148 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 149 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 150 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 151 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 152 ANNEX I – PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION GUIDE Research Questions SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE RESEARCH QUESTION 1 How does a Badjao urban dweller manifest his/her identity in a multicultural community? Points of Observation 1. Description of people and community 2. Living condition and livelihood 3. Access to services and other aid 1. Culture and tradition 2. Other social practices 3. Language 4. Social interaction 5. Relationship with other ethnic groups 1. Badjao representation in the government 2. Badjaos’ affiliation in organizations Descriptive Observation Reflective Observation RESEARCH QUESTION 2 How does a Badjao urban dweller navigate his/her political representation in the context of competing voices in the community? 1. Forms of RESEARCH discrimination QUESTION 3 and other forms What are the present of social stigma challenges confronting a Badjao 2. Experiences of unequal urban dweller in representation negotiating his/her 3. Experiences of identity and conflict representation in the Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 153 community? settlement 6. Forms of RESEARCH dissents QUESTION 4 What are the “arts of the self” employed by a Badjao in his/her experience of thriving in a multicultural urban community? Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 154 ANNEX J – FIELD NOTE MATRIX ENTRIES 1-10 Research Questions SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE RESEARCH QUESTION 1 Manifestation of Identity RESEARCH QUESTION 2 Navigation of Political Representation RESEARCH QUESTION 3 Present Challenges RESEARCH QUESTION 4 Resistance Points of Observation Description of people and community Living condition and livelihood Access to services and the need for aid Culture and tradition Other social practices Language Social interaction Relationship with other ethnic groups Badjao representation in the government Badjaos’ affiliation in organizations 1 2 3 Field Note Entries 4 5 6 7 8 9 Forms of discrimination and social stigma Experiences of unequal representation Experiences of conflict settlement Forms of dissents Legend Descriptive Observation Reflective Observation Both Descriptive and Reflective Observations Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 10 155 ANNEX K – FIELD NOTES FROM PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION Entry 1 June 15, 2017 The barangay hall staff who entertained us in Barangay 23-C initially provided a brief orientation regarding the community we would be entering. The barangay hall in 23-C, Poblacion, Davao City is located near the old DCLA and can be reached through less than a five-minute drive from the Jacinto Gate of Ateneo de Davao University. The barangay hall faces a mosque built for the settlers of the barangay and nearby areas because the community here is composed of many Muslim tribes – the Maranaos, the Magindanaons, the Tausugs, and the Sama Laminosas, among others. The staff is a Maranao as the barangay hall is mostly composed of Maranaos. After all, the barangay captain is a Maranao, as all those who have been in the same position in Barangay 23-C before, according to the staff who provided the orientation. As we wait for the gatekeeper whom would be provided by the barangay hall, we proceeded with initial questions concerning the identity and representation of Badjaos in Isla Verde in the barangay. Badjaos, as our research paper described them based on related literature we were able to collate, are sea nomads who particularly live with the waves, catching fish and vending pearls, among other things they do for a living. They have reached other parts of nearby areas from their origins in the Sulu-Zamboanga archipelago and settled there. These included many places in the southeastern part of Southeast Asia, covering the Philippines, Indonesia and Insular Malaysia (Sabah). Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 156 In Davao, they have spread into four different communities – Isla Verde, Matina Aplaya, Boulevard and Sta. Cruz, which is located in the southern outskirts of the city. We have chosen the Badjao community in Isla Verde because it is the oldest and one of the largest in terms of population among the four. Further, the Badjao tribe is chosen to be the focus of this research amid many tribes in Isla Verde because the Badjaos were the first to settle in the barangay, and yet their voice is drowned in the chaos of voices in this multicultural area in Davao City. Such presuppositions were raised during the brief orientation and given the poor state of the Badjaos, the staff who catered our needs stressed that the Badjaos should be called Goodjaos to alleviate the condition of treatment of other people towards them. Foucault, in his analytics of power, discussed that power mainly rests on how the individual retains his/her identity through the negotiation of representation in the haste of many voices. Labels discussed here may be a juxtaposition of the goals we want to achieve and that is to know and understand the identity of the Badjao urban dweller based on their narratives. Although labels utilized by this research to describe the Badjaos may hinder this goal, as these do not necessarily come from their own narratives, such are still utilized in comparison with the narratives to either validate or nullify the initial presumptions of this study. The use of the term Goodjaos therefore is an imposition to the identity of what and who a Badjao truly considers himself/herself to be. When the staff finally introduced Ate Bidang, who would serve as gatekeeper to us for several visits, we immediately proceeded to the community, which is a few Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 157 walks inside the vast area of the barangay. Some portion of the road towards the Badjao community is still not cemented; the area remains dusty and the surroundings are full of garbage that produced a foul smell. The Badjao community of Isla Verde is located near the shores and they live in makeshift stilt houses. The pathways that connect the houses are shaky and narrow and most are made of bamboo materials. The area is also full of garbage and the repugnant smell seems to be part of the normal day-to-day living of dwellers here. Ate Bidang, who is a self-identified Sama Laminosa, commented along the way to the purok leader that the Badjaos are hugawan and that they do not care if their place remains dirty, saying that this everyday reality seems to be part of the Badjao culture and identity. This is very alarming because of the impositions set by the hostile perceptions of an external actor against the Badjaos. Even before we arrived at the community, we already observed forms of discrimination against them. As we head towards the house of the purok leader, a lot of Badjaos has approached us and greeted us Maayong hapon. We responded with the same as we exchanged smiles along the way. When we finally arrived at the house of Sir Arti, the purok leader, Ate Bidang immediately talked to him in Sinama regarding the purpose of our visit – that we are conducting our research about the identity and representation of Badjaos. Sama Badjaos and Sama Laminosas primarily use Sinama in their daily interactions in the community since they usually do not talk to other tribe because of the language barrier. Aside from this, Badjaos understand Binisaya or the Visayan dialect and use it to communicate with Visayan people. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 158 While they discussed this briefly, we have observed that most of the houses that are on stilts consisted of two floors, the top part being their bedroom and the bottom part being the multipurpose area for business, for cooking and dining, or for processing of their catch from the sea, among others. Sir Arti’s house stands not far away from a learning center, where Badjao kids are taught by a Visayan teacher. The area surrounding Sir Arti’s house is reached by the water if the tide is high, and mostly, it is infested by flies feasting on garbage. Sir Arti said to us that he and his family is willing to help us in the conduct of our research as long as activities included in such conduct do not harm or take advantage of them and their illiteracy. In turn, we have assured him of the objectives of the study and explained our intentions. After that, we briefly roamed around the community to familiarize the alleys. Our visit there lasted shortly since our only aim was to meet the purok leader and let the community know of the conduct of our research as well as to establish connection with them. Entry 2 June 17, 2017 In this visit, we brought two friends to help us observe in the community. Their assumptions of the Badjaos and their community in Isla Verde also helped in molding the narratives provided in various entries of field notes. We asked them to write their assumptions about the Badjaos and compare them from their observations in this visit and in the visits they would participate in. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 159 Before going to Isla Verde, we first met Ate Bidang near DCLA and made her know that two friends would accompany us in the process of observing in the community. We briefly discussed ethical manners appropriate in carrying out ourselves when conducting the observation and headed inside the Badjao area. The bamboo stilts which served as elevated pathways into the community narrowed and narrowed so we decided that we choose an alternative exit after we finish visiting. Ate Bidang brought us to Sir Arti who gladly accommodated us. In our visit to his home, he discussed several sentiments regarding their living conditions and how much they seek help from those who are willing to in pursuing a better welfare for the community. Since we are very much curious about the problem on sanitation in the area, we asked Sir Arti about the actions they currently take to solve it. Ate Bidang said the barangay had an agreement with Sir Arti’s community where every sack of trash collected by the Badjaos can be traded with one kilo of rice. Sir Arti said this is to help their surroundings become bearable for living because a lot of the members of his community here seems to be pretty much at ease even if the garbage, not to mention the foul smell, not just harms their health but also seems to be part of their everyday lives in Isla Verde. Sir Arti said this is alarming because people seem not to care for their welfare anymore, either pitying on themselves that they are “only Badjaos” or focusing on livelihood rather than keeping better sanitation for the community. Ate Bidang said this project is primarily initiated by the barangay captain to help improve sanitation in the area and to further eliminate discrimination among the Badjaos for being Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 160 hugawan or dirty. When we asked the staff who entertained us back in the barangay hall during our last visit, she told us that the funding for this project directly came from the pockets of the barangay captain, explaining that the kilos of rice being distributed in exchange of sacks of garbage are a manifestation of the barangay captain’s “philanthropic commitment” to provide a better welfare for his people. However, instead of wholly benefiting from this project, Sir Arti laments that the Badjaos do not only clean their surroundings, they are also used by the neighboring Maranaos to clean the latter’s surroundings as well. He cannot well so complain because, like the fact that Badjaos have a hard time defending themselves to Maranaos who “oppress” them, they are “only Badjaos” who are looked down and frowned upon. In support to such claims by Sir Arti, Ate Bidang said that the Badjaos usually just accept the sermons of the Maranaos, who seem to want to dominate the area in the barangay. The Badjaos are used to comply the things the Maranaos mandate them to do because they are afraid of them and that they want peace of mind. Ate Bidang claimed that most Maranaos do not have good attitude because many of them want to be superior in the community. However, if they clash with the Tausugs, they usually end up scowling in bitter losses because the Tausugs, even though they live peacefully, are brave-hearted and fight if they are offended and needed to fight back. What is problematic here is how the Badjaos act in the face of subjugation from another tribe. According to Sir Arti, they just don’t resist the commands of the Maranaos because they want peace instead of conflict and so they just settle issues Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 161 within themselves. Although Badjaos are not ashamed of themselves and that they consider all people as equal regardless of ethnic differences, as what Sir Arti relayed, they are yet to form a strong collective sentiment that would reach the barangay government at the least and find help to solve these issues. The experiences of the Badjaos as mistreated by other tribes, primarily by the Maranaos, and being unequally represented in the government, knowing that such dilemma fall on deaf ears, as what Sir Arti emphasized, seem to provide them a bigger hindrance in fighting the obstacles they face each day. As an impression of such premises, our two friends discussed that the Badjaos are too peace-abiding people to the extent that their welfare is compromised. A lot of people will take advantage of other people’s vulnerability to satisfy their own interests, and the Badjaos here clearly serve as prey of the discrimination brought about by dominant voices. Because of this, as well as other issues problematized is this context, the Badjaos are not able to fully resist. The researchers also observed that because social stigma made the Badjaos accept marginality, social interaction between them and other people with different ethnicities become very scarce as they become fearful of people who assert prejudices towards them, as Sir Arti discussed. They only interact if they sell ukayukay or thrift hand-me-down clothes and the likes or if there are visitors in their community. When we ended our community visit for the day, Ate Bidang led our way back to the alternative road we took, one that’s not difficult to tread unlike the narrow bamboo bridges. When we were already near DCLA, two people approached her Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 162 and talked about their upcoming search for Ms. Gay competition in Isla Verde. Ate Bidang told us that she was one of the heads of the organizing committee of the contest and that they have a lively LGBT community in Isla Verde. However, not all ethnicities are fond of LGBT. When we asked if there are Badjaos who consider themselves as gay or lesbian or someone who has a gender that’s not heterosexual, she said that the Badjaos are already looked down for many things and difference in gender would further perpetuate their exclusion. Entry 3 June 24, 2017 In time for the festivities of the Hari Raya, since Eid’l Adha is just around the corner, our visit last Saturday, June 24, has provided us a leverage in understanding how the Badjaos celebrated. When we entered the community, a havoc of people bombarded us. All of them are very busy with the many goings on in Isla Verde. Many gambled, playing tong-its, a Filipino type of game using playing cards. Many also drank alcohol while roaming around the community. Many played music, including Dayang-Dayang, which is a community favorite, while a lot sang to the tunes of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) in nearby areas. Sir Arti was just in time for the celebration. He cannot tour us around the community because he also has to tend to family tasks in the course of the festivities. He is just able to give us context with what is happening in our surroundings during the time. We just had around twenty minutes of conversation and mostly talked about what they usually do during events like this. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 163 Even though the Badjaos earn little every month, they are still able to celebrate such events with much leisure. They usually only spend huge money if there are weddings and festivities like this because they are thankful to the supreme being they believe in for blessing them with life. Sir Arti told us that they do not often do this since they are short in money, but when they do, they rejoice with much happiness for many days to the extent that nearby ethnic groups complain with the noise. When we realized that they pile of garbage in the area drastically increased during the time, we asked Sir Arti about it and he was quick to explain that people are just preoccupied with the festivities and the trash would be prioritized after the three-day event would be over. Before Sir Arti left us, his wife joined our brief discussion and we asked her the reasons for celebrating such events aside from being thankful to their creator. Her response primarily touches on the concept of culture as part of their identity, saying that “Kay Bajdao man mi, kay kani (Hari Raya) ug pagsayaw kay binuhatan sa Badjao pag maglipay,” which translates to “Because we are Badjaos and that we celebrate Hari Raya, and we dance for enjoyment.” Because all of them are preoccupied with the upcoming Eid’l Adha, we thanked Sir Arti and his wife for giving some of their time to accommodate us. Ate Bidang was also busy during the time and was just able to attend to our needs for less than thirty minutes. We were eventually left with ourselves and roamed around the community observing the festivities. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 164 Since people were busy with Hari Raya, we didn’t bother to engage in deep casual conversations and briefly ended our visit there. Entry 4 June 27, 2017 Our visit today in Barangay 23-C involved observing the Badjaos’ relationship with the waters. The community in Isla Verde is situated in the coastal area facing Samal Island in the distant far. There is a worn-out sea wall situated to the right of the Badjao community when facing towards the location of the sea. In the waters, a stagnant barge is situated a few meters from the sea wall. The splashes of the waves are slightly moderate and the water is polluted with garbage. Badjao and Visayan kids enjoy swimming despite the condition of the waters. A lot of older children also venture into fishing during the time even though the weather is gloomy and that the fish is hard to see. Back in the community, Sir Arti just came back from fishing, and we observed what he usually does after his work. He is still soaked with sea water and he usually changes clothes only after he finish cleaning his fishing tools. He told us that the boats being used to fish are shared by a number of families and the income therefore is shared as well. This is because they do not have enough money to buy or make another boat and the Bantay Laut program of the government still didn’t reach their community in Isla Verde. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 165 This is a stressing concern because the usual fishing income from one go just ranges from about P500 to P2,000 and, when shared, only becomes a meager amount to sustain the basic needs of families in Isla Verde to survive. Because this is the case, other family members in Isla Verde usually venture into selling burloloy or native accessories. However, since the income from selling such is also small, while the men are away fishing, women are busy selling ukay-ukay or thrift hand-me-down clothes. During gloomy days like this, fishing does not provide enough income to families and men also join women in selling burloloy and ukay-ukay. The average income of families in selling these items in one go ranges from P200 to P500, and is considered an important contribution in the augmentation of household needs. Many Badjaos whose family originated from the Sulu-Zamboanga archipelago have been born in Isla Verde and no one dwell in the seas anymore. Although they are seen as highly nomadic people, after coming to Isla Verde, movement of settlement became scarce as they started to stay in the sandbar area for more than fifty years already. From here, fishing is still their predominant source of income but they also learned to do other things in search for money as a means of sustenance. Although selling ukay-ukay largely helps in filling the void of their stomachs, the Badjaos remain connected with the waters and prefer to engage its abundance. Sir Arti told us that although most people do not fish anymore, they’re connection with the water is still intact, given the current situation of their settlement, which is located along the shores of downtown Davao. Abrahamsson’s study in 2011 is supported by this observation since the Badjaos remain a fishing population Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 166 without fish, and given the limited resources the Badjao have when fishing, the absence of compromise between their identity as flowing with the seas and their livelihood as not enough to augment their needs also remains a problem on the part of their everyday living. Entry 5 June 29, 2017 The Badjaos have ways to seek money other than fishing as their primary source of livelihood. In the previous entry, this was briefly discussed. In our visit this time, we tried to engage with community members who sell ukay-ukay or thrift handme-down clothes. We have conversed with the Badjao women who at the time of our visit were busy preparing the items they would sell for the day. Mahalsiya, who was referred to us by Sir Arti, was eager to accommodate us and has accepted to be interviewed on a later date. In her stilt house, we sat below the small room where they sleep and had small conversations. The stilt house held a thin meter of rope which also held the ukay-ukay she would sell later in the day. Like her, other Badjaos mostly go to the stalls near DCLA, which is situated nearby Brgy. 23-C, to buy ukay-ukay and sell them in various areas in the city, including Sasa and Bangkerohan. The literature review of the study claimed that the Badjaos are skilled people. However, contrary to this, the urban dwellers in Isla Verde are only limited to few skills that they use in earning money. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 167 When we had our small talk with Mahalsiya, other members of the neighborhood joined us, fancily accommodating our questions. Although they understand the Visayan dialect, they are somehow less able to articulate what they want to talk using it because they’re so used to speaking Sinama. Nevertheless, when we engaged in the conversation, they still try hard to speak in Binisaya. They said fishing and selling burloloy and ukay-ukay are mostly the things they do for a living. Some of them engage in pearl vending but they are limited with resources in engaging with the activity. Aside from this, they do not engage with other jobs because of various reasons, which include, but not limited to the following: they are afraid to work for other people; they are not familiar with other types of jobs; or that they are not accepted due to prejudices imposed on them. This perpetuation is also aggravated by the hostile perceptions of other ethnic groups in Isla Verde towards them. One community member who joined our discussion told us that they are often mistreated by other people because of what they look like and the way they present themselves. In work, they are bound by their illiteracy since most of them were not able to go to school. Aside from this, they are also labelled as "hugawan" or dirty people because of the pile of garbage looming their surroundings. Principal reasons emerged with regard to the issues concerning education and their polluted surroundings. They consensually said that this is because they are prioritizing their livelihood to sustain their survival given that their income is only enough to meet their daily needs. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 168 Many Badjaos are usually not attracted by education, which has sort of been part of their way of living. Many consider their children as investment in earning money. The more children, the more they can earn. However, a lot still wants their children to go to school but are not just able to support the finances of schooling. Furthermore, little support is just able to reach them and is not enough to aid their biggest problems. Due to such premise, education easily disqualifies itself as a priority. Instead of letting their children go to school, they let them help in earning money. This way they can be beneficial to them. In the case of the pile of garbage in the community, the same reason can be traced due to the perpetuation of its presence - it is not that of a priority than earning. All in all, the problems of education and the presence of garbage have affected the way they are perceived by other people and have become limitations of their free movement, especially in their livelihood. Aside from this, with such context, although the Badjaos accept who they are and are not ashamed of being one, because they also just let discrimination go away most of the time to avoid further conflict, their actions speak of belittlement of themselves more than what they say as equality among them and the people who are blatant sources of prejudices. We only ended the discussions when it was almost lunchtime. Aside from that, Mahalsiya would start selling her ukay-ukay to customers on the roads outside their community. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 169 Entry 6 July 1, 2017 Wansing was sick today. After our conversation with him during our visit this afternoon, we stayed inside his home for a while before going back to Sir Arti’s house. We immediately didn’t recognize this because he seems strong. When he told us his fever has still not subsided, we asked him if he sought treatment. He said the fever has been going on for five days now and he didn’t take any medicine. Because one of us has Biogesic tablets, we gave him three and instructed the intake of the medicine. He took them and thanked us. He told us they don’t go to the barangay hall because people there don’t accommodate their medical concerns, or if they do, help doesn’t come immediately. Instead, they seek aid at the Davao Medical Center (DMC) along Bajada because the institution provides free services to the Badjaos and the city government pays all medical expenses. When we asked him why they usually opt for DMC than asking for help in the barangay hall, he said that Badjao people mostly acknowledge the negligence of the staff there and that they are embarrassed because they are told to go back again and again and still end up with nothing. When we further asked if the local government knew of this negligence, he said he didn’t know, and just maybe, the barangay government is covering up by telling the city government that they instructed the Badjaos to go to DMC because it provides free health care. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 170 Back in Sir Arti’s home, we asked if the barangay government provides medical support to the Badjaos if they become sick. He told us that because Badjaos do not know how to read and write, they are immediately shunned away by activities that are supposedly accessible to them. Furthermore, Sir Arti said they feel embarrassed all the time if they are asked to just go back because the staff “would follow up” medical support for them. A weak Badjao representation can be hypothesized here especially that the government is not awoken by the urge to provide equality in terms of treatment of its people. This is a clear manifestation of discrimination because the role of the barangay government in constructing the representation of the Badjaos here roots towards the reasons for the way they treat them. Because of this, their interactions with the staff in the barangay hall became limited as they prefer bringing the sick to DMC. Sir Arti told us that sickness is pervasive among the Badjaos because of the poor sanitation apparent in their area. He has problematized this even before because the pile of garbage has brought health hazards, especially among children. There, they don’t usually bathe because water is scarce, they don’t change clothes often, and most of them roam around the community with bare feet. These practices also aggravated the current health conditions of the people in the area. Up to this writing, the concerns of health remain floating among the Badjaos because they don’t complain about the negligence of the government and they don’t prioritize sanitation that much than other things like livelihood. The reasons for this being that they wanted to live peacefully and avoid the conflicts of government Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 171 involvement, which also results to them solving their own problems, like this on heath, than seeking help that remains elusive. Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 172 ANNEX L – OUTLINE OF DATA SETS FOR THEMATIC ANALYSIS I. MANIFESTATION OF IDENTITY 1. Cultural Retention: The Case of Language and Social Practice Context/Discussion of Results - Practice of weddings, burials, festivals - Living conditions and livelihood - Culture of education - Language use (Sinama) Analysis - Culture and tradition as essences of the Badjao personhood - Badjaos as sea people; their lives flowing with the waters/waves - Juxtaposition of education and livelihood - Isolationism in communication practice (language) Literature - Abrahamsson (2011): Badjaos as sea people - Macalandag (2009): Assertion of identity - Panaguiton (2010): Badjaos as contented and simple people - Goffman (1959): Understanding the identity of others and presentation of our own position to that identity Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 173 Theory - Power in social practices - Individual as both objects and subjects - Knowledge as power  Narratives: Knowledge of the self  Connect to Goffman (1959) and the approach of hermeneutics (subjectivity and interpretations)  Power domination in subjectivity and interpretations 2. Otherization of the Badjao Personhood: Locating Identity Through Multicultural Interactions Context/Discussion of Results - Hostility of perceptions – Badjaos tend are shunned because “they are Badjaos” - Belittlement of other people - Low morale as a prejudice due to illiteracy - Imposition to Badjaos as dirty people - Badjao as a subject tied to one’s consciousness - Rare interactions with other tribes Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 174 Analysis - Preconceived notions of prejudice – the context of exclusionary perception vs Badjaos - Stereotypes of the Badjao personhood - Imposition of mainstream trends – hindrance to the Badjao Literature - Woodward (2004): Formation of identities through interactions - Goffman (1959): Juxtaposition of roles and identities - Drake (2010): Incidental markers; identities as founded based on biases - Taylor and Spencer (2004): Constant effort to escape, fix or perpetuate images and meanings of others - Rodrigues and Game (1998): Mobilization as a navigation of power: advantages and disadvantages - Hagey and Mackay (1994): Domination in the interconnected context of ethnicity, race and nation Theory - Perpetuating subjectivity through power relations through the examination of discourses and social practices - Role vs identity in domination and resistance - Movement as a unit of analysis of power navigation - Impact of outside knowledge following power contestations Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 175 II. NAVIGATION OF POLITICAL REPRESENTATION 3. The Question of Voice: Illusion of Representation Context/Discussion of Results - The Badjaos have political representation in the government but lacks enough voice - The Badjao voice usually falls on deaf ears - Belittlement of voice - Power play in Maranao governmental dominance - Disadvantages of illiteracy - Comparison of intra- and inter-group involvement  Intra-group: fear, apathy, self-contentment, Tambayan  Inter-group: used to the advantage of others Analysis - Power play in the guarantee of voice - Questioning the extent of representation - Subjugation of voice due to exclusionary contestations of power Literature - Mehan (1996): Rationalization/Normalization of negative impositions Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 176 - Pilapil (2015): Identity politics as a struggle for liberation from imposition and self-determination - Drake (2010): The question of justice as the main objective of the struggle for liberation and self-determination vs negative biases and impositions - Rodrigues and Game (1998): Extent of mobilization in navigating power amid imposed negative biases Theory - Power play – dominance in competing voices – subjugation of voice - Power play – guarantee of voice – liberation of identity and selfdetermination - The Badjao movement as subject to dominance in representation 4. Representational Cognizance: Examining the Analytics of Navigation Context/Discussion of Results - Badjaos recognize the need for community representation - Avoidance of discrimination and belittlement - Representation as a change of hostile and exclusionary perceptions Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 177 Analysis - Challenges of multiculturalism in Isla Verde - Navigation in the power play of voice - Reexamining the realistic scope of ethnic consciousness - Sentiment of Badjaos on representation - Where is the government in the picture? Literature - Jupp (1986): State actors contribute in shaping identity construction - Krook and O’Brien (2010): Multiculturalism as an approach to reverse trends of otherization - Sun.Star Davao (Sept. 17, 2016): Bantay Laut program – did not reach Isla Verde - Estremera (2011): opposite finding – 4Ps implementation is shady - Ugmad, et. al (2009): support the findings of the study - Lagsa (2015): reinforcement of government accountability regarding the Badjao situation Theory - Navigation in the power play of competing voices - Ethnic consciousness and the need for representation Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 178 III. PRESENT CHALLENGES 5. Resignation of Resistance: Powerlessness and Dominance Context/Discussion of Results - Badjaos are used in politics - Badjaos are afraid to resist and get involved in conflicts - The question of protection - Practice of non-violence - Belief of no positive effects from resisting Analysis - Conflict interferes the flow of Badjao life – it remains unattractive and has instilled fear among them - Acceptance of marginalization – understanding the questions of hope for genuine representation - More than passive resistance, the Badjaos are subjugated, perpetuating their limitations in the social and political space - Power navigation in the social nexus retains inequality in representation due to this conclusive Badjao viewpoint, putting the assertion of their identity in stagnant position as contrasted to the dominant, exclusionary position of other voices, and as an attack to the negligence of the government authority which is supposed Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 179 to contribute in the construction of ethnic identity and in the liberation of the Badjaos from powerlessness due to impositions Literature - Krook and O’Brien (2010): opposite to the study: the Badjaos are used by the barangay government - Macalandag (2009): the process of otherizing the Badjaos - Sather (1995): Badjao exclusions from positions of power Theory - Resistance, power and dominance in the case of Badjao subjugation - Badjao acceptance of domination due to powerlessness 6. The Badjao-Maranao Tension: Fear of Victimization Context/Discussion of Results - Physical violence - Ethnic dominance of the Maranaos - Political control of the barangay government by Maranaos Analysis - Psychological effect of fear - Domination through violence Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 180 - Competing voices – Another layer to the multifold obstacles of Badjao identity representation - Understanding the power position of Maranaos based on the narratives of Badjao respondents Literature - No literature explaining the Badjao-Maranao conflict situation - Taylor and Spencer (2004): Constant effort to escape, fix or perpetuate images and meanings of others - Rodrigues and Game (1998): Tribes can navigate power in asserting identity (in the way they want people to view and treat them) – regarding the Maranaos, they have a dominating influence over the Badjaos - Hagey and Mackay (1994): The ethnic is still the other making ethnicity of the dominant group so hegemonic it does not represent itself as ethnicity at all - Reijerse, et. al (2013): Multiculturalism as a threat toward social cohesion Theory - Advantages of power dominance - Unequal representation due to Badjao subjugation and weak resistance Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 181 - Power play in the Badjaos’ fear of becoming victims of the Maranaos 7. Horizontal Hostility Context/Discussion of Results - Issues on favoritism in the provision of community aid - Intra-group conflict due to division of leadership - Question of Badjao unity Analysis - Intra-group division as a hindrance to impartial representation - Further dislocation of the position of mobility towards strengthening the collective voice of the Badjaos in socio-political activities - Fragmentation of a Badjao identity - Political inefficacy of leadership formation in establishing a collective goal - Disenfranchisement of core political mechanism to navigate the position of the Badjaos in Isla Verde Literature - No literature explaining the intra-group conflict among Badjaos Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 182 Theory - Questioning power navigation within the level of Badjao-to-Badjao conflict in leadership - IV. Examining the effects of intra-group conflict FORMS OF RESISTANCE 8. Self-Help or Self-Destruct: The Isolationist Approach in Conflict Intervention Context/Discussion of Results - Avoidance of fighting to avoid conflict - Badjaos are afraid or embarrassed to ask help - Badjao resolve their own conflicts, seldom asking for outside help - Badjaos are peace-loving people Analysis - Understanding the layered barriers of power struggles in asserting the individualistic and collective identity of Badjaos - Self-reflection: What and who do they think of themselves?  Evaluation of their narratives  Explanation of the effects of the Badjao self-recognition based on impositions – What has become of them now Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 183 that there is relativity in Badjao empowerment due to conflicts? - Examining the Badjao self-reliance in resolving conflict situations  Perpetuation of subjugation as a precursor to concept of passive resistance  Belief in the power of controlled environment in conflict intervention  To what extent? Sustainability, survivability, or just a mechanism of escape? How does the scope of conflict settlement affect the Badjao identity and representation? Literature - No literature explaining the mechanisms of the Badjaos in resolving conflicts Theory - Power struggle in self-reliance towards conflict resolution - Subject and power in passive resistance and repressed empowerment of the Badjaos Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 184 ANNEX M – MINUTES OF ORAL DEFENSE FOR THESIS PROPOSAL PAPER March 20, 2017 | Social Research and Training Development Office 8/F Xavier Hall, Community Center of the First Companions Ateneo de Davao University, E. Jacinto St., Davao City Panel Members: Researchers: Dr. Lourdesita Sobrevega-Chan (Chair) Mr. Neil Ryan Pancho Dr. Efren John Sabado Salvaña, Ian Derf C. Taynan, Cenn Teena L. PANEL COMMENT(S) / SUGGESTION(S) ACTION(S) TAKEN For the line, "On their plight to seek solutions to their fundamental concerns", specify what type of concerns. (Dr. Sabado) Give attribution to the line, “Those who relentlessly long for representation up until now include the indigenous minorities.” (Dr. Sabado) The line "rebels in the area" specify what area (Dr. Sabado) The line “region where they originated" provide where what region they originated (Dr. Sabado) Add family care and community development initiatives to your references (Dr. Sabado) Transform “What are the arts of the self or mechanisms employed” into “What are the ‘arts of the self’ employed by a Badjao”. (Dr. Chan) The statement of the problem should be gender sensitive (Dr. Chan) Explain better the Analytics of Power in the theoretical PAGES CHAPTER 1 Concerns were provided in the subsequent paragraph. 3 The line was attributed to Pilapil (2015). 3 The area was specified as the areas of Sulu and Zamboanga. The region where the Badjaos originated was discussed in the Background of the Study. Family Care and Community Development Initiatives was added in the References. The word “mechanisms” was omitted. Changed the use of “his” to “his/her”. 3 3 Ref 6 6 A conceptual framework was included to support the theoretical Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 185 framework, give the elements, outline how to analyze power relations, identity assertion, and insert the context of the Badjaos of Isla Verde. (Dr.Chan) Improve significance of the study (Dr. Sabado) Remove "This study aims to document the life history" because it is not in the objectives of the study (Dr. Sabado) Add the limitations of the study. (Dr. Sabado) The following concepts in the problematic situation must appear in the definition of terms (Dr. Sabado); 1.manifestation of identity 2. multicultural community 3. urban dweller 4. political representation 5. competing voices Add the concept of power in the definitions of terms. (Dr.Chan) Improve the definition of the “arts of the self” in the definition of terms (Dr. Chan) framework of the study. 9 Improvement of the significance of the study was provided. “Life history” was omitted in the objectives of the study. 10 Limitations of the study was incorporated in the first chapter. Such concepts were defined in the latter portion of the study’s first chapter. 11 Power was defined in the latter portion of the study’s first chapter. The definition of “arts of the self” was improved. CHAPTER 2 It should be explained in the The RRL was described as opening section that the second integrative, having conceptual, chapter is integrative and that it theoretical and methodological comprises of conceptual reviews, in the opening section of framework, theoretical framework, Chapter Two. methodological literature, etc. (Dr. Sabado) Add literature on some attempts The researchers looked into of the government and of some available pertinent literature and organizations to reach out to the other data in the SRTDO of Badjao community. (Dr. Sabado) AdDU, the Institute of Graduate School and Research of DMSF, and the Magsaysay unit of CSSDO. Literature and data found were incorporated throughout the study to supplement claims. When you quote words, you do Stand-alone quotes with less than that usually if there are more than 40 words are integrated in the 12-13 12 13 14 34 16-44 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 186 40 words (Dr. Sabado) Edit the "racial profiling" from its definition of skin color rather on the account of their cultural manifestations on their ethnicity. (Dr. Chan) Add data of the basic sociodemographic profile of the community. (Dr. Chan) Add data from CSSDO. (Dr. Chan) Refer to the research of Sebastian Duterte on Sama-Dilaut for additional information. (Dr. Chan) Go to DMSF (Davao Medical School Foundation) and find Dr. Mariano. Refer to her paper on Badjaos (Institute for Graduate School and Research). (Dr. Sabado) discussion. The researchers discussed that racial judgment is just a part of a bigger discussion on the issue of representation. Data regarding the basic sociodemographic profile of Brgy. 23-C, Davao City were included. Data from CSSDO were included in the study. The paper of Sebastian Duterte on Sama-Dilaut was used to supplement data for this study. The paper of Jessievilita Fabian, MD, entitled Concepts on Health and Health Service Utilization Among Selected Badjaos in New Canaan, Matina Aplaya, Davao City, was used to supplement data for this study. In the lengthy discussion on The hermeneutic hermeneutics, cite the person phenomenological tradition of whom you got the idea. (Dr. Heidegger and Gadamer was Sabado) discussed. Steps provided by Ajjawi and Higgs in the data analysis were also discussed. CHAPTER 3 Read key words in context The researchers read Key Words (KWIC) for back up data analysis In Context (KWIC) for back up (Dr. Sabado) data analysis. Add participant observation in the data collection procedure (Mr. Pancho, Dr. Sabado and Dr. Chan) Remove "the researcher will not only record what is said but also is also said between the lines" in the data collection procedure because it is not in the objective to have a conversational analysis (Dr. Sabado) Make an in-depth interview guide. (Dr. Sabado) Participant observation as part of the data collection procedure was added. 16 29-30 27 34 34 39-41; 45-46; 50-52 48-49 The line "the researcher will not only record what is said but also is also said between the lines" was omitted. ANNEXES An in-depth interview guide was included in the study. 108 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 187 ANNEX N – MINUTES OF ORAL DEFENSE FOR FINAL THESIS PAPER October 5, 2017 | Social Research and Training Development Office 8/F Xavier Hall, Community Center of the First Companions Ateneo de Davao University, E. Jacinto St., Davao city Panel Members: Researchers: Dr. Lourdesita Sobrevega-Chan (Chair) Mr. Neil Ryan Pancho Dr. Efren John Sabado Salvaña, Ian Derf C. Taynan, Cenn Teena L. PANEL COMMENT(S)/SUGGESTION(S) Who are the rebels you are referring to? (Dr. Chan) ACTION (S) TAKEN CHAPTER 1 The term rebels was changed to armed groups, which include the Abu Sayyaf. PAGES 3 Omit life history in the paper. (Dr. Chan) Change the words struggles and barriers to challenges in the objectives of the study (Dr. Chan) Life history was omitted. Revise some of the items in the Significance of the Study (Dr. Chan): 1. Badjao community in Isla Verde 2. Social Workers 3. Ateneo de Davao University Revise some of the Definition of Terms (Dr. Chan): 1. Social identity 2. Manifestation of identity 3. Representation 4. Political representation 5. Power 6. Power relations The section “Significance of the Study” was revised. 10 The section “Definition of Terms” was revised. 11-13 Look at historical texts on Struggles and barriers was changed to challenges. CHAPTER 2 The researchers have exhausted 4; 12; 13 6 27-34 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 188 Badjaos. (Mr. Pancho) Read the works of Henry Scott and Benedict Kerkvliet. (Mr. Pancho) Improve your Synthesis. the literature of Badjaos and have incorporated some literature about the history of dispersion of the Badjaos in the section “The Badjao People” in the Review of Related Literature. The researchers read the works of Henry Scott and Benedict Kerkvliet. The Synthesis was improved. The following are added: Ethnicity as identity Role of the state in identity construction The provision of political representation Centrality of the state in the discussion on power Power as a multidisciplinary concept CHAPTER 4 Ground the theoretical abstraction The abstractions were to reality using narratives. (Dr complimented with concrete Chan and Mr. Pancho) experiences. Traditions like what? (Dr. Chan) Traditions are explained to be in the form of weddings, burials and festivities. Consider themselves as what? This portion was edited. It read: (Dr. Chan) “Culture and tradition are essences of the Badjao personhood and thus serve as manifestations of who they are and what they consider themselves to be.” Elaborate on how the Badjaos live Substantial theoretical grounding through a subject as claimed by was incorporated in Chapter 4. Foucault. (Dr. Chan) The role of the state in identity Drag the state in the assertion of construction and voice identity and experiences of the representation was included in the Badjaos. Explain how does experiences on marginalization of analysis. Its contribution in the the Badjaos have something to do marginalization of Badjaos have been discussed throughout the with the institution. Translate into analysis as well. Challenges posed the language of politics on how by horizontal and vertical channels the agency is affected by the of power were also discussed informal channels of power (the (refer to pp.85-89). Maranaos dominating the barangay). (Dr. Chan and Mr. Pancho) 44-47 56-94 61; para 3 63; para 1 Changes are found in the thematic discussions of Chapter Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 189 Identify the modes of representation. What are the challenges in channelling power. (Dr. Chan) Give insight to what is representation from the perspectives of the Badjaos and how do they do that. (Dr. Chan) Challenges were discussed in Part 3 of analysis. The ways the Badjaos can be represented were also discussed throughout the analysis. Narratives substantially discussed the insights of Badjaos regarding their representation in the community, particularly in the ways they lobby their voice to their barangay leaders. 4 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 190 ANNEX O – GRAMMARLY EVALUATION Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 191 ANNEX P – GRAMMARIAN’S CERTIFICATE ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY E. Jacinto St., 8016 Davao City, Philippines Tel No. +62 (82) 221.2411 local 8201; Fax +63 (82) 226.4116 e-Mail: pres@addu.edu.ph * www.addu.edu.ph In Consortium with Ateneo de Zamboanga University and Xavier University Political Science and History Department CERTIFICATE This is to certify that I, Reil Benedict S. Obinque, had checked and edited the documentation of the thesis entitled “Identity and the Politics of Representation: A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City” of Ian Derf C. Salvaña and Cenn Teena L. Taynan, fourth year students under the Bachelor of Arts Major in Political Science of Ateneo de Davao University. Signed by: _________________________ Reil Benedict Obinque Grammarian (0956) 146 2435 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 192 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 193 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 194 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 195 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 196 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 197 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City 198 Identity and the Politics of Representation A Phenomenological Study of Badjao Urban Dwellers of Isla Verde, Davao City