Ktindg

ISSN 2345-8461

Volume 3 Issue 2 * January, 2015 *56pages

An official publication of the IPDEV Project, Empowering Indigenous Peoples in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

WHATS INSIDE?
3 - The Lumad equation
6 - Soldiers plant trees for IPs
8 - 2014 State of the IP Address
11 - Does the BBL offer more than the
IPRA?
14 - Celebration, Solidarity & Hope
17 - Group eyes IPs peace agenda
18 - Already hurt and confused
20 - Awards for awesome wards
26 - Reliving and enriching Sulagad
28 - A return to those old ideal ways
30 - Festival in the truest sense
32 - Who are protecting the IP children
and youth in the ARMM?
38 - Mining equates to IPs extinction
43 - Dont leave us
44 - Prayer and ritual on World IP Day
50 - 10th Project Sounding Board
51 - Salamat po!

Development
Consultants Inc.

THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED

BY THE EUROPEAN UNION

DEVCON
Recognition of the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for
Empowerment and Sustainable Development (IPDEV) is a project implemented by the consortium: Konrad
Adenauer Stiftung e.V., Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) and DEVCON Development Consultants Inc.

Ktindg, in Teduray roughly means

standing up for something, making
one be seen and be felt among the
many. The word is not far from the
Cebuano, Tagalog or Maguindanao
variations of tindog, tindig and tindeg
respectively. It is a fitting title for a
regular publication that attempts to
capture the experiences gathered
in this journey of recognizing the
rights of the Lumad in the ARMM.
With this issue, we would like to
thank everyone supporting the
projects aims, and acknowledge
those who are always striving to
make IPDEV as fruitful, meaningful
and sustainable as possible. You make
IPDEV a continously inspiring project.
Fiyo teresang!

To find out more

about IPDEV:

facebook.com/ipdevarmm
@ketind3g
for IPDEV videos and
radio recordings.
Layout and visual concepts:
ROMMEL G. REBOLLIDO
in coordination with IPDEV

The Lumad
equation

IF WE were to put a monetary value to each fully grown tree, which can absorb
50,000 gallons of water every rainfall; shed tons of leaves that are converted
to rich fertilizer that nourishes plants that nourish other life forms; cools our
surroundings at the equivalent of 40 air conditioners at full blast; and multiply
that by the number of trees in one square kilometre; and multiply that further
by the number of years that we human beings get for free would it ever be
equal to the amount of money the number of board feet we will earn after say,
five-ten-fifty years of relentless logging, environmental degradation?
Add to that the monetary value of food, dress, dances, rituals, weather
forecasting (which now has a fancy-sounding name - ethnometeorology,
governance & justice systems, flora, fauna, sacred places, lore & history.
Deduct from that the same amount of money we spend on flood victims,
landslide victims, health problems, rehabilitation and disease that resulted

MILESTONES
& EVENTS

Apr 5, 2014
Inputs on Indigenous Knowledge
Systems and Practices (IKSPs) in
the Planning workshop for the
Bangsamoro Development Plan for
the Environment

from lack of nutritious food and fresh air that forests

would have readily provided. Would the equation or the
sum or the dividend or the difference be all worth it? Do
we even have the numbers right now in our heads?
With that value that is mind-boggling to compute, one
researcher said, No government can afford to lose its
own cultures and if I may add, the forests that go with it.
The journey for Lumad recognition in the ARMM did not
start yesterday, last year nor in the last decade. Like many
of its fellow Lumads in Mindanao, it has suffered, again in
the words of researchers minoritization with the entry
of settlers and their different versions of development.
Many policies, mostly conflicting ones, have been passed
but remain wanting to be fully implemented, because they
have been conflicting in the first place.
Many days are celebrated in honor and in the name of
the IPs World IP Day, IPRA Day, UNDRIP Day theres
almost always something to celebrate any day.
But there are glimmers of hope. Twenty-seven years
after EDSA Revolution, sixteen years after the passing of
IPRA, ten years after Resolution 269, five years after MMAA

Apr 6-7, 2014

UNDP Consultations with IP leaders
on theBangsamoroDevelopment
Plan for theEnvironment

241 it was pronounced by the ARMM Government in

January of 2013 that there are no legal impediments in
implementing the IPRA in the ARMM.
Moreover, the National Commission on Indigenous
Peoples (NCIP) now has a Mindanawon Chair, an IP, a
lawyer and a lady at that, and brings with her an awareness
and consciousness level unique to our context.
In January this year, the NCIP issued an En Banc
Resolution reiterating their commitment to exercise their
mandate under the IPRA and things are cranking off to a
relatively good start.
Though long in coming, these two developments provide
a glimmer of hope in the journey of the Lumads. It is
hoped that the endless passing around of the Lumads in
the ARMM, marginalized as they are, would finally come
to a stop.
The ongoing theme for World IP Day is: Indigenous
Peoples Building Alliances: Honouring Treaties, Agreements
and other Constructive Arrangements.
We support the call of the Lumads in the ARMM
for all of us to look at IPRA again as the governments

Apr 20, 2014

BTC IP Representative Froilyn Tenorio
Mendoza signed the Bangsamoro
Basic Law (BBL) with reservation

May 5-7, 2014

Exchange and
Networking Meeting
for IP Organizations

May 19, 2014

9th Project Sounding
Board Meeting

peace agreement with the Indigenous Peoples. As pacts

and agreements were forged orally in the ways of our
forefathers, manifestation of this Word of Honor is the
issuance of the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title
(CADT) and the full implementation of the law.
In many of our roundtable discussions it is often asked
why the IP development agenda is not highlighted. The
answer may be just lying around and we who are in
the mainstream have yet to see it. For many of us, the
resources that we can make millions from are individual
logs; cubic meters of rock, gravel and sand; ores of gold,
copper, manganese; vast tracks of forested land that can
be levelled for pineapples, bananas and African palm that
are actually foreigners to local soil. But to the indigenous
eye, the forest is the resource.
Its the same forest that protects us from warm weather,
the same forest that protects us from flooding, landslides,
disease. How can we just eradicate forests whose services
we have always had for free? Only a mind with distorted
mathematics would justify sense and logic in such an
equation.
The Lumads in the ARMM Teduray, Lambangian,
Dulangan Manobo and Higaonon need all the support
they can get. From us who are in privileged positions, let
this be a call. Remember that we, too, at certain points
in our respective histories, also suffered oppression from
the powerful and the mighty. Let us not be the oppressors
of today by depriving the Lumads of what are rightfully
theirs. As one IP leader put it, You can consult us anytime
on sustainable development. We have been doing it for
thousands of years. []

This article was written by Aveen Acua-Gulo, project manager

of IPDEV, a three-year EU-assisted project for the recognition
and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples in the ARMM.

May 20, 2014

Memorandum of Agreement
Signing IPDEV-UNDP-LGU South
Upi on Solar Electrification for
four (4) barangays

May 21, 2014

22 Rotary Peace Students
from Chulalongkorn
University visit IPDEV

May 30, 2014

Fact-finding mission with
Teduray mother whose
premature baby died in a
hospital after falling from
delivery table

Soldiers plant
trees for IPs
SOLDIERS of the 6th Infantry Division
(6ID) of the Philippine Army went out
of their way to plant trees on 9 August
2014, to celebrate the International
Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples.
This is in line with IPDEVs activities
on Building Forests.
Forests are very important to the
lives of Indigenous Peoples. Forests
protect everyone from climate
change, landslides, floods.
Unregulated
logging,
mining,
quarrying,
chemical
farming
contribute to the environmental
disasters in Maguindanao, a province
which is home to three Indigenous
Peoples: Teduray, Lambangian, and
Dulangan Manobo; and Lanao del Sur,
where Higaonons also live.
Together with members of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines and
civilian employees of the 6th Infantry
Division, participants estimated to
be around 500, planted some 1000
mahogany seedlings in the Dimapatoy

June 3, 2014
Information Education
Campaign forLGUs on
the Ancestral Domain
Delineation

Watershed.
IPDEV planted two bamboo
seedlings along a gully, symbolic of
the pliant nature and versatile use of
the worlds tallest grass, along with its
capacity to protect riverbanks.
The planting site was a two-hour
walk uphill from the Metro Cotabato
Water District Pump Station.
Major General Edmundo Pangilinan,
6ID commander, hopes that with
a very conservative estimate of 25
percent survival rate of the planted
seedlings, this first initiative will leave
a legacy of 250 trees to the next

June 4-5, 2014

Natural Resources Utilization
and Management Planning
Training / Polomolok, South
Cotabato

generation.
They plan to have another round of
tree planting event before the year
ends.
Aveen Acuna-Gulo, IPDEV Project
Manager, expressed her appreciation
to the 6ID for putting into action their
motto of protecting the people and
securing the land by helping build
forests.
The good energies of the Teduray,
Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo and
Higaonon tribes will also be with you,
she said.

June 6-7, 2014

Presentation of IP Perspectives
on Development / International
Peace Conference organized by the
Archdiocese of Cotabato / Notre
Dame University

June 12-14, 2014

Institute for Autonomy and
Governance (IAG)
Teambuilding,
General Santos City

June 21-22, 2014

Para-Tech Training on
Contour Farming

2014 State
of the Indigenous
Peoples Address

June 24, 2014

Congressional Consultation
on the Bangsamoro Basic
Law, Upi, Maguindanao

WE, the bae, datu, fulong, baylan,

timuay, mantikadong, the indigenous
leaders of indigenous communities
in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao,
belonging to the different tribes of
the Blaan, Higaonon, KalanguyaIfugao, Mansaka, Erumanen ne
Menuvu, Erumanen ne Menuvu
Kirinteken,Aeta-Abellen,
Dumagat,
Palawan,
Subanen,
Subanon,
Ilongot, Manobo Matigsalog, Egongot
(Ilongot) Bugkalot, Bukidnon, Manubo
Blit, Teduray, Tagbanwa, Tasaday,
Lambangi-an, Ybanag, Remontado,
Aeta, Ayta, at Tboli-Ubo, together
in solidarity with our friends, allies
and partners have gathered here in
the University of the Philippines in
Diliman, Quezon City from 23 to 25
July 2014, to convey the true state of
the indigenous peoples in Philippines.
TRUTH
We are the indigenous peoples
of the land peoples descended
from ancestors and communities
who have been time immemorial
occupants and owners of territories
in Mindanaw, Visayas, and Luzon.
Ancestral domains land and natural
resources is life; life is our ancestral
domains. We, indigenous peoples
respect our ancestral domains, which
will be inherited and taken care of by
generations to come. We are peoples
with our own culture, beliefs, customs,

June 25, 2014

Congressional
Consultation on the
Bangsamoro Basic Law,
Midsayap, Cotabato

traditions, and laws.

JUSTICE
What is legal is not necessarily
just. Philippine state policies fail to
address our concerns and realities as
indigenous peoples. These policies
are insensitive to our diverse cultures.
They do not correct and remedy
historical and present injustices, and
human rights violations and abuses
that we continue to suffer.
1. Policies on mining and other
extractives, plantations, and other
exploitation of land and natural
resources continue to trample upon
our rights as first stewards of the land,
and our right to consent or dissent
to activities encroaching upon our
ancestral domains. Mining destroys
our territories, degrades our bodies
by chemicals, and compromises our
health especially indigenous women.
Mining fails to justly compensate for
the loss of resources, and leaves our
territories unrehabilitated and in its
plundered state.
We are victims of militarization
and human rights violations because
of the entry of these companies.
Violence and threat of violence is
used to suppress our voices, including
extrajudicial killings of indigenous
leaders.
The promised benefits of policies
on the extraction, development

June 26, 2014

Congressional Consultation
on the Bangsamoro Basic
Law, Ateneo de Davao
University

and utilization of natural resources

continue to be enjoyed only by the
private powerful few while, like
beggars, we are left to wait for doleouts from culturally insensitive projects
like the 4Ps Program; or compelled to
abide by policies ignorant of the real
situation of indigenous women such as
the prohibition for traditional healers
to assist in childbirth, or disallowing
birth to occur at home.
2. The Joint Administrative Order
No. 1 series of 2012 by the NCIP,
DENR, DAR and LRA compromised our
basic and legal rights and resulted in
the further delay in the processing
of the certification of titles over
our ancestral domains. We reject
policies like JAO1 that do not have our
participation in its formulation, and
which are deliberately made complex
resulting in the delay of the processing
of CADTs and ultimately, in the denial
of our rights.
Meanwhile, with other marginalized
peoples, communities and sectors,
we, indigenous peoples, have our
ways to resolve land and other
conflicts. We will not be deceived by
projects or activities like the National
Greening Program (NGP) by which
fake indigenous leaders were created
as well as fake NGOs, and which make
us compete against each other, or fight
against our co-equals and fellows,
whom like us are similarly exploited

June 27-29, 2014

Training of Trainors, IP
Communications Group
(IPComm)

Mining destroys our

territories, degrades our
bodies by chemicals, and
compromises our health
especially indigenous
women. Mining fails to
justly compensate for
the loss of resources,
and leaves our territories
unrehabilitated and in its
plundered state.

July 1, 2014
Global Partnerships on the
Prevention of Armed Conflict
(GPACC) delegates visit IPDEV

July 7-10, 2014

Benedikt Seeman, Country
Reresentative for Konrad
Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) visits IAG
Office, meets with IPDEV Team, IP
Leaders, CDPI, 6ID Phil. Army

we do not entirely reject this IP

mandatory representation in local
legislative councils we reject fake
representatives that are chosen by
LGUs, by the NCIP, or by any person or
entity that do not have our mandate
nor represent our true and collective
interest, and which only satisfy a
persons or a fews greed.

and downtrodden.
3. We, as indigenous peoples,
have our own governance, our own
Indigenous Political Structures (IPS).
Our own governance and IPS are
often not reflected in state laws and
policies. We recognize the women in
our community as equals and partners
in decision-making. The state policy of
IP mandatory representation in local
legislative councils has generally
been used by local political elites
for their own selfish interests. While

PEACE
We are indigenous peoples; we
have the right to self-determination.
We, too, want lasting peace in
Mindanaw. We support everyone who
works for the attainment of peace
in Mindanaw. We support the full
inclusion of indigenous peoples rights
in the core area in the Bangsamoro
Basic Law and full exclusion of the
adjacent IP territories. We recognize
the diversity of indigenous peoples
and communities in Mindanaw. We
affirm that our identity as indigenous
peoples is intrinsically linked with our
ancestral domains. Lasting peace in
Mindanaw can only be achieved if all
rights are recognized, respected and
protected and no one is excluded.
EQUALITY
We, indigenous peoples, are human
beings and as such are not inferior
to anyone. We condemn any form of
discrimination, separating us from the
rest of the Filipino people through

July 8, 2014
10th Project Sounding
Board (PSB) Meeting

health, education, access to food and

peaceful living.
WE ARE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
AND WE CONTINUE TO ASSERT
OUR RIGHTS! UNITED, WE SHALL
STRUGGLE!
Recognize and Respect Indigenous
Peoples Rights over Ancestral
Domains! Recognize and Respect the
rights of Indigenous Women!
Scrap the Mining Act of 1995!
Enact the Alternative Minerals
Management Bill! Fast track the
processing and awarding of CADTs!
Scrap JAO 1 series of 2012! Respect
Indigenous Peoples Governance and
Indigenous Political Structures!
Full participation of IPs in all levels
of Decision making affecting ADs/ALs!
Investigate the implementation of
NGP in Ancestral Domains!
Ensure consistency of 4Ps with
the customs and traditions of its IP
beneficiaries!
Investigate incidents of human
rights violations and hold Human
Rights violators accountable!
Respect
Indigenous
Peoples
Customary Laws!
Transform
the
NCIP!
Make
government officials accountable!
Recognize Indigenous Peoples
Rights in the Bangsamoro Basic Law!
Full Support of the Peace
Agreements!

10

July 18, 2014

Information Education
Campaign (IEC) on
the Ancestral Domain
Delineation, Mt Firis

IT will be IPRA plus plus plus, Cagayan

de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez told a
crowd of about 400 at the Upi School
Gym during the public hearing on
October 22, 2014. It was the first out
of town hearing on the Bangsamoro
Basic Law or what is known as House
Bill 4994.
The chair of the 75-member
House of Representatives Ad Hoc
Committee on the Bangsamoro Basic
Law (AHCBBL) assured the residents
of this predominantly Lumad town
that what the Indigenous Peoples
Rights Act (IPRA) had given them will
not be diminished, but will instead be
enhanced in the future Bangsamoro.
Cong. Rodriguez explained that
although HB 4994 does not specifically
mention IPRA, both government (GPH)
and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) claim that the BBL provides for
all the rights guaranteed under IPRA,
a national law passed on October 29,

9
11

July 24, 2014

Roundtable Discussion on IP
Child and Maternal Health
Care: Indigenous Practices vis-vis No Home-Birthing Policy
of Government

Aug 4-6, 2014

IPComm members undergo
trainings on newswriting
and radio c/o KuMuNet
andforumZFD

Does the BBL

offer more
than the IPRA?
1997, although not implemented in
the IP areas under the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM),
the core territory of the proposed
Bangsamoro government.
The indigenous peoples should not
worry, he said, because the proposed
BBL recognizes, promotes and
protects the rights of the IPS to:
their native titles and/or fusaka inged,
indigenous customs and traditions,
justice systems and indigenous
political structures; an equitable share
in revenues from the utilization of
resources in their ancestral lands; free
and prior informed consent; political
participation in the Bangsamoro
Government including reserved
seats for the Indigenous Peoples in
the Bangsamoro Parliament; basic
services; freedom of choice as to their
identity.
But does the BBL really offer more
than the IPRA? No.

Arguably, the four bundles of rights

recognized in the IPRA are mentioned
in some of the provisions of the BBL.
The BBL version, however, pales in
comparison with the bundles of rights
as already enshrined in the IPRA, the
Philippine Constitution and the United
Nations Declaration of the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). By way
of comparison, the provisions in the
IPRA which can be related to some of
the IP provisions in the BBL are herein
enumerated in succeeding tables.

As a legal practitioner on IP rights, and

one who took part in defending some
applications for certificate of ancestral
domain titles before the NCIP, I submit
that there are some BBL provisions on
indigenous peoples rights that cast
serious issues on the IP rights that are
already protected and recognized by the
IPRA and other legal instruments.
I. The indigenous peoples right to
ancestral domains/ancestral lands being

Aug 9, 2014
Sixth Infantry Division
conducts Tree Planting
Activities forWorld IP Day
at Dimapatoy Watershed

Aug 11, 2014

World IP Day Celebration:
Tedurays raise deep
concern on Mining
Activities in Upi

subject to judicial affirmation

As mentioned in the BBL, the recognition of ownership
of ancestral domains of indigenous cultural communities is
subject to judicial affirmation. What does judicial affirmation/
confirmation entail? In the case of Gregoria Martinez vs. Court
of Appeals, the Supreme Court explained the procedure and
other requirements on judicial confirmation of imperfect title.
The confirmation of imperfect or incomplete titles to
alienable and disposable agricultural land of the public
domain may be done in two ways: judicial legalization or
judicial confirmation of imperfect or incomplete titles under
Chapter VIII, and administrative legalization or free patent
under Chapter VII of the Public Land Act.
Any citizen of the Philippines, occupying lands of the
public domain or claiming to own any such lands or an
interest therein, but whose titles have not been perfected or
completed, may apply with the RTC of the province where the

Aug 12, 2014

CSOs are oriented on the
Extractive Industry Transparency
Initiative (EITI) in partnership
with Kilos Ka and Bantay Kita, St
Joseph Retreat Center

land is located for confirmation of his/her claim and the issuance

of a certificate of title therefore under the Property Registration
Decree. Such applicants must by themselves or through their
predecessors in interest have been in open, continuous,
exclusive, and notorious possession and occupation of alienable
and disposable agricultural lands of the public domain, under
a bona fide claim of acquisition or ownership, since June 12,
1945, except when prevented by war or force majeure, shall
be conclusively presumed to have performed all the conditions
essential to a Government grant. At present, such applications

12

Aug 14, 2014

Seventeen (17)
Rotary Peace Scholars
of Chulalongkorn
University visit IPDEV

for judicial confirmation of imperfect or

incomplete titles must be filed prior to 31
December 2020; and must cover an area
of up to 12 hectares only.
When the conditions specified in
Section 48(b) of the Public Land Act are
complied with, the possessor is deemed
to have acquired, by operation of law, a
right to a grant, without the necessity
of a certificate of title being issued. The
land, therefore, ceased to be of the public
domain, and beyond the authority of
the director of lands to dispose of. The
application for confirmation is a mere
formality, the lack of which does not
affect the legal sufficiency of the title as
would be evidenced by the patent and
the Torrens title to be issued upon the
strength of said patent. For all legal intents
and purposes, the land is segregated
from the public domain, because the
beneficiary is conclusively presumed
to have performed all the conditions
essential to a Government grant and shall
be entitled to a certificate of title under
the provisions of this chapter.
Section 44, Chapter VII of the Public
Land Act provides that the applicant for
administrative confirmation of imperfect
title must be a natural born citizen of the
Philippines who is not the owner of more
than 12 hectares and who, for at least 30
years prior to the effectivity of Republic
Act No. 6940 amending the Public Land
Act, has continuously occupied and
cultivated, either by himself or through
his predecessor-in-interest, a tract or
tracts of agricultural public land subject
to disposition, who shall have paid the

13

Aug 30, 2014

Consultation on Violations of IP
Rights, Romonggaob, South Upi
initiated by BTC Commissioner
Mendoza and the Third Party
Monitoring Team (TPMT)

real estate tax thereon while the same

has not
Based on the above, judicial
confirmation before rights to ownership
over indigenous peoples lands may
be confirmed/awarded, would entail
additional burden on indigenous
communities, other than what is required
under the IPRA, which may constrain
them from protecting their lands
through formal titling. In comparison,
the IPRA adopts a participatory approach
where the decisive role of indigenous
communities in all activities relevant
the recognition and titling of ancestral
domains is made imperative.
Under the Indigenous Peoples Rights
Act, self-delineation is the guiding
principle in the identification and
delineation of ancestral domains (Sec.
51, Chap VIII, RA 8371). This principle
of self-delineation is more in keeping
with the Constitution that recognizes
the applicability of customary laws in
determining the extent and ownership
of ancestral domains (Article XII, Sec. 5);
even the UNDRIP states that indigenous
peoples have the right to participate in
State processes in giving due recognition
to indigenous peoples territories and
resources (Article 27, UNDRIP).
As will be explained, the rights to
ancestral domains of indigenous peoples
recognized in the Constitution, the
UNDRIP and the IPRA are threatened in
ways that may destroy the essence of
these domains to Filipino indigenous
communities.
a. It threatens to challenge the identity

Aug 30, 2014

Donors Ocular Visit, Benuan
Elementary School, Bgy Kuya,
South Upi

of the ancestral domains

Judicial affirmation/confirmation of
imperfect title to lands is required in
the process of acquiring title to lands in
the Philippines pursuant to the Regalian
doctrine applicable in our jurisdiction.
Pursuant to the Regalian Doctrine (Jura
Regalia), a legal concept first introduced
into the country from the West by Spain
through the Laws of the Indies and the
Royal Cedulas, all lands of the public
domain belong to the State. This means
that the State is the source of any asserted
right to ownership of land, and is charged
with the conservation of such patrimony.
All lands not appearing to be clearly
under private ownership are presumed
to belong to the State. Also, public lands
remain part of the inalienable land of the
public domain unless the State is shown
to have reclassified or alienated them to
private persons.
In contrast, the land and territorial
claims of indigenous peoples is
deemed embedded in history, prior
to the establishment of States. In the
Philippines, the IPRA recognizes that
indigenous peoples ancestral domains
have never been public lands, since they
are held based on pre-conquest rights of
indigenous communities under a claim of
private ownership and are indisputably
presumed to have been held that way
since before the Spanish Conquest. These
pre-conquest rights to ancestral domains
are known as the native title. xxx
It might, perhaps, be proper and
sufficient to say that when, as far back as

Read more, page 46

Sept 6-8, 2014

Fact-finding Mission on
mining activities on Mt
Fakal

Sept 8-9, 2014

Validation Mission for
Dulangan Manobo, Social
Preparation Activities for
Ancestral Domain Delineation

Sept 10-12, 2014

Last Exchange and
Networking Meeting

Celebration, solidarity
and hope

COURTESIES.
I welcome you all to this event of celebration, solidarity, and
hope.
We celebrate today the consensus reached in the Bangsamoro
Transition Commission (BTC) of the draft public policies governing
the Indigenous People in the Bangsamoro. This consensus was
possible because of the historical kinship that all indigenous
people in Mindanao share for centuries of struggle against all
forms of colonization.
This solidarity and kinship makes us hopeful and confident
that we will overcome more challenges in our collective and
continuing assertion for self-determination.
The provisions on the IPs in the draft BBL are consistent and
build on the terms of the Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro (CAB).
Let me provide you the main features of the draft provisions.
The heart of this section is the recognition by the Bangsamoro
government of the rights of the indigenous peoples and it is
mandatory that it adopts measures to protect and promote IP
rights particularly the following:
1) The right of the IPs to their native titles and/or fusakainged,
indigenous customs and tradition, justice systems and indigenous
political structures;
2) Right to an equitable share in revenues from utilization of
resources in their ancestral lands;
3) Right to free and prior and informed consent;
4) Right to political participation including at least two (2)
reserved seats for the IPs in the Parliament;
5) Right to basic services and;
6) Right to freedom of choice as to their identity.
(IP Policy Speech delivered by Bangsamoro Transition Commission Chair
The reserved seats in the Parliament were expressly identified Mohagher Iqbal during the Solidarity Event, May 23, 2014, Sharingri-la EDSA
as allocated for the Tedurays, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo, Hotel, Mandaluyong City)

14

Sept 19, 2014

DSWD-Mindanao
Humanitarian Team (MHT)
Convergence Meeting
(IPDEV is under the
Protection Cluster)

Sept 24-27, 2014

Teduray ADSDPP Validated
together with Genealogy

Blaan and Higaonon. The customary processes of these IP

groups will generate a list of nominees from which the Chief
Minister will appoint the IP reserved seats representatives.
The draft further provides that it is mandatory for
Parliament to enact the mechanisms for the equitable
shares of the IPs to exploration of natural resources in
their ancestral lands subject to their exercise of their right
to free, prior and informed consent. The Parliament will
also have to legislate a justice system appropriate for the
indigenous peoples as defined by them.
The draft BBL reiterates the obligation of the Bangsamoro
government as provided for in the CAB to protect the
rights of the IPs in accordance with the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
The draft also provides that the Parliament may create
an appropriate office or ministry for the IPs which shall be
part of the Bangsamoro cabinet to develop and implement
the programs for the IPs.
The Parliament may create appropriate local government
units in the areas inhabited predominantly by the IPs
subject to the criteria it may set forth in the regional Local
Government Code.
I make the following observations on these draft
provisions.
First, theyprovide guarantees for the protection and
promotion of the rights of the IPs in the Bangsamoro. When
the Bangsamoro government is in place, the IPs should be
confident that their native title and/or fusakainged over
particular areas is recognized and within these areas, they
will enjoy broad rights.
Second, the provisions are broadly formulated to allow
the parliament enough flexibility to evolve the mechanisms
for the full protection and promotion of the IP rights in the
context of the Bangsamoro.
Third, the provisions do not make any distinction as to
Islamized and non-islamized IPs to promote unity and

15

Oct 1-3, 2014

UNICEF Seminar on Creating
Connections: Training of Trainors
on IP Adolescent Health
(Para-HTs)

kinship among the different IP groups founded on shared

vision, principles and future. The only instance that
particular IP groups were mentioned is with reference to
the reserved seats for IPs to forestall any doubt that those
seats were indeed reserved for these IP groups.
Fourth, the provisions clearly establish the strong
foundation for continuing dialogue and the assertion of
the IPs of their rights on one hand and the concomitant
obligation on the part of the Bangsamoro government
to protect and promote IP rights guaranteed under
international and domestic laws on the other. In the
end, guarantees and protection in law are good only up
to the extent that the IPs themselves are able to assert
and demand respect for their rights. On the other hand,
the Bangsamoro government will have to enact policies to
ensure that the IPs right to their native title are effectively
exercised.
The IP provisions in the draft BBL provide only the
general principles.Mechanisms, structures and processes
have to be fleshed out in regional legislations. The BTC
understands the predicament of the IPs under the ARMM
where applicable laws and mechanisms for the exercise of
their rights were vague, inadequate and when recognized,
were poorly implemented. It is for this reason that the BTC
has formed a multi-stakeholder task force on indigenous
concerns to begin even at this early stage a consensusbuilding process for putting in place the mechanisms and
processes to implement the IP provisions in the Basic Law.
The task force is mandated to complete the following tasks
before the BTC ends its term:
Build support of all stakeholders to the IP provisions in
the Draft Basic Law.
Continue to explore and dialogue on the best mechanisms
and processes to implement the IP provisions that include
among others the identification of IP areas and tenurial
instruments for submission as legislation to the BTC, BTA

Oct 7-8, 2014

IP Exposure Tour to Manila: Overview
of the De Bono Thinking Methods on
Decision-Making / Tour of Intramuros,
Rizal Park, National Museum, NCIP
National Office,

and to the Bangsamoro Parliament.

Conduct confidence-building measures to foster
understanding and cooperation between and among IP
groups.
The establishment of the task force concretely
demonstrates our commitment to respect and promote
the rights and welfare of all IPsespecially the IP groups
that continue to feel marginalized in the autonomous
region. Reaching a consensus on this roadmap for the IPs
has not been easy. The IP issue has been one of the most
difficult and complex concerns I addressed as Chair of
the BTC. Understandably, groups held on to unshakeable
ancestral domain claims backed by clashing interpretation
of international and domestic legal and political principles.
Yet, a zero-sum, take no prisoners approach in
addressing this complex issue proved counter-productive
and destructive of relationships that are key to building
peace in our communities. We made progress only when
we took on a new lens and develop a new language that
will foster unity not division in our communities. With this
new lens, we can now imagine a Bangsamoro where all
groups equitably and mutually reap what have been gained

Oct 8, 2014
Last National Roundtable
Discussions on IP Provisions
in the Bangsamoro Basic
Law

Oct 15, 2014

IPDEV submits
comments on Draft
ARMM Mining Bill

in our quest for self-determination on top of rights already

enjoyed by each and every person or group. We should
focus our energies to weaving our beliefs, laws and rights
towards forming a tapestry of peace, unity and progress in
the Bangsamoro.
Let me call on the IP stakeholders and champions to
engage the BTC task force and continue the dialogue we
began in the BTC towards realizing the vision behind the IP
policies in the proposed BBL. For those who believe that
the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) answers the long
struggle of the IPs to protect their ancestral domain claim,
rest assured that we respect that stand. There is no rancour
in our heart. It is part of their right to self-determination.
In the same vein, I am appealing to them [to] also respect
the view and stand of the MILF, clearly contained in all
signed documents and in the proposed BBL, that there is
only one ancestral domain in the Bangsamoro, which is
owned by Moros and IPs. Give us the chance to prove that
in the Bangsamoro, the IPs have a bright future. This we
will prove once the Bangsamoro is in place.
Let me thank the two IP representatives in the BTC,
Commissioner Froilyn Mendoza and Commissioner
Melanio Ulama who were both passionate in articulating
the sentiments of the IPs in the drafting of the law. I
thank them for their openness to explore avenues for
cooperation and consensus.
I would like to thank all my fellow commissioners for
exerting the effort to understand the complex subject of
the IPs. My gratitude to the IP experts and advocates who
helped us explore possible options moving forward.
Finally, let me thank the Center for Humanitarian
Dialogue (CHD) with support from the European Union (EU)
for providing technical, facilitation and logistical support
to the consensus-building process. CHD will continue to
provide assistance to the Task Force on IP Concerns.
Thank you.

16

Oct 18, 2014

Exploratory Meeting with
UNICEF for Partnership
on IP Adolescent Health
(Para-HTs)

Oct 20, 2014

Teduray/Lambangian
Monom is documented
by researcher Elmer
Nocheseda of Ateneo de
Manila

Oct 28-30, 2014

First Indigenous Peoples
Cultural Festival held at Notre
Dame University in Cotabato
City

Group eyes IPs

peace agenda

AN 18-member Solidarity Mission

from the Global Partnerships on the
Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)
visited the Institute for Autonomy &
Governance (IAG) on July 1, 2014.
The mission, led by Gus Miclat of the
International Initiatives for Dialogue
(IID), came with representatives from
Malaysia, Aceh, Timor Leste, South
Thailand, Cambodia, Netherlands,
Myanmar and the Philippines.
Other organizational affiliations of

17

the delegates are SUARAM (Malaysias

Human
Rights
Organization);
Indonesian Peacebuilding Institute,
Kdadalak Sulimutuk Institut and
Ermera Farmers Union (UNAER);
Youth for Peace and Development
Academy (YDA); National Democratic
Institute for International Affairs
(NDI); University of Netherlands;
Asian Forum for Human Rights and
Development (FORUM-ASIA); Gaston
Z. Ortigas Peace Institute; Kachin
Peace Network; Generation Peace
Youth Network (GenPeace); Center
for Peace Education, Mindanao
PeaceWeavers.
The Solidarity Mission is meeting
with various stakeholders in support
of the passing of the Bangsamoro
Basic Law (BBL).
It was also an opportunity for them
to hear the agenda of the Indigenous
Peoples in Maguindanao namely the
Teduray, Lambangian and Dulangan
Manobo, which is mainly the inclusion
of IP rights.

Nov 4-6, 2014

IPComm members undergo
training on Basic Journalism with
Kutawato Multi-Media Network
(KuMuNet) and forumZFD

WE hope that this time, we will be heard, and

our desires as a people will actually be considered
and included in the forging of a genuine peace
here in Mindanao.
This was expressed by Timuay Alim Bandara,
a Teduray leader of the Timuay Justice and
Governance, in the congressional hearing held in
Upi, Maguindanao on August 25, 2014.
The Committee on the National Cultural
Communities and Indigenous Peoples of the
House of Representatives conducted yesterday
the first ever congressional public consultation in
Upi, Maguindanao on the Hopes and Aspirations
of the Indigenous Peoples in the Bangsamoro
that gathered close to 800 participants from
North and South Upi.
The six members of the committee led by
Rep. Nancy A. Catamco heard the various issues
and concerns of the Teduray, Lambangian and
Dulangan Manobo relating to their socio-cultural,
economic and political future in the Bangsamoro.
The committee hoped that this discourse will
prepare them in deliberating the Bangsamoro
Basic Law (BBL) once it reaches Congress.
We all agreed that we are supporting the
peace process but there are several issues that
we want to clarify especially on the ancestral
domains in the Bangsamoro, said Rep. Catamco.
The Teduray, Lambangian and Dulangan
Manobo in the prospective Bangsamoro are
more or less 122, 327 individuals in a 201,
850-hectare unified ancestral domain claim
which covers the whole area of Upi, Datu Blah
Sinsuat and South Upi as well as some parts of
Datu Odin Sinsuat, Shariff Aguak, Datu Hofer,
Talayan, Guindulungan, Ampatuan and Datu

Nov 17, 2014

Launching of Cultural
Village Competition, ARMM
25th Anniversary. Teduray
Village part of Maguindanao
Village

Nov 19-20, 2014

IP Health Summit,
Brokenshire, Davao City

CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE CONSULTATIONS

Hurt and
confused

18

Nov 20 Dec 11
Final Session with Barangays:
ESDEV Evaluation / Signing
off of Community Volunteers
/ Turning over of IPDEV
Tarpaulin Maps

Abdullah Sangki in Maguindanao.

Some 17 years after the Indigenous
Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) was
signed, the delineation process still
remains at the initial stage despite the
problems of logging, mining and other
development projects that continue to
plague the indigenous communities.
Bandara shared his fear that despite
their incessant efforts to peacefully
struggle for its delineation, the
Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro (CAB) specifically in the
Annex on Power-Sharing, placed the
ancestral domain of the indigenous
peoples under the exclusive power of

19

Nov 21, 2014

Meeting with IP leaders
on ADSDPP implementing
mechanisms (Upi)

the Bangsamoro.
Our participation in this public
consultation is a manifestation that
we are already hurt and confused,
Bandara lamented.
Meanwhile, Cong. Teddy Baguilat,
the vice-chair of the committee
assured the indigenous peoples that
the BBL is not a hindrance to the
ancestral domain delineation. We
encourage the NCIP to continue with
the delineation.
This long-drawn assertion of the IPs
in the proposed core territory of the
Bangsamoro is a product of raising
the stakes in the peace process and

Nov 27-38, 2014

IP Representative undergo
training on Mushroom
Production in Central Mindanao
University, Musuan, Bukidnon

making it more inclusive. Along this

line, Timuay Labi Sannie Bello of
the Timuay Justice and Governance
(TJG) ended with an appeal that this
politically-negotiated
settlement
made to address the historical
injustices done to the Bangsamoro
peoples will likewise correct the
injustices done to the Indigenous
Peoples through the passage of time.
The consultation was hosted by the
local government of Upi led by Mayor
Ramon Piang, Sr. The Committee will
hold further public consultations in
Midsayap and Davao on June 25 and
26, respectively.

Jun 12-14, 2014

Institute for Autonomy and
Governance (IAG)
Teambuilding,
General Santos City

Jun 21-22, 2014

Para-Tech Training on
Contour Farming

Awards for
awesome
wards!

Talk for an hour, you produce

air. Plant seeds for an hour,
wait for a week, you produce
plants.

- Indigenous Wisdom

Jun 24, 2014

Congressional Consultation
on the Bangsamoro Basic
Law, Upi, Maguindanao

JOEL Jurimocha bested other IP paratechnicians in the Autonomous Region

in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), taking
the top spot in the Para-Technician
Awards.
Jurimocha is known to have shared
his learning in organic farming,
multi-cropping and contour farming
among other farmers in his place in
Bugabungan as well as in Kiga and
Bungcog, all in Upi, Maguindanao.
He is into his own advocacy,
promoting gardening among schools
and residents.
Fernando Bansigan took the second
place in the Paratech Awards. Bansigan
is known for his involvement in other
community services and still able to

20

Jun 25, 2014

Congressional
Consultation on the
Bangsamoro Basic
Law, Midsayap,
Cotabato

Jun 26, 2014

Congressional
Consultation on the
Bangsamoro Basic
Law, Ateneo de Davao
University

Jun 27-29, 2014

Training of Trainors,
IP Communications
Group (IPComm)

Dec 12, 2014

IPDEV
Decommissioning
Workshop

Joel Jurimocha shows

the fruit of his labor in
his two-hectare farm.

Fernando
Bansigan
promotes organic
farming in his
community.

perform as a para technician to 13

farmers in Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat
town in Maguindanao.
Bansigan is recognized for his
successful endeavor in planting food
crops like banana, vegetables, sweet
potato, cassava and in applying
contour farming and bayanihan to his
own farm.
Jurimocha and Bansigan were
among nine IPs nominated and
screened for the Para-Technician
Awards by IPDEV in the 1st IP Cultural
Festival held during the 17th IPRA
Thanksgiving Day on 29 October
2014 at the Notre Dame University
Gymnasium in Cotabato City.
The nominees were screened

21

according to how they assisted their

fellow farmers in implementing their
individual farm plans; how they applied
human-friendly and environmentfriendly farming technologies.
Trainings provided by IPDEV to
80 barangays included Sustainable
Agriculture,
Coastal
Resource
Management, Natural Resource
Management & Planning, Sloping
Agricultural Land Technology (SALT),
organic farming (vermicomposting),
among others.
Harnessing the land that is
connected to the life of the IP is based
on the indigenous concept of Sulagad
which is the system of farming that
ensures self-sufficiency when it comes

Dec 12-14, 2014

External Evaluation:Meeting
with stakeholders IPCOMM,
DEVCON, Development
Facilitators, Fr Jun Mercado,

Dec 15, 2014

UNICEF Partners Meeting
on Adolescent Health (ParaHTs)

Jan 19-21, 2015

Creating Connections:
Training on IP Adolescent
Health with UNICEF
(Transition Programs)

to food production.
The other nominees include Ben
Arthur Avila from Mirab, Upi, Liezel
Dagat of Bongo, Mandrezo Kindan, 61,
of Kauran, Ampatuan, Maguindanao,
Ernesto Mao of Badak, Armida Namoc
of Tinungkaan, and Rosie Oguid, also
of Tinungkaan and Imelda Villareal of
Lamud,
The Para-Technician Awards criteria
for judging include assistance to fellow
IP farmers in the implementation of
indivifual farm lots plan 20 percent,
paratech must showcase and
demonstrate application of new but
environment and human-friendly
technologies 30 oercent, lobby and
represent IP organization to access
support for agriculture and farming
activities of IPs in the barangay
(municipal, province, ARMM) 10
percent, participation of original
farmers in the three consecutive
session of farm planning activity 10
percent, fellow farmers adoption of
sustainable farming system technology
20 percent, and paratechs own farm
plan implementation 10 percent.
Best Farms
For IPs with the Best Farms, Merlita
Cuarte of Sitio Brawer, Pilar, South
Upi, Maguindanao, garnered the first
prize.
Cuarte is an exemplar of a woman
with high level of hard work and

22

Jan 26-30, 2015

Distribution of ADSPPs
to stakeholders

passion for farming. She was able to

convince her husband to embrace
sustainable agriculture. An active
community service provider, Cuarte
has a big heart for sick and needy
relatives and neighbors.
Juliemar Carumba of Sitio Rifra,
Looy, South Upi, Maguindanao, took
second place, with his contour farm
full of fruit trees, corn and vegetables

23

Jan 28-29, 2015

Development of Indigenized
Security Protocol on Human
Rights Monitoring (Transition
Programs)

which he grows using traditional

organic methods. Carumba do not use
chemical-based herbicides, believing
it will destroy the soil.
In his farm, Carumba planted
marigold and lemongrass as natural
pest repellant. He raises cows, a
carabao, hogs, sheeps, chicken and is
developing a fishpond.
He believes that when planting

Jan 31, 2015

IPDEV Project ends

sweet potato, ladies must sit down.

Seeing stars when planting means
good harvest.
Third place went to Melvin Mariano
of Kinitaan, Upi, Maguindanao. Like
Carumba, Mariano employs Sloping
Agricultural Land Technology (SALT)
in his farm. He maintains a vermibed
and has been using the harvested
vermicast on his vegetable crops.

Mariano practices the traditional

Batya, a ritual before planting that
seeks for power and authority to take
care of the plants.
After only just a year of undergoing
training, twelve (12) IPs were
nominated and screened for the Best
Farm Awards by IPDEV in the 1st IP
Cultural Festival held during the 17th
IPRA Thanksgiving Day on 29 October
2014.
The nominees were screened

according to how they applied Sloping

Agricultural Land Technology (SALT),
Organic Farming / Vermiculture
Fertilizer Production; and Indigenous
Knowledge Systems and Practices
(IKSPs); and not using herbicides and
weedkillers.
The application of sustainable
agriculture
technology
makes
cultivating the land a joy, rather than
a burden to the farmer.
Harnessing the land that is

connected to the life of the IP is based

on the indigenous concept of Sulagad
which is the system of farming that
ensures self-sufficiency when it comes
to food production.
Other nominees for the awards
were Marlon Samar of Lamud, South
Upi, Maguindanao, Junie Tapioc of
Biarong, South Upi, Juanario Bello of
sitio Brongis, Kibleg, Upi, Simplicio
Martin of Matuber, Datu Odin Sinsuat
town in Maguindanao, Melinda Emoy

24

of sitio Segawit, Ranao Pilayan in Upi,

Ronie Alejo of Rifao, Upi, Elena Usman
of sitio Kabalu, Borongotan, Upi,
and Fernando Kanakan of Tomicor,
Ampatuan, Maguindanao, and Susan
Quinientoz of sitio Mitug, Kusiong,
Datu Odin SInsuat town.
The criteria for judging include: For
a) SALT farming 45 percent, Permanent
crops 15 percent, short term crops
5 percent, crop rotation 5 percent,
livestock, poultry, fishpond 10%,

25

contours 10 percent. For b) organic 45

percent, vermi production and use 20
percent, concoctions/soil conditioners
15 percent, insect repellent plants
5 percent, knowledge 5 percent; For
IKSP in Agri 5 percent, ritual before
planting and after harvest, analyzing
the cosmos as to what period/day is
best for planting; d) doing away with
herbicide 5 percent.
The awards came as IPDEV wraps up
its three years of service.

The application of
sustainable agriculture
technology makes
cultivating the land a joy,
rather than a burden to
the farmer.

Reliving
SOME 25 IP residents of Sitio
Paningusan, Barangay Awang, Datu
Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao,
participated in a training on Contour
Farming.
The skies were clear and the sun was
shining bright. The heavy downpour
the day before rendered the soil
manageable for staking and digging.
Participants learn Contour Farming
along with Diversified Integrated
Farming Systems (DIFS) which is
actually the indigenous farming
practice of Sulagad.
The process of reclaiming the land
will free them from dependence on
chemical agricultural inputs.
Economic empowerment also
means Food Security in the household

26

g and enriching
Sulagad

level.
According to Teduray Leader Jovito
Martin: Our tribe started suffering
from crisis when the cash economy
came in. We thought our lives will be
better if we sell all our produce. Its
time to revive the age-old practice of
retaining in the home our harvest for
our needs and sell only the excess.
Sitio Paningusan was chosen to
be the model farm-cum-nursery
from where other Para-Technicians
can train and bring back to their
respective barangays what they have

27

learned. The area is approximately 10

kilometers from the heart of Cotabato
City. It has its own small lake, sloping
land, farmlands, mini-forests. The
Indigenous Peoples Organization has
just been organized and registered.
Model farms will be chosen from
the 80 IPDEV-covered barangays.
Participants themselves developed
the selection criteria based from their
learnings in the past year and a half
on sustainable agriculture and Natural
Resource Management.

A return
to those old
ideal ways

PARTICIPANTS to IPDEVs Diversified

Integrated Farming Systems from
barangays Rifao, Bantek, and Ranao
Pilayan, in Upi, barangay Romongaob
in South Upi, and barangay Fugotan in
Talayan town were asked to describe
their life being a farmer.
All of them claimed they have lands
of their own, with sizes ranging from
two to eight hectares. They said the
lands are planted to diverse crops
along with several livestock.
As such, they said their lives are on
the average, not poor.
It was explained to them that
living a farmers life on the average
is an indication of their own positive
mentality towards farm-especially
hard work.
They were told that for many IP nonleader farmers who are poor, their
situation may also be an indication
that they fail to fully develop their
land-which all can be due to question
of hardwork.
Notably, many IP farmers today
develop only about a quarter to a
hectare of their 2-5 hectare land area.
Thus, making the rest idle and wasted.
This is, of course, aside from
external factors which are beyond
control of individual farmers like
weather conditions, road condition,
exploitation by buyer-traders, and
several other factors.
They were reminded of the timetested Teduray and Lambangian
Sustainable Agricultural Practices such
as the Sulagad and Mesegetey, the
bayanihan system, and the Indigenous
Knowledge Systems and Practices on

28

farming.
In addition, they were told about
the current capacity and potentials
of IPs and their communities
which include barangays, as corn/
rice/mango/coconut/coffee/and/or
rubber-producers.
There are also barangays with
abundant supply of water for
irrigation; there are barangays which
are near the national hi-way and cost
efficient; IPs have land which have
potential for full utilization, there are
sitios which do not yet use chemicals
and so on.
The participants were also informed
of RA 10068 otherwise known as
Organic Agriculture of 2010 and the
significance of organic agriculture.
It was emphasized to them that
RA 10068 specifically identifies the
IPs and its role in the promotion of

29

organic agriculture, and the benefit of

practicing organic agriculture which
is cost-efficient, environment and
health-friendly.
They were shown some example
about the Roles of IP Organic ParaTechnician such as their own farm
being an organic model farm that
is diversified and integrated; to
train organic adopters; to do farm
visitations; to link with related govt
agencies, NGOs, UN agencies to
possible assistance and training; etc.
Further,
they
were
given
orientation on the complementary
role of local government units,
national government agencies, nongovernment organizations and other
agencies such as provision of more
training, agriculture projects, linkage
to markets, among others.
Development Facilitator Crisostomo

Jamotillo,
an
agriculturist
by
profession answered several technical
questions.
During the discussion, many
of the participants themselves
acknowledged that many IPs are
wanting in hard work, that is why
they lag behind compared to non-IPs.
They are challenged to work more in
farming and utilize idle portions of
land and plant more permanent crops.
The second day of the training,
the trainees visited farms and found
out that Paratech Ronie Alejos farm
is diversified with banana, rubber,
rice, several fruit trees, vegetables,
and integrated with goat, boars, and
carabao.
It can be noted that the effort to
bring back the IPs to their old organic
ways in sustainable farming has been
so far gaining ground.

Festival
in the
truest
sense
IT IS a unique experience having to
see and feel how indigenous peoples
live.
The four IP tribes Teduray,
Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo and
Higaonon gathered for the First IP
Cultural Festival on 27-29 October
2014 at Notre Dame University in
Cotabato City, bringing with them
treasures of their domains like houses,
household and farm implements,
ways of preparing food, hunting,
games, conflict settlements, chanting,
clothing, musical instruments, farm
products, and more.
The tribes also showcased their own
language, the diverse designs and
distinct construction materials of their
houses
Each tribe has their own stories of
suffering and joy to tell, of lessons
and dreams to pursue. And in that
two-day FIrst IP Cultural Festival, a

chance to bond and share ideas and

show lowlanders the richness of
this countrys heritage.
The festival allowed a glimpse to
an IP community, where people are
gathered, yet nobody is seated higher
than the rest. Life goes on altogether
merrymaking, settling conflict,
exchanging goods. On the sides were
the elders, observing and waiting
to be consulted with their gifts of
wisdom and providing guidance.
The idea of holding the First IP
Cultural Festival came in the last year
of IPDEV operations.
It was an offshoot of so many
small activities that highlighted
the indigenous skills, systems and
practices of the IPs in mainland
ARMM.
The IP Communications Group
or IPComm, a small group of
representatives from the Teduray,

Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo

and Higaonon, which serves as
messenger of crucial information to
their respective communities, was
instrumental in bringing together the
festival.
The IPComm is a communication
strategy that was built on the
constraints of conducting the
conventional media campaigns using
radio, television, print and the internet
which normally entails substantial
expense.
The idea first came about when
IPDEV supported a Tribal Solidarity
March to Mt Firis in October 2012,
where the first major Kanduli (Prayer
Ritual) was held on their Sacred Place
after armed men who occupied it
since the year 2000 have already left.
Invitations were circulated through
email, radio announcements and
text messages; knowing fully well

30

that many of the 80-IPDEV covered

barangays do not have access to radio
and cellular phones.
When at least 700 men, women,
children, babies came to join the
Kanduli in a place where most non-IPs
find difficult to climb, it dawned upon
the IP Comm that there must be an
indigenous way of spreading messages
across the ancestral domains.
The Framework Agreement on the
Bangsamoro (FAB) had just been
signed that time and the translation
that reached the IP communities
was for them to vacate their lands
because non-IPs are reclaiming it for
themselves; that IPs could no longer
raise pigs as it is not allowed under
the Bangsamoro; that leaders down
to the barangay level should all be
Bangsamoro, among other misleading
messages that clearly are not in the
agreement.
What if tables were turned around?
If others are not listening to what the
IPs are saying, then maybe can the IPs
listen to what everybody else is saying
and relay that to the community?
That paved the way for the
formation of IPComm Group. It did
not have a proper name at first; but
the objective was clear. There are
important messages and information
that the community needs to know as
objectively and as timely as possible
without being tied up to whether they
have radio and cellphones or not.
IPComm members have had earlier
para-legal training on the different
legal framework for Indigenous
Peoples i.e. UNDRIP, IPRA, MMA 241,
DILG MC on IPMR, FPIC among others.

31

The unwritten rule was to share the

message to ones immediate circle of
influence: And this is no other than the
family spouses, children, brothers,
sisters, uncles, aunties, grandparents.
Being so eloquent in sharing
information to PTAs, sanggunians,
associations, organizations can only
be effective if members of the family
also know what one is talking about,
especially if the issue at hand is selfdetermination and assertion. This is
building on what the IP communities
already have: themselves.
Communicating the issues affecting
the IPs cannot be solely on the burden
of the few who are working on the
Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title
(CADT). The rest have to continue
rebuilding the forests, reviving the soil,
reclaiming the land and redeeming
cultural pride.
The IPComm Group thought that
showcasing this work can start small
with a cultural festival; one that they
can call their own even without the

presence of IPDEV and other external

movers. After thorough examination,
there was a realization that there
hasnt been one like this in recent
history, where indigenous knowledge,
systems and practices are showcased
in one occasion.
So they tasked it upon themselves
to organize, mobilize, and finally have
the very 1st-Ever IP Cultural Festival.
Whether the same content will
be replicated in a year or two, only
time which is a friend of Indigenous
Wisdom will tell.
(We thank all the generous hearts and kindred
spirits that made this festival possible: to Fr Charlie
Inzon OMI NDU President for providing such a
spacious venue; to Gov Hataman for the prizes for
the Best Paratech and Best Farm Lot awardees; to
DSWD Asec Rahima Alba and Datu Abdullah Sangki
Mayor Miriam Mangudadatu for more prizes; to
Upi Mayor Ramon Piang for Rayray Band; to South
Upi Mayor Abdullah Campong and Wao Mayor
Balicao for the dumptrucks. Documenting this
occasion in photos and videos are dynamic Teduray
young men Ricky Batitao and Frederic Lorenzo who
were trained by no less than iWatch Producer Fr
Ponpon Vasquez OMI; and our very own IPDEV inhouse repository of indigenous knowledge Thata
Cornelio Martin.)

Who are protect

the IP children a
youth in the AR
(Presented by IPDEV Project Manager
Aveen Acua-Gulo to the Ako Para Sa Bata
International Conference at SMX Convention
Center, Manila, on December 5, 2014.)

FIYO Teresang! In the Teduray

language, it roughly means Good
Energies.
My presentation is about the
Indigenous Peoples in the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao. We have
heard questions like, How can there
be IPs in a Muslim Region?
So basically thats the problem: the
IPs are the unseen, the invisible
members of the area where we are.
Where there are Indigenous
Peoples, there are men, women,
elderly, children and youth. Let me
begin with saying that what the IPs
are going through, the children and
the youth are also going through as
well.
Who are the IP children and youth?
They are either Teduray, Lambangian,
Dulangan Manobo or Higaonon. They
live in 309,720 hectares of ancestral
domain claim which include coastal

waters. They generally come from

small families: 52% with having four or
less family members; and only around
40% having 5-8 family members. They
generally have reached elementary
level; but only 11% graduate from the
grades, 4% graduate from high school,
and 1% finish college.
There are factors affecting children
and youth among the Indigenous
peoples. Just like many other children
and youth around the world, they
are facing tremendous challenges
in the context of globalization rapid
development. Lets try to look at
some factors. I have 27 slides so let
me try to compress it in 20 minutes.
****
Birth, rites of passage, arranged
marriages, parent-child relationship,
spirituality,
health,
nutrition,
unregistered
births,
gender
perspectives, discrimination, cyclical

conflict, rape-slays, peer support,

pop culture, information technology,
literacy, mismatched government
interventions,
NGO-CSO-FBOAcademe-Business
interventions,
general lack of government presence
at all levels.
These set of factors are by any
means not comprehensive and in no
particular order; this is only a glimpse
of how much work needs to be done
for the IPs so that they can catch up
after years of marginalization without
losing their identity.
Let us try to see how these factors
are being practiced, and what are its
implications.
Birth. When a child is born, the
father hangs the umbilical cord to a
tree that is solely for the newly-born.
The father says a prayer for the child
to be as strong as the tree, and firmly
rooted to the land. He also prays that

32

ting
and
RMM?
the newly-born child will also bear the
values and good characteristics of his/
her forebears.
Implication: With the rate that
forests are being ravaged, in a
way the child who may now be a
grown person is severed from his
connectedness to the land.
[At this point ladies and gentlemen
Id like also to introduce to you
someone who is a treasure trove
of indigenous knowledge an IP
Woman Leader. Her name is Conchita
Quinlat. Shes right there. She is
from the Lambangian and Teduray
tribe and she wears many hats in her
community: she is a day care worker,
a teacher, a mother and her recent
engagement is being a member of
the IP Communications Group. The
context of the IPComm Group is that
if people are not listening to the IPs,
then maybe the IPs can listen to what

33

the world outside them is saying

and communicate it back to the
communities where they come from].
Arranged Marriages. The union of
two people is arranged by the parents
from both sides. Most marriages
are dowry-driven; where girls who
live near the highway or economic
centers get higher dowries than their
counterpart in the interiors. Girls
are sometimes have already been
married by the time they reach their
menarche. Those who are betrothed
usually have low self-esteem; thus
may affect their own child-rearing
capability.
Current practices may no longer
involve actual costs of dowries but
tokens.
Men are said to have unlimited
number of wives; but this is only done
under compelling circumstances,
with the guidance and agreement of

elders. So far with IPDEV experience

the most that we know are only three.
Having more than one partner not
necessarily for marital unions are said
to be just a recent phenomenon.
Unregistered Births. IP children
usually have one name. With the
entry of settlers, if a child is born in
a community with strong Christian
influence, s/he is given a Western
name. If s/he is born in a community
with strong Muslim influence, s/he is
given an Arabic name. For example
if you hear names starting with Mo,
that means Father of; similar with
the Mac or Fitz which means Son of.
ThusMokolina means father of Kolina;
Mokudef father of Kudef; and so on
and so forth.
Thus if a child/person is given other
names, his/her being IP is usually not
reflected in school records. Or s/he
can be given fake registration records

used in human trafficking; and be

subject to multiple registrations
during elections.
Gender Perspectives. While males
who manifest female behaviour is not
frowned upon in IP society, the person
also has to contend with arranged
marriages where it is the norm for him
to take a wife. Asserting ones rights
as an LGBT is a recent phenomenon
and there is tolerance in general
towards unruly behaviour associated
with gay youth.
Females have very strong influence
in IP society, especially as arbiters.
Rites of Passage. Girls experiencing
menarche are made to jump three
steps from their stairs to maintain
the number of menstruation days to
three. But the practice is said to be
also diminishing in the sense that even
if a girl doesnt jump, the number of
days remain more or less constant.
Circumcision among the men is said to
have come only within the last 30-40
years, mostly due to social pressure.
Health. The bliyan or healer takes
care of the pregnant woman. When
she is due, the bliyan even stays in the
house to monitor the actual moment
of childbirth. The current No-Birthing
Policy of the government is seen as
an affront to the time-honored skills
and handed-down gifts of the bliyan,
as the policy seems to treat them as
dirty and unhygienic.
The IP is also pressured to produce
money to be able to buy the medicines
prescribed by health personnel, even
if they also have time-honored ways
of staying healthy with plants and
food that have always been within

their immediate surroundings and can

be had for free.
Health Care. Rather than go through
the indignity of putting up a fight, the
IP would rather not go to a health
center if only to be treated harshly by
health personnel or worse.
Nutrition. The IP has sulagad, which
is the IP concept of Food Sovereignty
has been there long before modern
civilization even coined the word.
But feeding programs given to IP
children include what is now called
Killer Whites: white rice, white flour,
white sugar, milk. This is not the diet
of the IP. The lure of commerciallyproduced food is robbing children and
young people of real nutrients. One
implication of this is that mothers
now seem to believe that it is the duty
of government to nourish her own
children.
Parent-Child Relationship. In an IP
community, the family is not nuclear,
but clannish. Today parents have to
juggle their parenting roles with the
challenges that they have to face
every day, which include the constant
threat of encroachment into their
ancestral lands. They have to look
after their security inasmuch as those
who encroach into their lands are
usually armed.
Todays youth among the IP is also
confronted with the fact that their
elders are being killed because of land
conflict. Due to lack of legal support,
these cases often go unresolved and
the calls of young people for justice
and protection go unheeded. This
leaves another generation of young
people who are trying to figure out

the anger and confusion they feel

within.
Parents also leave their families to
work as OFWs. Absentee parenting
leaves the IP child to ask life questions
from his age group who generally
doesnt necessarily know any better.
Peer Support.
Loyuk, or peer
support among the IP has always
been present in many of their socioeconomic activities: farming, fishing,
hunting, learning. The increasing
gap between young people and their
parents also limit the guidance a child
is supposed to get.
Spirituality.
The IP child is
confronted with the concepts and
values of two dominant religions:
Chistianity and Islam over his own
indigenous spirituality. Christianity is
divided futher into Episcopal, Baptist,
Catholic and folk Christianity; in the
same way that Muslims has its own
folk practices that are perceived to be
Islamic.
The IP child is also confronted with
the fact that his sacred grounds are
being logged, deforested, mined,
and replaced with plantations. While
places of worship for Christians
and Muslims are actual buildings,
the places of worship for an IP are
mountains, rivers, rocks, trees which
were erected not by humans but
by nature. Implication: If someone
occupies or destroys your place of
worship, what would you feel?
(Note: The very first slide in my
presentation shows the pilgrimage
site of the Teduray and Lambangian
Tribes. If Muslims have Mecca and
Christians have the Holy Land, Mt Firis

34

35

is for the IPs. This sacred mountain

was occupied by MILF in 1997 to set
up Camp Omar. The camp has recently
been taken back by the Armed Forces
of the Philippines and the IPs are
now gradually returning back to their
ancestral land).
Pop Culture. Alcoholic beverages
came with the entry of settlers; choice
of partners as an individual choice is
a recent influence of mainstream
society; drug use is already seen
among IP youth; young people
become vulnerable to gang wars and
rape in hangout places like dances
and videoke joints.
Information
Technology.
Relationships that are developed
through texting and social media is
seen as a strain between parents and
young people.
Rape-slays. The customary laws
have a way of resolving rape cases
in a discreet way where only the
immediate families of aggressor and
aggrieved are involved. Rape-slays
are a recent phenomenon attributed
to drug use and easy access to
pornographic material through the
digital age. Indigenous forms of
conflict resolution for rape-slay cases
already seem to be inapplicable
because many of the present-day rape
cases already involve killings.
Discrimination. Recent cases of
discrimination involve a Teduray
mother and a Teduray high school
student. The mothers premature
baby (7 months old) died after falling
off the delivery table in the Cotabato
Regional Hospital because she was
not given immediate attention in the

emergency room. The high school

student was made to stop her dance
midway because the teacher thought
it has no relation to Linggo ng Wika.
Cyclical armed conflict.
Young
people are recruited into the Moro
armed fronts. The latest being the
Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces.
Shortly before that was the MILF; then
earlier back, the MNLF, Tutpik. They
are also recruited by private armed
groups and cattle rustlers. Families
of these young people also cannot
refuse the invitation for fear of their
security.
Low literacy rates. Projects, usually
infrastructure, have reached IP
communities. IPDEV has assessed
quite a number; but these are either
not fully utilized, neglected, used for
some other purpose, or not functioning
at all. This could be attributed to
the low absorptive capacity of the
community for external inputs; or
that the priority of the community is
something else. And since governance
has a lot to do with transparency and
accountability, transparency can only
mean something if people know how
what to look for; and accountability
can only mean something if people
know how to count. That said, projects
can be effective if people know how
to read and write and count.
Mismatched interventions. School
buildings instead of schools; clinics/
hospitals instead of health care; water
systems instead of water source
preservation; commercial inputs
instead of sustainable--not financing
dependent, agriculture. People are
subjected to trainings left and right

without necessarily addressing the

education part.
What are the implications? The
culture of dependence is innocently
promoted with the proliferation of
external assistance thus contradicting
sustainability. Bayanihanor communal
effort is dismantled because every
step of say, agricultural production
cycle requires money; even paid
manual labor is already hard to come
by because people have liquid cash to
spend coming from the Conditional
Cash Transfers (4Ps).
NGOs CSOs FBOs Academe Business.
That the people do not feel the presence
of government is fertile ground for
non-government organizations, civil
society organizations, faith-based
organizations, academe and business
to intervene without government as
impartial referee. Thus, each sector
comes in with their own set of vision,
agenda; their own set of rules and
ways of doing things thus confusing
the community further. Among these
sectors, it is usually business that
outruns government because it is
always profitable to engage with the
rest of the other sectors.
Conflicting Government Policies.
Policies on sustainable development
have a disconnect with the
environment.
IPRA, DAR, DENR,
Mining Laws.
Ancestral Domain
Sustainability and Protection Plans
of the Teduray, Lambangian and
Dulangan Manobo do not include
monocrop plantations and mining.
Indigenous forms of weather
forecasting is now known as
ethnometeorology;sulagad
is

TREASURE TROVE:Conchita Quinlat

biodynamic farming (its a step

above
organic
farming
and
sustainable agriculture); the use of
indigenous plants as medicines is
ethnopharmacology which means,
the so-called modern civilization has
just come up with names of something
that has always been there.
Bangsamoro Basic Law. IPRA is a
peace agreement that was forged
by the Philippine Government with
its Indigenous Peoples. RA 8371
was fought without a united armed
confrontation with government but in
the legal battlegrounds of congress.
Provisions on IPs, children and
youth have already been incorporated
into the draft BBL which is now under
review by congress. This is seen to

be another duplication of conflicting

policies that run the danger of not
being implemented properly if at all,
including the law that created the
ARMM.
Implication: Government has a lot
to prove that it will not make a repeat
of neglecting the IPs brought about
by previous laws. Culture cannot be
legislated; and no government -- if it
has wisdom -- can afford to lose its
own cultures.
General lack of government (as
duty bearers) to respond to the
needs of the IPs in general and their
children and youth in particular. Duty
bearers are government its officials
and employees at all levels who are
sworn to protect its people. With

36

government officials and employees

who continue to manifest preference
over personal/familial interest from
common good, the fear that violations
on the rights of Indigenous Peoples,
their children and youth will continue,
is validated.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Education-centered intervention.
Any intervention can only be effective
if IP children and youth know how
to read and write and count. Where
there is a child who is willing to learn
and someone who is willing to teach
and learning takes place there is a
school.
Results-oriented
Research.
Indigenous Skills Systems and
Practices have been there since time
immemorial. Its a race against time

37

to have these documented. And more

importantly, not just research for
researchs sake but for the benefit
of the IPs.
Free Prior Informed Consent.
Before any intervention can be done
on ancestral land, there should be
FPIC. In short, it is only rightful that
we (government or non-government,
miners or plantation companies, etc),
ask permission from them and tell
them our intentions in a language and
process they understand. Not just
making them sign documents.
Make duty-bearers accountable.
It is not wise to duplicate what
government is supposed to be doing.
Government is duty-bound to protect
its people. The rest of us can only
bridge the gap between the duty

bearers and the rights holders and

in the context of our conference, the
IP Children and Youth. Let us work to
make government the duty bearers,
function.
CONCLUSION:
The Indigenous Peoples have
sustained
themselves
through
thousands of years. The survival of
the IPs also means the survival of
its men, women, elderly, youth and
children. They have been there since
time immemorial; they are meant to
continue for generations to come.
And since an indigenous person is
always connected to the land, may
our intentions towards them be also
connected to the land.
May we all live long. As they say in
the Teduray language: Meuyag!

Mining
equates to IPs
extinction
History will tell
us that only the
mining companies
have enriched
themselves;
leaving the people
poorer than they
were before the
miners came.

AT LEAST a dozen representatives of

the Teduray were present on short
notice during the ARMM Multi-Partite
Forum on Environment and Natural
Resources called for by the Regional
Government on August 21, 2014.
Facilitated by Fr Eliseo R. Mercado
Jr, OMI of the Institute for Autonomy
and Governance (IAG), the forum
sought to clarify environment issues
triggered by activities that are seen by
the Indigenous Peoples as leading to
mining on their sacred grounds. (This
was a topic of concern during the
celebration of the World IP Day; and a
forum had just been conducted right
after by the Bantay Kita together with
the Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative EITI)
Resource speakers from government
were the DENR-ARMM; the National
Greening Program (NGP); and the

Mines and Geosciences Bureau

(MGB). Atty Randolph Parcasio of the
MNLF was also around along with
Assemblyman Kahar Ibay.
From the CSO side were Ban Toxics,
Legal Resource Center / Alyansa
Kontra Mina; Mahintana Foundation;
and the Foundation for Philippine
Environment.
ARMM has yet to craft an
Environment Code; it needs to
come up with a pro-people, proenvironment, and responsible mining
policy.
Bliyan (spiritual leader) Johnny
Mokudef shared that Mt Fakal is the
9th most sacred place for the Teduray
tribe.
It is the place where spiritual leaders
conduct a prayer ritual to drive away
sickness and disasters. It is also the
place where they talk to the spirits of

38

good harvest; to the spirits of quiet

and peace. It is also the place where
they appeal to the spirits of conflict to
leave them alone. If this sacred place
is taken from us, what will become of
us.
Mt Fakal is also the source of rivers
and creeks that pass through several
barangays and empties into the coastal
town of Datu Blah. As a biodiversity
zone, it is the tribes source of herbal/
medicinal plants some of which
cannot be found in other places. A
cure for leprosy has been found here.
As Tedurays we have spirits of the
mountains; spirits of the water; spirits
of the trees. We talk to them.
He expressed his thanks for the
opportunity to share with you our
suggestions on how the sacred
practices of the tribe can be protected.
Armand Pacudan of FPE says that

39

technical maps are very important

tools so as to identify the convergence
areas like ancestral domains, mineral
sites, water sources, forest covers
geohazard and vulnerable sites
to avoid overlaps. Environmental
risk assessments also include how
communities will be affected.
Timuay Jovito Martin, Teduray Tribal
Leader and representative of the
Organization of Teduray Lambangian
Conference (OTLAC) noted that no
amount of money can compensate for
the displacement and whose lives of
the people will be disrupted with the
entry of mining activities.
History will tell us that only the
mining companies have enriched
themselves; leaving the people poorer
than they were before the miners
came.
He asked, What will happen to the

next generation? Land is life for us.

We cannot just exchange the cost of
our root crops, our plants, our soil to
mining.
Former Assemblyman Deonato
Mokudef, IP Representative to the
Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA),
noted that the Philippines is composed
of many islands that if mined, would
pose the danger of being swallowed
whole by the sea; compared to mining
areas like Australia which is one big
land mass.
The law states that several areas
should not be mined, i.e. burial
grounds and watersheds. He is also
concerned that while a mining law is
being crafted, mechanisms should be
in place to check ongoing activities
that may either deceive people into
going into mining or putting them
offguard. Whether responsible or
irresponsible mining, we still have to
hear about responsible mining.
Atty. Villanueva shared that current
policies have built-in safeguards.
But mining companies have a way of
making communities quarrel among
themselves and be divided on the
issue. Mining companies just give
powerpoint presentations and claim
they already consulted the people
and that they have already given their
consent.
Free in the Free Prior Informed
Consent
(FPIC)
means
the
consent should not be forced. The
requirements are stringent but
LGUs just issue permits right away
without going through the process as
enumerated by law.
The National Water Resources Board

has to review and deliberate on

water permits as mining activities
usually impact on water resources.
LRC is excited and hopeful that in
their partnerships with Indigenous
Peoples in the past 25 years, this
current experience in the ARMM is a
good timing. It will help in answering
the question whether mining is indeed
the answer to poverty. There are many
studies pointing to agriculture as more
important in addressing poverty.
This should also help us answer
the question on whether energy
interventions are for the people or for
mining industries.
She sees this as a good opportunity
for the ARMM to exercise its
responsibility; as what is in the law is
not necessarily just. She recommends
the Alternative Minerals Management
Bill and the Peoples Mining Bill as
good references.
Ms. Aveen Acua-Gulo of IPDEV
noted that while all the presenters
provided both advantages and
disadvantages of mining, there was
no mention of the social impact of
the said extractive industry. Things
like guns, drugs, and prostitution in
mining areas are often featured in
news and documentaries. Armed
with new-found money, accounts of
philandering husbands and quarreling
families are replete but do not appear
in the presentations. We may be facing
more problems on domestic violence
and gender issues.
Acua-Gulo also noted that with
industries like this, a place is usually
swarmed with outsiders who will work
in the mines. She asked if this is the

kind of society we would want in the

ancestral domains. This information
is very crucial because most of the
time, only the promise of big money is
dangled to the communities without
mentioning the negative social effects.
She also noted the carbon
sequestration / carbon trading
mentioned by Ms Zuraida Anayatin
of the FPE as a strong alternative
to mining as a means of revenue
generation.
Acua-Gulo is also the convenor of
Vetiver Forum, a group of volunteers
who use Vetiver grass in erosion
prevention.
Atty Grace Villanueva of LRC shared
that in their experience, a lawyer

for a mining company asked why

communities keep on repeating
the issue of quarreling families.
Atty Villanueva asked the question
back to that same lawyer as to why
should it not be repeated when it is a
reality? Why should family values be
not important to us as good Filipino
citizens?
Ms Evelyn Cubelo of Ban Toxics
calls these social vices. It is said that
miners take drugs before going into
the tunnels to remove their fear for
danger. It is the dream of their group
for the next generation to have a
toxic-free environment.
Mr Armand Pacudan of the
Foundation for the Philippine

40

Environment (FPE) noted that in

the
Philippines,
Environmental
Compliance Certificates (ECC) and the
Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC)
processes are not respected by both
mining companies and government
agencies that are supposed to
implement and enforce the law.
Records show how mining companies
brazenly encroach into ancestral
domains, watersheds, protected
areas. Before fact-finding missions can
recommend sanctions, the concerned
areas are already ravaged.
Ms. Froilyn Tenorio Mendoza said
she came not as Commissioner of the
Bangsamoro Transition Commission
but as Teduray Lambangian Womens

41

Organization Incorporated or TLWOI.

She said a letter of concern was
already sent to the DENR-ARMM.
She emphasized that the fear of the
people is not unfounded, inasmuch
as they have been on the receiving
end of many violations concerning the
environment citing the disappearance
of vast forest areas just in the recent
past. Now that the forests are gone,
the threat of mining is impending.
DENR-ARMM did not issue any
permit to explore in Maguindanao.
The application to conduct mining
activities in Upi was still during previous
administrations. The approved permit
to operate was for nickel mining
operations in Languyan, Tawi-tawi;

but this was done after a stringent

compliance of the requirements.
According to Executive Secretary
Laisa Alamia who is also an
environmental lawyer, they did not
give tax holidays to the operator; and
even increased the tax from .5 percent
to five percent.
The response of Governor Hataman
on the MPSA for Upi was for the LGU
of Upi to resolve the conflicts among
themselves first i.e. IP rights, among
others.
While Secretary Kedtag said that
no reports of helicopters landing in
the area reached their office, the
communities were advised to file
the incidents on police blotter as
the clearer issue for the moment is
trespassing.
Mendoza is also concerned with
the absorptive capacity of institutions
that are mandated to protect the
environment; plus the capacity of the
local government units.
While the Philippines has one of
the most laws on environmental
protection, most of it do not conform
to the views of indigenous peoples
on the environment as a source of
spirituality and culture. The state
gives more priority to profits at the
expense of its people. When before
we the people depended on nature,
this time it is nature that is dying and
crying out to us for help.
Acua-Gulo said that many of us
have seen the negative effects of
mining. She hopes that this time duty
holders would be wiser by looking
into the lessons brought by these
experiences. It is a case of Been

there; done that where a lot of

people, a lot of studies are telling us
not to repeat the same mistakes. She
believes that with the minds that have
shared their perspectives, we are in a
better footing than we were before.
Timuay Labi (Supreme Chief)
Sannie Bello of the Teduray Justice
and Governance (TJG), a tribal-based
governance system of the Teduray
and Lambangian Tribes expressed
his gratitude for the forum. He
noted that the discussions for the
whole day centered on the quality of
implementation of mining laws.
He expressed his full trust on
Secretary Kedtag, because when
reports on the ongoing mining-related
activities in Mt Fakal reached him, he
did not waste time to coordinate with
the Secretary. They were informed
that indeed, the ARMM government

never gave any permit to anybody to

conduct such activities.
Timuay Bello said that everyone
knows how environmental degradation
is directly a cause of climate change.
And that the Philippines is inhaling
waste materials of advanced nations.
The leaves of forests have disappeared
and we are no longer breathing fresh
air. He hopes that the tribes principle
of its closeness in relation with nature
will not be lost.
The facilitator, Fr. Mercado,
requested all the participants to
submit in writing to the secretariat
their recommendations so that when
Governor Hataman asks questions, the
DENR-ARMM can respond. Mercado
also emphasized that this initiative
relies on (your IP communities)
presence owing to the Governors
keen interest of leaving a pro-people

and pro-environment responsible

mining policy as the legacy of his
administration; directing five agencies
led by the DENR-ARMM to organize
this forum. We continue to journey
together.
Secretary Kedtag thanked Fr
Mercado for helping them in making
the forum possible. Now that the
initiative has started, it is his wish that
it will continue. He appreciated all the
added knowledge for the day, which
would contribute significantly to their
response.
He
reiterated
their
offices
commitment to be responsive to
the people, not only to the Moro (or
Daranaon as called in their dialect);
but to everyone in the ARMM.
A committee will be formed to work
on the steps forward in the formulation
of a sound mining policy based on the
ideas that were contributed.

42

Dont
leave us

IPDEV is Drantong a Teduray term

meaning a golden opportunity for the IPs

LEADERS of Indigenous Peoples in the Autonomous Region

in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) asked for a continuation of
IPDEV (or IPDEV 2), saying the project has only met half of
the needs of the IPs and that they are like a child learning
to walk, they still need guidance by IPDEV.
Dont leave us in the middle of journey, the leaders
said in a seeming unison as the three-year project comes
to an end.
In the Exchanges and Networking Meeting May 5-7,
2014, IP leaders said IPDEV needs to continue, specially on
such conerns as education, organic agriculture and policy
advocacy (to ensure that rights stated in BBL will be fully
translated to become regional laws and not be diminished
in the translation.)
For this, IPDEV project manager Aveen Acuna-Gulo said,
We are one with you. This will continue.
She narrated, I remember MNLF combatants we trained
who said they have boxes of certificates from various
trainings but still they cannot find a job.
Had these combatants been brought back to formal
education after the peace agreement, they could have
earned PhD degrees or have become physicians, engineers,
lawyers, etc.
Let us learn from their experience. Let us push the
government to provide higher formal education to tribal

43

peoples. It would be best if they send teachers to far-flung

barangays to reach our communities. Let us go to school.
On the other hand, the IP leaders said in the past three
years, IPDEV trainings and exposure trips allowed them
the opportunity to learn more than just harnessing their
potentials as IPs, especially in productivity, sustainability
and the confidence to confront lifes challenges.
They said IPDEV is Drantong a Teduray term meaning
a golden opportunity for the IPs, that made possible the
unity of IP tribes and clans in the ARMM, formation of
Peoples Organizations which gave license to access social
services.
With IPDEV, issues of IPs have been brought to
mainstreams consciousness, drawing favorable responses.
But, the leaders said there is still much to be done. Dont
leave us in the middle of journey, we cannot yet fully stand
up alone.
There is still a need to campaign for IP education/IP
curriculum development promoting languages, history,
customary practices, heritage, and scholarships.
Meantime, they urged other tribes to continue mutual
cooperation and organize a regional level umbrella
organization, strengthen indigenous spiritual practices and
political governance, protect ancestral lands and to stand
along the principle of all for one, one for all.

Prayer and
ritual on
World IP Day

THERE are a thousand and one reasons to be thankful for

on this years celebration of World IP Day.
Implementation of the IPRA, completion of the first
phase of the delineation process, representation to the
Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), publication of
the Demographic Profile, completion of the ADSDPP of 3
tribes, formation of twenty-four (24) Registered Indigenous
Peoples Organizations, committed NCIP staff and likeminded partners are among the many things the IPs in the
ARMM are thankful for.
Aveen Acuna-Gulo, IPDEV Project Manager, in giving a
backgrounder on the activity, remarked that last years
(2013) theme was: Indigenous Peoples Alliances:
Honouring Treaties, Agreements, and other Constructive
Arrangements
As what has always been done in the past, we appealed,
begged, pleaded, lobbied, explained to duty holders to
honor agreements the way words were honored in the
ways of our foreparents. They responded, she said.
In January this year, the NCIP issued their En Banc
Resolution to fulfill their mandate.
Social Preparation commenced right after and in August
5, the Special Provincial Delineation Team submitted their
SPAR (Social Preparation Accomplishment Report) to their

44

principals after a prayer ritual.

The World IP Day Theme for 2014 is Bridging the Gaps:
Implementing the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
There are already a few bridges. And there are still more
gaps. Lets continue building these little bridges, these
little victories which in due time, will lead to the IPs having
something to hand to the next generation.
It is very timely for the Teduray, Lambangian, Dulangan
Manobo and Higaonon as their plea since IPRA was passed
in 1997 is to have the law implemented.
Timuay Alim Bandara, Head Claimant of the Teduray
Lambangian Dulangan Manobo Ancestral Domain
Claimants (TLADMADC) gave updates on the activities
conducted during the Social Preparation Stage of the
Ancestral Domain Delineatiion.
Bliyan Rodrigo Mokudef led the prayer ritual. Several
partners also came to share their messages of support.
Among them are 1st Marine Brigade Commander
Emmanuel Salamat; Maj Jimmy Matalam representing the
6th Infantry Division; Kagawad Kalima Gunsi representing
the Local Government Unit of Upi, Mr Penaloza of the
Parish Pastoral Council, Janel Pesons of the Mindanao
Peoples Peace Movement (MPPM).

45

Mae Pagco of KuMuNet/ForumZFD and a lady reporter

from DXUP came to cover the activity.
The participants prayed for strength to face challenges
ahead; and for enlightenment to be open for the better
options towards their recognition, protection and
empowerment.
A pressing issue was also discussed. Mining explorations
have already entered some barangays in Upi without
Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Operators have
been reported to talk to clans causing tension among clan
members.
The Legal Resource Center provided inputs on the Mining
Laws and provided some technical advice on how to avoid
conflict.
Mining has destroyed the social fabric in many areas in
the country and is seen to repeat the same experience
in IP territory in the absence of capacity building of local
government units and awareness of the IPs themselves on
what they can do to prevent conflict and environmental
degradation.
The participants reached a consensus to request their
local government for an appropriate response to the
situation.

testimony or memory goes, the land has

been held by individuals under a claim of
private ownership, it will be presumed
to have been held in the same way from
before the Spanish conquest, and never
to have been public land. xxx
A distinction must be made between
ownership of land under native title and
ownership by acquisitive prescription
against the State. Ownership by virtue
of native title presupposes that the land
has been held by its possessor and his
predecessors-in-interest in the concept
of an owner since time immemorial. The
land is not acquired from the State, that
is, Spain or its successors-in-interest,
the United States and the Philippine
Government. There has been no transfer
of title from the State as the land has been
regarded as private in character as far back
as memory goes. In contrast, ownership
of land by acquisitive prescription against
the State involves a conversion of the
character of the property from alienable
public land to private land, which
presupposes a transfer of title from the
State to a private person. Since native
title assumes that the property covered
by it is private land and is deemed never
to have been part of the public domain,
the Solicitor Generals thesis that native
title under Cario applies only to lands
of the public domain is erroneous.
Consequently, the classification of lands
of the public domain into agricultural,
forest or timber, mineral lands, and
national parks under the Constitution is
irrelevant to the application of the Cario
doctrine because the Regalian doctrine
which vests in the State ownership of
lands of the public domain does not cover
ancestral lands and ancestral domains.
b. It fails to recognize the connection
of indigenous communities to their
territories

It is said that the spiritual and material

foundation of indigenous peoples
cultural identities are sustained by their
unique relationships to their traditional
territories (Chapter III, Sec. 5, RA 8371);
cultural preservation and flourishing
therefore lie at the root of claims of
indigenous peoples to their traditional
territories (Wiessner, 201120). This may
be regarded as a romanticised or an
outdated view on indigenous peoples,
however, it remains valid, not only for the
preservation of their culture, but also of
our shared history as a people.
The requisite judicial affirmation in
recognizing indigenous peoples ancestral
domains poses a danger that may
undermine indigenous peoples right to
self-determination. Distinctly, indigenous
peoples right to self-determination is
more than an expression of their political
and economic rights.It embodies their
right to live as a people, exercising their
respective cultures and traditions. Still,
crucial for the effective protection of
indigenous peoples cultures is the
safeguarding of their lands. To emphasize,
being indigenous means to live within
ones roots; indigenous peoples, in
another definition, have been referred
to as always been in the place where
they are. This is certainly true for many
indigenous communities who were not
displaced or were displaced, yet choose
to return to their native homelands.
Time and again, indigenous peoples
right to live distinctly as a people/
community has been denied by many
governments, through an outright denial,
or alternatively, by weakening their
rights to their traditional territories.
When indigenous peoples seek judicial
acknowledgment of their land rights
before our regular courts, they have
the burden of proving their rights in

accordance with tests and standards that

are usually set by the judiciary (McNeil,
2008). These tests and standards may vary
from one court to another, depending
on the evidence to be proved for their
native title and other factors, but the
burden of proof would always tend to be
cumbersome for indigenous peoples.
One difficulty indigenous claimants face
are compounded by the fact that their
traditions are generally oral, and courts
tend to place greater weight on written
documents in determining historical
issues arising beyond the limits of living
memory (McNeil, 200825).
Legal instruments (such as the IPRA,
UNDRIP) and case law (even in other
countries with indigenous populations)
have long recognized the native title
to the traditional lands of indigenous
peoples and compelled governments to
determine, demarcate and title those
lands, in accordance with indigenous
peoples customary laws and practices.
How can it be guaranteed that the
judicial affirmation process (in the BBL)
would honor and endeavor to understand
the customary laws and practices of
indigenous peoples?
More importantly, can courts sustain
the unique spiritual and cultural bonds of
indigenous peoples to their territories?
Note that our judicial system is more
familiar or is governed by the civil law
system, unlike in Australia; the common
law system forms the basis of Australian
jurisprudence. Thus, in one landmark
case for Australian indigenous peoples,
Mabo vs. Queensland, the Australian High
Court aptly described the recognition of
indigenous customary land tenure by the
common law:
Native title has its origin in and is
given its content by the traditional laws
acknowledged by and the traditional

46

customs observed by the Indigenous

inhabitants of a territory. The nature
and incidents of native title must be
ascertained as a matter of fact by
reference to those laws and customs.
Can this view be sustained in the
Philippine setting?
In referring to the judicial affirmation
of imperfect title (in the BBL) to be
made applicable in proving the rights of
indigenous people to their lands, there
is a wariness that the outcome may
further erode indigenous land rights.
It may also open doors for scrupulous
people to take advantage of the lack of
resources of indigenous communities
to apply for judicial titling. As discussed
above, the processes and systems in our
courts are non-indigenous, so to speak;
imposing these processes and systems,
for certain, would not be advantageous
for indigenous peoples.
In the end, this may lead to
disenfranchisement of their rights to
their traditional lands and resources, and
the eventual extinction of their culture. It
may not be amiss to state that this judicial
confirmation of imperfect title, at present,
may also be availed of by members of
indigenous communities, as stated in
Section 48(c) of the Public Land Act.28
Although the Public Land Act grants this,
it appears that this mode of titling has
seldom (or not at all) been availed of by
our indigenous communities, since this
mode of titling is applicable to individuals
and does not recognize a collective
application by indigenous communities.
But even with such uncertainties being
raised, the tensions are heightened by
the fact that the IPRA has not yet been
fully implemented in the present ARMM,
as it already has been elsewhere in the
country. With that, the same conveys
doubts as to how the BBLs provisions for

47

indigenous peoples in the Bangsamoro

would fare differently.
II. The right to self-governance and
empowerment
The United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes
the indigenous peoples right to selfdetermination, noting that control by
indigenous peoples over developments
affecting them and their lands, territories
and resources will enable them to
maintain and strengthen their institutions,
cultures and traditions, and to promote
their development in accordance with
their aspirations and needs .
The IPRA similarly recognizes the
inherent right of indigenous peoples to
self-governance and self-determination
and respects the integrity of their values,
practices and institutions (Chapter IV,
Sec. 13, RA No. 8371). Corollary, the
State guarantees the right of ICCs/IPs
to freely pursue their economic, social
and cultural development. Although
problems have been seen in some
experiences of indigenous communities,
where leaders or some elites within
the community misuse their authority,
positive possibilities where communities
benefit because they have greater
autonomy in decision-making also exist.
This is true in some stories of indigenous
communities whose lands remained
intact and responsible management of
resources are seen to this day, without
interference from outsiders.
In the BBL, it is mentioned that the
Bangsamoro Government recognizes
the rights of the indigenous peoples,
and that it shall adopt measures for
the promotion and protection of their
rights, their indigenous customs and
traditions, justice systems and indigenous
political structures. However, the BBL
is silent on indigenous peoples self-

governance and their right to pursue

their own development pursuant to their
aspirations and needs. These rights are as
crucial as the rights of indigenous peoples
to their traditional territories. Absent
this right to self-governance, the right
to ancestral domains would be rendered
meaningless. For how could indigenous
communities proceed to protect as well
as develop their resources (both natural
and human) without autonomy? Without
self-determination, the hope of fully
empowered indigenous communities
remains impossible. If this cannot be
guaranteed, then these communities
would continue to lose their identity,
their resources, and their histories.
III. Can indigenous communities in the
ARMM invoke IPRA?
Undeniably, the Philippine Constitution
affords legislative powers to autonomous
regions. Autonomous governments are
given much latitude that the central
government cannot impose a uniform
system, to allow them to set up their
own policies on those specific subjects
enumerated in the Constitution (in Section
20, Article X). However, such power given
to autonomous governments is not meant
to operate to the exclusion of national
governments existing policies. In a way,
the Constitution, by itself, creates certain
limitations or safeguards to ensure
national unity. Thus, while it directs that
the organic act for autonomous regions
should provide legislative powers for
these regions, the Constitution make
specifically clear that these powers are
subject to the Constitution and national
laws
Article X, Section 20. Within its territorial
jurisdiction and subject to the provisions
of this Constitution and national laws, the
organic act of autonomous regions shall
provide for legislative powers over: x x x

xxxx
The deliberations of the framers of the
Constitution on the above-provision is
helpful
MR. PADILLA. x x We are willing to grant
local autonomy, but it seems that we are
granting by enumerating 13 items of
additional legislative powers or authority
more powers or more autonomy than
those recognized or granted to other
provinces, cities and municipalities.
MR. NOLLEDO. Yes, but the
Commissioner will notice that in the
upper part, these will be subject to
national policies and laws. I think that
would be the saving clause. That is very
important.
xxxxx
THE PRESIDENT. What is the next item?
FR. BERNAS. No. 3 reads: Ancestral
domain and natural resources.
MR. RODRIGO. Natural resources
include minerals. Of course, it is
understood that this is subject to the
Regalian doctrine that minerals within
the autonomous regions belong to the
State.
FR. BERNAS. It is subject to the
provisions of the Constitution and
national laws.
MR. RODRIGO. Yes, thank you.31
As in any law that needs to overcome
the tests of constitutionality and validity,
the legislative powers under the organic
act of autonomous governments must
not run counter to the Constitution and
national laws.
In fact, the Constitution provided
another safeguard, reiterating the
Presidents
general
supervision
applicability
over
autonomous
governments. As stated, the President
possesses this administrative power to
see that national laws and policies are
faithfully executed.32

To be specific, while it is clear that

autonomous
governments
possess
legislative powers on ancestral domains,
it does not necessarily follow that RA No.
8371 which dealt already with ancestral
domains for indigenous peoples should
be disregarded. It is understood then
that indigenous communities within
these autonomous regions (CAR and the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region) should
not be excluded from the protection
granted by the Constitution relevant to
Filipino indigenous communities and
the operation of the IPRA. Along this
line, the Constitution elucidates that the
State has the duty to protect the rights of
indigenous cultural communities to their
ancestral lands to ensure their economic,
social, and cultural wellbeing (Art. XII,
Sec. 5, Constitution). The framers of
the 1987 Constitution intended that
this provision would apply primarily
for indigenous peoples outside of the
autonomous regions as well as those
within the autonomous regions:
MR. VILLEGAS. The State SUBJECT TO
THE provisions OF THIS CONSTITUTION
AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES
AND PROGRAMS, shall PROTECT the rights
of indigenous CULTURAL communities
to their ancestral lands TO ensure their
economic, social AND CULTURAL wellbeing. CONGRESS MAY PROVIDE FOR
THE APPLICABILITY OF customary laws
governing property rights OR RELATIONS
in determining the ownership and extent
of the ancestral domain.
xxxxxx
MR. PADILLA. Mr Presiding Officer,
with regard to the second sentence
which says, customary laws governing
property rights or relations and the idea
is that the Congress may be required
to codify, I notice that in the Article on
Local Governments, particularly Section

18, referring to additional powers of

autonomous regions itemized under
nine subheadings, mention is made of
ancestral home as indicated in item (3);
personal family and property relations in
item (4); preservation and development
of cultural heritage in item (8) and to
which I interposed my objections before.
Should not the second sentence be
more applicable under the Article on
Local Governments, rather than under
the Article on National Economy and
Patrimony?
MR.
BENNAGEN.
Commissioner
Padilla, the provision here in the Article
on National Economy and Patrimony is
intended primarily for those outside and
within the autonomous regions.
MR. PADILLA. Section 18 of the Article
on Local Governments refers specifically
to autonomous regions with legislative
powers.
MR. VILLEGAS. We are thinking
that this specific provision will apply
to indigenous cultural communities
outside of the autonomous regions, as
well as those within the autonomous
region. And we were thinking actually of
putting it immediately after the provision
in the Article on National Economy
and Patrimony which talks about the
disposition of land. And so, we think
this is very appropriate to be included
in the Article on National Economy and
Patrimony because it actually talks about
how certain lands will be disposed of.
x x x x xMR. DAVIDE. May I add some
thoughts on this?
The provision on the autonomous
regions is very specific. The intention
here is to make this applicable even to
indigenous communities outside of the
autonomous regions. And this is proper
under the Article on National Economy
and Patrimony for the reason that it

48

Never be bullied into silence.

Never allow yourself to be made a
victim. Accept no ones definition
of your life, but define yourself.
~ Harvey Fierstein

would involve the extent and ownership

of ancestral domains. It involves land.33
In addition to the Constitutional
protection and recognition given to
Filipino indigenous communities, the
Constitution made a directive that
Congress may provide for the applicability
of customary laws governing property
rights or relations in determining the
ownership and extent of ancestral
domains (Art. XII, Sec. 5, Constitution).
This has been made, with Congress
enacting Republic Act No. 8371 (IPRA).
The indigenous peoples in the
Cordillera Autonomous Region, like
several other indigenous communities
in the Philippines have chosen/opted to
invoke IPRA in the assertion of their rights
as indigenous peoples. Admittedly, there
are some indigenous communities that
refuse IPRA; that there are faults in the
implementation of the IPRA; that IPRA
itself is not a perfect law; and that IPRA
created more conflicts within indigenous
communities, and many other reasons
to fault this law. But then, IPRA, with its
imperfections, remains a valid law which
has contributed to the resolution of many
conflicts within ancestral domains and
which was instrumental in protecting and
securing the rights of Filipino indigenous
peoples to their native lands. Thus, it is
in fact lamentable that, unlike in the

49

Cordillera Autonomous Regions, the IPRA

in the present ARMM has not made any
significant stride.
Conclusion:
The BBL should acknowledge the IPRA
It is not clear whether Moro
communities identify themselves as
indigenous peoples, as per definition
given in the IPRA. What is clear, however,
is that non-Moro indigenous communities
within the ARMM identify themselves as
indigenous communities and some, if not
all, have chosen the IPRA to assert their
rights as a people, with their own distinct
territories and traditions, separate from
these Moro communities.
The present provisions under the BBL
pertaining to the rights of non-Moro
indigenous communities should therefore
acknowledge the IPRA, in the same
way that it acknowledges the Universal
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples.
While
the
Bangsamoro
Government is not precluded from
legislating anew on the rights of
indigenous peoples, particularly on the
subject of ancestral domains, it may rightly
create a new law on ancestral domains
for its Moro peoples.34 However, for nonMoro indigenous communities, like their
indigenous communities counterpart
in the Cordillera Administrative Region,
the IPRA remains a standing law which

cannot be transgressed or disregarded.

Like the Cordillera Administrative Region,
the Bangsamoro Government can leave
to the National Government, through
the National Commission on Indigenous
Peoples (NCIP), the duty to implement
the IPRA. The Bangsamoro Government
can also learn from the inadequacies
and failings of the IPRA by enacting an
additional or a separate law for nonMoro indigenous peoples in the ARMM,
however, that should just be in addition
to the IPRA.
Most of all, the voice of non-Moro
indigenous communities manifested
in their position papers have been
categorical that IPRA should remain
effective, whether in present or future
jurisdictions;35 can this simple fact be
considered vital to justify that IPRA should
be acknowledged in any organic act to be
created for autonomous governments.
[This is a portion of a legal opinion written by
Atty. Melanie Pimentel upon the request of Lumad
Mindanaw Peoples Federation (LMPF), through
Fr. Albert E. Alejo, SJ. Atty. Pimentel has offered her
service on a purely voluntary basis, out of her own
interest in the life of the indigenous peoples. Her
academic competence is reflected in her graduate
research entitled Examining the Links between
Land Title and Optimisation of Use of Traditional
Lands of the Aytas of Pastolan, Philippines: Rights
Not Felt, Not Seen. MA Thesis in Development
Studies, Massey University, Palmerston North,
New Zealand (2012)]

10th Project
Sounding
Board

MEMBERS of the IPDEV Project

Sounding Board (PSB) together with
IAG Founding Director Atty Benny
Bacani welcome Benedikt Seemann,
incoming Director and Country
Representative of Konrad Adenauer
Stiftung (KAS) Philippines along
with Outgoing Director Dr Peter
Koeppinger.
We dont have a word in German
for goodbye, said Dr Koeppinger.
Only till we see each other again.
(Auf wiedersehen)

50

Salamat po!
THE month of January 2015 marks
the last month of the IPDEV project!
For 36 months, or from February
2012 until January 2015, the IPDEV
project was implemented by KonradAdenauer-Stiftung (KAS), the Institute
for Autonomy and Governance
(IAG) and Development Consultants
(DEVCON). The target area comprised
80 barangays in the two provinces of
Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur in the
Philippines. Final beneficiaries of the
project were the Indigenous Peoples
in ARMM who include the Teduray,
Lambangian and Dulangan Manobo
in Maguindanao province and the
Higaonon in Wao, Lanao del Sur.
The target groups were indigenous
traditional and formal leaders, IP
farmers and fisher folks, IP women

51

and youth as well as local government

units.
Looking back over three project
years, the KAS, IAG, DEVCON and
especially the IPDEV staff would like
to thank all of our supporters! Special
thanks to the Delegation of the
European Union in the Philippines for
their support, to all stakeholders of
the project, and especially to the IPs
in ARMM. And lets take a moment
to commemorate Raffy Nabre, one of
the great minds behind IPDEV, whom
we miss every day.
Throughout the three project years,

IPDEV had built a broad and solid

stakeholders network and became an
arena for dialogue and exchange.
The project started with the
collection of basic cultural data and
the generation of information serving
as baseline references and cultural
information to enhance the promotion
of non-discrimination and inclusion of
IPs and other sustainable and rightsbased activities in the four ethnic
groups in ARMM. Result-oriented
community-based learning sessions
on research and documentation were
conducted.

With the publication of its

demographic
survey
data
in
The
Indigenous
Peoples
of
Mainland ARMM the project set
a true milestone. A total of 31.400
households were surveyed in the
targeted barangays. Key Informants
Interviews, Focus Group Discussions
and community mapping to determine
existing community institutions and
their level of organizational strength
were completed. For the first time
ever, this publication gives actual
numbers about the IP publication in
ARMM. The data has been turned

52

over to responsible national, regional

and local government agencies as
basis for future use and work in the
respective areas.
Download the survey here: http://

www.kas.de/philippinen/en/
publications/37850/

IPDEV
identified
Peoples
Organizations of the vulnerable
groups and made them partners
in the development process. As of
January 2015, out of the 80 barangays
covered by IPDEV, 77 are represented
in IPOs. A total of 47 Indigenous
peoples organizations (IPO) have
been
officially
registered
for
increased empowerment, sustainable
development and participation, 42 of
these facilitated by IPDEV.
The project has completed data
collection and information gathering
for the three Ancestral Domain
Sustainable
Development
and
Protection Plans (ADSDPP) for the
Teduray, Lambangian and Dulangan
Manobo tribes. These have been
validated, adopted and printed in
English and Tagalog. The ADSDPPs
have then been turned over to
the communities, LGUs and other
stakeholders.
For the Higaonon in the 4 barangays
covered by IPDEV in Wao, Lanao
del Sur the project has completed
the data collection and information
gathering
for
four
Barangay
Development Plans (BDP) one for
each of the four barangays. The BDPs
have been printed and turned over to
the Higaonon communities.
As of January 2015, a total of 54

53

Indigenous
Peoples
Mandatory
Representatives are now in place
at barangay, municipal, provincial
and regional level for better political
participation of IPs.
IPDEV has held various Exchange
and Networking meetings, such as an
IP Womens Summit on the occasion
of the International Womens Month
Celebration which was attended by
more than 350 IP women from the
Teduray, Lambangian, DulanganManobo and Higaonon tribes and
also other IP tribes from Wao. On the
occasion of IPRA Thanksgiving Day
IPDEV held the first ever IP Cultural
Festival in Cotabato City from 27-30
October 2014. It was the first of its kind
as the IPs in ARMM never celebrated

a cultural festival among themselves

before. The event gave the IPs and
the municipalities an opportunity to
work together as a group and showcase their respective area/ tribe in
the event by presenting a tribal house
with tribal products, food, traditional
songs, dances, games, plays. A total
of 286 participants attended the
event (162 male, 124 female) and
all 12 municipalities that are part of
the IPDEV project participated in the
event.
In numerous trainings of different
kinds and on various topics IPDEV
has expanded and enhanced capacity
and skills among the IPs in ARMM. To
name just a few:
Total of 2,840 individuals (1494 male,

1346 female) and 2706 of them IPs

were trained on leadership, rights
based approach to development,
organizational
management,
conflict
management
and
participatory rapid appraisal.
There were 1,300 individuals trained
as Para-technicians (816 male, 484
female), and 1261 of them were IPs.
There were 168 individuals from the
four communities were trained and
qualified as para-legals.
Another 223 IPs (153 male, 70
female) have been trained on
Sustainable
Agriculture,
Upland
Farming and Coastal Resource
Management.
Some 139 IP farmers and 2 Tribal
Leaders (117 men, 24 women)
were selected among the many
community volunteers and paratechnicians and have been trained
on Natural Resources Utilization and
Management Plans.
In multiple visits 146 paratechnicians) were trained on
sustainable agriculture technology
providing them with theoretical and
practical knowledge and skills on
how to transform land into fruitful,
diversified farms. Other Trainings
on Sustainable Agriculture, Upland
Farming, and Coastal Resource
Management trained a total of 223
people.
Individual Farm Lot Plannings were
done with 1316 participants (831
male, 485 female), 1279 of them
being IPs.
Moreover,
the
project
has
held Trainings on Advocacy and
Campaign Management reaching

54

55

IP in the ARMM.
With these and many other
activities, the IPs in the ARMM have
been equipped with fundamental
and rights-based knowledge and skills
towards the promotion of indigenous
knowledge, systems and practices
and have been trained to eventually
increase their active participation in
local governance and to effectively
advocate and protect their rights.
All three project partners will
continue to work towards IP
empowerment in the ARMM even
after the IPDEV project ends. Thanks
to the developments and results
achieved by IPDEV, future initiatives
will have a solid foundation to build
on and sustainability has thus been
guaranteed.
Fiyo teresang, Fiyo Bagi & Meuyag!!!

Throughout the three

project years, IPDEV
had built a broad and
solid stakeholders
network and became an
arena for dialogue and
exchange.

189 participants. On top of that, the

projects socio-legal advocacy and
campaign events, such as the March
2013 IP Women Summit or the
December 2013 IP Summit, saw 640
participants.
IPDEVs
Regional
Roundtable
Discussions on IP Advocacy informed
about and discussed IP issues with
almost 100 people on different
occasions and our National RoundTables on IP Advocacy have reached
engaged about the same amount
of decision makers at national level.
These regular regional and national
roundtable discussions on IP rights
and discrimination, raised awareness
among ARMM and National Agencies
and decision makers about the need
to systematically improve the legal
and socio-economic situation of the

Coordination Office

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
5/F Cambridge Bldg.,
108 Tordesillas cor. Gallardo Sts.,
Makati City, Philippines
Tel: (02) 403-6773
Mob: 0915-139-1449
Email
miriam.ipdev@gmail.com

Implementing Office

Institute for Autonomy and Governance

2/F UMEX Building
Notre Dame University
Notre Dame Avenue
Cotabato City, Philippines
Telefax. (064) 421-2071
Mob: 0999-991-3221
Email aveen.ipdev@gmail.com

Delegation of the European Union

to the Philippines

30/F Tower II, RCBC Plaza,

6819 Ayala Ave. cor. Gil Puyat
Makati City, 1200, Philippines
Phone: +63 2 859-5100
Fax: +63 2 859-5109
Website: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/
philippines
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/
EUDelegationToThePhilippines
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/EUinthePH

www.iag.org.ph/ipdev
DISCLAIMER: This publication has been produced with the assistance of the
European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of
IPDEV and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

Development
Consultants Inc.
DEVCON
THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED
BY THE EUROPEAN UNION

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built a zone of peace, stability, progress and solidarity. The EU is a model for overcoming conflict and promoting reconciliation through close co-operation to achieve common goals,
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