KIDLAP March2016 low_res.pdf

Kidlap MAGAZINE | 3

THE RURAL MISSIONARIES OF THE PHILIPPINES OR RMP is a national organization, inter-diocesan and inter-congregational in character, of men and women religious, priests and lay people. We live and work with the rural poor. Founded by the Association of Major Women Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMWRSP) in 1969, RMP members commit themselves to support the Filipino peasantry’s quest for social justice, freedom, and genuine agrarian reform. As a Church of the Poor, the RMP aims to strengthen the awareness of the rural poor regarding the truth that all have the right to live fully as human beings, to self-determination, and to freedom from oppression and all forms of exploitation.

RMP-NMR has been established to promote missionary work in Northern Mindanao sub-region. RMP-NMR is duly registered in the Security and Exchange Commission with registration number CN-200927387 as a non-stock, non-profit corporation on 22 June 2009, and with TIN Number 408-441-015-000.

‘Kidlap’ is a Cebuano term for ‘sparks.’

KIDLAP Magazine is the official, semi-annual publication of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-Region (RMP-NMR), Inc.

Kidlap contains relevant

information on the state of human

rights in Mindanao which need

public attention. The feature

articles and abstracts of various

commissioned researches in

this magazine promise to offer

a systematic analyses of issues

such as the impact of industrial

practices on the well-being

of indigenous communities in

Mindanao. They are also useful

to anyone who are interested

in social research of regional

and sectoral issues pertaining

to indigenous peoples or the

Lumads.

Congratulations to the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao

Sub-Sub-Region (RMP-NMR) for the publication of this special edition of Kidlap

magazine.

MESSAGE FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION

FRANZ JESSENAmbassadorHead of Delegation

The EU considers human

rights as a priority and supports

initiatives aimed at ending all

forms of discrimination against

indigenous peoples and is working

towards ensuring their rights

are respected, protected and

fulfilled. As stated by our High

Representative and Vice President

Federica Mogherini:

“The EU reaffirms its support

to the UN Declaration on the

Rights of Indigenous Peoples

(UNDRIP) and is determined to

work closely with indigenous

peoples, along with other partners

and stakeholders”.

In line with this, the EU supports

the RMP-NMR’s initiative to assist

the vulnerable sectors of Mindanao

through the “Healing the Hurt Pro-

ject”. The project, which is financed

by our European Instrument for De-

mocracy and Human Rights (EIDHR),

aims to empower the indigenous

communities living in north Mind-

anao region in combatting discrimi-

nation and rights violations.

I hope that this publication will

contribute to the people’s increased

awareness about the Lumads of

Mindanao; and, perhaps more

importantly, lead to a sincere social

dialogue among all concerned.

KidlapMAGAZINE

Special Issue, March 2016EDITORIAL BOARD

Sr. Ma. Famita N. Somogod, MSMSr. Mary Jane C. Caspillo, MMS

Agustina C. JuntillaMelissa A. Comiso

Sr. Susan M. Dejolde, MSM

STAFF FOR THIS ISSUEAilene Villarosa

Amy DoydoyBeverlita Rendon

Mary Louise G. DumasClarin C. Pasco

Ronan Andrew G. UlandayEvelyn L. Naguio

Photos by Winbel Mordino M. Visitacion, Gary Ben S. Villocino, and Erwin Mascarinas

Contributions, comments and inquiriesare welcome. Please send them to:

Rural Missionaries of the PhilippinesNorthern Mindanao Sub-Region (RMP-NMR), Inc

Rm. 01, Kalinaw Lanao Center for Interfaith Resources

0016 Bougainvilla Puti, Villaverde9200 Iligan City Philippines

T/F: +63 (63) 223 5179E: [email protected]

Soft copies of this issue can be downloaded fromwww.rmp-nmr.org

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/rmp.nmr

Follow us at Twitter: @rmpnmr

This special issue is published with support from the European Union. The views expressed in

this issue are the sole responsibility of RMP-NMR and do not necessarilyrepresent the views of the donors.

About the COVERA Matigsalug woman collects firewood. The Matigsalug communities in Quezon, Bukidnon have been trying to maintain their traditional lifestyle, subsistence farming their main means of living. They gather abaca fiber and some do gold panning to earn cash which they use to buy basic necessities such as salt, instant coffee, and sometimes bread. Their simple lifestyles, however, is threatened with large-scale mining. With a paramilitary group already gaining control over the small-scale gold mining in the neighbouring municipality of San Fernando, resource conflicts are now escalating in the Matigsalug communities.

4 | Kidlap MAGAZINE Kidlap MAGAZINE | 5

In the rapid expansion of monocrop plantations,

aggressive interests in mining and other resource-

intensive business ventures, the still resource-rich

ancestral lands of indigenous peoples are threatened.

The pattern of violence over the years shows that

most of the victims of attacks associated with

the entry of extractive industries come from the

indigenous communities.

Unfortunately, these communities are the

least prioritized by the government and even non-

government institutions. The partner organizations

got together to formulate a strategy to help address

the situation.

The over-all objective of the intervention is to

contribute to the advancement of the rights and

continued development of the indigenous peoples

in Mindanao, starting with a focus on the Northern

Mindanao Region and some parts of the CARAGA.

This contribution specifically seeks to protect and

enhance the capacities of Lumad socio-political

structures, which include traditional and community-

based organizations. Trainings, financial aid, and the

organization of human support networks are among

the activities planned to achieve this objective

Specifically, the components of the project are

based on the results it aims to realize:

THE PROJECT ‘HEALING THE HURT’ was conceived to address the issues faced

by Lumad1 communities in Mindanao. The proponent organizations recognize

that indigenous peoples’ rights have to be respected and upheld to achieve a

just and lasting peace in the region.

SR. MA. FAMITA N. SOMOGOD, MSMPROJECT MANAGER

BY THE ‘HEALING THE HURT’ PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

1Collective term for Mindanao’s indigenous peoples

The Rural Missionaries of

the Philippines was first formed

during the dark years of martial

law. People were killed for their

ideas. There was absolutely no

respect for human rights --most

importantly the right to life --

during that period. The state was

then the enemy of the people.

Fast forward to today, two

EDSA revolutions, and a cacophony

of politicians elected through

supposedly democratic processes

later, we see the same bleak

situation. The assertion of the

people of their right for a self-

determined development is held

at gunpoint. While this is true

for many sectors -- the farmers,

workers, fisherfolk, and others

who are forced to conform to the

elitist economic framework of the

government -- the indigenous

communities most especially

feel this. The resources that are

targeted by large companies are

mostly in their ancestral lands.

And when they fight for their right

MESSAGE FROM THE PROJECT MANAGER

to these resources, they become

victims of brutal state repression.

The human rights situation

in this country has improved

little since the dictatorship.

What is probably worse is that

the government is blatantly

supporting the perpetrators. Hasn’t

it promoted the creation of special

auxiliary units to the military that

will serve as investment defense

forces? Any resistance to the

entry of these business interests is

automatic target. And this is what

has cultivated this impunity, the

violence in the ancestral domains.

We are grateful for the timely

arrival of this project, Healing

the Hurt. While we work widely

in our advocacies, we are not

financially big. What we bank on

are our dedicated workers, and

most importantly, committed

communities who are eager to

capacitate themselves to better

combat threats against them.

The project has allowed us better

mobility and faster pacing of our

campaigns. This has also allowed

us to materialize ideas that we

have long considered such as the

backing of our campaigns with

concrete data through research,

and the provision of community

financial opportunities that would

help them with their resources

while they struggle for their rights.

Healing the Hurt, a collabora-

tion of various organizations, seeks

to address the intensifying issue of

marginalization and rights viola-

tions of our Lumad communities in

Mindanao. This special issue of Kidlap

wishes to elaborate our engagement

so that readers might find inspiration

and perhaps join us in this endeavor.

We would like to thank

the European Union through

the European Instrument for

Democracy and Human Rights, for

supporting the idea of coming up

with this special issue. Finally, we

are most grateful to the Healing

the Hurt staff who put the pieces

of the project, together with their

reflections, in their articles.

I WISH TO REITERATE ONE OF THE QUESTIONS POSED BY THE MISSIONARY

SISTERS OF MARY in our statement on the recent killings in Lianga, Surigao del

Sur: What is to become of our society if the state, which according to Catholic

Social Teachin g should be an ‘instrument to promote human dignity, protect

human rights, and build common good,’ is the perpetrator of attacks against its

constituents?


RESULT 3

Increased financial, material and other forms of support for the protection and security of Lumad victims of rights violations.

RESULT 4

Enhanced capacities of indigenous communities to monitor, document and report rights violations; and enhanced human rights campaign management, organizational and financial capacities of indigenous leaders and structures of community development.

Increased number of research studies on the historical development of discrimination against Lumads and their present-day legitimate struggles.

RESULT 1

RESULT 2Increased number of educational and informative channels, activities and materials with the end view of increasing awareness and promoting public support for the Lumad struggle.

To arrive at this result, a research and media center

will be established. It will be, known as the Mindanao

Interfaith Institute on Lumad Studies. The institute

will invite research fellows to focus on specific Lumad

concerns. Furthermore, for issues needing immediate

attention, the institute will also invite media associates

who can provide investigative reports. All the fellows

and associates will be provided with venues to train,

exchange ideas, and build their capacities for further

advocacy on Lumad issues.

Under this component, a website will also be set

up to provide interested individuals or institutions easy

access to the data that shall be generated from these

reports. On top of this will be the publication of books

meant to popularize the contents of the formal research

reports.

The activities for this component target both the

urban and rural communities, including the Lumad

themselves.

In many areas outside the urban centers, radio is

still the main medium of mass communication. Because

of this, the establishment of a community radio is the

principal activity in this component. Programming will

be solely composed of Lumad stories, advocacy songs

for the Lumad, and traditional Lumad songs and oral

narratives.

To gather broad support from the urban areas,

theatre productions on the Lumad struggle will be staged

in at least five major universities in Northern Mindanao.

An interfaith exposure program in Lumad communities

as well as biblio-theologico reflection sessions would

be offered and would be open to different religions.

The aim of these activities would be to promote non-

discrimination of the Lumad through cultural and

religious understanding.

Educational materials on the Indigenous Peoples’

Rights will also be distributed to secondary and tertiary

schools as well as to churches.

The third component is focused mainly

on providing concrete support to the Lumad

communities who are actively struggling for their

rights. It has two major parts -- one is support for the

economic needs, and the other is for the legal/extra-

legal needs of the communities in the run of their

campaigns.

To help with their financial situation,

cooperatives will be set up in the intervention areas.

The design and function of these cooperatives will

be done by community members themselves, based

on the resources and skills that they have. Although

the project will initially fund them, the communities

will man their functions and operations with the

project staff only providing trainings and monitoring

so that they can continue after the end of the

project.

The help with the legal and extra-legal needs

of the communities, a support network to be called

“Higala sa Lumad” (Friends of the Lumad) will be set

up. This will be composed of interfaith advocates

who will help provide protection for the Lumad

leaders and community members. The network will

also serve as an informal network that would monitor

IP rights violations. This network, together with the

initiatives from other components of the project, will

establish a central data bank for this monitoring and

release urgent alerts on human rights cases. Shadow

reports will also be submitted to international

monitoring bodies.

To best monitor and report cases of human

rights violations in communities, the residents

themselves need to know their rights and are able

to report when these are abused. This is ensured

through the establishment of community-based

human rights teams to be called “Katungod Lumad

Monitors” (Lumad Human Rights Monitors). They

will be equipped with necessary skills through

documentations and paralegal trainings. The output

of the documentations will aid in filing appropriate

charges against perpetrators before judicial and quasi-

judicial bodies.

Under this component, a Lumad Academy for

Human Rights will also be organized. The academy is

an informal training program that will provide inputs

on various human rights mechanisms and procedures,

campaign management on land rights, organizational,

and even financial management.


Community representatives from all over

Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Agusal del Sur and

Agusan del Norte gathered to conduct a ritual

vowing to protect their lands from companies

that would destroy their lands, and an assertion of

their right to self-determined development and

governance. The compact was also an expression

of their opposition to regular military operations in

their communities.

Four years later, the narrative has not changed.

Instead, the situation has worsened. Without any

case solved, impunity has emboldened paramilitary

groups and state forces to commit several human

rights violations.

The start of this year saw several Banwaon

families seeking refuge in the center of Barangay

Balit in San Luis, Agusan del Sur after Necasio

Precioso, Sr. was killed on December 22, 3014.

Precioso was both a local government official -- the

In December 2010, the council of

the Kalumbay Regional Lumad

Organization decided to organize

a Pigsapaan1 among its member

communities. The previous year,

Lumad leaders Datu Mampaagi

Belayong and Datu Mansubaybay

were allegedly killed by the armed

groups of Mario Napongahan and

Datu Manlapangan Bato. Both of

the Datus had been openly against

the entry of mining into their

ancestral domains.

barangay captain of Balit -- and a

traditional datu of the Banwaon.

He was a leader of the Banwaon

organization Tagdumahan.

Members of Tagdumahan were

distraught that even a locally

elected government official would

be targeted by what they suspect

to be members of a paramilitary

group protected by the military

stationed in their municipality.

The second quarter saw

again a series of evacuations --

three of them by the Higaonon

community from Camansi,

Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental,

who were demanding the

pullout of the military from their

communities. On May 1, 252

individuals evacuated to the

Central School of Lagonglong

after parts of their community

were bombed by the military,

which claimed that these were

meant for the New People’s Army

(NPA). The residents reported

that the military cannons were

angled to release bombs to

their community and not at the

forested mountains where the

alleged NPA camp was.

June was a turning point

in Northern Mindanao for the

campaign against paramilitaries

and militarization. Higaonon

residents of Cabanglasan and

Malaybalay, Bukidnon gathered

together in front of the province’s

The intervention shall provide venues for

discussions and dialogues among interfaith groups

and different sectors. The major gathering, which

shall be held annually, will be called “Panumpa

Katungod”1 a colloquium which hopes to foster

solidarity among indigenous leaders.

RESULT 5

Improved cooperation among Lumad communities where they can synergize indigenous resources; and enhance dialogue among stakeholders to surface specific land and human rights issues of indigenous communities.

1 ‘Pledge for Human Rights’

THE STATE OF LUMAD HUMAN RIGHTS:

UNCHANGING NARRATIVES, WORSENED SITUATIONBY SR. FAMITA N. SOMOGOD, MSM

capitol grounds and set up a

camp, revealing that families

and individuals have slowly been

leaving their communities in

fear of an armed group headed

by Romulo Dela Mance and his

brothers. Later on, this group was

discovered later on to be a part of

the Alamara, a paramilitary group

operating in Davao del Sur.

According to the evacuees, the

group had been on a killing spree in

their communities since December

of last year. In the span of half a

year, the group had killed seven.

The most prominent of the killings

had been that of Frenie Landasan,

the chairperson of the Higaonon

Tribal Association of Dalacutan,


RE-SEARCHINGWHERE ARE WE NOW?

BACK IN COLLEGE, we had a joke among us that the only answer an activist could give to a question is ibagsak1. Of course the joke was not meant to offend as we were among those shouting ibagsak with utmost feelings.

Cabanglasan. Landasan had been

accused of supporting the New

People’s Army. For several years, the

group had already been harassing

the residents, one of the Dela

Mance brothers holding a position

in their local government unit.

Because of the protest actions

held by the evacuees, a warrant of

arrest had been released against

Romulo Dela Mance, Mario Mesto,

alias Lolong Kumaingking, alias

Mako Santas, and alias Enad Santos.

But despite this, none of the

brothers nor their subordinates

had been arrested. In fact, residents

say they see the group with the

military when they conduct their

operations.

With the evacuees still camped

up in the Capitol Grounds in

Malaybalay, another major incident

erupted. Five Manobo civilians were

killed in Pangantucan, Bukidnon

following an armed encounter

between the Armed Forces of

the Philippines and the NPA. The

military at first insisted that the men

they killed were members of the

NPA. But then proved wrong by a

fact-finding mission conducted by

several Lumad and human rights

advocates, they changed their tune

and said that the NPA killed the five.

Despite various demands

for justice both in the local

and international levels, the

government is not taking serious

action on these matters. These

Lumad communities happen to be

in resource-rich areas, targets for

the entry of extractive industries.

The government’s economic

policies push for the entry of these

companies, irrespective of the

Lumad communities’ assertion for

self-determined development.

The project team is

anticipating a further escalation

of incidents. With the coming

nationwide elections, many

promises of politicians to investors

are nearing their deadlines. The

increasing incidences of violence

towards the Lumad are a symptom

of this growing urgency. But at

the same time, the indigenous

communities themselves are

upping the ante of their struggle

by conducting wider campaigns

and seeking the support of

different sectors. They want to

show that while attacks continue

against them, they have become

more resolute in their fight.

The choice is between the protection of the marginalized Lumad and the promotion of plunder

1 A ritual of pledge

BY MARY LOUISE G. DUMAS

It has been more than a decade since my first

rally. But to this day, when I pass by demonstrations,

I still hear the very same chants. Imperyalismo--

ibagsak! Burukrata kapitalismo -- ibagsak! Pyudalismo

-- ibagsak! And I’d think, haven’t these organizations

thought of something more creative to chant?

The slogans are the same. But then perhaps, the

question should be, has nothing changed? Has

society remained the same so that these calls are still

appropriate, still valid? The only way to find out is to

re-search these issues. Data and concrete analyses of

situations are needed to substantiate claims.

Researches, for so long synonymous with

academics and done on a theoretical level, have

not always touched base with the social actors. This

could have been for various reasons. It could be the

jargons. Or maybe the discussion is too theoretical.

Or sometimes, there is no involvement of the people

in the communities that they feel detached from the

reports that are actually about them.

At the same time, community movements are

gaining momentum. And many of their success stories

remain undocumented, not assessed, or remain an

internal organizational knowledge.

What the Mindanao

Interfaith Institution on

Lumad Studies would like to

do is to marry both -- research

and action. Action based on

research is surer, more strategic.

Research based on action is more

grounded and pragmatic.

To start, the first and a half

years of the institution focus on

nine major researches:

1.) the systematic marginalization

of indigenous peoples;

2.) the laws that affect indigenous

communities;

3.) experiences on the free prior

and informed consent in the region;

4.) the heightening problem of paramilitarism and

militarization in ancestral lands, 5.) the effect on

mental health of militarized and violent situations;

6.) what has become of the logged ancestral lands

in the headwaters of the region’s main river basin;

7.) state of large scale mining in the region;

8.) state of monocrop plantations, and

9.) the socio-economic effects on indigenous

communities of power generation from

megadams.

After these major researches, smaller case studies

will be conducted in all the communities identified in

the project as priority intervention areas.

Slogans would always be a component of

popularization campaigns. But if these haven’t

evolved for so many years, the critical audience

starts to wonder. And with so many opinions thrown

around, people need proof that that the demands are

legitimate and reasonable.

1 “down with..”


RESEARCH ABSTRACTSOF THE MIILS

Social Suffering and Hope among the Lumads in Mindanao [Structural Discrimination of the Lumads of Mindanao, Philippines]

RESEARCHER ARNOLD P. ALAMON

1

2Marked: a study on investment defense forces, paramilitarism and militarization of selected indigenous territories in Mindanao

RESEARCHERS MARY LOUISE DUMAS & GRACE CANTAL ALBASIN

But the reality is simple

economics. News is what sells, what

puts food on the table. Perhaps

many journalists started idealistic,

bent on informing society of issues

that matter -- issues that should

matter. But in the long run, this

responsibility becomes secondary.

“Media concern [on Indigenous

Peoples] is low,” said Beverly Longid

from the Asia Indigenous Peoples

Network on Extractive Industries

and Energy, the resource person for

the sessions on Indigenous Peoples’

Rights Reporting that the Mindanao

Interfaith Institute on Lumad

Studies (MIILS) organized in July.

“They are used to press releases,

chopped stories. Companies can

afford classy restaurants but the IP

communities cannot.”

Ms. Longid underlined the state

of Philippine media, which largely

revolves in sensationalism. This

consequently leads to two trends CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

THE FIFTH ESTATE

AND THE LUMADBY MARY LOUISE G. DUMAS

THEORETICALLY, LOCAL JOURNALISTS WOULD understand issues at their backyard better than ‘parachuters’ – those who are based in the country’s capital, or are from another country, who briefly fly into an area to cover some stories then go back to their base. Theoretically, based on this understanding, local journalists are more sensitive in dealing with delicate matters such as conflicts, deaths, and cultural traditions.

in reporting about indigenous

peoples. First, the information is

either lacking or wrong, which

in turn leads to a misinformed

public. Second, the information

romanticizes indigenous practices

too much, and this again ends with

a misinformed public.

MIILS, as an institution

advocating for knowledge

generation on the issues of

indigenous peoples -- especially on

rights protection and promotion

-- seeks to lessen this information

hitch through a program for media

associates.

The institute has adopted

a fellowship scheme with four

batches of intakes. Five media

workers are invited to become

associates for each intake. These

associates are given funding for

mobility, giving them the freedom

to cover indigenous peoples’ issues

without worrying where to get

funding or if their expenses would be

covered by what their stories would

earn. The aim is to allow the idealist

in the media workers to rekindle --

what would they write about if their

income were not at stake?

Under the program, trainings

and discussions are also organized

to better capacitate the journalists.

While it is assumed that the

individuals who will be invited

as associates already have an

advocacy for indigenous peoples,

they are not necessarily experts in

indigenous cultures and traditions.

Conversely, organizations and

advocates of indigenous peoples’

rights also need to hone their

relationship with the media.

“Sometimes, with regards

to those organizations who

are bringing the media to the

communities, they are too

assuming that the journalists are

already culturally aware, which

is not always the case,” said Ms.

Grace Cantal Albasin, the editor

in chief of SunStar Daily Cagayan

de Oro during the round-table

discussion organized for the media

workers. “Also, some organizations

who invite to the area portray the

situation of the indigenous peoples

too dramatically that it is no longer

appealing to journalists.”

For this, the institute will be

working with the other project

components to train indigenous

leaders and support organizations

on how best to communicate

their situation and issues to the

broader public.

The institute is firm on its

stand that news -- even hard

news -- is never objective. The

process of crafting a media output

involves too many layers of human

intervention to be objective. Who

does the media person interview?

What, among all the information

gathered, gets included in the cut?

And most importantly, what story

-- and in many cases, whose story

-- should be told?

IN THE MULTIPLE NARRATIVES of the Filipino nation, the story

of Mindanao and its people is a frayed thread. More than a

century after the nation’s birth from the bosom of colonial

rule and governance mostly emanating from political centers

of the North, the inhabitants of the country’s Southernmost

Island remain locked in a bitter struggle over land and

rights. The indigenous peoples of Mindanao comprising of

numerous ethnolinguistic groups who consider themselves

falling under the collective identity of “lumad” or natives are

the unfortunate victims of the regime of resource-extraction

in the form of logging, mining, and large-scale agricultural

enterprises by a growing migrant population from the North

and the Visayas backed by foreign economic interest in the

past century. This has led to the lumads’ social, political, and

economic displacement together with a significant Muslim

population of the South. Mindanao has thus been the site of

these national contradictions that tear upon the imagined

fragile fabric of peaceful co-existence among its tri-partite

peoples.

This study aims to trace the history and evolution of

these narratives of structural discrimination among a number

of lumad communities in Mindanao. It seeks to document

the stories of social, political, and economic marginalization

from the past to the present that are the bases for their

continued structural discrimination. Through the gathering

of community histories and life-stories among the old and the

young from select lumad communities, the study aspires to

surface not just the stories of oppression but also highlight

the narratives of resistance and hope among the indigenous

peoples of Mindanao.

Abstract

Abstract

IN EARLY 2015, several families of the

Banwaon community in Agusan del Sur

left their homes in fear and sought refuge

in a makeshift evacuation area in Balit, San

Luis, Agusan del Sur. They were members

of the indigenous people’s organization,

Tagdumahan, calling for the cessation of

the Magahat, a systematic killing of the

organization’s members. It was shortly

after one of their leaders was killed by a

group of rebel returnees who had re-

armed themselves and joined military

operations against the communist-led


PUTTING HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTATION

INTO THE LUMAD’S HANDS BY RONAN ANDREW G. ULANDAY

“DAKO KAAYO NI NGA TABANG KANAMO (This is a huge help to us),” Bae Jocelyn of Brgy. Butong, Quezon, Bukidnon happily conveyed during the Katungod Lumad Monitors’ (KLM) Training.THE MONITORS

Nine batches of KLMs have been targeted for training. The first batch

came from the Higaonon communities of Camansi, Tapol and Anahaw

of Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental. These communities were the victims

of human rights violations committed by the elements of the 58th

Infantry Battalion on June 4, 2015.

The presence of the military, and the subsequent harassment,

intimidation, and their being tagged as supporters of the New People’s

Army (NPA) forced them to leave their communities. They temporarily

camped in front of the capitol grounds of the province of Misamis

Oriental. Their experiences were the highlight of the training making it

rooted in the realities on the ground.

After the breakthrough training,

five more batches were trained: two

batches from Agusan del sur and

Agusan del Norte and three batches

from Bukidnon. The succeeding

batches were trained in the most

accessible venues for the Lumad

who came from the hinterlands.

The schedule for the remaining

three batches was put on hold

due to the heavy militarization

of their areas. Nevertheless, some

communities dared to defy and

took the risk and attended the

training.

“Maayo kay naa ni nga

pagbansay (It’s good that there

is this discussion),” said Bombay

Manlomanta, a Matigsalog of Santa

Felomina, Quezon, Bukidnon on the

necessity of the training.

Datu Dodong Antugon added,

“Karon kabalo na mi sa among

mga katungod ug kinahanglan nga

panalipdan (Now we know what

our rights are and what we need to

protect).”

Their remarks have affirmed

the objectives of the training. The

main objective had been to equip

the KLMs with knowledge on Basic

Human Rights, Documentation

and Paralegal Action. The Union

of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao,

a project partner, took charge in

developing the training.

Concretizing their zeal on

the plight of the Lumads through

the training, the trainers poured

their best effort in realizing the

objectives of the training, which

is to equip the Lumad with the

skills to gather and document

information related to indigenous

peoples’ rights violations in their

communities and nearby areas.

The participants came from

many communities from the

provinces Misamis Oriental,

Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte

and Bukidnon. The Lumads belong

to Higaonon, Manobo, Talaandig,

Tigwahanon, Manobo-Pulangihon,

Matigsalog, Ata Manobo and

Ummayamnon groups. Aside from

defying militarization, they trekked

mountains and crossed a number

of rivers just to attend the training.

The KLMs were selected after

consultating with Datus and Baes

(Lumad community leaders) and

facilitated by the Kalumbay Lumad

Regional Organization, a project

partner .

EXPECTED IMPACT

“Dili na gyud mi madali-dali nga

malapasan sa among katungod

(Human rights violations will not

be easily committed against us,”

said Bactom Cambusan, a mother

of four from Bulunay, Mahan-aw,

Impasug-on, Bukidnon.

With knowledge gained from

the training, the participants can

now muster enough courage to

assert their rights and identify and

document violations.

KLMs joined a fact-finding

mission co-sponsored by RMP-NMR

and assisted in the documentation

of the Pangantucan Massacre1.

Local organizations will

provide guidance to the KLMs

operations and this mechanism

will ensure the protection of

indigenous peoples’ rights in areas

where there is a Katungod Lumad

Monitor.

1 Five Lumad were reportedly shot by elements of the 3rd Company of the 1st Special Forces Batallion of the Philippine Army under the 4th Infantry Division in Pangantucan, Bukidnon

1 Five Lumad were reportedly shot by elements of the 3rd Company of the 1st Special Forces Batallion of the Philippine Army under the 4th Infantry Division in Pangantucan, Bukidnon


4

Study on the impact of laws and relevant national policies on extractive industries in selected areas of Mindanao

RESEARCHER ATTY. JARLEY SULAY-TRUGILLO

3The Psycho-social Effects of Militarization and Protracted Armed Conflict on Women and Girls in Communities of Indigenous Peoples on the Balatukan (Misamis Oriental) and Kitanglad (Bukidnon) Mountain Ranges

RESEARCHER LINA SAGARAL-REYES

RESEARCH ABSTRACTS FROM PAGE 13

KidlapMAGAZINE

New People’s Army (NPA). This situation was an

echo of the killing of a leader in Bukidnon by a

paramilitary group and the consequent evacuation

of his community had occurred in Bukidnon in 2012.

Over the years, the killing of leaders of indigenous

organizations have been reported by human rights

groups, the perpetrators always these paramilitaries

who the victims seemed to know personally.

This study looks at how these armed groups

came to be in selected areas in Mindanao. The

groups are specifically those that have been

identified by the communities as active in military

operations, directly or indirectly employed by the

state. The study’s research questions are: 1.) When

did these armed groups start operating in the

communities? 2.) Who are their usual victims? 3.)

What are their stated reasons for their actions?

A historical approach will be employed in doing

the research using the life story methodology,

focusing on the elders’ experience living in a conflict

area. The stories will then be compared, looking for

patterns and similarities of their experiences. Reports

on previous Human Rights Violations will be used as

secondary data and will be processed quantitatively.

Abstract

THE STUDY SEEKS to find out the short-term and

long-term effects/impact of human rights and

International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations on

the individual and collective lives of women and

girls, specifically on their emotional well-being

and mental health. It will determine how the

female lumad (indigenous peoples/IP) respond to

repeated traumatic experiences of armed clashes

and subsequent evacuations in recent memory, as

well as the violations of HR and IHL in these milieus.

The study will include documenting the responses

of individuals, families, communities and local

governments units to gender-based mental health

needs. It will also delve into cultural/indigenous

rituals, ethno-interventions of trauma healing that

encourage and build resistance, resilience and post-

trauma growth in these milieus.

There is scarce research on the impact of armed

conflict on the psycho-social functioning of women

in Mindanao (Dwyer and Guiam, 2013); much less

among the marginalized lumad communities, which

in the past 40 years have been caught in the crossfire

between the military and the nationalist freedom

fighters. In some instances, the lumad themselves

have become frontline defenders of their homelands.

The first phase of the project involves a two-

tier survey/assessment questionnaire on trauma

symptoms/syndromes among primary information

sources and focus group discussions in situ.

The second phase are in-depth interviews with

other key Informants/stakeholders (women leaders,

traditional healers/baylan, barangay health workers,

municipal doctors, psychologists, social workers and

first responders, disaster risk and reduction team

members, staff at the National Commission on IPs,

peace and order councils). A Free and Prior Informed

Consent (FPIC) process, a (p)review of related

literature and analysis, processing of the gathered

data will also be essential parts of the research.

Abstract

THE STUDY LOOKS at the different laws and policies

-- such as but not limited to the Mining Act, the

Indigenous Peoples Rights’ Act, the National

Integrated Protected Areas System, and others

pertinent to indigenous communities -- in general

and their interplay with each other. It reviews the

loopholes that can be found in them, and the

recommendations on how to consolidate / improve

the laws based on experiences from the ground.

While the majority of the research will be

a review of the laws, field research will also be

done to get the sentiments from the indigenous

communities who are directly affected by the laws.


8On Large Scale Mining in Mindanao

RESEARCHER AUDREY DE JESUS

9On Corporate Plantationsin Mindanao

RESEARCHER MA. JENNIFER HAYGOOD-GUSTE

6

The effects of logging and the current situation of the Lumad communities in the headwaters of the Cagayan de Oro River

RESEARCHER GRACE CANTAL ALBASIN

7On Megadams

RESEARCHERGLENIS TERESA C. BALANGUE

5Schizoid Praxis of the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in Two Mindanao Ethnoscapes

RESEARCHERANTONIO MONTALVAN III, PHD

Abstract

WHAT ARE THE TENSIONS in the practice of the Free

Prior and Informed Consent? What is a cultural FPIC

and what is the FPIC of the National Commission

on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)? What has brought

about the bifurcation? If the NCIP is “the primary

government agency responsible for the formulation

and implementation of policies, plans and

programs to promote and protect the rights and

well-being of Indigenous Cultural Communities/

Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs)” in the Philippines,

why the heterogeneity of the FPIC? Does the IPRA

law itself accommodate cultural FPICs? If not, has

it unwittingly brought it to existence? Is there

now a paradox of two competing assertions of

principle and law, thus bringing about an aporia, an

irresolvable antinomy? Is the praxis of the cultural

FPIC seen as a counter-modality to the NCIP FPIC and

hence a form of resistance to government? Or is it

simply a simulacrum of the other? Is it motivated by

an anxiety that cultural folkways are inassimilable

in government praxis? Conversely, is the NCIP-

sanctioned FPIC an illustration of what Renato

Rosaldo calls the imperialist nostalgia, a mourning of

the passing of what we ourselves have transformed

or are transforming?

These are the questions of the study that shall

focus on two localities of indigenous communities:

Kalugmanan in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon and a

hinterland barangay in Opol, Misamis Oriental. The

study will collect data from resource persons by way

of interviews and focus group discussions during

the course of fieldwork.

Abstract

IN THE 80S, the Higaonon communities in Agusan

del Norte declared a tribal war against the Nasipit

Lumber Company and its sister company, the

Anakan Lumber Company. This resulted to the

death of Higaonon leader Datu Mankalasi. His son

took up his battlecry together with several other

Higaonon datus in their resistance against the

company. Despite their losses, they were victorious

when NALCO finally pulled out from their ancestral

domain. This was one of the very few victorious

stories against logging, which was at its height

in the 70s and 80s in Northern and North-Eastern

Mindanao. This victory, however, is slowly eroding

with the remaining logging concessions gradually

eating up the staunchly defended forests of the

indigenous peoples. The problem of denuded

mountains only resurfaced when natural disasters

worsened and badly hit Northern Mindanao.

This study aims to present the current

environmental situation of the areas that had

been logged in the decades past. This is to look

at possible scenarios of worsened environmental

conditions, and its effects on the traditions of

indigenous communities. The area it seeks to cover

is the headwaters of the Cagayan de Oro river which

claimed more than a thousand lives when it flooded

in 2011 due to a mere Tropical Storm.

The study specifically aims to answer the

questions: 1.) What is the current forest cover? What

was its rate of deforestation in the past? 2.) What

has become of the logged area -- environmentally,

socially, politically? 3.) What had been the effects of

the massive logging in the past on the culture and

traditions of the indigenous peoples living in the

areas where the concessions were operating?

18 | Kidlap MAGAZINE

Abstract

Abstract

THERE IS INCREASING aggressive ‘development’

in Mindanao, including the construction of

mega-dams. The government is pushing for the

implementation of energy projects, such as the

Pulangi V Hydro-Electric Power Plant (HEP) in

Bukidnon, which is expected to generate 300

megawatts (MW) of power in Mindanao.

Areas targeted however are part of the ancestral

domain of the indigenous peoples (IP) of Mindanao,

collectively called Lumad. The 3,300-hectare

Pulangi V HEP threatens the existence of Manobo

communities including farmer settlers and fisherfolk

in the 22 barangays (villages) in seven municipalities

of Bukidnon and Cotabato provinces, which the

energy project is seen to submerge under water.

The construction of large dams, otherwise

called megadams, whether for power or irrigation,

as in the cases of Pantabangan, Binga and San

Roque dams, has led to physical displacement and

economic dislocation of IPs. It has also subjected

them to greater forms of structural discrimination.

The over-all objective of the study is

determine how the construction of megadams,

particularly Pulangi V HEP, contributes to structural

discrimination of IPs and violation of their human

rights in order to provide for protection and

enhanced capacities of IPs against structural

discrimination and rights violations. Data shall be

gathered through Desk Research, Key Informant

Interviews, and Focus Group Discussions.

THE RESEARCH AIMS to answer the problem: What

are the impacts of large-scale mining (LSM) on

the rights of indigenous people (IP) in Mindanao,

collectively called Lumad? The general objective

of the research is to analyze the impacts of LSM

on the rights of the Lumad in order to support the

campaign on combating structural discrimination,

human rights violations and impunity.

Specifically, it aims to: 1.) explain the policy of

mining liberalization in the Philippines 2.) describe

LSM activities in Lumad areas in Mindanao (with

focus on Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del

Sur, and Agusan del Norte; 3.) articulate the rights

of the IP according to the UN Declaration on the

Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); 4.) show

the impact of LSM on the promotion of UNDRIP ;

5.) explain the impact of LSM on Lumad access to

land and resource 6.) analyze the impact of LSM

on the environment, agriculture, forest-based

activities, fisheries, and artisanal mining of Lumad

communities; and 7.) analyze the impact of LSM on

socio-cultural practices.

Data shall be gathered through Desk Research,

Key Informant Interviews, and Focus Group

Discussions.

THE RESEARCH AIMS to answer the question: What

is the impact of the renewed proliferation of

corporate plantations in Mindanao (oil palm, rubber

and agrofuels) on the rights of the Lumad?

Its general objective is to determine the

violations that may be committed by corporate

plantations in Mindanao of the rights of the

indigenous peoples (IP) as stipulated in the UN

Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples

(UNDRIP). Specifically, it aims to: 1.) describe the

activities and processes in the establishment of

corporate plantations in Mindanao (with focus on

Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, and

Agusan del Norte); 2.) document the violations of

the UNDRIP principles in the process of establishing

corporate plantations; 3.) document the impact of

corporate plantations on existing socio-economic,

political and cultural structures and practices of

the Lumad communities; 4.) explain the impact of

corporate plantations on Lumad access to land and

resource, livelihood and decent incomes; and 5.)

analyze the impact of corporate on the Lumad’s

environment and other sources of livelihood.

Data shall be gathered through Desk Research,

Key Informant Interviews, and Focus Group

Discussions.

Abstract


GET TO KNOW THE RESEARCH FELLOWS OF THE

MINDANAO INTERFAITH INSTITUTE ON LUMAD STUDIES

ARNOLD P. ALAMON completed his graduate and

undergraduate degrees in Sociology at the University

of the Philippines -Diliman where he also taught for

several years. He is a member of CONTEND or the

Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism

and Democracy where he co-edited a number of

the progressive organization’s publications on the

Philippine educational system, the history of the radical

student movement in UP, among others. He now

teaches Sociology at the Mindanao State University

- Iligan Institute of Technology and maintains a twice-

weekly column for Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.

GLENIS TERESA C. BALANGUE is Senior Researcher

of IBON Foundation. She is IBON’s specialist in

mining, health and power. She is the lead researcher

and writer of several major researches: Implications

of Large-scale Mining on Food Security (2014) and

Privatization and the Right to Health (2014) with

Third World Health Aid, Climate and Food for the

Asia-Pacific Research Network (2012), Poverty and

Crisis in Eastern Visayas (2010), and A Study on the

Socioeconomic Impacts of the Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic

Mining Project on the Residents of Rapu-Rapu, Albay

and Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon (2007). She also writes

for IBON’s flagship publication IBON Facts and

Figures. She joined IBON in 2004 after finishing her

B.A. Political Science degree at the University of the

Philippines Diliman.

GRACE C. ALBASIN is the editor in chief of Sun.Star

Cagayan de Oro. She used to write for the Philippine

Daily Inquirer before she took her masters in Media

Studies at The New School in New York. She had also

been a fellow of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance.

MARY LOUISE G. DUMAS worked as a journalist after

obtaining a degree in Development Communication

from Xavier University in Northern Mindanao. She then

engaged for some years with Lumad communities

when she joined the Ethnic Groups Development

Resource Center. She presently serves as the Executive

Director of the Mindanao Interfaith Institute on Lumad

Studies. She holds an MA in Media, Peace and Conflict

Studies from the University for Peace in Costa Rica.

MARIA JENNIFER HAYGOOD-GUSTE is Senior

Researcher at IBON Foundation. She has been with

IBON since 1994. She currently specializes on

Philippine Agriculture and Agrarian Reform. She was

main researcher for IBON’s various books on

Globalization of Philippine Mining, WTO in Philippine

Agriculture, and Philippine Financial System, and led

IBON’s field researches on various socio-political

issues. Before working with IBON, Jennifer also did

volunteer work for indigenous peoples in the

Philippines through Tunay na Alyansa ng Bayan Alay

sa Katutubo (TABAK or Network of Advocates for IP

Rights), Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng

Pilipinas (KAMP or Alliance of

Indigenous Peoples of the

Philippines), the Ecumenical

Movement for Justice and

Peace (EMJP); with farmers

and fisherfolks in Southern

Tagalog and helped produce

the region’s major crop and

fisheries studies; and, likewise

did volunteer work at Wantok

Environment Center which

assists Ni Vanuatus in

conserving their environment

and culture in Vanuatu.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

REFLECTIONS OF A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER

HIGALA SA MGA LUMAD

BY CLARIN C. PASCO

“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4.

The message here is really very

simple: help those in need. But

who are these people in need?

I have spent the first three

years of my high school life in a

sectarian school. I often hear our

teachers say that we should help

the needy to be a real follower

of Jesus Christ. But to make the

story short, I stepped out from

that school, still without entirely

knowing who - and perhaps more

importantly, how - to help.

In my college years, I got a

picture of who are those needing

my helping hand. It was at that

time when I was introduced to a

student organization that taught

me to be vigilant and be vocal

against issues of corruption and

plunder, against human rights

violations, the tyranny and social

injustice causing poverty, hunger

and indecent living conditions

of the people. The organization

taught me, little by little, how

to open up to the poor (which,

astoundingly composes almost

99% of our population despite

the luxuries I see around me in the

urban centers) by devoting my

intellect, energy and courage to

build a better society devoid of

corruption, inequality and social

injustice.

It was also at that time that I

learned of the Rural Missionaries

of the Philippines (RMP). Although

then, their work was a bit vague

to me, my idea of them similar

to other congregations who do

charity works (that is, give one or

two kilos of rice to poor families or

cooking lugaw every third Sunday

of the month for street children)

while preaching the word of God.

Now, after so many years, I

finally got the chance to work in

a project under RMP -- a project

for the Lumad communities in the

provinces around me. Here I finally

understood the biblical passage

better -- not just understood in

fact, but started to live it.

The Lumads are

considered the most historically

marginalizedgroups in the country.

We hear and see stories and news

about the life-and-death struggles

of the Lumads against intrusion

of extractive and destructive

industries in their ancestral

territories. They were dispossessed

of their land, despised for their

culture, abused, and murdered.

They have been discriminated and

subjected to violence and other

forms of human rights violations

while they were defending their

ancestral domains, right to a self-

determined development and

cultural practices.

Indigenous communities from

different regions of Mindanao

are calling for support in their

fight to defend their ancestral

land from military encroachment

and harassment. In the recent

months, throughout the region,

Lumad families have traveled for

hours and even days to leave their

ancestral territories to make a

political statement and expose the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 25


EXPRESS YOUR CONCERN to the Philippine Government by writing to:

H.E. BENIGNO S. AQUINO IIIPresident of theRepublic of the PhilippinesMalacanang PalaceJP Laurel Sr. San Miguel, ManilaFax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] HON. LEILA M. DE LIMASecretary, Department of Justice DOJ Main Building Padre Faura Street, ManilaTel: 523-8481 (loc. 211/214 ), 521-1908 Fax: 524-5936Email: [email protected] RET. LT. GEN. VOLTAIRE T. GAZMINSecretary, Dept. of Nat’l DefenseRoom 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, E. de los Santos Avenue, Quezon City Voice:+63(2) 911-6193 Fax:+63(2) 911-6213 HON. JOSE LUIS MARTIN GASCON Chairperson Commission On Human Rights SAAC Building, Commonwealth Avenue UP Complex, Diliman Quezon City928-5655, 926-6188 Telefax: 929-0102 SEN. AQUILINO PIMENTEL IIIChair, Justice and Human Rights Committee, Philippine Senate Rm. 512 GSIS Bldg., Financial Center, Roxas Blvd., Pasay CityTrunk Lines: (632) 552-6601 to 70 loc. 5548 Direct Lines: (632) 822-9758Fax No.: (632) 822-9759Email: [email protected]

KATUNGOD LUMAD ALERT DEMANDJUSTICE NOW!

‘HIGALA SA MGA LUMAD’ (Friends of the Lumad)

Network, is a support group composed of

a broad range of interfaith personalities

/ representatives of organizations

synergizing relevant capacities and

resources- legal services, medical and

psychosocial support, sanctuaries, research

and advocacy support, etcetera - for

Lumad communities and Lumad victims

of violence and other forms of human

rights violations. ‘Higala’ also serves as an

informal monitoring network for Lumad

human rights.

‘Higala’ has been established with the

support of the European Union.

Five Manobos massacred in Pangantucan, BukidnonFive civilians from the Manobo community of Barangay Mendis, Pangantucan,

Bukidnon, were reportedly massacred by members of the 3rd Company of the

Special Forces Batallion under Col. Nasser Lidasan after an armed encounter

between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (NPA)

on August 18, 2015.

According to a 15 year old boy who survived, the military came to their farm-

house shortly after they heard gunfires. At that time, he, his 70-year old father,

his brother, nephew, and two neighbors were busy preparing a meal. They

were ordered to come out and form a line. When the military started shooting

them one by one, the boy ran back to the center of their village.

Almost immediately, Colonel Lidasan claimed that they had killed five mem-

bers of the NPA. However, after a fact-finding mission found out that those

killed were civilians, the military allegedly changed their statement and said

that the NPA killed the five.

Witnesses came up, claiming that on the morning of August 18, before the

armed encounter happened, military men who pretended to be members of

the NPA came to them and asked to be guided to their camp in the mountains.

The residents of Mendis claimed that it had been a long time that they have

not seen NPAs in their village and that they did not know of any camp in the

mountain. However, they were forced to guide, and fearing harm, they agreed.

(Next to farming, their source of income is working as guides for mountain

climbers. So they knew the paths around the mountain.)

The military to this day has encamped in the center of Barangay Mendis, oc-

cupying the barangay hall. The residents are said to be forbidden to go to

their farms without permission from the military. They are ordered to sign a

logbook whenever they need to go to their farms and they need to be back

in their community before dark. Many of the families have opted not to go to

their farms as these were far and the time allotted to them was very short.

In addition to the economic limitation, this Manobo community was not able

to hold their rituals in the mountain, where their sacred areas are. And the bod-

ies were immediately taken by the military which did not allow the families to

bury them according to the tribe’s ritual.

According to International Humanitarian Law, civilians are to be protected and

should not be targeted in situations of armed conflict. Public structures and

spaces meant for civilians should not be occupied by any of the armed groups,

and the community’s economic, social and cultural rights should remain re-

spected. However, these were not observed in the case of Pangantucan.

We call out to all concerned individuals and organizations to join the families

of the victims in their demand for justice. We urge you to send a letter to the

Commission on Human Rights, the National Commission on Indigenous Peo-

ples, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process to peti-

tion for an in-depth and honest inquiry on the massacre, and prosecute those

responsible for the crime.

REP. GUILLERMO ROMARATE JR.Chair, Human Rights CommitteeHouse of RepresentativesQuezon City Rm. RVM-426Phone: (632) 931-5001; local 7051, 9518974 LEONOR T. ORALDE-QUINTAYOChair, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples 2/F N. dela Merced Bldg. cor. West & Quezon Ave., Quezon City Tel: 373-9942 HON. JOSE MA. ZUBIRI, JR.Governor Province of BukidnonProvincial Capitol, Malaybalay CityTel.: (088) 221-2523; (088) 813-3845 HON. MANOLITO G. GRACESMayor, Municipality of PangantucanMunicipal Hall, Pangantucan, Bukidnon Copy furnish your letters to [email protected]

Contact us at:

HIGALA SA LUMAD NETWORKRoom 01, Kalinaw Lanao Center for Interfaith Resources0016 Bougainvilla Puti, Villaverde9200 Iligan City, PhilippinesT/F: +63 (63) 223 5179E: [email protected]


BY CLARIN C. PASCO

TRAINING LUMAD COMMUNITIESTO COLLECTIVELY PREPARE VS. ATTACKS

The first training I did was for a group from a Higaonon community in Misamis

Oriental. When I entered the function room, they greeted me “Madagway

masolom (good morning).” I responded “Maayong buntag pod (Good morning

too – in Bisaya). Tawaga lang ko sa akong ngalan not mam (Just call me

by my name, not maam).”

THE HIGAONON LADY smiled and

said “Basta maka lipstick, mam na

para sa akoa (Anyone wearing a

lipstick is ‘maam’ for me.” And every-

body, including me, was laughing. I

had expected butterflies in my stom-

ach during my first presentation but

the light and happy atmosphere

reassured me.

Last September 2014, a month

before I got my certificate of com-

pletion for my Professional Educa-

tion, I got a call from a friend work-

ing in the Rural Missionaries in the

Philippines. He offered me to work

on a project under the organization.

I was hesitant at first since my hus-

band and I have already mapped out

my so-called career plan. However,

after my friend discussed to me the

necessity of the project and its main

objective, I eventually agreed.

Our project on ‘Healing the

Hurt’ is about unleashing the power

of interfaith action to combat dis-

crimination, human rights violations

and impunity against the Lumads of

Mindanao. As a Project Officer, one

of my responsibilities is to establish

the Community-Based Emergency

Fund for Lumad in nine clustered

communities. In other words, I am

expected to set up cooperatives in

these communities.

The main purpose of the

cooperative is to provide for the

practical and urgent security and

protection requirements of Lumad

victims of human rights violations,

including their families, if necessary.

The proceeds of the cooperative

will be used to respond to the legal,

medical, psychosocial and sanctuary

needs of a leader or member of the

community experiencing violence

or criminalization because of their

effort to defend their people from

aggressive industrialization and

encroachment of their ancestral

domains. This sounds romantic and

very ideal.

Before the establishment of the

cooperative, I will have to give them

first a training on cooperative devel-

opment to capacitate them in start-

ing up and managing their respec-

tive cooperatives. Here lies the catch

for me. For me, giving a training is

not an easy task – much more to Lu-

mad communities whose language

I could not speak. I was afraid that

I could not deliver the training ef-

fectively since public speaking never

seemed to be my cup of tea. For the

first 28 years of my life, I had avoided

public speaking wherever possible.

So I looked for the best alterna-

tive. The first two trainings last July

was given by Wildon Barros of the

Mindanao Farmers Resource Center

and I was only the facilitator. But it

was agreed that I will be the main

speaker in the remaining seven train-

ings. And thanks to that Higaonon

lady who greeted me that morning

that was to be my test of fire, I have

conquered my apprehensions.

During the entire duration of

the training, I saw in their eyes the

happiness that at last a project like

this will be implemented in their

community. Sometimes, I could see

their difficulties in digesting the

technical and financial terms regard-

ing a cooperative since some par-

ticipants had very low literacy skills,

but the eagerness to listen and learn

were reflected in the their faces and

made up for what they lacked. In the

trainings, we discuss not only about

cooperative but we also their situa-

tion in their communities. Everybody

had a common story - they were

exploited and had been - or known

- victims of human rights violations.

This was an opportunity for them to

pursue their struggles without wor-

rying their funds.

I knew that they had walked

miles for many hours, and some even

days, just to attend the training and

it’s so fulfilling to hear from them

in the end that their hardships had

been worth it.

The next trainings were then

light and relaxed for me. I wore no

lipstick anymore but they still called

me Maam.

‘HIGALA’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

human rights violations they have

been experiencing. Unfortunately,

most academics, journalists, and

filmmakers do not take the time

to hear what these people have to

say. They summarize their stories

and often miss the point of what

the Lumad are trying to say.

The RMP sub-regional office

in Northern Mindanao (or RMP-

NMR) decided to help in the efforts

to make indigenous voices be

heard. On April 22, 2015, the core

group of ‘Higala sa mga Lumad’

[Friends of the Lumads] or ‘Higala’

was established through the RMP-

NMR-led project, Healing the Hurt.

‘Higala’ is a support group

composed of a broad range

of interfaith personalities/

representatives of organizations

synergizing relevant capacities

and resources -- like legal services,

medical and psychosocial support,

sanctuaries, research and advocacy

support, etcetera -- for Lumad

communities and Lumad victims

of violence and other forms of

human rights violations. ‘Higala’

will also serve as an informal

indigenous peoples’ human rights

monitoring network-alerting

the public of any human rights

emergency --that can play a strong

protective role for a Lumad leader

or community member, or even for

an entire community under attack.

We believe that if the

indigenous communitie - support

by a network of advocates --would

not persevere in their struggle to

own their rights, the Lumad of

Mindanao will be subjected to a

repeated cycle of oppression and

exploitation. They will remain

as they are -- easily intimidated,

frightened, coerced or killed.

Together with them, we

envision a future where our

indigenous brothers and sisters

are freed from discrimination,

where they can freely move in

their ancestral land and enjoy its

fruits, where their right to a self-

determined development and

practice of cultural traditions are

respected.

We are now in what Filipino

call the “Ber” Months and the

countdown to Christmas is already

starting. The Season for charity is

already kicking in, so to speak. We

invite -- and perhaps challenge -

the faith communities that have

been declaring their love for God

as the core of their lives to go to a

Lumad community and reach out

to them personally, to be a Higala

sa mga Lumad!

‘GET TO KNOW’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

Jennifer finished her undergraduate degree of

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Development Studies at the

University of the Philippines, Manila.

AUDREY DE JESUS has been a researcher at IBON

Foundation since 2012. She was a member of the

research teams for some of IBON’s major researches:

Viability of Organic Farming in the Philippines (2014),

People’s Disaster Response to Super Typhoon Haiyan

in Eastern Visayas (2014), Implications of Large-scale

Mining on Food Security (2014), and Privatization

and the Right to Health (2014). She graduated with

a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Asian American Studies

and a minor in Women Studies at the University of

California, Los Angeles.

JARLEY SULAY-TRUGILLO is a lawyer, and the

current director of the Xavier University Center for

Legal Assistance. Prior to this, she worked as a legal

consultant of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources

Center / Kasama sa Kalikasan and handled cases

against mining. Atty. Sulay-Trugillo also teaches at

Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan. She is a member

of the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao.

ANTONIO J. MONTALVAN II, PHD is an

anthropologist and ethnohistorian who has curated

different inter-cultural museums in Mindanao. Dr.

Montalvan teaches at the History Department of

Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan and has a

monthly column at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

He is a Ford Foundation scholar for the doctorate

in anthropology on Mindanao Studies with the

Mindanao Anthropology Consortium.

LINA SAGARAL-REYES is a freelance writer and an

award-winning poet. She took courses in Journalism

and Creative Writing in Silliman University between 1978

and 1983. She researched on the life stories of creative

women in villages for the Writers Involved in Creative

Cultural Alternatives (WICCA). Among her awards are

the Palanca 1st prize in 1987 for (Instead of a Will These)

For All the Loved Ones, with Merlinda C. Bobis, and 3rd,

1990, for Istorya, with Ma. Luisa B. Aguilar-Carino and

Jose Neil Garcia. Her works include Honing Weapons,

Lunhaw Book, 1987 and Storya, Babaylan Women’s

Publishing Collective, Institute of Women’s Studies, St.

Scholastica’s College, 1991. As a journalist, she used to

write articles for periodicals such as the Philippine Daily

Inquirer and the Mindanao Gold Star Daily.

26 | Kidlap MAGAZINE

PROJECT ASSOCIATES

MADAGWAYBABAEYON INC is a coalition of indigenous women's organizations in Northern Mindanao, Philippines asserting our right to ancestral lands, self-determination and indigenous culture.

MORO-CHRISTIAN PEOPLES’ ALLIANCE-LANAO INC is an interfaith organization working for a peace-based on justice in the Moroland and in Mindanao.

SAMAHAN NG MGA LINGKOD NA ARTISTA SA MINDANAO (SALAMIN) INC is an aggrupation of grassroots cultural artists advocating for a mass culture and human rights.

KODAO PRODUCTIONS INC is an award-winning multimedia production outfit producing video documentaries on burning social issues in the Philippines such as environmental destruction, human rights, civil liberties, and many more. They also produce broadcasts for national radio networks and community radio stations throughout the country.

PROJECT PARTNERS

KALUMBAY-NORTHERN MINDANAO REGION (KALUMBAY-NMR) INC Is a regional alliance of 13 Lumad organizations in Northern and Northeastern Mindanao. It works for the defense of ancestral lands, rights and culture through organizing, education and advocacy campaigns.

IBON FOUNDATION is a non-stock non-profit development organization, serving the Filipino people through research and education since 1978. IBON seeks to promote an understanding of socioeconomics that serves the interests and aspirations of the Filipino people.

UNION OF PEOPLE’S LAWYERS IN MINDANAO (UPLM), INC Is a mass organization of lawyers as well as legal workers and law students in Mindanao committed to the promotion and defense of human rights, nationalism, democracy, peace, justice and truth.

COMMUNITY-BASED HEALTH SERVICES-NORTHERN MINDANAO REGION (CBHS-NMR), INC is a network of health professionals and community health workers pushing the advancement of primary health care in Northern Mindanao communities long before the Alma Alta Declaration in 1977.

THE RURAL MISSIONARIES OF THE PHILIPPINES OR RMP Is a national organization, inter-diocesan and inter-congregational in character, of men and women religious, priests and lay people. We live and work with the rural poor. Founded by the Association of Major Women Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMWRSP) in 1969, RMP members commit themselves to support the Filipino peasantry’s quest for social justice, freedom, and genuine agrarian reform.

What is EIDHR?

The European Instrument for

Democracy and Human Rights

(EIDHR) is the concrete expression

of the EU commitment to support

and promote democracy and

human rights in third countries.

Following up on the 2007-2013

EIDHR, it has been established in

2014 to contribute to achieving

the EU’s policies relating to human

rights and democracy in non-EU

countries, including the objectives

outlined in the Strategic Framework

on Human Rights and Democracy

adopted by the Council on 25 June

2012 and its new Action Plan for

2015-2019.

It is mainly channelled through

civil society organisations whose

projects are selected following

calls for proposals (Delegations

or Headquarters). The EIDHR is

complementary to the other EU

external assistance instruments.

About the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights

What does it cover?

The key objectives of the

EIDHR are:

• supporting, developing and

consolidating democracy in

third countries, by enhancing

participatory and representative

democracy, strengthening the

overall democratic cycle, in

particular by reinforcing an active

role for civil society within this

cycle, and the rule of law, and

improving the reliability of electoral

processes, in particular by means of

EU Electoral Observation Missions;

• enhancing respect for and

observance of human rights

and fundamental freedoms, as

proclaimed in the UN Universal

Declaration of Human Rights and

other international and regional

human rights instruments, and

strengthening their protection,

promotion, implementation

and monitoring, mainly through

support to relevant civil society

organisations, human rights

defenders and victims of repression

and abuse.

The EIDHR represents a key

added-value to the EU policy

toolbox, thanks to its flexibility,

its ability to provide assistance

independently of the consent of the

governments and public authorities

of the third countries concerned, as

well as its mixing of advocacy and

field operations. Its interventions

are being implemented under

the EIDHR Multi-annual Indicative

Programme 2014-2017 and its

consecutive annual and bi-annual

actions plans, and fit within:

• the Human Rights Country

Strategies elaborated by EU

Delegations, which give useful

orientations for the implementation

of the EIDHR assistance at country

level;

• the various EU Guidelines on

human rights;

• the “Tool-Box: a Rights-Based

Approach, encompassing all

Human Rights for EU development

cooperation” and its related

Conclusions adopted by the Council

on 19 May 2014;

• the coordination and consultation

mechanisms taking place with

major stakeholders (OHCHR and

other UN family organisations, CSO

active in the area of human rights

and their networks).

In the Philippines, more than

30 projects have been implemented

that reflect the wide range of issues

confronting Philippine society

such as violations of political and

economic rights of vulnerable

groups, gender discrimination,

violence against children and

electoral monitoring.

For more information, please visit the EIDHR website at http://www.eidhr.eu and the EU Delegation website at http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/philippines

Documents

KIDLAP March2016 low_res.pdf