By: Malou Liwanag-Bledsoe

Date: April 21st 2016

Source: Asian Journal

ALTHOUGH the conflict between the Philippine government and the communist rebels in Mindanao has been a long problem that has affected thousands of indigenous people in the area, not many are aware that another issue that is facing them is the violation of their human rights, specifically the displacement and environmental degradation that is facing their ancestral land.

Indigenous culture is based off the sentiment that “Land is life,” and this destruction of their land deeply affects their livelihood.  Many were displaced from their lands, a process that continues today and shows no sign of ending.

The effects are felt throughout the Philippines, particularly in the Mindanao region where about 63 percent of the country’s total estimated indigenous population are living.  The largest group in the region is collectively referred to as “Lumads,” a term that used by 18 different ethnic groups to distinguish themselves as the native people of Mindanao and unify the different tribal groups.

According to available data, it is estimated that there are at least 2 million Lumads living in Mindanao, mostly in remote areas where multi-national logging and mining companies come to extract from the country’s abundant natural resources. Mindanao is home to more than half of the Philippine’s mineral wealth and major crops.   The Lumads are now forced to abandon their homes and livelihoods so they can live safely.  However, many leave not only their homes, but also their fields and ancestral domain.

Today, the fight for indigenous peoples’ rights continues.  One organization that has come forward in advocating this is Salupongan International (SI).  Founded in February 2015, the organization was formed in the spirit of “Salupongan Ta’Tanu Igkanugon,” meaning “Unity in Defense of Ancestral Land;” or literally “a gathering (salupong) for a land (tanu) that cannot be alienated (kanugon) from its people.    Salupongan Ta’Tanu Igkanugon is a unifed group of Manobos that was formed in 1993 to defend themselves from a logging corporation that was ravaging their ancestral land and threatening to destroy their livelihood.

“Salupongan International is a broad network of organizations, institutions and individuals dedicated to the empowerment of marginalized rural communities in Southern Philippines (and around the world) through international solidarity, campaigns advocacy and basic social services,” said Josie de Mira, who is part of the organization’s Outreach Committee.  She also added that there are many people here in the United States, as well as in the Philippines who are supporting the efforts of SI.  “There is a core group of us here in the Bay Area and we have an office in Davao City. We also work with Salupongan International Ta Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Centers (STTICLC), Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP), BALSA Mindanao, MISFI (Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation - https://www.facebook.com/Mindanao-Interfaith-Services-Foundation-Inc-MIS...), and others.”

SI foremost addresses issues concerning the Lumad’s difficulty to live under basic human rights conditions due to the destruction and extraction of resources of their ancestral lands, by the multi-national logging and mining companies,   as well as the violent military support these corporations receive from the AFP and paramilitary, so that when the Lumad defend their land, they are harmed.

On Friday, April 29, the International Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines NorCal (ICHRP) and Salupongan International will also be hosting the event, “San Francisco to Salupongan” from 6pm-8:30pm at the African American Arts & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton Street, San Francisco.  The event is part of the national US speaking tour, “Lakbay Lumad USA:  The Continuing Journey of Mindanao’s Indigenous Peoples for Peace with Justice.” There will be Lumad delegates from Mindanao speaking on the struggles of their communities.

Presented by the API Cultural Center-San Francisco as part of the USAAF 2016: Civil Dis(place)ment festival, the event is co-sponsored by Kularts, Causa Justa/Just Cause, West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center and Pin@y Educational Partnerships.

Challenges and the violation of human rights

With the difficult task of advocating for the rights of indigenous people, SI works hard to build an international solidarity network and policy advocacy bodies to mobilize global support.   While they continue this work, many indigenous people continue face the same problems of being forced out of their lands and unsafe living conditions due to militarization.

De Mira shared that one of the main challenges that is facing the indigenous communities is the militarization and harassment by military and paramilitary forces.

“Soldiers often come to communities and occupy schools and homes. They have been known to burn down entire villages including the schools. They harass the people psychologically and physically. Parents are afraid to send their kids to school when the soldiers are in their village which effects the education,” she said then added, “Because the curriculum of the Salupongan schools include addressing issues relevant to the current situation of land threats and encourages the students to fight for their ancestral land against logging and mining companies, the Philippine government associates the schools with teaching rebellious ideologies. In turn, they wrongfully associate them with the New People’s Army and that is how they justify the militarization, harassment, and killings of Lumad involved in attaining basic education.   There have been numerous incidences of torture, rape, and killings by the AFP. Many human rights advocacy groups such as Karapatan and Save Our School (SOS) Network have brought international attention to these incidents and countless other human rights violations against children. “

In fact, the violations hit close to home when the Executive Director of one of SI’s sister Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV) school in Surigao Del Sur was killed.

“He was killed inside the school and left there for the students to find him.  Two other tribal leader[s], Dionel Campos and Datu Juvello Sinzo, were also murdered during the same incident,” she sadly shared.  “ They were tortured and then shot in front of the entire community. There have also been incidences of children being targeted and killed by paramilitary forces such as a 15-year-old boy earlier this year.”

Unfortunately, there have been many stories like these, many others who were killed.  The saddest part of all is that there have been no charges filed against any of the killers and they continue to act with impunity. Thousands of Lumad people have fled their villages due to this violence and remain in various evacuation centers in Mindanao with limited food, water, and medical supplies.

A call to educate and support

De Mira said that one of the ways people can help the Lumads and SI is by educating themselves on the issues at hand and help to educate others.

“Learning about the plight of the Lumad enables us to take the steps needed to advocate for the indigenous people of the Philippines and expose the injustices they are facing. Help us hold the military accountable for their actions and demand justice and an end to militarization and harassment. Education is a human right and these children should have the same opportunity as anyone else. You can have a representative of SI do a presentation for a class, organization, or event,” she shared.  “ People can also help by going on a Solidarity Exchange in the Philippines where you can integrate with communities, share your skills, and learn first hand about the culture, history, and struggles on the Lumad people.

Lastly, monetary donations help in so many ways; building schools, sponsoring a teacher’s salary, school supplies, farming supplies, basic and medical aid to those in evacuation centers. You can support these efforts through our ‘Adopt a Community’ and ‘Seeds for Life’ campaigns.” Lastly, De Mira impressed upon the importance of knowing the indigenous people of the Philippines as the backbone of our culture.

“They are unique in that they have been able to preserve their way of life in the face of colonization and imperialism. They hold an extreme amount of knowledge regarding language, indigenous architecture, medicine, and agriculture. They have a rich history that should be held as a precious treasure to he Filipino people,” she said. “But the main reason that Filipinos need to help the indigenous people of the Philippines is that they are Filipino citizens like everyone else who are facing extreme injustices by the government that should be protecting them. The land that they are fighting to save is the heritage of the Filipino people and it is being destroyed more each day by foreign companies who are exploiting the resources out of greed. 

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Photo source: Shubert Ciencia via Flickr/Creative Commons (CC By-NC-ND 2.0). Photo: © Shubert Ciencia