Manobo children smile in gratitude

ANGOC and PAFID, in behalf of the Manobo communites, extend our deepest and sincerest thanks to the individuals and organizations for their kind generosity.

• Izumi Murakami
• Stefano di Gessa and the staff of the International Land Coalition
• Nguyen Ba Hung
• Myra Valenzuela
• Cristina Liamzon and Edgardo Valenzuela
• Precious Ang
• Joanna Ycasiano
• Esse Dejos
• Markprof Foundation, Inc.
• Claire Sanchez
• Darlyn Ty
• Jem Perez
• Janice Jacobe
• Francisco Liamzon
• Catherine Liamzon
• Armida Salazar
• Abegail Salazar
• PSALM employees (Rhoda Santos, Conrad Tolentino, et al)
• Foundation for the Philippine Environment

We are earnestly hoping for your continued assistance in furthering our advocacy and action.

a. Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon

•Poultry livelihood for women’s organization COST: P15,000

•Water system COST: P8,000 (food for work and materials)

•Vegetable production COST: P50,000

•Vegetable production training COST: P100,000

b. San Luis, Don Carlos, Bukidnon

•Poultry livelihood COST: P15,000

•Water system COST: P8,000 (food for work and materials)

•Vegetable production COST: P50,000

•Vegetable production training COST: P100,000

c. San Nicolas, Don Carlos, Bukidnon

•Vegetable production (to be planted under their houses) COST: P50,000

•Vegetable production training COST: P100,000

Relief operations in San Luis

Updates on the APPEAL for FOOD and LAND of the Manobos of San Luis and San Nicolas, Don Carlos and Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon Province, 27 August 2008.

RICE DONATIONS and BEYOND

Relief Operations

To provide immediate relief from the prevailing hunger situation, the Asian NGO Coalition (ANGOC) launched a fund drive starting August 6. As of August 27, 2008, around P90,000 was received from generous Filipino and foreign individuals and organizations. These funds have been used for both the food relief and the start-up for the gardening project mentioned later.

PAFID Mindanao, the NGO that has been assisting these Manobo communities in their ancestral land claims, delivered a total of 42 sacks of rice to 521 families or 4 kilos per family. To extend rice consumption, PAFID and the communities decided to issue rice gruel (lugaw) instead of rice grains.

Community meeting in San Luis

It is not however enough to sustain them and at best this solution is only temporary and palliative. Donors can only provide so much rice and food. A more sustained and sustainable strategy must be identified and implemented as soon as possible.

Manobos propose a Gardening project

The Manobo community of San Luis has identified the establishment of a communal vegetable garden as one such possible strategy. That will provide them livelihood and food while continuing the struggle for their collective CLOA (Certificate of Land Ownership) under the CARP.

PAFID immediately granted the request of the community. A total of 345 packets of assorted vegetable seeds were delivered on 01 September 2008 and the community is expected to begin planting as soon as possible. The table below indicates the number of seeds delivered to the community.

Seeds Delivered to the Manobo Community in San Luis
Kind	Quantity (packets)
Okra	72
Ampalaya	84
Eggplant (Talong)	84
Pechay	36
String Beans (Batong)	45
Squash (Kalabasa)	24

Struggle for Land, far from over

The contested Ancestral land turned pineapple plantation in Don Carlos,Bukidnon

After the series of Interagency Task Force meetings late last year and early 2008, there has been no movement of the CLOAs promised to the Manobos of San Luis and San Nicolas, Don Carlos, Bukidnon.PAFID met with the Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer (MARO) of Valencia to confirm the exact location of the promised CLOA for the two Manobo groups in Don Carlos, Valencia, Bukidnon. The MARO could not identify the area and said that the Manobos have not even filed an application for inclusion as CARP beneficiaries in the area. Apparently, the MARO has not yet informed the Manobo leaders the process for CLOA distribution. The IPs have no idea on this since they are more familiar with the process for the ancestral domain claim.

PAFID also reported that Bukidnon Governor Jose Zubiri alllegedly met with the Manobo leaders after the relief operations took place. The Governor offered a staggered solution to the tribes’ appeal for land in three stages. The first stage includes CLOAs for their barrio/homestead covering 5.5 hectares for San Luis and 19 hectares for San Nicolas. The second and third stage would cover more lands but the Governor said he would have to negotiate these with willing “land donors” or other beneficiaries.

The Manobos inside Central Mindanao University have a more winnable case with their application for ancestral domain still intact. A presidential Executive Order was already issued before to delineate the Manobo ancestral land inside the university but has not been enforced till today.

San Luis and San Nicolas, Don Carlos, Bukidnon

The Manobo communities in San Luis and San Nicolas in the Municipality of Don Carlos, Province of Bukidnon suffer severe starvation and deprivation. This extreme poverty situation is a direct result of their inability to regain control of their ancestral domain, including the farmlands, which they and their ancestors have cultivated for years to sustain their existence.

Similar to the fate of most indigenous communities in the Philippines, the Manobos lost their traditional lands via a combination of deceit, intimidation, coercion and other violent means. The establishment of vast sugarcane and pineapple plantations, among others, forcibly dislocated them and deprived them of their inherent right to cultivate their lands. Left without their lands to cultivate, the Manobos were reduced to becoming seasonal farm workers and laborers doing menial jobs with very limited opportunities for growth and development.

Their situation turned for the worse in 1993 when the Manobo began to file claims to regain control of their traditional territories. The plantation owners and other migrant workers and settlers opposed the claims and the relationship has deteriorated and even turned violent. The Manobo claim never got past the government agencies they approached for help and support.

The ensuing antagonisms created by the Manobo claims to regain their ancestral domain also deprived them of their last viable source of income and livelihood. Feeling bad about the Manobo claims, the plantation owners and local business enterprises refused to hire and employ their services. The resulting unemployment left the Manobo with nothing – no lands to cultivate, no income.

Without any source of income and livelihood, food has become rare, children stopped going to school, hunger and malnutrition set in, and death is not far behind. The feeling of helplessness is prevalent.

In an effort to remedy the situation and tired of waiting for their ancestral domain claim to be processed and recognized, the Manobo collectively agreed to waive their claim and settled instead for what they thought would be the more expeditious transfer of land ownership under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

At present, the Manobo community in San Luis expects the processing of their claim over ten (10) hectares of land to accommodate 73 households. They were already granted 4.5 hectares of land and still wait for the awarding of the remaining 5.5 hectares.

The Manobo community in San Nicolas, which is composed of 389 families, has already developed a site plan covering an area of 21 hectares. They have allocated two (2) hectares for barangay site development, and the remaining 19 hectares will be subdivided among the families. They are still waiting for their application and request to be approved.

These Manobo communities have been waiting for quite some time for their claims to be approved. Each day of delay in the processing of their claims, replete with endless meetings with various government agencies, adds to the suffering.

Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon

The Manobo community has no cultivated land since their land was said to be donated to the Central Mindanao University (CMU) by Señora Fortich. The only area that has been allocated for their use is ¼ hectare and they are not even allowed to exceed more than that or they will be harassed by the CMU guards.

They are not allowed to plant anywhere in the area. If they do, their crops plants and other livelihood seen within the vicinity will be confiscated. They are also not accepted to work for the CMU farms since the CMU prefers farmers who are not IPs (indigenous peoples). The CMU often accuse the Manobo of stealing.

The only source of income of the Manobo community at present is to work for privately owned farms where they earn at most PHP100/day. Children and parents work together to be able to supply their basic needs. However, work on privately owned farms are seasonal, they have to find other means of income during the lean season.

There are instances, when children are not able to go to school because they do not have anything to eat. On Saturdays and Sundays, children would gather garbage such as plastics and aluminum and sell it to junk shops in order to save for food and allowances. They earn 20-30 pesos a day.

The community has experienced a series of evictions and demolitions between 1989 – 1997 where many children died of hunger and families lost shelter.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Proclamation No. 310 on 07 January 2003 withdrawing and/or segregating from the aforesaid land grant to the CMU six million seven hundred thousand (6,700,000) square meters for the use and settlement of the members of the ICCs/IPs of Barangay Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon. Thereafter, on March 31, 2003, the CMU filed a petition for prohibition with prayer for the issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and writ of preliminary injunction with the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon seeking to declare Proclamation No.310 “as null and void, illegal and unconstitutional.” Acting on the said petition, the trial court issued a Resolution dated 28 April 2003 denying the CMU’s prayer for a TRO and therein respondents’ motion to dismiss.

On 16 August 2006, Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita issued a memorandum lifting the suspension of the implementation of Proclamation No. 310 and directing the composite survey team to proceed with the survey and delineation of the boundaries of the area covered by PP310. Immediately the CMU filed an urgent motion for the issuance of a TRO which was granted by the Court of Appeals on its resolution promulgated on 22 September 2006.

On 12 January 2007 and 13 April 13, 2007, petitioner filed manifestation and motion bringing to the attention of the Honorable Court the reports forwarded by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Datu Renato Tugot and the tribal leaders in Maramag, Bukidnon that some CMU security guards have been patrolling the area covered by Proclamation No. 310 and that the CMU management has been planting cassava on the lot which is the subject of the case to the prejudice of the indigenous peoples.

On 07 November 2007, the plaintiff filed a motion for early resolution of CA-G.R. SP No. 85456. Subsequently, on 28 March 2008, the Court of Appeals promulgated its decision dismissing the CMU’s appeal. The CMU filed a motion for reconsideration of the said decision.

Thereafter, the composite survey team proceeded to the subject area to conduct the delineation of the area covered by PP310. The composite team, however, failed to conduct the survey because they were intimidated by a team of CMU blue guards who were carrying high-powered firearms. Further, respondent demanded from the composite team an order from the court before they can be permitted to enter the premises of the CMU to conduct the delineation of the area.

• The PAFID-Mindanao team received ten (10) sacks of organic rice from Rachel Polestico of Bukidnon Organic Producers Cooperative (BOPC) in SEARSOLIN, Cagayan de Oro City in the morning of 6 August 2008. This was made possible through the support of the ANGOC Secretariat.
• 4 sacks were delivered to the San Luis Bukidnon Native Farmer’s Association (SLBNFA) of Purok 11, San Luis, Calao-calao, Don Carlos, Bukidnon headed by Datu Marcial S. Tahuyan;
• 5 sacks distributed to the Midsevekan Tereguney’n Mge Menuvu Ne Mevasuk Te Molita Association (MIDTEMMMA) of Purok 1-A, San Nicolas, Don Carlos, Bukidnon headed by Datu Petronilo Col-om ; and
• 2 sacks given to the Higanonon-Talaandig Tribal Council (HTTC) of Purok 2, Taganibong, Dologon, Maramag, Bukidnon headed by Datu Jesus Sayante. (The PAFID bought additional sack for HTTC).

A. HTTC is composed of 28 families (137 individuals) living in harsh conditions inside the Central Mindanao University (CMU) which they claim to be part of their ancestral domain. They are not allowed to plant vegetables in their backyards. Attempts made by the women to grow pechay, egglants, tomatoes, etc. in order to feed the children have been met with violent reactions from armed university guards, allegedly on orders of the University President, Dr. Madronio Lao.

Currently, the able-bodied members work as scavengers, gathering trash such as bakal, plastic, lata and if lucky, they can buy half-a-kilo of rice for their families. The women and children also scavenge whatever leftovers are there from the harvest of rice, corn and other crops owned by the rich people in the vicinity. Often, they are chased by guards who bring in ducks instead to pick up the bits and pieces.

Children are getting sick due to hunger and some have stopped schooling due to sickness and lack of finances.

The provision of food is extremely necessary.

However, a long term support will be needed if the government dilly-dallies in the resolution of the issue on ancestral domain claims inside the CMU. Food support needs to be sustained but plans for relocation or housing, and the provision of livelihood assistance must be thoroughly studied.

B. SLBNFA is composed of 75 families also living in the same condition as that of the HHTC. The difference is that they are relatively secure as they have 4 hectares of land awarded to them. This however is barely enough for their residence.

Datu Marcial Tahuyan of SLBNFA

Backyard gardening has been initiated but the lack of water supply has hampered the community’s efforts. Like HTTC, the people live as scavengers off harvest leftovers from the rice and corn fields of the landed elite in the municipality. Scavenging has brought the community members to other municipalities in search for better opportunities or better “garbage”.

Food is as scarce as the visit of the DSWD or the rural health officer. They have yet to receive assistance despite repeated pleas.

Efforts are now being exhausted to resolve the long-standing land conflict with the NCIP, and DAR regarding the Cojuangco Sugarcane Plantation, formerly managed by the Bukidnon Farms Inc. Although sequestered, the lands claimed as ancestral domain by the Manobos have been distributed as CLOAs to dummies of local politicians.

As it is now, the NCIP has advised the community leaders to instead re-direct their efforts to the Municipal Agrarian Reform Office (MARO) for the issuance of a mother CLOA for the entire organization. MARO Wilson Bersano has offered the awarding of 5 – 10 hectares if the Manobos can raise funds for both the perimeter and parcellary surveys.

Neneng Ramos of PFI has offered technical assistance which is most welcome. This is being facilitated through PhilDHRRA Visayas.

However, we still have to look at the bigger picture as the community is in dire need of food, medicines, potable water, vegetable seedlings, and livelihood assistance.

MIDTEMMA community meeting

C. MIDTEMMMA is composed of 389 families in even harsher conditions. The Davao Agro-Ventures Corporation – Southern Fresh Product Inc. (DAVCO – SFPI) partnership has taken over their lands and planted them with pineapples. Community members remain as seasonal workers in the pineapple and sugarcane plantations. Currently, they scavenge for leftovers which are getting more scant insufficient and due to the stiff competition offered by other hungrier communities.

Like SLBNFA, the community needs food assistance now.

The people also appeal for medical missions and medicines for water-borne diseases since their traditional source has been contaminated by chemicals used by the DAVAO CORPORATION; school supplies, livelihood support, potable water, etc.

They also need technical support for the parcellary survey of their residential lots in order to come up with their own community development map ad land use map.

Quezon City, August 1. Hunger and desperation plague the Manobo groups in Don Carlos, Valencia, Bukidnon today.

In June 2008, PAFID and ANGOC received a phone call from Datu Marcial Tahuyan, a Manobo chieftain and leader of the San Luis Bukidnon Native Farmers Association (SLBNFA). He was anxiously asking for assistance for food for some 47 Manobo families and coordination with the Department of Agrarian Reform to act on the awarding of the collective Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) promised to them a year ago for 7 hectares of land.

Datu Marcial called PAFID again last week to ask for food. PAFID could only give 7 cavans of rice which only lasted for 2 days. He again called PAFID today, August 1, tearfully asking for help.

Last Friday, July 25, Yoli Lilawan of NAGTIMMA, another Manobo tribe in Don Carlos, met with Fr. Francis Lucas and Don Marquez of ANGOC asking for rice for around 150 Manobo families. She says their tribe is faced now with extreme hunger as they have not enough land to grow their food or adequate sources of income to buy food. To make matters worse, their hope to finally own a piece of land for their tribe, either as Ancestral Domain or under agrarian reform, is becoming a faint dream. They were also promised a collective CLOA by DAR for 10 or more hectares in Don Carlos, Bukidnon.

These Manobo groups, SLBNFA and NAGTIMMA, agreed with the Department of Agrarian Reform to give up their Ancestral Domain Claim in 2007 to become beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Both groups gave up their claim for their 2,000+ hectare ancestral domain with the promise that they will be immediately awarded some 15 to 20 hectares, just so they can have a piece of land for their own, where they can grow their food and live in peace.

This was facilitated through a series of dialogues initiated by a commissioner of the National Anti-Poverty Commission. There was failure in the process to uphold the ancestral domain claim of the Manobos in an attempt to resolve the overlapping applications over the Don Carlos estate between farmer and IP groups.

Now, the DAR is telling them that the tribes need to raise at least P5,000 per hectare in order to do the survey in the areas supposedly to be awarded to them. The DAR says it does not have the funds to accomplish the survey. The Manobos, hungry and without jobs, have no resources either for this.

The Manobos entered the agreement having faith in the promise that the land will become theirs sooner than their CADC, and that they will be awarded enough land for their families to live on. But apparently, with other farmer claimants to the Don Carlos estate, they are least prioritized as beneficiaries to the land. Now, they are awaiting a mere 15 hectares of land for around 300 families.

“Dahan-dahan na kaming namamatay.” (We are slowly dying.)

Datu Marcial and Yoli report the same things although belonging to different groups. They are lucky to eat at least once a day. Children don’t go to school now. They are not strong enough to walk to school. Mothers are being afflicted with tuberculosis since they are the last people to eat in the household. Death and disease are common place in their area. They fear the worst should an epidemic strike as simple as cough, colds or flu.

Sometimes, on lucky days, they get jobs in the sugar fields, earning P90 per day. But this is still not enough and the jobs are irregular. Because of their activities in claiming their ancestral domain, these IPs are banned as farmworkers in the adjacent lands.

“Kailangan namin ng Pagkain at Aksyon ng DAR.” (We need FOOD and IMMEDIATE ACTION from DAR.)

1. FOOD

The people are in dire need of food, especially rice and other staples. To feed more than 300 families, 20-25 cavans of rice per day is necessary. They also want health assistance with the alarming malnutrition of the people.

2. JOBS

Since their struggle for land has ostracized them from being hired as farmworkers in the municipality, they need to go to other areas to get work or be content with odd and irregular jobs around the area. They are willing to work for food.

3. LAND and JUSTICE

Even with all these hardships, they still want to pursue their claim to land. So they need support initially to fund the survey that DAR refuses to finance. They also need to assistance in resolving their land claims, or better yet, to reinstitute their ancestral domain claim on the area.

Background on the Ancestral Domain Claim

In 1992, the Manobo groups applied for a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim (CADC) over the Don Carlos estate. They claimed that this property as part of their ancestral land. However, some 80 years ago, their ancestors agreed to lease portions of the land to wealthy migrant settlers in exchange for goods and with the understanding that the use of the land would be returned to the Manobos after 30 years. However, the Manobos contend the lands were never given back and some lands were even applied for private titles which already passed on from one owner to another. These titles were last owned by the National Development Corporation (NDC)/Bukidnon Farms, Inc., which was controlled by a Marcos ally. The land was finally sequestered by the government in 1986.

On the other hand, migrant farmers in the estate increased through the years. When the land was subjected to CARP coverage in 1993, the former tenants of the NDC/Bukidnon Farms Inc., applied as beneficiaries. In 1995, the DAR awarded Certificates of Land Ownership (CLOAs) to 2,450 farmer beneficiaries. The Manobos tried to object to the awarding of CLOAs citing their pending CADC application over the same land.

The farmers claimed that the area could not be covered by IPRA anymore since some parts of the estate were already titled before the passage of the law in 1997. Hence, the farmers felt that these titles should be respected as stated in Section 56 of the IPRA, which states that IPRA will respect pre-existing titles prior to its passage in 1997. However, this runs in conflict with the IPs’ basis for claiming the land under IPRA, that it has been under their stewardship since time immemorial. The interpretation of Section 56, particularly the phrase that IPRA will respect existing titles prior to 1997, needs further clarification and a resolution among government agencies dealing with land redistribution.

The two Manobo groups were part of the process to help find a resolution for IP-farmer land conflicts in the country, perhaps through policy changes, dialogues with the respective implementing agencies (such as DAR, the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples or local governments) or the setting-up of mechanisms or a task force to follow-through on specific land conflict cases. ANGOC, PAFID and AR Now! spearheaded this initiative.

Please coordinate with Rino Bersalona of PAFID Mindanao at (0919)6120019, Dave de Vera or Sam Pedragoza of PAFID at (02)9274580 or pafid@zpdee.net and Maricel A. Tolentino of ANGOC at 4337653 or celalmo@yahoo.com/msaangoc@philonline.com for your donations and other forms of support for the Manobos.